The yearly Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) compiled by the World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked Pakistan 129th out of 144 countries in 2014-15, this compares with 133rd out of 148 last year. GCR ranks countries on 15 pillars of competitiveness, the risks include (1) Basic Requirements (2) Institutions (3) Infrastructure (4) Macroeconomic environment (5) Health…
It would be naïve to take Pakistan-Afghanistan relations for granted. Complexity demands continuous steering and frequent course corrections. Home to this reality, the leadership of the two counties is maintaining frequent contacts at various tiers. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his visit to Kabul on May 12, outlined three principles in the context of Pakistan-Afghanistan…
Terrorist Activities in Pakistan Suicide AttacksAt least three persons, including two Police officials, were killed on April 30 when former Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao’s convoy came under a suicide attack in the Umarzai town of Charsadda District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reports The Nation. The minister remained safe. According to officials and eyewitnesses, Sherpao was attacked…
AbstractThe war in Yemen and GCC countries’ ineffective panic stricken leadership provides an excellent opportunity for Pakistan to initiate a low key naval diplomatic initiative to diffuse tensions with PN power projection and deterrence with its nuclear capabilities. PN has stumbled on this regional role due to its decade long participation in UN/US Coalition Task…
Yet another tragedy of horrendous proportion struck Karachi when 45 Ismailis were massacred on 13th May in Safoora Goth; children were also among the injured. Over the past decade various sectarian and militant outfits have wreaked havoc through acts of extreme violence that have claimed thousands of lives, including personnel of the armed forces and…
A flurry of activities about Afghanistan during the month of May, capped by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit, have, once again, brought this country under international focus. Former President Asif Zardari led his party delegation to Kabul, Commander United States Forces in Afghanistan General John F Campbell called on the Army Chief, General Raheel Sharif,…
A debate has been going on amongst political leaders, social media, civil society and veterans regarding the CPEC route. The controversy has set in after some maps were displayed showing the route passing through Lahore. To add to the confusion some of the PML-N ministers, mostly kept ignorant by their masters, said that it was…
Economics of Pak-China Friendship is unique and has strategic importance. It has multidimensional aspects and is not confined to better political understanding and sharing of similarities on different regional and international issues. It covers all aspects of human survival and industrial production and ranges from close economic cooperation to massive foreign direct investments, joint ventures…
Stephen P. Cohen describes geo-strategic significance of Pakistan as “While history has been unkind to Pakistan, its geography has been its greatest benefit.”(1) 1. The month of April has witnessed the historic signing of China-Pak Economic Corridor and other MOUs between friendly nations of Pakistan and China. The long awaited signing ceremony also fortified the…
The Presidential Elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) were held on April 19, 2015 but no candidate bagged enough votes to claim outright victory. Official FiguresOfficial figures showed that the first round turnout stood at 62.3 percent from a pool of roughly 177,000 eligible voters. None of the seven candidates came anywhere…
