Introduction The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is closely monitoring the rapidly developing political crisis in Pakistan. The current upheaval stems from the introduction in Parliament of a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan, and his subsequent allegation that the motion is due to... MORE

Brokered by the Afghan Taliban’s interior minister and Haqqani Network leader, Sirajudin Haqqani, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, agreed with the Pakistani government on November 9, 2021 to a “month-long complete ceasefire” (BBC Urdu, November 6). As part of the... MORE

The 77-year old Mir Yousuf Mastikhan [1] is a veteran Baluch nationalist and separatist leader, who has continued his struggle with various political parties in Pakistan. Presently, Mastikhan is the president of Baluch Muttahida Mahaz (BMM), or the Baluch United Front. This is a Baluch... MORE

On February 14, Iran’s interior minister Dr. Ahmad Vahidi paid a visit to Pakistan against the backdrop of a recent spike in terrorist attacks by Baluch separatists on Pakistani security forces in Baluchistan, which shares long borders with Iran and Afghanistan. Vahidi held meetings with... MORE

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin met one-on-one with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Moscow. The two leaders discussed important regional and bilateral issues in a meeting that lasted more than three hours. Khan’s trip to Russia, made at Putin’s invitation, was... MORE

On January 9, 2022, Mufti Khalid Balti, a senior member of the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban, was killed in an unclaimed attack in a border district in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province (Dawn, January 10). Balti was the former TTP spokesperson who... MORE

Introduction China and Pakistan have formally launched Phase II of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship venture in China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). During Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Beijing on February 3-6 for the Winter Olympics, the two... MORE

Introduction In its latest report on the global terrorism threat, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) indicates that, following the Taliban takeover of power in Afghanistan, “terrorist groups enjoy greater freedom there than at any time in recent history” (UN Security Council, February 3). In... MORE

On January 20, a bomb blast at a crowded market killed three civilians and injured more than 25 others in Lahore. The attack was executed by the Baluch Nationalist Army (BNA), a newly formed Baluch ethno-separatist group, who made its presence known in Pakistan (Dawn,... MORE

In late December 2021 and early January 2022, Afghan Taliban fighters stationed at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, also known as the Durand Line, disrupted the border fencing near the Kunar and Nimruz provinces (Dawn, December 23, 2021; Express Tribune, January 3; Terrorism Monitor, January 14). [1]... MORE