INDO-PAK RELATIONS: ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK

Canberra, 5 September 2014 Background After a span of fifteen years, the Indo-Pakistan equation has returned to a replay of the situation as it existed prior to the Kargil War in 1999—the parties in power in both the nations are the same and Pakistan is edging towards another attempt at becoming a democracy. 1999 was […]

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PAKISTAN – AGAIN ON THE BRINK

Canberra, 26 August 2014 There is a sense of deja-vu in the on-going protest in Pakistan led by the erstwhile cricketer turned politician Imran Khan and supported by a rabble-rousing cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri. The protesters have besieged Islamabad and their fundamental demand is the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Imran Khan’s demand that a democratically […]

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ELECTIONS IN PAKISTAN

Canberra, 23 May 2013 DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH WAITING FOR SURPRISES Introduction For some time during the election campaign in Pakistan, there was an audible sway of hope and vitality—the slogan of hope and change. However, it was drowned; as quickly as its effervescence had tried to assert itself; in the sweeping wave of the […]

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PAKISTAN’S TALIBAN NIGHTMARE

Canberra, 20 April 2013 Pakistan has been in the grip of a domestic Taliban insurgency for a number of years. The insurgency has managed to repeatedly disrupt the normal functioning of the society and, more importantly, made the limited secular influence within the polity withdraw and become insignificant. In the past few months it has […]

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PAKISTAN’S YEAR OF RECKONING

Canberra, 22 February 2013 Pakistan has arrived at its most critical juncture in its volatile history since independence in 1947. The year 2013 will be decisive for its future—national elections are due to be held in April-May; the President Asif Zardari completes his tenure in September; the Chief of Army, General Ashfaq Kayani’s term concludes […]

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THE REALITY OF AFGHANISTAN POST-2014

Canberra, 9 January 2012 THE MIRAGE OF STABILITY Ever since the United States announced its intention to withdraw its combat troops from Afghanistan by end of 2014, President Karzai has been stating that the people of Afghanistan hold the key to their future in their own hands. And so it should be, especially since the […]

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FEW POINTS ABOUT CHINA

06 November 2012 A great deal has been written about the rise of China and what it means for the rest of the world with commentators, strategists and analysts all wanting to outdo each other in predicting on the one end of the spectrum the complete eclipse of the United States and on the other […]

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PAKISTAN IN THE DOLDRUMS

Canberra, 22 October 2012 A number of analysts have opined that Pakistan is in a lot of trouble. This is perhaps a grave understatement—the country is fully enmeshed in a series of issues that all spell ‘disaster’ in capital letters and is hurtling downhill at a speed that defies comprehension. A nation where a 15-year […]

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AFGHANISTAN—WHERE TO FROM HERE?

Canberra, 7 September 2012 Why do people resort to violence to ensure that the ruling entity—whether a monarchy, dictatorship, autocracy or some form of democracy—meets their demands? In most cases the cause of such violence lies squarely with the Government—in its ability or ineptitude to redress the grievances, genuine or otherwise, perceived or actual, that […]

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The Unravelling of Pakistan

Singapore On 28 April 2009, the Pakistani army launched a military campaign in the Buner district, approximately 120 km north-west from the capital Islamabad, in an effort to regain control of the area from the Taliban. At the face of it this does not seem to be anything particularly important in a nation that has […]

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