Pakistan

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
Salman Rafi Sheikh | 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
Salman Rafi Sheikh | Oct 20, 2023

Pashto poetry’s journey from love to war and resistance
With Pashtuns suffering massive violence from the Taliban, Islamist militants and the Pakistan state, Pashto poetry today reflects the community’s new blood-soaked reality
Hurmat Ali Shah | Oct 16, 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.
Salman Rafi Sheikh | 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
Salman Rafi Sheikh | 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
Salman Rafi Sheikh | Aug 03, 2023

Fighting the erasure of anti-Shia violence in Pakistan
Pakistan’s mainstream media obscures violence against Shias and other minorities, but volunteers online are documenting the bloody reality facing their people
Syeda Sana Batool | Jul 19, 2023

‘Joyland’ crosses the barbed wire between India and Pakistan
Indian audiences are connecting with director Saim Sadiq’s acclaimed, queer-affirming Pakistani film, briefly banned in its home country
Chintan Girish Modi | Jul 14, 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
Salman Rafi Sheikh | Jun 24, 2023
