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Disabled by 2005 Quake and Still Out of School
The 165 schools UNICEF has agreed to build cannot cater for the needs of all the quake-affected children, such as the disabled
For a symbol of how America's decade-long war is going in Afghanistan, look at the fields of red poppies flowering so bountifully there
Pakistan: All-Weather Friendship?
As Pakistan and China reinforce their relationship, questions have arisen around the changing nature of this alliance, the rhetoric that sustains it, and the implications of greater Chinese influence in Pakistan, particularly for the US and India
Threats and censure go unheeded in Pakistan because Islamabad's leaders do not fear the United States. This is because the United States has so often demonstrated a fear of Pakistan
Pakistan: A Tough Way to Do Business
Pakistan has once more shut its border with Afghanistan, blocking a third of NATO supplies. What are the alternatives, and how much do they cost?
Unforgiveable Sin of Being Born a Girl
The murder of infants, particularly girls, by poverty-stricken parents in Pakistan appears to be on the rise.
Pakistan Neither Ally Nor Enemy
Pakistan is neither an ally nor an enemy of the United States. Both countries have a long track record of partnering on important strategic goals. But in the last two decades, U.S. and Pakistani interests have seriously diverged
Pakistan Does Not Respond to American Pressure
Neither the United States nor Pakistan views the other as a reliable ally. U.S. officials have tried to sweep this uncomfortable truth under the rug for too long
The United States and Pakistan need to continue working to bring policies toward closer alignment and investing in efforts to build stronger ties between our people. Pakistan is 'too big to fail' and offers tremendous potential for playing a more constructive role in its region
United States - Pakistan Goals Diverge
Pakistan and the United States have pursued an important partnership for the past decade, based on the premise that their strategic goals in Pakistan were the same. This is at best only half true
A Nuclear Retaliation Alternative for India
Since the infliction of unacceptable damage may not deter Pakistan from breaking the nuclear taboo, a 'tit for tat' strategy in case of lower order nuclear use is worth considering
Afghanistan: The Regional Complex
Afghanistan's war enters its second decade with the Taliban emboldened and the United States enfeebled. But the power-play between Pakistan, India and China is also now central to an assessment of what comes next
Why Are Pakistan's Militant Groups Splintering?
The plethora of new groups is not only a change from the previous tendency among Pakistani militant groups to form large umbrella organizations like the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It also has been accompanied by a breakdown of these larger structures, making it uncertain what kind of command structure the new groups share
United States Gaze Turns to Uzbeks
As ties between the United States and Pakistan continue to sour, speculation is mounting that Uzbekistan may become a new ally of convenience in the US war on terror
Questions Raised About Haqqani Network Ties with Pakistan
The villain responsible for the raft of violence against US targets in Kabul has been identified - and the finger points directly to a shadowy insurgent group and, by extension, to Pakistan's intelligence agency
Evolution of a Pakistani Militant Network
It is important to look at 'brand-name' jihadist groups in Pakistan like LeT, al Qaeda, the Haqqani network and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan as loosely affiliated networks more than monolithic entities.
Karachi's Long Summer of Violence
Karachi is the biggest city in Pakistan. It is the country's commercial hub, financial capital, naval base, and only operational seaport. For the past several months, this city has once again been in the grip of violence
Rabbani Assassination: An Assertive Taliban and America's Dilemmas
The strategists in the US had hoped that the Taliban would join the reconciliation process and Pakistan would behave. This is unlikely to happen. The American dream project of a free, democratic liberal Afghanistan may be tottering on its last legs
Defense Policy: International Terrorism Narrative Shift
John Maynard Keynes once wrote: "when the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?" The recent death of Osama bin Laden on May 1 in Abbottabad, Pakistan, has prompted a reassessment of the facts regarding the west's fight against international terrorism and its involvement in Afghanistan and the wider region
Women in the Swat Valley in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtoonkh'wa province are working harder than ever to keep their households running
Today, Islamic fundamentalists dream of acquiring a bomb. And with Osama bin Laden dead and al-Qaeda's relevance waning, how better to regain notoriety than to set off a nuclear weapon in some Western city?
