Afghanistan Taliban Rule and ISKP

India's Structural Positioning Within a Fracturing Liberal International Order

India has consolidated a durable posture of selective LIO engagement across four security domains — alliances, security communities, crisis management, and nuclear governance — deepening bilateral defense cooperation with the United States while refusing binding alliance commitments.

Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Suicide Bombing and Ambush in Bannu

A suicide vehicle-borne IED struck a police checkpoint in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by a direct assault on surviving officers and responding reinforcements, killing fifteen police.

Shadow-Earth-053 China-Aligned Dual-Track Cyber Espionage Campaign Disclosed

Trend Micro disclosed Shadow-Earth-053, a China-aligned cyber espionage campaign active since at least December 2024, targeting government and defense networks across Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and NATO member Poland.

Pakistan Military Consolidates Formal Constitutional Authority Under Munir

Under Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan's military has achieved its deepest formal entrenchment in the constitutional order in the country's modern history, using constitutional redesign and a compliant civilian coalition to insulate military authority from political challenge.

China's Failed Mediation of Pakistan-Taliban Border Conflict

China has attempted to position itself as a mediator between Pakistan and the Taliban amid an escalating border conflict driven by TTP operations from Afghan territory. The effort has stalled, with cross-border strikes continuing in both directions since a serious outbreak in February 2025.

Trump Administration Systematic Dismantlement of U.S. Soft-Power Infrastructure

The Trump administration has pursued a coordinated dismantlement of U.S. soft-power assets: abolishing USAID, withdrawing from 60+ international organizations, leaving diplomatic posts vacant, suppressing Voice of America, restricting foreign student access to U.S. universities, and substituting coercive tariff threats and military force for diplomatic engagement.

India-Pakistan May 2025 Conflict and Post-Crisis Rearmament

The May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict — triggered by the Pahalgam terrorist attack — produced the most intense cross-border conventional fighting between the two nuclear powers since Kargil 1999, including strikes on nuclear-adjacent infrastructure.

BLA Coordinated Multi-Site Assault on Balochistan, Including Reko Diq Corridor

Over 500 BLA militants struck at least 18 targets across 12 areas in Balochistan simultaneously, killing 58 people including 36 civilians and 22 security forces.

Pakistan Aerial Strikes on Kabul and Afghan Territory Targeting TTP

Pakistan conducted aerial strikes on the Omid Rehabilitation Center in Kabul on March 16, 2026, killing at least 143 people, following earlier strikes on Kabul's outskirts in October 2025.

RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025 Records Historic Low

The 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index finds global press freedom at its lowest point in 25 years, with over half of 180 assessed countries rated 'difficult' or 'very serious.' The share of the global population living under 'good' press freedom conditions has collapsed from 20% in 2002 to under 1%.

Pakistan Commissions Chinese Hangor-Class Submarine Fleet

Pakistan commissioned its first fleet of eight Hangor-class submarines sourced from China, with four built in China and four to be manufactured domestically under a technology transfer arrangement. Each vessel carries torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, advanced sensors, and air-independent propulsion.

Zardari China State Visit: CPEC Phase II and Regional Connectivity Alignment

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in China on April 25 for a week-long visit centered on advancing CPEC's second phase — shifting from infrastructure toward industrialization, SEZs, and digital connectivity.

Russia Conditionally Offers Mediation in Afghanistan-Pakistan Conflict

Russian Special Representative Zamir Kabulov publicly signaled Moscow's readiness to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan if formally requested by both sides, while Pakistan's ambassador to Russia confirmed Islamabad has already made such a request.

Central Asia Water-Industrial Stress Convergence Identified at MINEX Kazakhstan 2026

A structured analytical presentation at MINEX Kazakhstan 2026 documented the convergence of three compounding pressures on Central Asia's water supply: accelerating glacial retreat reducing Syr Darya and Amu Darya flows by up to 30% by mid-century; Chinese upstream withdrawals cutting Ili and Irtysh basin runoff by over 20%; and Afghanistan's Qosh-Tepa canal diverting an estimated 10 cubic kilometers annually from the Amu Darya.

Pakistan's Diplomatic Rehabilitation via Western Re-engagement

Pakistan has systematically rebuilt its international standing through a multi-vector strategy: flattering Trump personally, nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize, joining Trump's Board of Peace, signing a US oil development deal, and launching a crypto collaboration with World Liberty Financial.

