Latest Articles about Pakistan
Weighing the Impact of Russian LNG in Pakistan
Pakistan’s new prime minister, Imran Khan, announced, on September 5, the formation of a Cabinet Committee on Energy to address Pakistan’s growing energy demands (Dawn, September 5). Although Khan looks to distance himself from his predecessor, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, one policy he will likely continue... MORE
Pakistan’s Elections: Mainstreaming Terrorists, Radicalizing Society
Pakistan’s recent national and provincial assemblies’ elections saw a significant number of candidates from religious extremist and terrorist outfits campaign. None of them won seats to Pakistan’s National Assembly and only two managed to win seats to the Sindh provincial assembly. On the surface, the... MORE
Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud: The New Ideologue-Warrior Leader of TTP
News of the death of Mullah Fazalullah, the most wanted man in Pakistan and Emir of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan brought a sigh of relief to many in Pakistan (The Hindu, June 15). Up until his death, the notorious... MORE
Pakistani Taliban: Mullah Fazlullah’s Death Revives Mehsud Clan Fortunes
Mullah Fazlullah, the notorious Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) emir, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in June, along with four of his commanders, in the Marawar district of Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan (Tolo News, June 15). With Fazlullah gone, the group will likely change... MORE
Hafiz Mohammed Saeed: The Lashkar-e-Taiba Founder’s Quest for Political Legitimacy
Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, the firebrand founder of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its charity front Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD), remains free in Pakistan. Legendary for his anti-Western and anti-India rhetoric, Saeed is known for his longstanding obsession and support for the Kashmir militant movement.... MORE
Leading Pakistan’s Nascent Form of Extremism: The Rise of Khadim Hussain Rizvi
Barelvi sect extremism has recently emerged as a new phenomenon in extremism in Pakistan. It is unique in that Pakistanis are accustomed to various Deobandi and Salafist militant groups carrying out violence in the Sunni-majority country but not to Barelvi sect adherents. For their part,... MORE
India’s Ceasefire in Kashmir Raises Prospect of Talks
On May 16, the Indian government announced a unilateral ceasefire in the restive northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the security forces will not launch operations in Kashmir during the Islamic holy month of... MORE
A Holy Warrior Reborn: Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil Enters Pakistan’s Mainstream
Once an infamous militant leader who unleashed a reign of terror in India’s Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1990s, Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil looks poised for an image makeover. Recently, Khalil has launched a political front in Pakistan, and he has worked in assisting... MORE
Pakistan’s Most Wanted: LeJ Commander Mati ur Rehman Cooperates to Kill
Few militants have remained on as many most-wanted lists in Pakistan, and abroad, as Mati ur Rehman. Rehman is indeed the most wanted terrorist in Pakistan (Pakistan Today, March 2, 2013). His role in masterminding and perpetrating terrorist attacks against former Pakistani President General Pervez... MORE
What Turkmenistani President’s Visit to Gulf Means for TAPI Pipeline Project
Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow visited the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait in mid-March as part of a campaign to revive a long-stalled natural gas pipeline from his country to Pakistan and India (Neftegaz.ru, March 16). The visit occurred three weeks after a February 23 groundbreaking... MORE