Publications

India

BJP’s Anti-Pakistan Electioneering: An Old Playbook in a New Election

With the Lok Sabha elections around the corner in 2024, the debate around Indian electoral dynamics has attracted significant discourse. According to some estimates, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to win the elections for a third consecutive term. However, the concerning matter is that BJP’s election campaign which should ideally be based on a vision of India’s future outlook; unfortunately revolves around exploiting anti-Pakistan sentiments.
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November 3, 2023
India

Politicisation of Cricket by BJP

Over 76 years, India and Pakistan have shared many things: three wars, restrictions on the exchange of goods, interconnected history, and their universal love for the game of cricket. However, the ever-contentious state of affairs between the two countries has gradually impacted cricket. There has been no bilateral series between the two countries for over a decade, and the only time the two teams face each other is in international tournaments, such as the World Cup, Asia Cup, and the Champions Trophy. ​
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November 3, 2023
Economic Affairs & National Development

Global Economic Slowdown (2023) and Way Forward

Globally, an economic downturn has been observed in 2023, and the global growth forecasts for the year have been downgraded from their 2022 levels. The present working paper aims to explore causes and consequences of the global economic slowdown in 2023, highlight the potential sources of upside and downside risks to the global economy, and analyse the future growth outlook for 2024 and beyond.
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November 3, 2023
Economic Affairs & National Development

How Much Do We Export?

The question of our overall trade balance, how much we export and import, is one that has always been of significant concern, and one that has bedeviled many successive administrations, particularly those of recent times. It is generally ideal for a country to have a high level of both exports and imports, with roughly an equal amount of both. If exports are too great, there are negative effects such as strong appreciation of the currency, the need to reinvest surplus forex, and inflation.
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October 26, 2023
China

On China’s Vision of a ‘Global Community of Shared Future’

Recently in its foreign policy initiatives, China has emphasised the importance of mutual cooperation among nations to meet the collective goals of humanity, which it believes are harmoniously aligned. In this regard, Beijing has issued multiple documents – commonly referred to as white papers – proposing a common vision for a global community of shared future.
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October 26, 2023
Palestine

Gaza Under Attack

The persistent violence by Israel has spanned decades, yet the recent escalation, in the aftermath of Hamas’s ‘Operation Al Aqsa’, is unparalleled. The overwhelming evidence of a massive humanitarian crisis in Gaza is deeply shocking and heart-wrenching.
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October 25, 2023
Nuclear

Killing the Nuclear Test Ban

On 18 October 2023, the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) voted unanimously to de-ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The treaty seeks to ban nuclear tests of all kinds, by all states, anywhere. It has 187 signatories and 178 ratifications. Russia had signed the CTBT on 24 September 1996, once it was opened for signature, and ratified the treaty in 2000.
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October 25, 2023
Afghanistan

On the Expulsion of Afghan Migrants

There was a time when Peshawar, City of Flowers, really was a beautiful floral abode. The same is true for Karachi, the City of Lights, which was once a great beacon of the East. Today, both cities are characterized by ghettoism, crime, a drug problem, and squalor. There are many factors underpinning that advanced degradation, but one thing that local residents point to without equivocation is the “Afghan problem,”
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October 20, 2023
National Security

Understanding TTP’s Resurgence

The first nine months of 2023 depict an impoverished internal security landscape inhabited by the revival of terrorism in Pakistan. According to a recent report by the Islamabad-based Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), 700 security personnel and civilians lost their lives in various militant attacks from January to September 2023, which is a 19% increase in the number of fatalities as compared to 2022.
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October 20, 2023
Emerging technologies

Is AI Becoming a Runaway Horse?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as driving force behind transforming various aspects of our lives from making chores easier to enhancing industrial efficiency. However, as this technological advancement continues to expand at an unprecedented rate, fears of unregulated growth, analogous to a ‘runaway horse’ have emerged.
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October 19, 2023
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