In the lead-up to upcoming general elections in Pakistan, the country’s Human Rights Commission has voiced significant concerns about “pre-poll rigging” and the “blatant manipulation” of the electoral process. The February 8 elections are apparently unlikely to be conducted in a fair and free manner. Pakistan has a history of electoral engineering, with the military […]

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MUMBAI – Last month, China and Pakistan celebrated the tenth anniversary of the US$64 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor with bonhomie and backslapping. But a warning from Syed Tariq Fatemi, special assistant to Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, belied the joviality. “Overdue payments to the Chinese IPPs [the independent power plants built and operated by China […]

The post China-indebted Pakistan looking down a deep, dark hole appeared first on Asia Times.

Pakistan is on the edge of defaulting on its financial obligations. In 2022, climate change led to severe floods in the country and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affected food and energy supply chains. Both events exacerbated Pakistan’s economic difficulties. But volatile politics have hamstrung any coherent government response. Pakistan is simultaneously trying to cope with […]

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Terrorist attacks in Pakistan peaked in 2013, averaging just under four attacks a day, with nearly 2700 total fatalities. The latest trends suggest that 2023 may be worse, with almost 200 terror-related incidents and at least 340 fatalities by March. Is Pakistan reliving the frightful specter of 2013? It may be — the last quarter […]

The post Who’s to blame for Pakistan’s fearful terror surge? appeared first on Asia Times.

Pakistan and the United States have recently been pursuing a reset of relations. High-level visitors from both countries have expressed intentions to find a basis for a partnership not centered on Pakistan’s neighbors Afghanistan or India. While the United States has been circumspect in its vision for relations with Pakistan, emphasizing clean energy and public health, the discourse in […]

The post US-Pakistan reset won’t lessen China dependence appeared first on Asia Times.

The infelicitous phrase “international basket case” might better apply to Pakistan today than when it was applied to Bangladesh in the 1970s — Pakistan’s former eastern half. Bangladesh has surpassed Pakistan economically and in quality of life. There is even talk of Bangladesh graduating to upper middle-income country status. Quite a reversal of fortune as no one talks about Pakistan that way. […]

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The attempted assassination of Imran Khan on November 3 has ushered Pakistan into another stage of political instability, with increased likelihood of further political violence. Imran has accused Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Sanaullah Khan and Major General Faisal of masterminding the attack. He has demanded these three be removed from their positions […]

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Pakistan just last month celebrated 75 years of independence. But the past few decades have been a mixed bag for the general populace, who are still waiting for the promise of Pakistan. Pakistan has performed relatively well as a rentier economy under both civilian and military rule. But living on others’ money without producing enough […]

The post The unfulfilled promises of independent Pakistan appeared first on Asia Times.

Tensions between former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and the current coalition government are coming to a head. Khan made a speech in the northern city of Rawalpindi near Islamabad on Sunday, August 21, seeking a return to office after losing a no-confidence vote in April and being ousted as prime minister. Just hours beforehand, […]

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Pakistan’s current economic struggles exemplify the little fires everywhere set alight across the global economy by a war during a pandemic. Like others in countries dependent on imported commodities — for example, Ghana and Sri Lanka — Pakistanis are seeing food and fuel prices soar. Foreign exchange reserves – used to pay for imports such […]

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In the run-up to Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s April ouster in a parliamentary no-confidence motion, the elected leader explosively claimed that the United States was orchestrating a “foreign conspiracy” to drive him from power. Those claims were rejected by the political opposition that toppled Khan and elevated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as well as […]

The post Sharif flipping Pakistan’s US and China relations appeared first on Asia Times.

PESHAWAR – An attempt to blow up a convoy of Chinese workers in southwest Balochistan province was stopped when Pakistan police arrested a suspected female suicide bomber on Monday. Police arrested the woman suspected of being a suicide bomber at the border area near Afghanistan and Iran. Law enforcement officers claimed she was planning to […]

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By the time Imran Khan’s government fell in late March 2022, it showed an abysmal track record of unfulfilled promises, especially on badly needed reforms to address the problems of police corruption and extrajudicial killings. Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), had a comprehensive agenda for changing the way the police operated, promising to eliminate “political […]

The post Pakistan’s Sharif has a police corruption problem appeared first on Asia Times.

PESHAWAR – China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Pakistan is being targeted by an intensifying Balochistan insurgency that has so far claimed dozens of lives including three Chinese teachers last week in a daring suicide attack carried out by a female operative of the insurgent Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Shari Baloch, a 31-year-old teacher, […]

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PESHAWAR – Rising anti-US sentiment, stoked by supporters of ousted premier Imran Khan, threatens to destabilize Pakistan ahead of new general elections and while the economy is teetering towards collapse.   Khan, who this month was voted out of power by the country’s parliament, has since urged his followers to prepare for a sit-in in […]

The post The real reason Khan is stoking anti-US sentiment appeared first on Asia Times.

PESHAWAR – Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to travel soon to China and Saudi Arabia to request urgent financial assistance to prevent a potential default as US$2.5 billion in foreign loans come due at the end of June and foreign reserves are insufficient to cover the bill. Fitch Ratings said in a […]

The post Sharif to beg Saudi and China for a financial lifeline appeared first on Asia Times.

Pakistan’s recent political transition from ousted premier Imran Khan to new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was not completely unexpected. But how the new leader opts to reset Pakistan’s foreign relations, if at all, is still a wildcard.   Khan’s incendiary claim that the United States conspired to oust him from power, either because he visited […]

The post Sharif’s big chance to reset Pakistan’s lose-lose diplomacy appeared first on Asia Times.

PESHAWAR – Shehbaz Sharif is sending positive signals to the US, China and India while addressing lawmakers after winning a majority of votes from parliament to become Pakistan’s 23rd prime minister. But questions are already swirling around how long his newly formed government will likely last.   In defining his foreign policy goals, Sharif said […]

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PESHAWAR – Pakistan’s new government faces major economic challenges on both the internal and external fronts. Economists say the previous Imran Khan government made a mess of the economy and failed to live up to its economic agenda of providing 10 million jobs and 5 million homes, good governance, economic growth and tax reforms. Analysts […]

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PESHAWAR – A political vacuum is opening in Pakistan as the nation awaits a high court decision on the legality of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s attempt to foil an opposition bid to oust him via a parliamentary motion he claims was backed by the United States. The cricket star cum premier lost his parliamentary majority […]

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