Pakistan must re-evaluate its strategies and investments on all counter-terrorism operations as they have become highly questionable after the resurgence of the Taliban in parts of the country A large-scale military operation Zarb-e-Azb was called off in 2017 once the army’s top brass found results of the operation satisfactory enough for its discontinuation eight years after it was launched. Nearly 3,500 militants were reported dead while twice of them had fled across the country for two reasons – find shelter and join Afghan Taliban to provide strategic support in their pursuit to take over the country as the US had already started talking of withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan in 2014. The Zarb-e-Azb operation undoubtedly turned out to be a blessing for the Afghan Taliban whose strength multiplied by several thousand militants once these Pakistani militants joined them. Pakistan also benefited from Zarb-e-Azb operation as it brought down militancy from 7,300 fatalities in 2014 to 601 in 2020. To consolidate the gains of the Zarb-e-Azb operation and purging the country from the remnants of the militants, Pakistan took two major steps – launching of the Radd-ul-Fasad operation and fencing its porous border with Afghanistan to avert the cross-border attacks by the Afghanistan-based Pakistani militant groups, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) the most prominent among them. As normalcy began to return to Pakistan, the situation in Afghanistan took a new turn soon after a peace agreement between the US and Afghan Taliban was signed on February 29, 2020, that laid out a plan for the withdrawal of the US combat forces by May 1, 2021 which was later extended to August the same year. Soon after the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban stormed the capital of the country, compelling the sitting President Ashraf Ghani to flee away. The first thing the Afghan Taliban did after coming into power was to release all those prisoners that were...

A large number of Asian countries are out on a shopping spree for acquisition of weapons and equipment than the countries from any other continents across the globe. The USA and leading Western countries, on the other hand, face an unprecedented challenge to their global predominance from the growing Chinese-Russian alliance. An arms race is gaining momentum all around the world and Asia appears to be in lead in many respects. The drivers for this shopping spree vary from global impact of the Ukrainian War to the strained relationships between countries. These two factors are forcing countries to go beyond their means to buy arms and ammunitions so that they can confront any untoward situation that may arise at any time.  The database on global military expenditures maintained by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reveals that two Asian countries, China and India, were the top second and third countries in arms purchases during 2021. Of the 10 top countries in military expenditures, 5 are from Asia, one from America, and the remaining 4 are from Europe.  What it reflects is that a larger number of Asian countries are out on the shopping spree for military weapons and equipment than the countries from any other continents of the world (Table 01). Arms purchases by top 10 countries For some reasons, the Asian countries also appear to be on top of all other countries when we compare the value of military expenditures with the GDP of their countries. Except Saudi Arabia all other countries from top ten in military expenditures disappear from this list. Six out of 10 top countries spending highest percentage of their GDPs on arms purchases are from the Middle East Asia and two each from Africa and East Europe. Pakistan holds 13th position after Russia and Greece (Table 02). Military expenditure on arms by top 10 countries Among the South Asian countries, Pakistan is on top in terms of its military expenditures as the percentage of its GDP....

President Xi Jinping poses for a group photo with other leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states before the restricted session of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO at the International Conference Center in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept 16, 2022. Xi attended the restricted session here on Friday. SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan — President Xi Jinping on Friday attended here the restricted session of The 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan  (September 15-16) once again underscored the role that China aspires to play in the world. President Xi Jinping’s  desire for a ” win-win cooperation based on a consultative and cooperative approach for political coordination  and economic development for a world order that is based on justice, trust and respect,” once again underlined China’s policy of peaceful coexistence and joint pursuit of economic development. With this advice, Xi , who was also very restrained about the Ukraine-Russian conflict seemed to stand above all as an elder brother anxious to push for global and regional peace and harmony through collaboration and mutual respect. In his speech , Xi underlined the importance of forging political trust, mutual respect and  free choice of development path under the SCO flag. “It is important to pursue win-win cooperation and that requires the SCO member states to accommodate each other’s interests, stay true to the principle of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits, enhance synergy between our respective development strategies, and keep to the path of win-win cooperation toward common prosperity,” the Chinese leader said. Believe and practice in mutual respect and the spirit of cooperation is even more important in a world that is not a peaceful place any more. “Rivalry between two sets of policy choices — unity or division, cooperation or confrontation — is getting more acute. This...

