The security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, militancy, reached a point where no single day passes without tragic news from one district or another. Attacks, targeted killings, armed clashes and bombings have become a grim routine, particularly in the southern belt of the province. From Lakki Marwat to Dera Ismail Khan, from Bannu to North and […]
Militancy, Protests and Poverty: The Regional Storm Pakistan Faces Read More »
(Shamim Shahid) For years, the dominant question surrounding militant violence in Pakistan has been deceptively simple: why do groups that claim to fight in the name of Islam increasingly behave like political and nationalist actors, selectively targeting some parties while sparing others? Yet beneath this apparent simplicity lies a long, complex history of ideological mutation,
From Jihad to Selective Nationalism: Who the Taliban Really Fight Read More »
“I would like to send a message to all our Mujahideen that the Afghans are our brothers. We have been comrades and have fought wars together. I would like to urge our Afghan comrades who are willing or attempting to come to Mohmand, or to Pakistan, not to do so, and instead remain in their
Sarbakaf Mohmand’s Message Exposes Deepening Fault Lines Within TTP and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar Read More »
(Arif Yousafzai) When the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) stepped up for his latest press briefing, it was evident from the outset that this was not going to be a routine year-end security update. Beyond the statistics, maps, and operational summaries, the briefing carried a sharper political tone, a harder regional posture,
When Terror Meets Politics Read More »
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the ruling party is busy in streets politics, and while doing so they know no boundaries. On one side, security forces are conducting operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On the other, political statements are being issued against these operations. This contradiction has now become a defining feature of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s internal posture,
Street Politics or Provincial Responsibility, A Question for KP’s CM Read More »
(Shamim Shahid) Terrorism has long been Pakistan’s most enduring and devastating challenge, one that has shaped its internal security policies, foreign relations and political discourse for more than two decades. While successive governments have tried different strategies military operations, negotiations, intelligence-led actions and regional diplomacy the problem has refused to disappear. Instead, it has evolved,
Terrorism, Afghanistan and the Truth No One Can Ignore Read More »
Pakistan’s position on terrorism is clear and unambiguous. This was once again underlined in the recent press briefing by DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, whose core message was that there is no confusion in Pakistan’s war against terrorism. He emphasized that the political leadership, military leadership, and state institutions are on the same
Pakistan’s War on Terror Is Clear — Political Ambiguity Is the Real Threat Read More »
The recent attack on Venezuela by the United States underscores a troubling pattern in global geopolitics. Donald Trump, once a self-styled torchbearer of peace and a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, now stands accused of targeting countries far from American borders. Venezuela’s plight is emblematic of how nations without strong defense mechanisms or stable
From Venezuela to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Power, Terrorism, and the Cost of Weak States Read More »
(Mushtaq Yusufzai) Afghanistan’s story over the past two decades is one of unparalleled investment, international involvement, and yet, devastating failure. The country, which became the focal point of a global war following the September 11 attacks, has seen trillions of dollars spent on military operations and reconstruction, but the outcomes reveal an extraordinary paradox: despite
(Shamim Shahid) The latest report of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) is not merely an audit of dollars spent or projects failed; it is a post-mortem of a state that collapsed under the weight of flawed policies, strategic arrogance, and institutionalized corruption. It exposes, with numbers and facts, how the United States
How American Decisions, Corruption and Poor Planning Destroyed the Afghan State Read More »
