Comments

India China Bangladesh
Perspective from Bangladesh: Balancing Economics with Geography: Why Dhaka’s China Success Demands a Pivot to India


Simon Mohsin

While Tarique Rahman’s China visit delivered economic and political success, geography dictates that Dhaka must balance this by stabilising relations with India to effectively manage permanent, vital neighbourly and regional interests.

AJK
AJK (PoK)’s Political Pulse Amid Continuing Unrest: Reading Between the Lines


Nazir Ahmad Mir

The banning of the grassroots JKJAAC has sparked fatal unrest in AJK (PoK), exposing Islamabad’s rigid control, structural political manipulation, and the military’s violent suppression of genuine local governance.

PoK
Governance deficit, Grievances, and the Criminalisation of Dissent:  The Crisis of Constitutional Legitimacy in AJK(PoK)


Mohammad Usman Bhatti

This comment examines the constitutional crisis in the so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), detailing how contested refugee seats and federal overreach sparked mass protests, leading to a state-sponsored anti-terrorism crackdown ahead of the 2026 elections

Issue Briefs

Pakistan Flag
Pakistan’s UPR National Report: Hides more Than it Reveals


Zaheena Naqvi

Months after its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report on the human rights condition in the country was approved by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) during its 53rd Session on 30 October 2023, Pakistan continues to violate most of the agreed recommendations to alleviate the concerns of all the stakeholders and improve the rights situation in the country.

Chahbar Port
The Chabahar Port and India-Iran Agreement


Ashish Shukla

On 13 May 2024, India and Iran signed a 10-year long-term contract for operation of Shahid Behesti terminal at the Chabahar port in Iran, eight years after concluding the general framework of cooperation on the Chabahar port. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in May 2015 for the development of this port by India and on 23 May 2016, the contract was executed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran.

Gilgit-Baltistan
Widening gulf between Pakistan and AJK


Nazir Ahmad Mir

Although most of the demands have been accepted― of course, not before securitizing the political issue by deploying FC, Rangers along with police to use force against the protesters― the people of AJK are unlikely to forget the ordeal they have had to pass through, for the last more than six months, which has certainly steeled their nerves.