Pakistan Says It Can Live Without U.S. Aid
In comments that could rile Congress, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States said that his country doesn't seek U.S. aid, but ending it would hurt U.S. relations with the Pakistani people
Pakistan: Sindh Flood Victims Lack Shelter as Winter Approaches
Temperatures in the southern Pakistani province of Sindh's Badin District, the area worst affected by floods which began in August, are still warm, though tens of thousands of people without adequate shelter are beginning to feel chilly at night
Mutual distrust between the United States and Pakistan in part results from mistakes and misjudgments by both countries that date back to the 1979-89 Russian occupation of Afghanistan. But at its heart is an American strategy that not only runs counter to Pakistan's interests
US-Pakistan Relations: Straw That Broke the Camel's Back?
It behooves both the United States and Pakistan to reappraise the situation, take stock and course correct. World peace, or at the least regional peace, may depend on it
India-Afghanistan Partnership Through the Eyes of the Pakistani Media
In the wake of its strategic partnership agreement with India, Afghanistan has become an untouchable, even an 'enemy', for many Pakistani commentators
Durban III Promises Wave of Islamophobia
Scores of states are meeting at the United Nations later this month for a hatefest that promises to be so odious that a dozen Western countries, including the United States, have already announced that they will not attend
Two Million Hit By Floods in Pakistan's Sindh Province
Pakistan's southern province of Sindh is facing disaster once more with heavy rains over the past five days, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). Two million people in 15 out of 23 districts have been affected
United States and Pakistan Navigate New Tensions in Fraught Relationship
There's been some tough love in America's relationship with Pakistan lately. Both a recent standoff over foreign aid and the U.S. arrest of American citizen Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai on illegal lobbying charges have increased mistrust in an already unsteady partnership. But even with tensions high, this is not one of those relationships that either side can walk away from easily
Pakistan's Forgotten 2005 Quake Victims Still Need Help
Most people in Pakistan and around the world have forgotten the victims of the 8 October 2005 earthquake which killed 73,000 people in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa Province
Though Pakistan and Afghanistan still continue to be embroiled in religious and ethnic conflict, the rest of South Asia appears keen to check and go beyond such tendencies
Poor Pakistan. The United States has bullied and abused the country for so long, forcing the government to take $22 billion in aid, that it's no wonder intelligence agents are showing up at the doors of people with pro-American biases, threatening to kill them
Effects of the American Drone Program in Pakistan
The U.S. drone program has its roots in the late 1990s, when unmanned -- and unarmed -- aircraft tracked and spied on al Qaeda in Afghanistan. After 9/11, then U.S. President George W. Bush ordered U.S. drones, at that point equipped with missiles, to kill leaders of al Qaeda. Since assuming office, Barack Obama has greatly accelerated the program
Taliban Hotel Attack: Low Death Toll, High Psychological Value
When viewed in the context of other recent attacks in Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan, the Taliban's attack on the Intercontinental Hotel was not all that spectacular. It certainly did not kill the 90 people the Taliban claim, although it does have a number of interesting security implications
Disaster Times Two in Pakistan
Another round of flooding in Pakistan offers the United States an opportunity to build goodwill in a strained relationship
In Larger Scheme, Pakistan Cooperates
The sheer volume of negative media attention would lead any attentive reader to believe that Pakistan-U.S. relations are headed toward a severe, maybe violent, rupture. Memory is short, but the U.S.-Pakistan alliance is nearly as old as Pakistan itself
United States Must Maintain Bilateral Relationship with Pakistan
Despite legitimate concerns about Pakistan's loyalties, it remains in the United States' national security interest to maintain our bilateral relationship with Pakistan
Dante in Karachi: Circles of Crime in a Megacity
Karachi's astonishing violence is generally ascribed to political and ethnic rivalry. While this may be true to an extent, its roots run deep into the incredibly complex structure of this city of 18 million people, where politicians, criminals, terrorists and migrants from nearby warzones compete for power and survival
Energy Crises and Riots in Pakistan
Implementing the necessary reforms in Pakistan's power sector requires able leadership and internal stability as well as a conducive and transparent environment for attracting investment
