Search: For - Pakistan

1693 results found

Striking with caution: Beyond the performative muscle flexing, Islamabad had little choice
Jan 28, 2024

Striking with caution: Beyond the performative muscle flexing, Islamabad had little choice

This return to business as usual is reflective of the wariness on both sides to escalate the crisis further and prevent it from metastasising into a new front of conflict.

Surgical Strikes and Deterrence-Stability in South Asia
Jun 24, 2017

Surgical Strikes and Deterrence-Stability in South Asia

Indian announcement of having conducted surgical strikes across the de-facto border with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir has major implications for deterrence-stability in South Asia. New Delhi has sought to devise a military strategy to respond to Pakistan’s sub-conventional war that does not lead to escalation of conflict to nuclear levels and collapse of nuclear deterrence. This paper analyses India’s surgical strikes of September 2016, thei

Suspending Afghanistan from SAARC and international law
Sep 26, 2021

Suspending Afghanistan from SAARC and international law

Making a case for suspending Afghanistan from SAARC to prevent the crippling of the organisation

Tackling Terror: Calibrated restraint, incremental pressure needed
Apr 30, 2005

Tackling Terror: Calibrated restraint, incremental pressure needed

The view from Dhaka was summed up in a journal thus: ¿The cumulative case against a dependable relationship between India and Bangladesh is a very strong one¿ since Bangladesh suffers from ¿a serious lack of bargaining power¿ and hence needs ¿a viable strategy of alliances with China, Burma, Nepal and Pakistan¿. Adventurism is its logical outcome.

Taking a wrong turn
Jun 06, 2006

Taking a wrong turn

Different states react differently to similar situations. When Israel is subjected to terrorist attacks, which is very often, the State reacts immediately and with force each time. In India, two days after Pakistan-backed terrorists kill innocent civilians in Srinagar, we send an official delegation to talk about cooperation in the war against terrorism with the sponsors of terrorism.

Taking the Peace Momentum Forward
Sep 08, 2004

Taking the Peace Momentum Forward

By declaring that his talks with Pakistani counterpart, Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri would produce nothing dramatic or drastic, External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh might have robbed the event of the avoidable media hype, the like of which had attended on the ¿Agra summit¿ earlier. At the end of it, the two-day ministerial meeting in New Delhi was a cup that was not half-full. Nor was it half-empty. In turn, this indicated that the two Gover

Talibanisation of Punjab
Dec 09, 2007

Talibanisation of Punjab

There are increasing signs of Talibanisation striking roots in some of the districts of Punjab, the political and military centre of Pakistan, said Prof. Kalim Bahadur, well-known expert on Pakistan, during a discussion organised at Observer Research Foundation on September 12 in New Delhi.

Taliban’s Kashmir policy: Rhetoric, ideology, and interests
Sep 21, 2022

Taliban’s Kashmir policy: Rhetoric, ideology, and interests

The Taliban walks a tightrope as it tries to balance India and Pakistan.

Talking to the Taliban
Jun 29, 2013

Talking to the Taliban

Pakistan has not given up its dream of controlling Afghanistan. It gives Rawalpindi an incredible reach and influence in the region and a legitimacy at home which has been under severe strain since the Abbottabad raid. The Taliban office in Doha is the first step towards such a goal. In that sense, the Doha office is a breakthrough for Rawalpindi more than any one else.

Talking to the Taliban: Between hope and experience
Sep 09, 2013

Talking to the Taliban: Between hope and experience

The release of seven Afghan prisoners by Pakistan over the weekend has raised hopes, once again, for a formal dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban leaders under the protection of Pakistan.

Talks alone can solve Kashmir problem
Dec 14, 2013

Talks alone can solve Kashmir problem

It is obvious that the Kashmir problem has to be resolved only through negotiations between the two Prime Ministers. With the recent election results from the four States going against the UPA, it is likely that Pakistan may not make an effective push towards a solution of the issue till the next parliamentary elections are over.

TAPI: A reality check
Jun 06, 2012

TAPI: A reality check

The proposed TAPI pipeline goes through Kandahar, enters Balochistan, passes through Multan reaching India at Fazilka, Punjab. Given the nature of Pakistan-India relations one would have little confidence about the ability or even the intention of Pakistan to ensure uninterrupted supplies.

Target practice in the country
Jan 18, 2006

Target practice in the country

Terrorism is rapidly striking deep roots in India, propelled in no less measure by external forces, namely Pakistan, and a few other countries that are willing to provide material support to agencies and forces inimical to India.

Tensions in South China Sea can destabilise region and the world
Nov 16, 2015

Tensions in South China Sea can destabilise region and the world

Tensions between India and Pakistan or North Korean provocations or South East Asia's maritime problems should not be perceived as local. The tensions in the South China Sea can single-handedly destabilise the region and the world, argues Prof. Rory Medcalf.

