Pakistan

Economics

An International Monetary Fund spokesperson announced that discussions over disbursing the final $1.1 billion tranche of Pakistan's $3 billion loan program will conclude in late April, Geo News reported on April 5.

Pakistan: IMF To Disburse Final Funds, Discuss New Bailout in Coming Months

Military & Security

Politics

Supreme Court judges met in Islamabad, Pakistan, to deliberate a letter penned by six Islamabad High Court judges regarding the alleged interference of military spy agencies in the judiciary, Geo News reported on March 27.

Pakistan: Government To Probe Alleged Military Interference in Judiciary

The International Monetary Fund reached a staff-level agreement with the Pakistani government following the second and final review of Pakistan's $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement, Reuters reported on March 20.

Pakistan: IMF Reaches Staff-Level Agreement Following Second Review

Afghanistan

Pakistan struck suspected Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, positions in Afghanistan's eastern border provinces of Khost and Paktika days after militants conducted a March 16 suicide attack in Pakistan’s northwest that killed seven soldiers, including two officers, AP reported on March 18. 

Afghanistan, Pakistan: Pakistan Strikes Suspected Militants in Afghanistan After Deadly Attack

The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, announced its intent to petition the Supreme Court against the Peshawar High Court's ruling that PTI coalition partner Sunni Ittehad Council, or SIC, is ineligible for the reserved seats designated for women and non-Muslim legislators in the National Assembly, Dawn reported on March 15. 

Pakistan: PTI To Petition Supreme Court Against Ruling by Peshawar Court

Bangladesh

India

Social Issues

India's Ministry of Home Affairs issued the rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act, a law that will streamline the process of granting citizenship to some undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, Hindustan Times reported on March 11.

India: Government Announces Implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act

Shahbaz Sharif was sworn in as Pakistan's 24th prime minister after securing 201 votes, above the required 169 votes in the National Assembly, Geo News reported on March 4. 

Pakistan: Shahbaz Sharif Takes Oath as 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party member Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was sworn in as speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly after securing 199 votes, Geo News reported on March 1.

Pakistan: National Assembly Speaker Sworn In Amid Opposition Protests

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

Assessments

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

China

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.

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

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

Iran

Europe

Russia

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

El Salvador

United States

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Germany

A picture taken from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip shows smoke rising over buildings in Khan Yunis during an Israeli bombardment on Feb. 2, 2024. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

U.S.-Iran Relations

The Weekly Rundown: A Potential Gaza Cease-Fire, Elections in Pakistan and El Salvador

Pakistan's former prime minister and the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, Nawaz Sharif (center), waves to supporters during a campaign rally in Lahore, Pakistan, on Jan. 23, 2024. 

In the likely case that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wins a fourth term, he will prioritize managing the country's deepening economic crisis.

Previewing Pakistan's Parliamentary Elections

An Indian paramilitary trooper stands guard as Hindu devotees pray at the Shankaracharya temple in Srinagar on Jan. 22, 2024. 

As regional elections in Jammu and Kashmir grow near and the risks of protest and terrorist attacks increase, an eventual mass-casualty attack would risk triggering military escalation between India and Pakistan. 

Fresh Elections Could See Risks Reemerge in Jammu and Kashmir

A photo taken on Jan. 18, 2024, shows a resident pointing to a mountain in the Koh-e-Sabz area of Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province where Iran recently launched an airstrike.

The current crisis will heighten risks of border clashes, militant retaliation and even tit-for-tat attacks, despite both countries' likely desire to de-escalate.

What To Make of the Recent Strikes Between Iran and Pakistan

Columns

On Geopolitics

Burkina Faso

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Niger

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Hong Kong SAR, China

Japan

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In this scorecard, we take a critical look at our successes and slip-ups in forecasting geopolitical events over the past year.

Grading Our 2023 Annual Forecast

Afghan refugees arrive at the Chaman border crossing in Pakistan before departing for Afghanistan on Nov. 4, 2023. 

Islamabad's push to send Afghan migrants back home will likely worsen security threats in Pakistan, while further destabilizing Afghanistan and potentially the broader region.

The Implications of Pakistan's Deportation Drive and New Cross-Border Travel Policy

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.  

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

The Politics of Pipelines

South Asian Militancy

Pakistan: A Military With a Country

SITUATION REPORTS

Pakistan: IMF To Disburse Final Funds, Discuss New Bailout in Coming Months

Pakistan: Government To Probe Alleged Military Interference in Judiciary

Pakistan: IMF Reaches Staff-Level Agreement Following Second Review

Afghanistan, Pakistan: Pakistan Strikes Suspected Militants in Afghanistan After Deadly Attack

Pakistan: PTI To Petition Supreme Court Against Ruling by Peshawar Court

India: Government Announces Implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act

Pakistan: Shahbaz Sharif Takes Oath as 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan

Pakistan: National Assembly Speaker Sworn In Amid Opposition Protests

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