ACTS of terrorism by Baloch insurgent groups have increased. A new wave of high-impact terrorist attacks in Balochistan started on Jan 26 with the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) assault on an FC checkpost in the Dasht area of Kech district. Ten soldiers were martyred. Since January this year, different Baloch groups have carried out at least 17 […]
BALOCHISTAN is changing rapidly. Conventional provincial allies of power elites in Islamabad and Rawalpindi are losing their utility. They include sardars, nawabs and elders of ‘peace committees’ who keep an eye on dissidents, acting against them when needed. Local accounts say that realisation of the grave situation in the province is increasing among the power […]
IF we want to feel the pulse of Balochistan, we need to listen to the Baloch youth. Nothing else can tell us more about the political, ideological and social transformation in the province. The tribal chieftains, or sardars and nawabs, are not as relevant as the state, that continues to rely on them, believes. Neither […]
PAKISTAN is perhaps the first South Asian country which has now a comprehensive national security doctrine in documented form. The country’s friends and foes can interpret it in their own way and engage with the state accordingly. But why has Pakistan chosen to put together pieces of its security approaches in the first place? For […]
THE terrorist attack on a police check post in the heart of the federal capital earlier this week was a dangerous happening. It is good that the security agencies have taken the incident very seriously (they should be equally concerned about the security of other cities such as Lahore that witnessed a blast on Thursday). But what is questionable […]
PAKISTAN doesn’t lack the imagination to envision the emerging threats and challenges but hardly changes its conduct, which has created a disconnect between policy and practice. For instance, state institutions were cognisant of the consequences of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, but they largely failed to evolve any preventive or counter mechanism. Many had projected […]
IN Pakistan, the drafting of security policy has largely remained the preserve of national security institutions. The executive and parliament rarely intervene, apparently trusting the wisdom of those at the helm of security affairs. But policies relating to terrorism or security are often presented as the outcome and reflection of national resolve and efforts. Perhaps […]
MANY analysts had projected long before the Afghan Taliban takeover of Kabul that Afghanistan would become a major security and foreign policy challenge for Pakistan. While most in Pakistan are now busy in debating the political and strategic pros and cons of the Taliban regime, there is an acute lack of discourse on the sociocultural […]
THE state has yet to fully realise the sociocultural and political-economic inferences of religious education institutions or madressahs. Despite having long attempted to pursue the reform of this sector, successive governments have done little to change things on the ground mainly because of fear of a backlash and a reluctance to allocate resources. Those leading […]
PAKISTAN’S ongoing talks with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan offer a colossal opportunity to the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul to prove its willingness and ability to deal with a multitude of foreign militants in Afghanistan. The world is sceptical about the Taliban’s pledges. But if the Taliban can help Pakistan neutralise the TTP, it might pave the […]
