VT Foreign Policy

Nearly 12,000 Afghan migrants were deported from Iran and Pakistan from July 3-6, Khaama Press reported, citing the Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation. In a newsletter, the Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said that 11,997 Afghan migrants were expelled by the governments of Pakistan and Iran and have returned to Afghanistan. According to the newsletter, the expelled people entered Afghanistan through the borders of Torghundi, Spin Boldak, Islam Qala-Herat, and Abreshim-Nimruz between July 3-6. The trend of deporting Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan continues amid a humanitarian crisis despite international reactions, according to Khaama Press report. The […] #Asia #Government Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/07/afghan-migrants-deported-pakistan/?feed_id=13089

India has said a report by Canadian legislators alleging interference by New Delhi is politically motivated and influenced by Sikh separatist campaigners. Already chilly bilateral ties cooled further last month when a group of parliamentarians, citing intelligence reports, alleged some elected Canadian officials had been “witting or semi-witting” participants in foreign interference operations. India and China were the main foreign threats to Canada’s democratic institutions, it said. Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s envoy to Canada, said the report was biased, did not give a fair hearing to India and did not give an opportunity to cross-examine witnesses. “It has been influenced […] #Asia Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/07/indian-interference-claims-by-canada/?feed_id=13035

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Astana on July 3. In this meeting, Erdogan’s intentions of shaping the Caucasus and Central Asia in a Turkish-led order became even more apparent. This was the first meeting between leaders of the three countries in a trilateral format and had “historic significance,” according to Azertaj, with promises that such meetings would be held regularly. Previous trilateral meetings were only held at the level of foreign ministers, parliamentary speakers, and defence […] #Asia #Government #World Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/07/turkeys-alliance-with-azerbaijan-and-pakistan-expands-influence-in-caucasus-central-asia/?feed_id=13005

Three leading members of the minority Ahmadiyya community have been put under one-month detention by the Chakwal district administration to prevent them from performing religious rites on the occasion of Eid-ul Azha, Dawn reported. Chakwal’s Deputy Commissioner Quratul Ain Malik issued three separate orders for the detention of the three men on June 10, following which the three were arrested by the police and sent to Jhelum prison. All three men are natives of Dulmial village, which witnessed a mob attack on the mosque of the Ahmadiyya community in December 2016 resulting in the death of two persons. The historic […] #Asia Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/06/pakistan-3-minority-ahmadiyya-community-members-detained-to-prevent-them-from-performing-religious-rites/?feed_id=12795

The $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, was hailed as a game-changer for the South Asian country’s ailing economy. However, nearly a decade since its inception, the multi-billion-dollar investment has become a nightmare for both countries, marred by incessant attacks on Chinese nationals, Pakistan’s inability to utilise the investments, and a deepening economic quagmire, which exposes the country to the IMF. A suicide bombing that killed five Chinese engineers near the Dasu dam project in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on March 26 is the latest in a series of deadly […] #Asia #Government Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/05/pakistans-cpec-nightmare/?feed_id=12019

If there was a moment in Pakistan’s history, when another Bangladesh could occur, it is now. The reasons for this lie in the complete and total alienation of the Pashtuns living in Pakistan. Once seen as the closest ally of Punjabis in Pakistan, the Pashtuns today face deportation and humiliation to a point of no return. The Pakistan Army which they used to serve with great pride, has become the enemy. Like the Baloch people, victims of the Army’s jackboot policy, Pashtuns are out on the streets today to protest and express their anger. No place provides greater evidence of […] #Asia #Government Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/04/the-baloch-people-are-alienated-today-so-are-the-pashtuns-in-pakistan/?feed_id=11291

Inflation has cast a sombre tone over Eid festivities across Pakistan. Traditionally a time of joy, celebration, and generosity, this year’s Eid is marked by subdued spirits as rising prices deter people from indulging in customary shopping and feasting. The high cost of essential goods and services has strained household budgets, leaving many families unable to afford new clothes, gifts, and special Eid treats. Abbu Sufiyan, a resident in Karachi said, “Upon inquiring about the prices of the products I wished to purchase, I was dismayed to find that they were beyond my budget. Slippers, for instance, are now priced […] #Asia #Government Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/04/inflation-dulls-eid-festivities-across-pakistan/?feed_id=11039

