Af-Pak Digest by Ambassador Sharat Sabharwal | February 2021
I Overview Pakistan:• Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)• Terrorism• Pakistan-US Afghanistan:• Peace and Reconciliation• Afghanistan-India• Afghanistan-Pakistan• Afghanistan-China II Developments in Pakistan Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) The opposition alliance -Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)- was nowhere close to its declared goal of forcing the Imran Khan government out of power and confined itself largely to threatening rhetoric at its rallies. Speaking in the beginning […]
Af-Pak Digest by Ambassador Sharat Sabharwal | January 2021
I Overview Pakistan:• Pakistan Democratic Movement running out of steam?• Economy• Pakistan-US• Pakistan-China Afghanistan:• Peace and Reconciliation• Afghanistan-Pakistan• Afghanistan-Iran II Developments in Pakistan Pakistan Democratic Movement running out of steam? Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of eleven opposition parties formed in September 2020 to, inter alia, press for the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan and an end to the […]
Intersect: Africa
ETHIOPIA’S POWER SHIFT The Ethiopian Federal Army has retaken control of most of the rebellious province of Tigray following fighting that began in November. Pockets of resistance continue in the mountainous region, leading to new waves of refugees crossing the border into Sudan. Ethiopia has deployed more troops and built fences along its Sudanese border […]
Af-Pak Digest by Ambassador Sharat Sabharwal | December 2020
I Overview Pakistan:• Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)• Economy• Terrorism• Pakistan-India• OIC on Kashmir• Pakistan-China• Pakistan-Russia• Pakistan not to recognise Israel Afghanistan:• Peace and Reconciliation• Geneva Pledging Conference on Afghanistan• Afghanistan-India• Afghanistan-Pakistan II Developments in Pakistan Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) The eleven party opposition alliance- PDM- continued to hold well attended rallies in various parts of Pakistan in spite of the hurdles created by the Imran Khan government, […]
Intersect: Africa
Ethiopian Province Rebels A spreading military confrontation between the Ethiopian regime of President Abiy Ahmed and the Tigrayan provincial government could become a larger regional struggle, drawing in neighbouring Eritrea and Sudan. Tigrayans, a small ethnic group in northern Ethiopia, wield disproportionate political influence thanks to their lead role in overthrowing the military regime in […]
Af-Pak Digest by Ambassador Sharat Sabharwal | October 2020
I Overview Pakistan:• Opposition Parties• Pakistan-India• Pakistan-China Afghanistan:• Peace and Reconciliation• Afghanistan-Pakistan II Developments in Pakistan Opposition Parties In November 2019, Nawaz Sharif, who had remained incarcerated on corruption charges since December 2018, was allowed to leave Pakistan for medical treatment in London by the PTI government based on an order of the Lahore High […]
Af-Pak Digest by Ambassador Sharat Sabharwal | September 2020
I Overview Pakistan:• Terrorism• Pakistan-India• Pakistan-Saudi Arabia• Pakistan-China• Pakistan-Israel Afghanistan:• Peace and Reconciliation• Afghanistan-Pakistan II Developments in Pakistan Terrorism With an eye on its forthcoming review at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan issued two notifications regarding application of UNSC prescribed sanctions on 88 leaders and members of various terror groups included in the […]
Intersect: Africa
COVID May Force Zambian Default Zambia may be the first African government to default on its sovereign debt because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Zambian President Edgar Lungu’s government is seeking “the suspension of debt service payments for a period of six months” from private creditors holding around $3 billion in international bonds. Zambia blamed “a […]
Intersect: Africa
Crises in the Sahel Mali coup. A military coup in Mali highlights the multiple challenges facing the governments in Africa’s Sahel region: multiple Islamicist insurgencies, tribal conflicts over water and land, and overall environmental degradation thanks to climate change. Mali’s embattled president, Boubacar Keita, was overthrown on August 18 by military officers who say they will […]
Af-Pak Digest by Ambassador Sharat Sabharwal | August 2020
I Overview Pakistan:• Economy• Terrorism• Religious Extremism• Pakistan-India• Pakistan-China• Pakistan-Bangladesh Afghanistan:• Peace and Reconciliation• COVID-19 Pandemic• Afghanistan-Pakistan• Afghanistan-India II Developments in Pakistan Economy According to a report of IMF, Pakistan’s growth during the current financial year (July 2020 to June 2021) is expected to be 1% as against minus 0.4% during the last financial year. In the budget […]