Af-Pak Digest by Ambassador Sharat Sabharwal | April 2020
I Overview Pakistan:• Economy• COVID-19 crisis• Pakistan raises Kashmir at SAARC leaders’ video conference on COVID-19• Pakistan-China• Pakistan-Iran Afghanistan:• US-Taliban deal• Controversy over result of the Presidential election continues• COVID-19 crisis• Afghanistan-US• Afghanistan-Iran• Afghanistan-Pakistan• Afghanistan-India• ICC ruling on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan II Developments in Pakistan Economy No sooner had Pakistan successfully completed the second […]
Intersect: Africa
Pandemic Arrives in Africa By the end of March, the World Health Organisation had confirmed 4,351 cases of Covid-19 and some 135 deaths across Africa. The continent’s under-resourced health services has made the virus’s spread in the continent of particular concern. WHO says its statistics are “likely to significantly underestimate” the true number of cases. […]
Intersect: Africa
US Visa Blocks Undermine Policy The United States continues to send crossed-signals regarding its policy to Africa. On one hand, the Trump administration controversially issued visa restrictions against citizens of four African countries and is preparing to reduce US involvement in military operations in the Sahel region. On the other, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, […]
Af-Pak Digest by Ambassador Sharat Sabharwal | February 2020
H I G H L I G H T S • Overview • Developments in Pakistan• Developments in Afghanistan I Overview Pakistan:• Economy• Financial Action Task Force• Extension of tenure of the Army Chief• Musharraf Treason case• Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM)• Pakistan-India• Pakistan-US• Pakistan-UAE• Pakistan-China Afghanistan:• Peace and Reconciliation• Presidential Election Result Delayed Further• UN seeks […]
Af-Pak Digest – January 2020
I Overview Pakistan:• Economy• Musharraf sentenced to death on treason charge• Extension of tenure of the Army Chief• Financial Action Task Force• Pakistan-India• Pakistan skips Kuala Lumpur Summit of Muslim countries• Pakistan-US• Pakistan-China Afghanistan:• Peace and Reconciliation• Result of Presidential Election II Developments in Pakistan Economy The ADB approved two loans amounting to $1.3 billion for […]
Af-Pak Digest – November 2019
I Overview Pakistan:• Controversy surrounding extension of army chief’s tenure• JUI(F)’s Azadi march• Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)• Treason case against Musharraf• Pakistan-India• Pakistan-US• Pakistan-China• Pakistan-Iran Afghanistan:• Presidential election result delayed• Peace and Reconciliation• Afghanistan-India• Afghanistan-Pakistan II Developments in Pakistan Controversy surrounding extension of army chief’s tenure In July this year, PM Imran Khan had announced an […]
Af-Pak Digest – October 2019
I Overview Pakistan:• Economy• Growing role of the Army• JUI (F)’s Azadi March• Pakistan at the Financial Action Task Force• Gwadar Port• Pakistan-India• Pakistan-China• Pakistan-Afghanistan• Pakistan wades into Iran-Saudi rift Afghanistan:• Peace and Reconciliation• Results of Presidential Election delayed II Developments in Pakistan Economy In a report released in October, World Bank said that the Pak economy […]
Intersect: Africa
China’s Bagamayo Problem Africa is known as a nodal point for China’s Belt Road Initiative, especially the continent’s Indian Ocean littoral. Chinese influence on the continent has grown substantially as a consequence and Africans have expressed strong approval of China in surveys. Lately, however, falling commodity prices and greater scrutiny of Chinese debt requirements have […]
Af-Pak Digest Af-Pak Digest By Ambassador Sharat Sabharwal | March 2019
SPECIAL ISSUE Pulwama terror attack and its aftermath The Indo-Pak relationship that has remained in free fall over the last few years reached a crisis point when in one of the worst terror attacks on February 14, at least 40 CRPF personnel were killed and many injured in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. […]
Af-Pak Digest – September 2019
I Overview Pakistan:• Opposition Parties• Pakistan-India• Pakistan-China• Pakistan-US• Pakistan-Afghanistan• No move to recognize Israel• Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Afghanistan:• Peace and Reconciliation• Presidential election• UNSC Renews mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan II Developments in Pakistan Opposition Parties The number of opposition leaders arrested in the name of accountability continued to grow with another prominent name- […]