China

Pakistan

Military & Security

Politics

China's Ministry of National Defense announced on Nov. 19 that it will send troops from the Western Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army to participate in "Warrior-VIII" joint counterterrorism exercises alongside Pakistani troops in Pakistan.

China, Pakistan: Joint Counterterrorism Exercises To Begin Amid Uptick in Militant Attacks

Economics

Beijing is pushing Islamabad to allow Chinese security personnel into Pakistan to protect its interests there, fueling ongoing negotiations on a joint security management system, Reuters reported on Nov. 12.

Pakistan, China: Governments Discuss Joint Security Arrangement

After approval by the Senate and National Assembly, the acting president signed six bills, notably including measures to increase the number of Supreme Court judges, amend Supreme Court procedures and administrative practices, and extend the terms of military chiefs from three to five years, Geo News reported on Nov. 5. 

Pakistan: Acting President Signs Six Bills into Law Regarding the Supreme Court and Army Chiefs' Terms

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari signed the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill into law based on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after Parliament approved it, Geo News reported on Oct. 21.

Pakistan: Constitutional Amendment Reduces Judicial Power

Pakistan's Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazlur Rehman party announced a consensus with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, or PML-N, and the Pakistan People's Party on judicial reforms through a constitutional amendment, Arab News reported on Oct. 17.

Pakistan: Judicial Reforms Gain Support as PTI Calls for Protests

India

Pakistan's Punjab state banned public gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, demonstrations and similar activities in Rawalpindi district, which is adjacent to the federal capital, Islamabad, for eight days, and the federal government deployed 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel to the capital, Geo News reported on Oct. 11.

Pakistan: Islamabad Prepares To Host Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit

Pakistan locked down its capital Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi, with major roads blocked by shipping containers, mobile service suspended, schools closed and public transit halted, as jailed ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan called on supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to protest at D-Chowk, a key junction near Pakistan's Parliament and the prime minister's office, Dawn reported on Oct. 4.

Pakistan: Islamabad Under Lockdown To Prevent PTI Rally

Russia

Pakistan's Privatization Minister Abdul Aleem Khan signed multiple memorandums of understanding with Russian officials to enhance bilateral trade and investment and increase imports and exports of food items, Arab News published on Oct. 3. 

Pakistan, Russia: Agreements Enhance Bilateral Trade, Establish Barter Trade Arrangement

Assessments

United States

Iran

Bangladesh

Sri Lanka

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) arrive for a joint press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, on Feb. 25, 2020.

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

While U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will maintain many of the outgoing Biden administration's overarching policies toward South Asia, bilateral relationships will grow increasingly transactional.

What Trump's Second Term Means for South Asia

Pakistan's president administers the oath of office to Justice Yahya Afridi as Afridi is sworn in as chief justice in Islamabad on Oct. 26, 2024.

The reform will allow the government to appoint Supreme Court justices who support its agenda, weakening judicial independence while likely fueling political tensions and protests.

The Implications of Pakistan's Controversial Judicial Reform

Israel

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts rockets fired from southern Lebanon on Sept. 27, 2024, over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel. The Security Cabinet of Israel has yet to decide exactly how to retaliate against Iran for its Oct. 1 missile barrage against the country, but Israel clearly is seeking U.S. approval for an operation that might yet pull the U.S. back into active defense.

U.S.-Iran Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: A Shanghai Cooperation Organization Meeting, Chinese Financial Support Measures

Afghanistan

A man looks at damage from a Balochistan Liberation Army attack Jan. 30 in central Bolan district in Balochistan province, Pakistan. Economic and political constraints will limit the scale and efficacy of Pakistan's latest counterterrorism campaign, sustaining the threat of militant attacks and delays to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor despite likely efforts to bolster foreigners' security and engagement with key foreign stakeholders.

Economic and political constraints will limit the scale and efficacy of Pakistan's latest counterterrorism campaign, sustaining the threat of militant attacks and delays to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor despite likely efforts to bolster foreigners' security and engagement with key foreign stakeholders.

The Implications of Pakistan's Renewed Counterterrorism Campaign

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

A delegation of Afghan Taliban officials walks down a hotel lobby in Doha, Qatar, in August 2021. 

A combination of security considerations and economic opportunities will continue to ease the Afghan Taliban's international isolation in the years ahead, but many countries will remain wary of close relations with the group or its formal recognition.

