(Aqeel Yousafzai) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), once again, finds itself at a dangerous inflection point. The districts of Lakki Marwat, Bannu, and the southern belt of the province areas already scarred by decades of conflict, displacement, and military operations are witnessing a renewed wave of violence that is reshaping public fear, political discourse, and institutional credibility.
(Shamim Shahid) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa today stands at one of the most dangerous crossroads in its modern history. The province that has already endured decades of militancy, displacement, suicide bombings and insecurity is once again slipping into a cycle of fear and uncertainty. From Lakki Marwat to Bannu, from Dera Ismail Khan to Tank and North
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Burns While Politics Continues: Who Will Answer for the Bloodshed? Read More »
The series of terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not something new. This problem has existed for decades and it is no longer limited to one district or one tribal region. From Chitral to Dera Ismail Khan, the entire province remains exposed to the threat of terrorism, while the situation in Balochistan has its own
From Bannu to Kabul: Why Terror Networks Fear Pakistan-Afghanistan Stability Read More »
The debate surrounding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s deteriorating security situation once again intensified after the recent wave of terrorist attacks in Bannu, Lakki Marwat and adjoining districts, but the real question is no longer whether the province is facing a serious threat. The question now is whether the state structure responsible for confronting that threat was ever
From Bannu to Lakki, Debate Intensifies Over KP’s Counterterror Preparedness Read More »
The suicide attack on the Fateh Khel police station in Bannu was not just another terrorist incident. In my opinion, it was a reminder that Pakistan continues to face a determined and evolving terrorist threat, particularly in the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bordering Afghanistan. I have covered militancy and security developments in this region
From Bannu to Kabul, The Regional Terror Threat Can No Longer Be Ignored Read More »
(Shamim Shahid) The recent tragedy in Bannu is not merely another entry in Pakistan’s long and painful ledger of militancy-related violence. It is, instead, a stark reminder of the deteriorating security environment in the country’s northwestern belt, the widening trust deficit between the state and its citizens, and the growing disconnect between political leadership and
(Arif Yousafzai) The targeted killing of Maulana Muhammad Sheikh Idrees in Charsadda, followed by the claim of responsibility by Islamic State – Khorasan Province, has once again exposed the fragile and deteriorating security landscape of Pakistan’s northwestern region. It is not an isolated incident but part of a widening pattern of violence that has, over
In what many across Pakistan now commemorate as Marak-e-Haq, when India launched Operation Sindoor, the expectation in New Delhi appeared to be that Pakistan would either lose control of the narrative or fail to respond decisively. What happened instead was the opposite. Pakistan not only responded militarily, but also diplomatically and psychologically, in a way
One Year After Operation Sindoor, Pakistan Stands Stronger and More Prepared Read More »
(Irfan Khan) The assassination of Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Muhammad Idrees has once again brought Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into the center of uncomfortable questions that have remained unresolved for years. Each such killing of a religious scholar does not only close a life it reopens a wider debate about security gaps, investigative outcomes, and the repeated inability to
As far as I see it, Pakistan gained from Marka-e-Haq and lost nothing. There is an old doctrine in strategic thinking that wars, despite destruction, also create opportunities. Everything depends on whether a nation’s leadership possesses the vision and courage to convert conflict into strategic advantage. In my opinion, Pakistan’s military and political leadership succeeded
From Battlefield to Diplomacy: How Pakistan Rewrote the Rules of Power After Marka-e-Haq Read More »