Taliban Critical Mineral Contracts Lock Afghanistan into Raw-Ore Export Dependency

Since returning to power in 2021, Taliban authorities have issued hundreds of mining contracts — primarily to Chinese, Iranian, Pakistani, and Turkish firms — on opaque terms that prioritize immediate cash over value-chain participation.

U.S. Proposed Transfer of Afghan Evacuees from Qatar to DRC

Reports emerged that Afghan evacuees — including former interpreters, contractors, and civil society partners — housed in Qatar since the 2021 U.S. withdrawal are being considered for transfer to the Democratic Republic of the Congo rather than resettlement in the United States.

China Establishes Cenling County on Xinjiang-Afghanistan Border

China carved out Cenling County from Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in Xinjiang in March 2026, placing new administrative governance directly along the Wakhan Corridor border with Afghanistan. This follows analogous frontier county creations in December 2024 near the Aksai Chin region.

New Lines Institute S7+ Forum on Afghanistan-Central Asia Connectivity

Regional experts convened on Capitol Hill to assess Afghanistan's role in the Silk Seven Plus initiative, a framework for a Greater Central Asian economic community with seaport access via Pakistan.

Pakistan Moves to Contain Shiite Unrest Amid U.S.-Iran Mediation

Pakistan's army chief convened leading Shiite clerics and warned against violence after unrest triggered by the killing of Iran's supreme leader.

Uzbekistan Advances Jizzakh Nuclear Power Plant and Radioactive Waste System

Uzbekistan is moving forward with a nuclear power plant in Jizzakh and has approved a centralized radioactive waste management system, locking in long-duration nuclear governance infrastructure.

Central Asia and UNAMA Expand Pragmatic Engagement Framework for Afghanistan

The article describes the consolidation of a pragmatic engagement framework in which UNAMA mediates between the Taliban and external actors while Central Asian states expand humanitarian, trade, and infrastructure links with Afghanistan.

Pakistan Launches Operation Ghazab lil-Haq Against Taliban

Pakistan initiated large-scale airstrikes against Taliban-held targets in Afghanistan, including Kabul, signaling a shift from border management to direct coercion of the regime.

China Brokers Temporary Pakistan-Afghanistan De-escalation

Senior officials from China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan met in Urumqi, after which cross-border firing, drone attacks, and Pakistani aerial assaults reportedly paused.

Pakistan Seeks Multi-Front Strategic Balancing Amid India, Afghanistan, and Iran-US Pressures

Pakistan is portrayed as attempting to manage concurrent pressures from India, Afghanistan, and the Iran-US conflict through diplomacy with China, Gulf states, Tehran, and Washington.

Moscow Military Court Verdict in Crocus City Hall Attack Trial

Moscow's Second Western District Military Court convicted 19 individuals linked to the March 2024 Crocus City Hall attack, sentencing the four principal Tajik perpetrators and seven co-conspirators to life imprisonment.

China-Facilitated Pakistan-Afghanistan Talks in Urumqi

China facilitated exploratory diplomatic talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Urumqi — the first major bilateral engagement since Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in late February 2026. Military, intelligence, and diplomatic officers from both sides participated.

Pakistan Military Kills Eight TTP Militants in North Waziristan Border Operation

Pakistani security forces killed eight TTP-affiliated militants near the Afghanistan border in North Waziristan on April 1, 2026, recovering weapons and ammunition. ISPR publicly attributed the militants to Indian sponsorship and cited Afghan Taliban's failure to enforce border management.

Pakistan Security Forces Kill Eight TTP Militants in North Waziristan

Pakistani security forces killed eight TTP-affiliated militants during a border engagement in North Waziristan after detecting militant movement along the Pak-Afghan frontier.

Pakistan Arrests ISKP Spokesperson Sultan Aziz Azam

Pakistani intelligence detained Sultan Aziz Azam, ISKP's chief spokesperson and founder of the Al-Azaim Foundation media wing, in May 2025, with the arrest confirmed by the UN Sanctions Monitoring Team in December 2025.

Pakistan-Afghanistan Open War: Pakistani Airstrikes and Taliban Ground Offensive

Pakistan launched near-daily airstrikes across Afghanistan beginning February 26, targeting weapons depots, military bases including Bagram, and civilian areas across 10 provinces, killing at least 76 civilians per UN documentation.