March 2021

FATA’s Merger with KP All kinds of criminals including drug dealers, smugglers, kidnappers and the groups of terrorists of various hues and colours made FATA their sanctuary and operated from there with impunity. The State of Pakistan neglected the region for seven decades that turned it into ungoverned spaces. As the State launched a war on homegrown terrorism and sought …

Devolution of Power and Pakistan’s history of local governments Historically, Pakistan has experienced several devolution stages. Interestingly, three local governments had been set up and controlled under the direct rule of military regimes. Later, through the 18th Amendment, a democratic setup devolved significant powers with ministerial portfolios to the provinces. The real essence of devolution of power Devolution refers to …

Biden and Washington’s Perennial Pakistan Problem It’s time for a rethink The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States brings with it many a challenge for him, especially in the domain of foreign policy. An experienced hand on South Asia, he will have a different set of challenges as compared to the time when he …

The Indo-Pacific Region After Trump The Indo-Pacific region will remain the most important foreign policy direction of the new US administration. This means a continuation of the strategy started by Donald Trump, albeit with important changes in goals and mode of operation. It can be expected that the US will increase engagement in the region, tighten cooperation with allies, strengthen …

Israel’s War Crimes in Palestine The ICC’s Gavel Strikes Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC), on February 05, announced a decision whereby they ruled that the court has jurisdiction over war crimes committed in the Palestinian territories, paving the way for the ICC to investigate alleged war crimes committed in the 2014 Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the besieged Gaza Strip …

Global Cooperation on Climate Change We live in what many scientists call the Anthropocene Epoch, an era of geological time characterized by human impact on Earth’s geology and ecosystems. As the earth’s temperature rises and natural disasters occur with alarming frequency, the environment is quickly careening toward a breaking point from which we can never turn back. No matter where …

Coup in Myanmar After two months of disputes over November 2020 election results, the military of Myanmar has overthrown the country’s fragile democratic government in a coup d’état, and has arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders. The military is now back in charge and has declared a year-long state of emergency, and the power has been …

America’s Place in the World On February 04, newly-inaugurated President of the United States, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (commonly known as Joe Biden), gave his first foreign-policy speech. In a wide-ranging address at the US State Department in Washington, Biden outlined his new foreign policy vision, declaring that “America is back. Diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign …

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons On January 22, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the first nuclear disarmament instrument in more than two decades, entered into force. The treaty is now a part of international law and is a legally binding instrument aimed at total elimination of nuclear weapons, under the aegis of the United …

Senate Elections Pakistan What is Senate? Majlis-e-Shura, the Parliament of Pakistan, consists of the President and two Houses, known as the National Assembly (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). The Senate was constituted for the first time in 1973 under Article 50 of the Constitution of Pakistan that stipulates a bicameral parliament.The Senate is a body that represents the …