Pakistan's new government is close to signing a peace accord with pro-Taliban militants as part of a softer counterterrorism policy from Islamabad that deemphasizes military strikes and calls for U.S. forces to show more restraint in the area.
A top US official has signaled that there will be no major policy shift on Pakistan in the aftermath of elections that dealt a serious blow against the US-backed president there, Pervez Musharraf.
In light of increasing instability in Pakistan and the apparent decline of President Pervez Musharraf's influence, American analysts say the United States needs to broaden its approach toward Pakistan to include aid not just to its army, but to civil society organizations, political parties, the court system and police.
The Caspian Basin energy equation is growing more complex, with Iran, India and Pakistan now renewing a commitment to build a natural gas pipeline across South Asia. On November 28, Indian officials confirmed that discussions with their Iranian counterparts were continuing.
Pakistani and Afghan authorities have repeatedly accused each other of failing to provide adequate security to prevent cross-border suicide attacks by Taliban-linked militants.
Until recently, however, little publicly available research has been conducted to understand or explain the way suicide bombings have been proliferating in Afghanistan since 2005.
Leaders of the Baluchi minority in southwestern Pakistan and southeastern Iran say their people are increasingly marginalized, discriminated against by the state, and suffer from limited access to the benefits of citizenship.
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf looks set to attend a "peace jirga" in the Afghan capital aimed at combating Taliban and Al-Qaeda violence in the two neighboring countries, after originally bowing out.
Musharraf had canceled a planned appearance at the tribal assembly's opening session on August 9 amid speculation that Islamabad might impose a state of emergency in Pakistan.
Some 650 tribal leaders and other representatives from Afghanistan and Pakistan today opened an assembly in Kabul to boost security and seek an end to militancy undermining both governments.
Some 650 tribal leaders and other representatives from Afghanistan and Pakistan today opened an assembly in Kabul to boost security and seek an end to militancy undermining both governments.
The attempted reopening today in Islamabad of the Red Mosque complex that saw a bloody confrontation between security forces and militant Islamic radicals on July 10-11 is a reminder of the challenges confronting Pakistan's embattled President Pervez Musharraf. The event was descending into rioting as Islamic hard-liners sought to retake the facilities.