Pakistan has started construction of an 80-kilometre section of a gas pipeline with Iran despite receiving sanction threats from the US. Working against US interests, though, the threat of sanctions only pushes Pakistan not only closer to Iran but also to China and Russia. Construction for the pipeline from Gwadar in southwest Pakistan to a junction where it can join the Iranian gas pipeline finally started after years-long delays and Washington’s recent threat of sanctions. “Authorities have commenced the work to begin the construction of the 80-kilometre section of the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline from Gwadar to a point where it […] #Asia #Government Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/04/pakistan-defies-washingtons-sanction-threats-and-starts-building-gas-pipeline-with-iran/?feed_id=10971

Despite Pakistan dealing with a crippling economic situation, the US has shown little concern for its strategic ally’s issues and, instead of offering support, has threatened tough sanctions if Islamabad decides to continue with the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project. Ironically, though, such an action will only push Pakistan closer to China, which the US views as a greater threat to its hegemony than Iran. “We always advise everyone that doing business with Iran runs the risk of touching upon and coming in contact with our sanctions, and would advise everyone to consider that very carefully,” a US State Department spokesperson […] #Asia #Government Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/03/us-threatens-sanctions-if-pakistan-continues-gas-pipeline-project-with-iran/?feed_id=10559

In its quest to challenge Western hegemony in global governance and make itself more representative of the Global South, BRICS has begun to expand itself, including more new member nations. The expansion has led to a formal request by Pakistan to join BRICS in late 2023. This has led to discourse and speculations by scholars, diplomats, journalists, and International Relations experts about the readiness of Pakistan and the willingness of BRICS to do so without hampering the established objectives of BRICS. Though Pakistan’s leadership believes that Pakistan has a role to play in furthering international cooperation and inclusive multilateralism when […] #Asia Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/03/is-pakistan-compatible-with-brics/?feed_id=10323

The Pakistan Navy inducted its first research vessel, or spy ship, in an attempt to counter the strengthening of the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean. This is a demonstration of deepening Pakistani-Chinese relations, which have been important for Beijing’s interests and power projections since the 1950s. INS Dhruv was inducted by the Indian Navy in 2021 and can track nuclear missiles and gather intelligence, which is crucial in modern-day naval warfare. Responding to India’s development, China supplied PNS Rizwan and allowed Pakistan to join a small group of countries that operate such ships, including Russia, India, France, the US, […] #Life Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/03/china-provides-pakistan-with-its-first-spy-ship-in-show-of-bolstered-strategic-alliance/?feed_id=10219

Six months after reclaiming the once Armenian-majority region of Nagorno-Karabakh in a lightening military campaign, Azerbaijan plans to upgrade its fighter aircraft fleet over the next decade. All reports indicate that Pakistan and Turkey will be the providers and not Russia, the traditional weapons supplier of Azerbaijan. This is an indication that despite the currently friendly Moscow-Baku ties, Azerbaijan is tilting further towards the Turkey and Pakistan nexus. Reports in Azerbaijani and Pakistani media in late February claimed that their respective countries agreed to sell an undisclosed number of Pakistani JF-17C Thunder fighter jets for $1.6 billion. At the same […] #Government #WarZone #World Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/03/azerbaijan-snubs-traditional-weapon-supplier-russia-for-turkey/?feed_id=9987

The number of Pakistani nationals running global smuggling rackets ranging from supplying missile parts to fake currencies to human trafficking is rising, something noted after the Spanish police recently busted a major global fake currency racket with the arrest of several Pakistani citizens who had been supplying 100 Euro notes worth $1.1 million across Europe and beyond. The Pakistani gangsters made the banknotes by hand, using special inks, watermarks and different elements to hoodwink detection mechanisms. The gangsters were based in Naples and Rome in Italy and Barcelona in Spain. The fake notes were distributed in Italy, France, Greece and […] #Asia #Europe Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/03/pakistani-run-smuggling-gangs/?feed_id=9943