Terror sanctuary emerging in Punjab
Aug 03, 2010

Terror sanctuary emerging in Punjab

Pakistan's Punjab is on the verge of becoming part of the expanding network of terrorist sanctuaries across Asia.

Terror: Twelve reality bytes
Aug 08, 2013

Terror: Twelve reality bytes

The threat that is pre-eminent today is terrorism. And none of the counter terror efforts will succeed unless global powers deal effectively and consistently with the epicentre of terrorism -- Pakistan.

Terrorism in South Asia: US-India Perspectives
Jul 20, 2010

Terrorism in South Asia: US-India Perspectives

Because of the tacit and overt alliance between the constituents of policymaking institutions and the violent non-state actors in Pakistan, it is imperative to review the current strategies and policies to evolve a more comprehensive set of actions.

Terrorism: India Should Watch Out
Jan 27, 2005

Terrorism: India Should Watch Out

Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf is under pressure.For the first time since he seized power on October 12,1999, there are indications that he and some of his Lts.General, who constitute the real source of his power and not the people, are not on the same wavelength.

Terrorist tentacles in India
Jul 12, 2006

Terrorist tentacles in India

Investigations into the recent terrorist attacks and the subsequent chain of arrests and seizures in different parts of India, particularly rural Maharashtra, have revealed a growing alliance between jihadi groups operating from Pakistan and Bangladesh with ideologically extreme groups in India.

Textbook case of radicalism
Apr 24, 2004

Textbook case of radicalism

The Mullahs have found a fresh issue on which to trap General Pervez Musharraf. It has both religious connotations and a real possibility of a confrontation in which the General is bound to capitulate. The issue deals with school textbooks in Pakistan. A section of the society in Pakistan feels that textbooks cleared by the Federal Education Ministry's Curriculum Wing are regressive in nature and run counter to the objective of a progressive nati

The 'Sheikh Chilli' economics of Imran Khan
Nov 02, 2018

The 'Sheikh Chilli' economics of Imran Khan

A near-bankrupt Pakistan has only two choices. It can go to the IMF and suffer reforms. Or it can carry on with its lies, vagaries and economic wet dreams

The 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests: reactions and responses from the Indo-Pacific
May 11, 2023

The 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests: reactions and responses from the Indo-Pacific

There is increasing recognition that, given India shares land borders with nuclear-armed countries like Pakistan and China, it was imperative for Indi

The Af-Pak map is about to get a make over
Apr 29, 2015

The Af-Pak map is about to get a make over

It would be a mistake to assume that the US has changed its policy towards the region. It may have changed its style or the way it wishes to handle India and Pakistan but not its overall interests. The US wants to have a stronger presence in India without losing the hold it has on the military rulers in Pakistan.

The Agni Prime Missile: Shifts in New Delhi’s ‘missile thought’?
Jul 11, 2023

The Agni Prime Missile: Shifts in New Delhi’s ‘missile thought’?

While India’s missile thought is certainly evolving, it is yet to be seen if its flagship nuclear-oriented ballistic missiles are meant to further i

The agony and irony of Imran Khan’s disqualification
Oct 22, 2022

The agony and irony of Imran Khan’s disqualification

Election Commission of Pakistan’s disqualification of highly popular former Prime Minister Imran Khan will have far-reaching consequences for the co

The Al Qaeda Striptease
Sep 02, 2004

The Al Qaeda Striptease

ACT 1: March 2002. Abu Zubaidah, a Palestinian member of Al Qaeda, was arrested in Faislabad in Pakistani Punjab by the Pakistani authorities and handed over to the USA's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was the operational chief of Al Qaeda; his arrest was a major breakthrough, we were told. This is hardly supported by the report of the 9/11 Commission.

The al Qaeda Striptease Continues
May 05, 2005

The al Qaeda Striptease Continues

How big a catch is Abu Faraj al-Libbi, a 40-year-old Libyan married to a Pakistani, fluent in Urdu and Arabic and suffering from lucoderma, whose arrest was announced by the Pakistani authorities at Islamabad on May 4,2005?

The best of both worlds
Nov 15, 2013

The best of both worlds

The West has finally woken up to something that strategic analysts in India have been saying for decades: Saudi Arabia funded the Pakistani nuclear programme. In this connection, we have three questions to analyse; First, how valid is this information? Second, how is it then that Saudi Arabia gets away with so much? Third, why is Nato and Israeli intelligence taken seriously but not the Indians?