Pakistan's Sponsorship of Terrorism Is Undeniable
'You cannot afford to alienate Pakistan,' Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar averred. And Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani confidently asserted: 'You can't live with us -- or without us.' Think again. A few days later, the Obama administration opened negotiations to improve relations with Uzbekistan, Afghanistan's authoritarian neighbor to the north
Children in 2005 Pakistan Earthquake Zone Still Lack Schools
Across the earthquake zone, of the 5,751 schools requiring reconstruction, 27% percent (1,552) have not been completed by the start of September 2011. This has meant that many children have not been able to go to school for a very long time
Health Personnel Spreading Hepatitis in Pakistan
What is especially alarming in Pakistan is that healthcare practitioners themselves are responsible, in many cases, for the spread of Hepatitis due to unsafe techniques. In addition, nearly 15 percent of paramedics are themselves infected by the hepatitis virus, as are 7.3 percent of nurses, 6.8 percent of doctors and 5.2 percent of medical students based at major hospitals
More Polio Cases Despite Efforts to Contain It
Confirmation that a two-year-old has polio in Diamer District of Gilgit-Baltistan region, northern Pakistan, has raised fears that the disease could have spread to areas previously believed to be free of it, despite a national polio emergency plan launched by the government in January
United States and Pakistan: Afghan Strategies
It is apparent that the United States is exploring ways to accelerate the drawdown of its forces in the country. It is also clear that U.S. relations with Pakistan are deteriorating to a point where cooperation is breaking down. These are two intimately related issues. Any withdrawal from Afghanistan, particularly an accelerated one, will leave a power vacuum in Afghanistan
Inside Pakistan After bin Laden
Analyst Kamran Bokhari examines the internal struggles of the Pakistani state following U.S. intervention in the country to kill Osama bin Laden.
The Bin Laden Operation: Tapping Human Intelligence
Since May 2, when U.S. special ops forces killed Osama bin Laden, the media have covered the raid from virtually every angle. The United States and Pakistan have also squared off over the U.S. violation of Pakistan's sovereign territory and Pakistan's possible complicity in hiding Bin Laden. All this, however, largely ignores the years of intelligence development in the hunt for bin Laden
Pakistan and Afghanistan: A Tangled Knot
America's involvement in Pakistan and Afghanistan may be the most complex foreign-policy dilemma the nation has ever faced. And with the death of Osama bin Laden, along with Pakistan's furious response, the knot is growing ever more tangled.
Defense Policy: After Pakistan
The death of Osama bin Laden, and the manner in which it was carried out, will have major repercussions for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
A Low in Cycle of United States - Pakistan Ties
Osama bin Laden's death during an American raid on his compound in Abottabad, Pakistan, not far from Pakistan's premier military academy, has pushed U.S.-Pakistan relations to a 'new low,' says Hassan Abbas. Abbas says this is typical of the recent rocky relationship the two countries, which need each other but also undercut each other at crucial times
Bin Laden's Death a Rorschach Test for the World
The killing of Osama bin Laden is producing an unexpected outcome. His death is proving to be a Rorschach test for the entire world. Everyone who looks at it sees something different, sometimes betraying hidden motivations
Osama bin Laden is dead. The Middle East is in chaos. And radical Islam is floundering. For a time after 9/11, bin Laden was riding high. But now bin Laden and most of his henchmen of a decade ago are dead or they are in hiding. What caused al-Qaeda's steady decline? There are a lot of reasons
United States - Pakistani Relations Beyond Bin Laden
Bin Laden's Death and U.S. Afghan Policy
Getting the Military Out of Pakistani Politics
Strategic Implications of Osama bin Laden's Death
Bin Laden Death Raises Big National Security Questions
Pakistan Unaware of Osama bin Laden Presence? Don't Believe It
Where the United States Goes from Here
The Future of the Liberal World Order
Pakistan: Bad Investment for the United States
The Threat of Civil Unrest in Pakistan and the Davis Case
Islam's Hijackers and Hijackees
Murderous Tactics Fueling Terrorist Propaganda
Choosing Between the Evil of Two Lessers In Afghanistan
Pakistan's Leadership Sustains Flood Damage
Shared Goals for Pakistan's Militants
Securing Afghanistan - Pakistan Connection
Pakistan's Shrewd Shift in Dialogue
U.S. Contemplates More of the Scarcely Believable in Afghanistan & Pakistan
Arrogant U.S. Misses the Message From Pakistan's People
From Iraq to Afghanistan, U.S. Foreign Wars Not Going According to Plan
Events in Middle East & Central Asia Challenge U.S's Conventional Assumptions