https://www.iess.ir/en/Target-Countries/pakistan Fri, 25 Apr 2025 14:11:55 GMT /skins/default/en/normal/ch01_newsfeed_logo.gif https://www.iess.ir/ 100 70 en Copyright (c) Institute for East Strategic Studies, all rights reserved. Fri, 25 Apr 2025 14:11:55 GMT Pakistan 60 https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3926/ Relations between Taliban-led Afghanistan and Pakistan have been largely tense over the past three years. Recently, Pakistan’s civilian leadership appeared to recognize the strategic and economic costs of continued tensions and sought to recalibrate its approach toward Afghanistan. It seemed that they aimed to remove tensions from bilateral relations, in order to secure economic, political, and security interests, reclaim their role in Afghanistan, and prevent the influence of rival states in the country as much as possible. However, the meaningful action taken by the Pakistan military in attacking Afghanistan amidst negotiations by Pakistan’s special envoy in Kabul disrupted the course of developments. ]]> Pakistan Sun, 16 Feb 2025 04:23:14 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3926/ https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3909/ Pakistan, a country with a unique ideological identity, has always been a battleground for tensions between secular and religious forces. Religious parties, with a long history and deep influence in politics and society, continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the country's future trajectory. Future scenarios suggest that any significant change in the role of religious parties requires profound transformations in domestic politics, social structures, and international relations. ]]> Pakistan Sun, 19 Jan 2025 09:12:42 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3909/ https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3835/ As the increase in the budget deficit, along with the increase in the military budget, has increased public discontent against the army in Pakistan, the Pakistan government and army are thinking of increasing the export of defense products, collecting revenue, expanding foreign relations, and reducing the import of weapons. But due to the diversity of Pakistan's defense needs, low technology level, limited foreign relations, and Pakistan's administrative and political problems, all these plans have structural limitations. ]]> Pakistan Mon, 14 Oct 2024 03:23:47 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3835/ https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3739/ In the framework of neighborhood revitalization policy and using regional capacities, the high-ranking officials of Iran government recently visited Pakistan and expressed their political will to improve relations in the political, security and economic spheres. Signing eight cooperation documents, and renaming one of the important streets of Islamabad as "Iran Avenue", confirms this fact. ]]> Pakistan Sun, 02 Jun 2024 04:11:27 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3739/ https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3688/ By holding the elections on 8 February 2024, Pakistan will know its rulers for the next five years. Everyone who takes office, more than anything, seeks to save Pakistan from the economic crisis, confront the growth of extremism, redefine relations with neighbors, decide on the existing challenges with two neighbors (India and Afghanistan), and define and restore Pakistan's position in the regional and international arenas and among the players in this arena. ]]> Pakistan Sat, 02 Mar 2024 09:03:23 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3688/ https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3548/ It can be predicted that the power cycle in Pakistan will continue to be a rotation of power between army generals and political parties. As a result, Pakistan is expected to be excluded from the sustainable development process - at least compared to its regional rival, India. ]]> Pakistan Sat, 26 Aug 2023 04:52:04 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3548/ https://www.iess.ir/en/report/3547/ Iran and Pakistan are two neighboring and influential countries in the West Asia that, due to their proximity, have lower trade costs than other countries. Today, both countries have strong capacities to develop bilateral relations, and they can bring Iran-Pakistan relations closer by developing bilateral cooperation, especially in various economic sectors. ]]> Pakistan Sat, 26 Aug 2023 04:47:19 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/report/3547/ https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3319/ From Britain’s point of view, Pakistan has weakened the political leverage of Western powers in South Asia, due to interaction with China and some regional powers. Hence, investing in soft power, including the potential of Pakistan's young population, English language as the second language of Pakistan, the large population of Pakistani diaspora in England, and the development of non-governmental organizations with a focus on humanitarian goals, will be able to realize the British strategy in Pakistan, which is to control and monitor the activities of the countries in the region. ]]> Pakistan Mon, 12 Dec 2022 08:16:19 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3319/ https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3172/ One of the most important sects of Sunnis in South Asia is the Barelvi sect, which is a mixture of Sunni Islam and Sufism. The Barelvis make up about 50% of Pakistan's Muslim population and usually live in Punjab and Sindh. In the past, Barelvis were unable to compete in the political battlefield and were mostly considered as a minor player in Pakistan’s politics. In the 1990s, the emergence of the Taliban and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, influenced by the Deobandi School, created a great challenge for the Barelvis and led to the growth of the Deobandi School, and later, Nawaz Sharif’s Shariat bill created serious tensions among this sect. In the first decade of the 21st century, a chain of events caused the Barelvis to show the strongest religious reaction. The Barelvis have proven that they can have the same "street power" of their rival sects and bring the government to its knees. Gradually, part of this group has became extremist and after getting merged with a new political force called Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah and the political wing of Tehreek-e-Labbaik, has turned into a powerful new actor in Pakistan’s political arena. ]]> Pakistan Sun, 24 Jul 2022 03:48:49 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3172/ https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3077/ Gilgit-Baltistan is a Shia-populated region which is part of Azad Jammu and Kashmir under Pakistan control. Prior to the 1970s, all of the region’s ethnic and religious groups were living in peace and harmony, but after the 1970s, sectarian violence became a major concern in the region which was largely due to some reasons: the reopening of the Karakoram Highway, General Zia-ul-Haq’s decision to impose the Sunni rulings on Shias, the efforts to change the religious context of the region by transferring Sunnis from other regions to Gilgit-Baltistan, the formation of anti-Shia groups with the tacit support of the establishment, the intervention of foreign governments such as Saudi Arabia in supporting anti-Shia sectarianism, and finally the effects of Afghanistan’s jihad in the 1980s. Moreover, due to the lack of official educational institutions, the region has witnessed an increase in the number of religious schools, some of which promote sectarian hatred and extremism. All of these issues have had major impacts on promotion of sectarian violence in the Gilgit-Baltistan region. ]]> Pakistan Sun, 08 May 2022 04:10:28 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/3077/