Author: Shamil Shams

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Protest march in Pakistani Kashmir (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo)

India and Pakistan

"If Germany can be reunified, so can Kashmir"

Calls for a free Kashmir are becoming louder on both sides of the divided region. Can the German reunification model be applied to the India- and Pakistan-ruled Kashmirs? And what can Kashmiris learn from it? By Shamil ShamsMore

Modi and the revocation of Article 370: Kashmirʹs tormented quest for freedomKashmir, Xinjiang and Arab land in the Middle East: Victims of the civilizational agendaIndia, Modi and the Muslim minority: "Not yet a Hindu Pakistan"
Grief for more than 300 victims of the attacks in Sri Lanka (photo: Reuters/A. Dave)

Easter Sunday bombings

How did Islamist terrorism take hold in Sri Lanka?

How active are Islamist groups in Sri Lanka? Could they have launched multiple, well-coordinated terrorist attacks in different parts of the country without the support of global jihadist organisations? By Shamil ShamsMore

Islamic State claims responsibility for Sri Lankan bombingsIslam in Sri Lanka: Peaceful prospects for the Moors
A man stands beside portraits of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and members of his family (photo: EPA/Shahzaib Akber)

Parliamentary elections in Pakistan

Who will prevail?

What's at stake in Pakistan's upcoming parliamentary elections? Should the West be concerned about a possible military-backed government and its impact on Afghanistan's security and South Asia's geopolitics? An analysis by Shamil ShamsMore

Interview with Pakistani politician Imran Khan: "Moving towards democracy"Trump's Pakistan outburst: Reckless tweets vs. democratic hopesPakistan and the Trump factor: Who pays the piper
Tim Johnston, former Asia Programme Director for the International Crisis Group

Myanmar and the Rohingya

Is Saudi Wahhabism fuelling an insurgency?

In interview with Shamil Shams, ICG's Tim Johnston claims that the Rohingya insurgency is linked to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, but that the motivating force is not so much jihadist ideology as anger at the treatment of Rohingya in MyanmarMore

Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar: The spectre of ethnic violence reappearsThe Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar: In the shadow of an iconThe Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar: Stateless people in search of a home
Imran Khan attends the unveiling of his party's manifesto for the 2013 general election, Islamabad, 9 April 2013 (photo: Aamir QureshiAFP/Getty Images)

Portrait of Pakistani politician Imran Khan

Flirting with the Taliban

For several years now, support for cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has been growing in Pakistan. Nevertheless, opinion about one of the country's greatest sporting heroes is still divided. His supporters point to the progress made in the province ruled by his Movement for Justice Party, while liberal Pakistanis have criticised his opposition to military operations against the Taliban. By Shamil ShamsMore

Imran Khan: Pakistan's Dream CatcherThe Pakistani Religious Cleric Tahir ul-Qadri: Manic Street PreacherQantara dossier: Pakistan

In brief

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Favourite of the hardliners: Ebrahim Raisi, a 61-year-old cleric, is running for the second time; in 2017 he lost to incumbent President Rouhani. In 2019, he was appointed head of the judiciary by religious leader Ayatollah Khamenei and is being touted as a possible successor to Khamenei. In the 1980s, Raisi was part of the so-called "death committee" responsible for executing thousands of political prisoners

Iran's presidential election: Contest of losers

Iran's Guardian Council has selected seven candidates for the mid-July presidential election. Most have run in the past. By Shabnam von Hein