The BRI at 10, some hits, many misses
Oct 19, 2023

The BRI at 10, some hits, many misses

Even though the tale of Chinese munificence is marred by unsavoury ground realities, all eyes will be on the future of the Belt and Road Initiative

The case against weaponising water
Feb 10, 2017

The case against weaponising water

With growing water scarcity across many parts of the world, competition over access to this vital resource has been known to spark conflict. Following the September 2016 Uri attack in India, the government made plans to retaliate against its neighbour by exercising its right to use water of the western rivers—allocated to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty—by building dams, canals and reservoirs. This paper aims to address the legal, econ

The changing contours of Russia’s South Asia policy
Jul 27, 2017

The changing contours of Russia’s South Asia policy

Russia’s policy towards South Asia has been the subject of much speculation lately. With closer cooperation between Russia and China and the former’s warming up to Pakistan, it is becoming increasingly evident that Russia is moving away from its India-centric approach in the region. This brief studies the changes, and continuity, in Moscow’s foreign policy towards South Asia as it transitioned from the Soviet Union into the Russian Federati

The changing face of Baloch activism
May 09, 2024

The changing face of Baloch activism

The harsh response by the Pakistani state towards the ongoing Baloch protests will only alienate people further and deepen the existing crisis

The Chicago chance
May 22, 2012

The Chicago chance

If the Obama Administration avoids the temptation of returning to business as usual with Rawalpindi, it has an opportunity to get both Afghanistan and Pakistan right.

The China angle
Feb 06, 2018

The China angle

Dealing with the complex Afghan situation and the slippery Pakistanis will not be any easy task for the Chinese.

The Chinese are coming
Apr 03, 2015

The Chinese are coming

While West Asia is volatile, the Chinese are beginning to get more active in Afghanistan, retain their pre-eminence in Pakistan and strengthen ties with Iran. In fact, Iran is the third leg of China?s policy in our immediate western neighbourhood. The Chinese are obviously making preparations for the time when peace returns to the Arab world, which might leave a stronger Iran.

The Chinese discourse on the ongoing West Asia crisis
Apr 29, 2024

The Chinese discourse on the ongoing West Asia crisis

Many in the Chinese strategic circles believe that although West Asia is significant for China, it should lay low and let US get embroiled in the regi

The complex narratives of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’
Oct 07, 2019

The complex narratives of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’

‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ has made a noisy return, especially after the government’s action on Article 370 and Pakistan’s isolation in the international theatre.

The Earthquake: A Tragedy and an Opportunity
Oct 15, 2005

The Earthquake: A Tragedy and an Opportunity

Fifty-six years after the ceasefire line was drawn between the Indian and Pakistan occupied Kashmir, the underlying seismic fault lines have made a mockery of this line. This map delineation, which was renamed as Line of Control after the 1971 Indo Pak war, has gone out of control, at least temporarily, by the fury of the nature when the earthquake struck this area on 8 October.

The elusive watersheds of Ladakh: Explaining India and China’s missing border
Aug 26, 2020

The elusive watersheds of Ladakh: Explaining India and China’s missing border

On top of the violence and upheaval of Partition, the integration of more than 550 princely states, and a war with Pakistan over Kashmir, the British

The empire strikes back
Aug 02, 2017

The empire strikes back

The ‘deep state’ has always worked with a king’s party, and there have always been politicians willing to oblige.

The fall of ISIS and its implications for South Asia
Jan 04, 2018

The fall of ISIS and its implications for South Asia

With the territorial defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, analysts are pondering the kind of organisational form the group would take next. The influence of the so-called Islamic State in South Asia may be minimal, but India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, have all had the shadow of ISIS’ global footprint land on their doorstep. This brief sheds light on how the influence of ISIS spread across South Asia, specifically after 2014, when pro-I

The futility of the New Silk Route
May 01, 2012

The futility of the New Silk Route

A New Silk Road is magical thinking, given that Afghanistan remains a hotbed of instability plagued by daunting challenges. Lack of security has already delayed Tapi, the natural gas pipeline linking Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

The General is helpless
Aug 03, 2005

The General is helpless

Two immediate observations can be made from Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's address to the nation on July 22, 2005. One, he is not willing to take strong and decisive action against extremist and terrorist groups in Pakistan. Two, he cannot take such an action.

The Global Dividend
Aug 19, 2023

The Global Dividend

A survey shows wide youth support for the Modi government’s foreign policy.

The Great Power Game still continues
Feb 02, 2012

The Great Power Game still continues

Closer home, the Great Power Game will be played in the unstable fields of Ayatollahs' Iran, a Talibanised Afghanistan, whose leaders have their own world view, and a Sunni radicalised nuclearised Pakistan. The main contestants will be China and the US and our strategic planners may have to start planning for an uncertain future.

The Gwadar protests: Balochistan stands up for its rights
Jan 13, 2022

The Gwadar protests: Balochistan stands up for its rights

To safeguard Chinese interests in Gwadar, the Pakistani government gives in to demands placed by the local population

The Haqqani Network and the failing US-Taliban deal
Jun 29, 2020

The Haqqani Network and the failing US-Taliban deal

While the Afghan government has begun the release of Taliban prisoners and the US prepares for a drawdown in troop numbers, the Taliban’s ties to th

The hidden failure of US-India counterterrorism cooperation
Aug 22, 2018

The hidden failure of US-India counterterrorism cooperation

While New Delhi is getting more diplomatic support for its position, it is doing little to change the threat Pakistan poses.