https://www.scmp.com/rss/12892/feed Ashraf Khan is a freelance journalist. He has worked for Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press as a Pakistan correspondent. His work has also appeared in Newsweek, Far Eastern Economic Review, Le Monde Diplomatique, Variety and Christian Science Monitor. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Pakistan aims to accelerate one of the showcase projects under the Belt and Road Initiative during the four-day visit by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to China even as it grapples with major security and economic challenges. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) - estimated to be worth US$62 billion by the Brookings Institution – is the most high-profile symbol of bilateral cooperation between the two nations. However, a surge in attacks against Chinese nationals building plants and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3262688/pakistan-wants-speed-china-linked-project-amid-fears-over-fatal-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3262688/pakistan-wants-speed-china-linked-project-amid-fears-over-fatal-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 May 2024 13:14:23 +0000 A recent visit by US Acting Under Secretary for Political Affairs John Bass to Pakistan could mark a seismic shift in regional dynamics, with implications that could resonate as far as the Middle East, according to analysts. The visit by the former US ambassador to Afghanistan underscored a critical juncture in US-Pakistan relations, they said, with Islamabad poised to be wooed by Washington on many fronts – from its strategic position amid Iran-Israel tensions to an energy deal and the issue of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261197/pakistans-clout-grows-us-officials-visit-underscores-its-go-between-role-iranian-affairs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261197/pakistans-clout-grows-us-officials-visit-underscores-its-go-between-role-iranian-affairs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 May 2024 09:02:07 +0000 A letter by senior judges in Pakistan has sent shock waves through the country as it alleged that the nation’s powerful intelligence agency had used intimidation tactics and torture to sway their rulings, including in cases against former prime minister Imran Khan – allegations that the Supreme Court will soon investigate. The letter – signed by the six senior judges of the Islamabad High Court and addressed to the nation’s Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa – outlined the judges’ concerns regarding... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3258535/pakistans-intelligence-agency-using-intimidating-scare-tactics-judges-sway-rulings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3258535/pakistans-intelligence-agency-using-intimidating-scare-tactics-judges-sway-rulings?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Apr 2024 13:00:24 +0000 President Pervez Musharraf has never shown any sign of weakness since forcing his way to power in a military coup in 1999. But protests by lawyers over his removal of the country's top judge do not augur well for the strongman. Many believe this marks the beginning of the end of the Musharraf era. 'The judiciary seems to be breaking the shackles this time and this year seems to be the last year of Musharraf,' former foreign minister Asif Ahmed Ali said. Some believe General Musharraf... https://www.scmp.com/article/586231/it-beginning-end-strongman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/586231/it-beginning-end-strongman?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:00:00 +0000 In a London court last month, an alleged terrorist testified that he attended a training camp in Pakistan run by the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's most powerful security agency. Then a British Defence Ministry think-tank released a report claiming the ISI had been supporting terrorism and extremism - whether in London, Afghanistan or Iraq. The incidents highlight Pakistan's ambiguous role in the 'war on terror'. It is a frontline American ally, yet it is still accused of... https://www.scmp.com/article/566559/ambiguous-role-war-terror?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/566559/ambiguous-role-war-terror?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Oct 2006 16:00:00 +0000 US and India accused of backing militants in province Denied the wealth drawn from their own natural resources, the tribal warlords of Pakistan's southwest province of Baluchistan have for several years been attacking infrastructure in the region - and China's interests in the region are being put at risk. The Baloch people want greater control over the mineral wealth, putting them in direct confrontation with the national government - and increasingly they have been taking aim at... https://www.scmp.com/article/540643/tribal-warlords-step-attacks-chinese-projects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/540643/tribal-warlords-step-attacks-chinese-projects?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Mar 2006 16:00:00 +0000