Salman Rafi Sheikh
Salman Rafi Sheikh is an assistant professor of politics at Lahore University of Management Sciences. He can be reached at: salmansheikh.ss11.sr@gmail.com
Disillusioned with the Taliban, Pakistan reverses its four-decade Afghan policy
As Kabul refuses to act against the TTP and Baloch militant groups, Pakistan is ending the support it has extended to the Taliban since 1994 and its welcome to refugees from Afghanistan since the 1980s
Nov 27, 2023
Can the Sharifs woo back battleground Punjab?
With Nawaz Sharif’s return, the Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz is looking to strengthen a shaky grip over Punjab, and testing again its tricky relationship with the military establishment
Oct 20, 2023
Pakistan embraces military rule without martial law
New laws have created jurisdiction for the military to operate at both federal and provincial levels of government, with serious implications for Pakistan’s already precarious federation.
Sep 29, 2023
Balochistan’s deadly confluence of separatist insurgency and Islamist militancy
Baloch separatists and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan are growing closer in Balochistan, threatening the Pakistan state and military as well as Chinese interests
Aug 28, 2023
Pakistan’s IMF bailout is not without political consequences
The deal enhances the IMF’s economic and also political footprint, but leaves civil-military relations untouched and widens the gap between the elites and the masses
Aug 03, 2023
To deal with Imran Khan, Pakistan descends into autocracy
Rising military influence, crackdown on the PTI, and compromised electoral landscape indicate a shift towards autocratic rule
Jun 24, 2023
Pakistan’s politics continues to dictate its economic crisis
The standoff over elections in Punjab between the PML-N’s ruling coalition and Imran Khan’s PTI has intensified Pakistan’s multidimensional crisis, and may lead to sovereign default
May 19, 2023
Tehreek-i-Taliban is making its way back in Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Taliban’s resurgence reveals the failure of the Pakistan government’s anti-terror policy and its ambivalent, contradictory relationship with Islamist militant groups
Mar 13, 2023
Pakistan needs to go beyond the 18th amendment to end the military’s role in politics
Reviving the 2010 reform process can be key to resolving Pakistan’s continued crises, but the reforms need to also target the military's massive business empire
Jan 30, 2023
Politics and Pakistan’s new army chief
The appointment of General Asim Munir as the COAS is of greater political than institutional significance.
Dec 13, 2022
Latest Articles
Podcast: Uttar Pradesh’s halal ban, Myanmar’s armed groups expose military junta’s weakness, and more
Your Southasia news roundup from 20 Nov - 1 Dec 2023, plus an interview with Aung Kaung Myat on Operation 1027 in Myanmar
India’s slow-burn affair with Israel heats up
Azad Essa’s 'Hostile Homelands' explores the ideological convergence of Hindutva and Zionism, and the consequences for Kashmir and Palestine – but there is much more driving India and Israel’s deepening ties
Disillusioned with the Taliban, Pakistan reverses its four-decade Afghan policy
As Kabul refuses to act against the TTP and Baloch militant groups, Pakistan is ending the support it has extended to the Taliban since 1994 and its welcome to refugees from Afghanistan since the 1980s
The limited genius of Geoffrey Bawa
‘Geoffrey Bawa: Drawing from the Archives’ allows an exploration of the rift between the celebrated architect’s vision for nation-building in Sri Lanka and the country’s present reality