ARY News reported that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced that it would hold a public gathering in Islamabad, the South Asian country’s capital, on the eve of Pakistan Day on March 23. PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat said when addressing the party’s protest demonstration that they would approach the Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad to seek permission for the gathering. He said, “If the administration rejects our request, the PTI will move to the Islamabad High Court.” Marwat added that it was their right to hold a ‘peaceful’ protest as per the constitution, ARY News reported. He further called on the […] #Asia Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/03/chaos-hit-pakistan-as-imran-khan/?feed_id=9915

by Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher Former Pakistani Prime Minister and chairman of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, Imran Khan, and former Foreign Affairs Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were sentenced to ten years in prison for allegedly violating the Official Secrets Act, Pakistani TV channel GEO reported on January 30. Imprisoned since August 2023 after being convicted and sentenced to three years on corruption charges, 71-year-old Khan pleaded not guilty to charges of leaking state secrets that dealt a new blow to his chances of contesting Pakistan’s general elections in February. According to Al Jazeera, the charges relate to a confidential […] #Elections #Featured #Government #World Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/01/imran-khan-handed-10-year-prison-sentence-just-days-before-elections-in-pakistan/?feed_id=8603

Turbulence in Pakistan-Iran Relations Asif Haroon Raja Iran under Reza Shah Pahlavi When Iran was ruled by the Mosaddeq led regime, it was the first Muslim country to recognize Pakistan in 1947. After his ouster in a CIA-Mi-6 sponsored coup in 1953, as long as Reza Shah Pahlavi was ruling Iran, Pakistan’s southern backyard resting on the 1110 km long Arabian Sea coastline was safe and secure. Both were strategic partners. 19% Shias in Pakistan including the Hazara tribe living in Quetta were living in harmony with the people of Pakistan and there was no trace of Shia-Sunni tensions. Pakistan […] #Featured #Government #History #Investigations #World Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/01/turbulence-in-pakistan-iran-relations/?feed_id=8495

Bread And Circuses – The Curse of Busyness Zahir Ebrahim January 17, 2024 | Last Updated Jan 26, 2024 Roman empire had invented what came to be known in Latin as panem et circenses; in English: bread and circuses; in Urdu: roti aur topi drama. Here is one explanation of its origin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD1OQtXYEFE Practically what it has come to mean thenceforth, is techniques of behavior control; how empires, rulers, oligarchy, the powers that be behind the modern state, etc., should keep the masses, hoi polloi (in Greek) busy between struggling for food and entertainment, so that the empire, rulers, oligarchy, […] #Featured #Government #History #Investigations #World Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/01/bread-and-circuses-the-curse-of-busyness/?feed_id=8491

Letter to Editor Pakistan’s Military Dictator General Pervez Musharraf Declared Guilty of High Treason by SC – Modified Limited Hangout Zahir Ebrahim January 10, 2024 California It is in the news everywhere today. Just search with the title of this letter. But let me confront reality head on. And I hope this letter is seen by the Chief Justices of Pakistan and the legal minds that show up nightly on Pakistan’s news talk shows pontificating this or that low order bit of current affairs while ignoring the trumpeting elephant in the bedroom. They must think all Pakistani public are fools. […] #Featured #History #Investigations #World Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/01/letter-to-editor-pakistans-military-dictator-guilty-of-high-treason/?feed_id=8116

After the Partition in 1947, mishandling and mismanagement of Evacuee Properties laid the foundation of corruption in Pakistan. It created a class of upstarts who prospered during the decade of development of Ayub Khan in the 1960s. Devaluation and nationalization by Bhutto pulverised the economy and industry. Jayala culture and promotion of secularism indisciplined the society and promoted liberalism. Fighting someone else’s wars for thirty years militarized the society and infected it with extremism, intolerance, ethnicity, sectarianism, religious bigotry and divides, and the cultures of Kalashnikov, drugs and other social vices. The Junejo era gave birth to bank loans, Mafias […] #Featured #History #World Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2023/12/what-ails-pakistan-way-forward/?feed_id=7596

Israeli PM Netanyahu has levelled an allegation against Pakistan that the Hamas fighters which are engaged in war in Gaza, are being supported by Pakistan, and the ISI which was instrumental in pushing out the occupying Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989, and the US-NATO forces in Aug 2021, is now physically involved in Gaza. He said that the Hamas and ISI are jointly fighting the Israeli forces in Gaza Strip. What he implies is that Hamas at its own couldn’t have planned and executed such a daring three pronged offensive against Israel on 27 Oct, and it couldn’t have […] #Featured #IsraelWaronPalestine #WarZone #World Read Full Article: https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2023/12/netanyahus-allegations-against-pakistan/?feed_id=7592