Pakistan
All countries-
Afghanistan and its neighbours
Is the Taliban takeover still in Pakistan's interest?
It is no secret that sections of the Pakistani security services have maintained close relationships with the Taliban for years. So what do Pakistan’s leaders expect from this victory, and what effect will it have on the country? Answers from Mohammad Luqman
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Taliban in the ascendant
Joe Biden and America’s withdrawal of choice
The swift fall of Kabul recalls the ignominious fall of Saigon in 1975. Beyond the local consequences – widespread reprisals, harsh repression of women and girls, and massive refugee flows – America’s strategic and moral failure in Afghanistan will reinforce questions about U.S. reliability among friends and foes alike. By Richard Haass
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Pakistan's misogyny problem
Pakistani woman assaulted by over 400 men
Cases have been registered against 400 unidentified people after a viral video showed a woman being assaulted at Minar-e-Pakistan on the country's independence day.
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Pakistan: How Islamist militancy wrecked a tribal woman's life
Baswaliha, a 55-year-old woman living in Pakistan's Mohmand district near the Afghan border, lost her husband and a son in militant attacks. Today, fears of the Taliban's return are rife in the area. By S. Rehman
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Pakistan, India, Bangladesh
The ordeal of "abandoned wives" left behind by UK families
Many marriages to British Asian men are accompanied by false promises of improved finances. Later when the men abandon their wives to return to the UK, some brides' families find themselves saddled with debt. By S. Khan
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On the death of Danish Siddiqui: Capturing the human in breaking news
India is not alone in feeling great sadness today over the death of renowned Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui. He was killed in Afghanistan during clashes between Afghan security forces and the Taliban.
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Germany and its Afghan interpreters
"Why are you leaving me behind?"
I regret very much that I worked for the Bundeswehr. If the Taliban knock on my door, I hope they shoot me right away. Guest article by Ahmad Jawid Sultani
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Interview with Afghanistan expert Ahmed Rashid
"The Americans were completely devoid of any strategy"
The West is pulling out of Afghanistan after 20 years, but the conflict remains – and the Taliban are stronger than they have been for a long time. And now? The renowned Taliban expert Ahmed Rashid talks to Tobias Matern about mistakes made by the West and the future role of the Taliban in Afghanistan
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U.S. and NATO withdraw from "the forever war"
What we should all know about Afghanistan
United States and NATO troops are leaving Afghanistan after 20 years, despite the fact that the Taliban is still advancing. The German Bundeswehr is already out. Sandra Petersmann examines the key issues
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Indo-Pakistani relations
Detente over Kashmir following decades of conflict?
Over the years, the relationship between arch-rivals India and Pakistan has been shaped by conflict and confrontation. For some time now, however, both countries have been singing a more conciliatory tune. Is this the dawn of a lasting detente in South Asia? By Mohammad Luqman
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Execution for a Facebook post?
Why blasphemy is a capital offence in some Muslim countries
The Prophet Muhammad never executed anyone for apostasy, nor encouraged his followers to do so. Nor is criminalising sacrilege based on Islam’s main sacred text, the Koran. In this essay, Ahmet Kuru exposes the political motivations for criminalising blasphemy and apostasy
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Imran Khan's democracy and press freedom
Pakistani military keeps journalists on a tight leash
Fearing persecution and facing threats to their lives, journalists tread carefully in Pakistan. The brave and bold who pose awkward questions are most at risk, writes Pakistani journalist Warda Imran