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Military & Security

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari signed the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill into law based on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after Parliament approved it, Geo News reported on Oct. 21.

Pakistan: Constitutional Amendment Reduces Judicial Power

Pakistan's Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazlur Rehman party announced a consensus with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, or PML-N, and the Pakistan People's Party on judicial reforms through a constitutional amendment, Arab News reported on Oct. 17.

Pakistan: Judicial Reforms Gain Support as PTI Calls for Protests

India

Pakistan's Punjab state banned public gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, demonstrations and similar activities in Rawalpindi district, which is adjacent to the federal capital, Islamabad, for eight days, and the federal government deployed 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel to the capital, Geo News reported on Oct. 11.

Pakistan: Islamabad Prepares To Host Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit

Pakistan locked down its capital Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi, with major roads blocked by shipping containers, mobile service suspended, schools closed and public transit halted, as jailed ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan called on supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to protest at D-Chowk, a key junction near Pakistan's Parliament and the prime minister's office, Dawn reported on Oct. 4.

Pakistan: Islamabad Under Lockdown To Prevent PTI Rally

Russia

Economics

Pakistan's Privatization Minister Abdul Aleem Khan signed multiple memorandums of understanding with Russian officials to enhance bilateral trade and investment and increase imports and exports of food items, Arab News published on Oct. 3. 

Pakistan, Russia: Agreements Enhance Bilateral Trade, Establish Barter Trade Arrangement

In a press conference, Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced that the government will eliminate 150,000 positions across various ministries, dissolve the Capital Administration and Development Division and merge two others, Geo News reported on Sept. 29. 

Pakistan: Government To Eliminate 150,000 Vacant Positions, Dissolve Ministries

The International Monetary Fund's executive board approved a new loan program worth $7 billion under the Extended Fund Facility, which will provide Pakistan with the funds in installments over 37 months, Geo News reported on Sept. 25.

Pakistan: IMF Executive Board Approves $7B Bailout Package

Assessments

Iran

Israel

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts rockets fired from southern Lebanon on Sept. 27, 2024, over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel.

U.S.-Iran Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: A Shanghai Cooperation Organization Meeting, Chinese Financial Support Measures

Afghanistan

A man looks at damage from a Balochistan Liberation Army attack Jan. 30 in central Bolan district in Balochistan province, Pakistan. Economic and political constraints will limit the scale and efficacy of Pakistan's latest counterterrorism campaign, sustaining the threat of militant attacks and delays to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor despite likely efforts to bolster foreigners' security and engagement with key foreign stakeholders.

Economic and political constraints will limit the scale and efficacy of Pakistan's latest counterterrorism campaign, sustaining the threat of militant attacks and delays to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor despite likely efforts to bolster foreigners' security and engagement with key foreign stakeholders.

The Implications of Pakistan's Renewed Counterterrorism Campaign

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

A delegation of Afghan Taliban officials walks down a hotel lobby in Doha, Qatar, in August 2021. 

A combination of security considerations and economic opportunities will continue to ease the Afghan Taliban's international isolation in the years ahead, but many countries will remain wary of close relations with the group or its formal recognition.

The Afghan Taliban's International Isolation Appears To Be Easing

A welcoming billboard displaying an image of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (left) and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is seen along a street in Karachi, Pakistan, on April 22, 2024. 

Pakistan and Iran's embattled pipeline project, which has faced delays amid funding issues and U.S. sanction concerns, could impede recent efforts to boost bilateral cooperation.

For Pakistan and Iran, a Delayed Pipeline Could Undermine Improved Relations

Snapshots

People gather outside the provincial legislature of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly in Peshawar on Feb. 28, 2024. 

The delay may mar the upper house's credibility and cause political instability, but it is unlikely to significantly impede policymaking.


The Impact of Pakistan's Delayed Senate Formation

Then-Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) and then-Pakistani Finance Minister Ishaq Dar (left) address a press conference in Lahore on June 30, 2023, after the signing of a staff-level agreement with the IMF.