The Afghan Taliban's International Isolation Appears To Be Easing

A welcoming billboard displaying an image of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (left) and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is seen along a street in Karachi, Pakistan, on April 22, 2024. 

Energy

Pakistan and Iran's embattled pipeline project, which has faced delays amid funding issues and U.S. sanction concerns, could impede recent efforts to boost bilateral cooperation.

For Pakistan and Iran, a Delayed Pipeline Could Undermine Improved Relations

Snapshots

People gather outside the provincial legislature of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly in Peshawar on Feb. 28, 2024. 

The delay may mar the upper house's credibility and cause political instability, but it is unlikely to significantly impede policymaking.


The Impact of Pakistan's Delayed Senate Formation

Then-Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) and then-Pakistani Finance Minister Ishaq Dar (left) address a press conference in Lahore on June 30, 2023, after the signing of a staff-level agreement with the IMF.

Islamabad will likely secure the final tranche of its current stand-by arrangement, and potentially a new IMF bailout, but the government may struggle to enact related economic reforms.

The Outlook of Pakistan-IMF Engagement

Australia

Philippines

Vietnam

United Kingdom

Chinese officials at the Fifth Plenary Session of the National People's Congress on March 12, 2023 in Beijing. Beijing will host the annual Two Sessions meetings of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, an industry and societal consultative body, and the rubberstamp National People's Congress from March 4-11.

The Weekly Rundown: Pakistan Selects a New Premier, China's Two Sessions

Former Pakistani Prime Minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, Shehbaz Sharif (center) speaks during a press conference in Lahore on Feb. 13, 2024. 

Grievances related to the contentious Feb. 8 election will likely continue to drive protests and threaten the new coalition's stability.

The Challenges Facing Pakistan's New Government

Europe

A man and a child walk past electoral campaign posters in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 22, 2024, ahead of next month's elections.

The Weekly Rundown: Elections in Iran, a Potential New Government in Pakistan

A journalist stands in front of a screen displaying live election results during a televised broadcast in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Feb. 9, 2024, a day after national elections were held in the country.

The inconclusive outcome of the Feb. 8 national ballot casts doubt over who will next govern the country at a time of increasing political polarization and economic challenges.

With No Clear Winner, Pakistan's Election Yields More Political Uncertainty

Pakistan is located in South Asia and is bordered by Iran, Afghanistan, China and India. To the north are the Himalayan Mountains, which branch off into the Hindu Kush range. To the southwest is the vast Balochistan Plateau, which is arid and sparsely populated. In the south is the Thar Desert and a 650-mile coast along the Arabian sea. The Indus River begins in the Tibetan Plateau and cuts through the country’s eastern half.  The river nourishes the fertile plains of the Punjab, the country’s populous core region and its political and economic heartland.    Pakistan’s primary geographic challenge arises from its borders, which do not correspond to natural geographic boundaries. The modern borders of Pakistan were created in 1947, when the nation was carved out of the Muslim-majority northwest and northeast portions of India. The countries have fought three wars since independence, and each claims the territory of Kashmir. Bangladesh, then known as “East Pakistan,” gained independence from Pakistan in 1971 with India’s help.  This reinforced the notion within Pakistan that India was an existential threat. Pakistan has long sought to gain influence in Afghanistan, both to secure strategic depth and to prevent Kabul from falling into New Delhi’s orbit.    On the west, the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan — called the Durand Line — has remained contentious since the British created it in 1893. Kabul claims that Afghanistan’s true boundary runs deep into Pakistan to absorb the Pashtun tribal belt divided between both countries. The mountainous terrain has made the region difficult to govern, ensuring that the border remains porous.  

SITUATION REPORTS

China, Pakistan: Joint Counterterrorism Exercises To Begin Amid Uptick in Militant Attacks

Pakistan, China: Governments Discuss Joint Security Arrangement

Pakistan: Acting President Signs Six Bills into Law Regarding the Supreme Court and Army Chiefs' Terms

Pakistan: Constitutional Amendment Reduces Judicial Power

Pakistan: Judicial Reforms Gain Support as PTI Calls for Protests

Pakistan: Islamabad Prepares To Host Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit

Pakistan: Islamabad Under Lockdown To Prevent PTI Rally

Pakistan, Russia: Agreements Enhance Bilateral Trade, Establish Barter Trade Arrangement

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