Pakistan

Military & Security

Politics

A number of leaders within former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, have expressed frustration with Khan's refusal to negotiate with the government and his insistence that the party continue to protest and foment unrest amid its years-long standoff with authorities, Dawn reported on Dec. 26.

Pakistan: Khan's Enduring Influence, Focus on Protests Fueling Disagreements Among His Party's Leaders

Economics

The International Monetary Fund's executive board approved Pakistan's latest loan review, releasing roughly $1.2 billion and helping keep Pakistan's IMF program on track, Reuters reported on Dec. 9.

Pakistan: IMF Executive Board Approves Funding Under Pakistan's Second Review

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Energy

Kazakhstan formally notified partners in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) consortium of its intention to acquire an up to 30% stake in the long-delayed gas pipeline project, Interfax reported Nov. 25.

Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan: Astana Seeks 30% Stake in TAPI Pipeline Consortium

Afghanistan

Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group would provide a "necessary response" at the "appropriate time" after accusing Pakistan of striking Khost province and executing raids in Kunar and Paktika provinces in Afghanistan around midnight Nov. 25, actions Mujahid claimed killed at least nine civilians and wounded four others, Ariana News reported Nov. 25.

Afghanistan, Pakistan: Tensions Resurge After Afghan Taliban Accuses Pakistan of Retaliatory Strikes

Indian authorities formally characterized the Nov. 10 Delhi blast as a "terror incident," and local media indicated security agencies were probing possible connections between the blast and a recently busted terrorist cell allegedly tied to the Pakistan-linked Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group, Reuters reported on Nov. 13.

India, Pakistan: Governments Release More Information About Recent Explosions

Pakistan's National Assembly, the lower house, passed the 27th constitutional amendment bill, which aims to introduce major judicial and military reforms, Geo News reported on Nov. 12.

Pakistan: National Assembly Passes Constitutional Amendment

Indian authorities are investigating an explosion in the capital, Delhi, that killed at least eight people and wounded some 12 others, Hindustan Times reported on Nov. 10. 

India: Authorities Detain Two Individuals Amid Investigation Into Explosion in Delhi

Pakistan's Senate passed the 27th constitutional amendment bill, and opposition members walked out in protest, Geo News reported on Nov. 10.

Pakistan: 27th Constitutional Amendment Passed in the Senate

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As 2026 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five patterns and trends as measured by geopolitical impact.

2025: A Geopolitical Review

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People watch the USS Gravely, a Navy warship, departing the Port of Spain on Oct. 30, 2025. The U.S. warship arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 26, 2025, for joint exercises near the coast of Venezuela, as Washington ratcheted up pressure on drug traffickers and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

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

The Weekly Rundown: U.S.-Saudi Meeting, Military Escalation in the Caribbean

Pakistan's armed forces march in the country's National Day parade in Islamabad on March 23, 2024. 

Pakistan's new constitutional amendment threatens to sow political division over growing military powers, a weakening judiciary and reduced civilian oversight.

Pakistan's New Constitutional Amendment Reforms the Military and Judiciary

Firefighters douse a car at the suicide blast site in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Nov. 11, 2025. 

While unlikely to trigger immediate retaliation, recent explosions in both New Delhi and Islamabad will sustain the risk of renewed cross-border strikes should either country determine the other was culpable.

Back-to-Back Blasts in India and Pakistan Raise Fears of Another Escalation

Afghan men gather in support of the Taliban government during a rally in Khost, Afghanistan, on Oct. 13, 2025, amid heavy cross-border clashes with Pakistan.

Further violence is likely in the coming weeks and potentially longer, as the two countries' entrenched disputes regarding their shared border and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan will challenge international peace efforts.

Deadly Border Clashes Sharply Escalate Afghanistan-Pakistan Tensions

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Protesters gather at the Singha Durbar, the main administrative building for the Nepal government, in Kathmandu on Sept. 9, 2025. 

Widespread discontent with corruption and economic mismanagement is fueling movements that demand greater accountability across South Asia.

Political Instability Roils South Asia

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The flag of Afghanistan sits on the Afghan embassy in Moscow on July 4, 2025. 

As Afghanistan's neighbors deepen ties with the Taliban and Western states remain cautious, a widening diplomatic divide threatens to complicate efforts to address the country's worsening crises and regional security risks.

The Growing International Divide Over Taliban Ties Will Risk Regional Stability

Water runs in the Gurez valley in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir, near the India-Pakistan border, on June 3, 2025. 

Diplomatic talks between India and Pakistan will likely remain stalled due to ongoing airspace closures and disputes over water-sharing, sustaining the risk of a future conflict following the two countries' military confrontation earlier this year.

Unresolved Tensions: Water, Airspace and the Future of India-Pakistan Diplomacy

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Turkey's export strategy necessitates trade partnerships with countries in many different spheres of influence, portending both risks and opportunities as Ankara attempts to maintain its neutral middle-power status.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Turkey's Export Strategy Hinges on Neutrality

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Will the cease-fire between the two countries last?

Essential Geopolitics: The Outlook for India-Pakistan Relations

The Bombay Stock Exchange building May 7 in Mumbai, India. If military hostilities were to resume and lead to a prolonged conflict, Pakistan would be far less well-positioned than India to sustain it from an economic and financial perspective.

If military hostilities were to resume and lead to a prolonged conflict, Pakistan would be far less well-positioned than India to sustain it from an economic and financial perspective.

The Economic Case for an India-Pakistan Ceasefire

Snapshots

Indian soldiers pay respect during a wreath-laying ceremony for a soldier who was killed during a cross-border firing between India and Pakistan, in Jammu on May 12, 2025. 

While the near-term threat of severe escalation has waned, ongoing tensions over thorny issues like Kashmir and water-sharing will sustain the risk of cross-border flare-ups.

Amid India and Pakistan's Tenuous Ceasefire, Future Flare-Ups Remain Possible

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.  

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

The Politics of Pipelines

South Asian Militancy

Pakistan: A Military With a Country

SITUATION REPORTS

Pakistan: Khan's Enduring Influence, Focus on Protests Fueling Disagreements Among His Party's Leaders

Pakistan: IMF Executive Board Approves Funding Under Pakistan's Second Review

Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan: Astana Seeks 30% Stake in TAPI Pipeline Consortium

Afghanistan, Pakistan: Tensions Resurge After Afghan Taliban Accuses Pakistan of Retaliatory Strikes

India, Pakistan: Governments Release More Information About Recent Explosions

Pakistan: National Assembly Passes Constitutional Amendment

India: Authorities Detain Two Individuals Amid Investigation Into Explosion in Delhi

Pakistan: 27th Constitutional Amendment Passed in the Senate

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