The US approved sales of 1.1 billion dollars in weapons to Taiwan, a step likely to intensify already heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing. China strongly feels that the US should not interfere in its internal matters or try to undermine the sovereignty of China and its economic superiority which has been a threat to the US more than ever before. The US-China relationship appears to be at an all-time low and its worst in decades. Countless issues have caused tension to rise, with Taiwan always being in focus lately. In the past, the stability of the Taiwan Strait was something that both China and America were interested in. However, now that both great powers perceive the other as an existential threat, the Taiwan problem is quickly turning into a test of national will between the two. On 2nd September 2022, the US approved sales of 1.1 billion dollars in weapons to Taiwan, a step likely to intensify already heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing. The proposed deal includes a $655m radar system to track incoming strikes and $355m for 60 Harpoon missiles, capable of sinking ships. It also includes $85.6m for Sidewinder surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles, according to the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency. This announcement came after two Chinese fighter jets crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which normally serves as an unofficial barrier between the two sides, Taiwan’s defense ministry said. Previously, China has also been making unprecedented military drills around the island. The sequence of events unfolded in response to Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, visiting Taiwan last month despite repeated warnings from China not to. Beijing views Taiwan as a part of its territory and insists it should be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary.   Although Congress still has the option to refuse the arms sale, it seems improbable that it will do so, given how strongly Taiwan...

Putin and Xi Jinping are expected to meet in Uzbekistan on September 15 and 16, where the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting will be taking place as Beijing and Moscow step up their economic cooperation in response to Western-led criticism and sanctions. The meeting between Xi and Putin will continue to seek a “normal relationship” and share a “new vision” of the international system. Amid the conflict, China has sought to strengthen its strategic ties with Russia by presenting its wolf warrior diplomacy in a blunt response to western concerns. The Sino-Russian alliance poses great jeopardy to western interests.  Russia is improving relations with the People’s Republic of China in response to the economic sanctions imposed by the Western nations. Because it will free up resources for China and provide income for Russia, the Northern Sea Route from the Bering Strait to the Barents Sea may be a win-win situation. In addition, given the conflicts between the US and Russia, and China, it can potentially be used strategically. The nature and focus of Sino-Russian collaboration have changed recently. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have had more than 30 meetings since 2013. Xi referred to Putin as his “best and bosom friend.” Despite criticism from the West following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China was convinced that the two countries’ relations would continue unabated. Amid the conflict, China sought to strengthen its strategic ties with Russia by presenting its wolf warrior diplomacy in a blunt response to western concerns. The Sino-Russian alliance would be extremely harmful to Western interests, but the breadth and depth of cooperation are also quite important. Putin and Xi Jinping are expected to meet in Uzbekistan, where the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting will be taking place on September 15 and 16 as Beijing and Moscow step up their economic cooperation in response to Western-led criticism and sanctions. Andrey Denisov, the Russian...

By Sarmad Sadiq Background The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a multi-trillion-dollar global infrastructure development plan announced by the Chinese government’s premier Xi Jinping in 2013 to invest in nearly 70 countries spanning 3 continents. “Belt” is short for Silk Road Economic Belt, which refers to the proposed overland routes, whereas “road” is short for the Indo-Pacific Sea routes through Southeast Asia to South Asia, Middle East, and Africa (EBRD, 2020). The estimated completion of the project will be 2049, coinciding with China’s 100th birthday. The Benefits The Chinese believed that the countries they were trading with had achieved some economic headway but further growth was hampered as a result of the lacklustre infrastructure, access and connectivity to these nations and that the full potential of transcontinental trade was not yet tapped into. So, for China to enhance its trade growth it had to pursue such a giga-project. It set out to bridge this massive gap of infrastructure and capacity through a plethora of multi and bilateral partnerships with countries, under the umbrella of the One Belt and One Road Initiative, replicating the old silk road by building a new one (Chatzky, 2020). The proponents of this project push the narrative of global development through the BRI. They posit that it has the potential to considerably improve trade, foreign direct investment, and living conditions for citizens in its participating countries (OECD, 2018). It is believed that through the massive influx of investment pouring into the member states, economic growth apart from infrastructure development and poverty alleviation will be expedited. The globalisation of trade and introduction of  equity in global infrastructure development, however, may be the most precious outcome of this effort. The Drawbacks There is another side to the story. Some believe that the project will pave the path to Chinese imperialism, a sort of economic hegemony through this...