A rare, leaked recording of the Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader has exposed what he fears most: not foreign enemies, but fractures within his own ranks that could unravel the Islamic Emirate he commands.
Op-Ed
Pakistan is betting its economic revival on minerals it’s long failed to mine
Islamabad is making a calculated push to turn its vast, largely dormant mineral reserves into a cornerstone of economic revival, betting that policy overhauls and international tie-ups can lure investors wary of the country’s longstanding hurdles. With trillions in untapped copper, gold, lithium, cobalt, rare earths, and gemstones scattered across its rugged terrain, Pakistan sees a path to becoming a key supplier in the global scramble for critical materials essential to tech, energy transitions, and manufacturing. But success hinges on delivering transparency, infrastructure upgrades, and community buy-in—elements that have eluded the sector for decades.
The end of easy allies: India’s waning influence in post-Hasina Bangladesh
What started as a diplomatic dust-up between Bangladesh and India has snowballed into a full-blown rift, complete with halted visas, severed trade links and now, a brewing cricket standoff — a potent symbol in a region where the sport rivals religion in passion. “It began with messy political finger-pointing, before quickly escalating into diplomatic and trade fallout,” The New York Times said in its recent report.
27th Amendment: A Rush to Reshape Power
In the fractious landscape of Pakistani politics, where amendments to the Constitution often serve as proxies for deeper power struggles, the sudden emergence of plans for a 27th Amendment has set off alarms. Just months after the contentious 26th Amendment reshaped the judiciary, introducing new mechanisms for judicial appointments and establishing federal constitutional benches, the government is now pushing for further changes that could profoundly alter the balance between the center and the provinces, the military and civilians, and the executive and the judiciary.
Balance restored
A US-brokered ceasefire has paused the latest clash between India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed rivals whose rivalry nearly spiraled into disaster. Yet this tenuous truce reveals a seismic shift: Pakistan, long outmatched by India’s military might, not only stood firm but gained a strategic edge, upending South Asia’s power dynamics.
Fragile recovery
By Staff Reporter
Fitch Ratings lifted Pakistan’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating to ‘B-’ from ‘CCC+’, with a Stable Outlook, signalling cautious hope for economic stabilisation via a $7 billion IMF Extended Fund Facility and $1.3 billion Resilience Facility.
Costing billions
By Staff Reporter
A critical anti-tax evasion initiative in the tobacco sector remains stalled in the mountainous region of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) despite years of planning, multiple deadlines, and urgent warnings about the growth of illicit cigarette production costing the national exchequer over Rs 300 billion annually.
Is the bull market over?
A substantial downturn at the PSX can be attributed to escalating leverage costs and mounting political risks, compelling investors to hastily offload shares. The surge in leverage, measured by futures open interest, margin trading, and financing, hit a two-year high at Rs40 billion, a substantial increase from Rs14.3 billion in June.
Photo courtesy of @sindhicongress
Time to go beyond condemnation
Condemnation always starts pouring in right on cue – but condemnation alone is not enough. Outrages like Jaranwala will continue to visit us until we impose consequences on the perpetrators. By Ahmer Kureishi.
Pakistan’s newly appointed caretaker prime minister, Senator Anwar ul Haq Kakar. Photo courtesy of @JemalBeker1
PM Kakar: PDM’s trump card or Military’s choice?
The optics are awful – or are they? Has the military stormed back in politics – or are the top generals gritting their teeth to clean up the political mess created by their politicking predecessors? Caretaker PM Kakar’s actions in the coming days and weeks hold the answers to these and similar questions. By Ahmer Kureishi.