Pakistan

Military & Security

Politics

According to Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, the federal government will file a high treason case against former Prime Minister Imran Khan and pursue legal measures to ban his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, Geo News reported on July 15.

Pakistan: Government To Ban Opposition PTI Party, Khan To Remain in Jail

Economics

Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund reached a staff-level agreement for a $7 billion, 37-month financing program under an Extended Fund Facility, the Financial Times reported on July 13.

Pakistan: Government Secures Staff-Level Agreement for $7B IMF Loan

The Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, is eligible for more than 20 seats reserved for women and minorities, which the Election Commission initially denied the party after the general election in February, Geo News reported on July 12. 

Pakistan: Supreme Court Rules PTI Eligible for Reserved Seats

Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb introduced the country's $67.76 billion federal budget for fiscal year 2024-25, which begins on July 1, Arab News reported on June 13.

Pakistan: Finance Minister Presents Budget

The Pakistani government is set to begin discussions for its July 2024-June 2025 budget on June 12, Dawn reported on June 10. 

Pakistan: Government To Commence Budget Discussions Amid IMF Negotiations

China

According to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is scheduled to undertake an official five-day visit to China from June 4-8 and meet President Xi Jinping, Geo News reported on May 31.

Pakistan: Prime Minister Sharif To Visit China June 4-8

The legislative assembly of Pakistan's Punjab province passed Defamation Bill 2024, granting the government the authority to establish a special tribunal to prosecute individuals involved in creating, publishing or broadcasting "fake news," Dawn reported on May 21.

Pakistan: Punjab Passes Defamation Bill 2024 Amid Opposition Protests

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced that Pakistan intends to privatize all state-owned enterprises except for strategic entities, although he did not specify the sectors deemed strategic, Reuters reported on May 14.

Pakistan: Prime Minister Reveals Plan To Privatize a Majority of State-Owned Firms

Assessments

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

United States

Iran

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

Russia

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.

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

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

El Salvador

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

India

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

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

Pakistan: Government To Ban Opposition PTI Party, Khan To Remain in Jail

Pakistan: Government Secures Staff-Level Agreement for $7B IMF Loan

Pakistan: Supreme Court Rules PTI Eligible for Reserved Seats

Pakistan: Finance Minister Presents Budget

Pakistan: Government To Commence Budget Discussions Amid IMF Negotiations

Pakistan: Prime Minister Sharif To Visit China June 4-8

Pakistan: Punjab Passes Defamation Bill 2024 Amid Opposition Protests

Pakistan: Prime Minister Reveals Plan To Privatize a Majority of State-Owned Firms

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