Islamabad will likely secure the final tranche of its current stand-by arrangement, and potentially a new IMF bailout, but the government may struggle to enact related economic reforms.

The Outlook of Pakistan-IMF Engagement

Australia

Philippines

Vietnam

United Kingdom

Chinese officials at the Fifth Plenary Session of the National People's Congress on March 12, 2023 in Beijing. Beijing will host the annual Two Sessions meetings of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, an industry and societal consultative body, and the rubberstamp National People's Congress from March 4-11.

The Weekly Rundown: Pakistan Selects a New Premier, China's Two Sessions

Former Pakistani Prime Minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, Shehbaz Sharif (center) speaks during a press conference in Lahore on Feb. 13, 2024. 

Grievances related to the contentious Feb. 8 election will likely continue to drive protests and threaten the new coalition's stability.

The Challenges Facing Pakistan's New Government

Europe

A man and a child walk past electoral campaign posters in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 22, 2024, ahead of next month's elections.

The Weekly Rundown: Elections in Iran, a Potential New Government in Pakistan

A journalist stands in front of a screen displaying live election results during a televised broadcast in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Feb. 9, 2024, a day after national elections were held in the country.

The inconclusive outcome of the Feb. 8 national ballot casts doubt over who will next govern the country at a time of increasing political polarization and economic challenges.

With No Clear Winner, Pakistan's Election Yields More Political Uncertainty

El Salvador

Palestinian Territories

Germany

A picture taken from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip shows smoke rising over buildings in Khan Yunis during an Israeli bombardment on Feb. 2, 2024. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: A Potential Gaza Cease-Fire, Elections in Pakistan and El Salvador

Pakistan's former prime minister and the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, Nawaz Sharif (center), waves to supporters during a campaign rally in Lahore, Pakistan, on Jan. 23, 2024. 

In the likely case that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wins a fourth term, he will prioritize managing the country's deepening economic crisis.

Previewing Pakistan's Parliamentary Elections

Pakistan is located in South Asia and is bordered by Iran, Afghanistan, China and India. To the north are the Himalayan Mountains, which branch off into the Hindu Kush range. To the southwest is the vast Balochistan Plateau, which is arid and sparsely populated. In the south is the Thar Desert and a 650-mile coast along the Arabian sea. The Indus River begins in the Tibetan Plateau and cuts through the country’s eastern half.  The river nourishes the fertile plains of the Punjab, the country’s populous core region and its political and economic heartland.    Pakistan’s primary geographic challenge arises from its borders, which do not correspond to natural geographic boundaries. The modern borders of Pakistan were created in 1947, when the nation was carved out of the Muslim-majority northwest and northeast portions of India. The countries have fought three wars since independence, and each claims the territory of Kashmir. Bangladesh, then known as “East Pakistan,” gained independence from Pakistan in 1971 with India’s help.  This reinforced the notion within Pakistan that India was an existential threat. Pakistan has long sought to gain influence in Afghanistan, both to secure strategic depth and to prevent Kabul from falling into New Delhi’s orbit.    On the west, the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan — called the Durand Line — has remained contentious since the British created it in 1893. Kabul claims that Afghanistan’s true boundary runs deep into Pakistan to absorb the Pashtun tribal belt divided between both countries. The mountainous terrain has made the region difficult to govern, ensuring that the border remains porous.  

SITUATION REPORTS

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Pakistan: Constitutional Amendment Reduces Judicial Power

Pakistan: Judicial Reforms Gain Support as PTI Calls for Protests

Pakistan: Islamabad Prepares To Host Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit

Pakistan: Islamabad Under Lockdown To Prevent PTI Rally

Pakistan, Russia: Agreements Enhance Bilateral Trade, Establish Barter Trade Arrangement

Pakistan: Government To Eliminate 150,000 Vacant Positions, Dissolve Ministries

Pakistan: IMF Executive Board Approves $7B Bailout Package

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