Zainab Akhter

Research Consultant, under the Pakistan News Digest Project, IDSA, Ms Zainab Akhter’s commentary on Pakistan’s economic crisis, titled ‘IMF, Pakistan and The Chinese Debt-Trap!’ was published by AIR World Service, an External Services Division of All India Radio, on October 19, 2018.

Ms Akhter argues that even if Pakistan gets the $12 billion IMF bailout, the amount will not be sufficient to bridge the financial gap. Though the bailout might provide comfort to the economic stakeholders, helping it dodge the immediate danger of a ‘sovereign default’, Pakistan will have to continue looking for more loans, and the cycle of debt trap will continue to haunt the country.

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Research Consultant, under the Pakistan News Digest Project, IDSA, Ms Zainab Akhter’s commentary on the Army’s influence on Pakistan politics, titled ‘Pakistan's tryst with democracy, shadow of military looms large’ was published in ‘Daily O’ on August 18, 2018.

The commentary analyses the ever-growing power of the military establishment, and their ever-growing interference in the 70-year-old history of Pakistan.

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With the ever increasing support and swelling number of protesters, Pashteen changed the name of the organisation from the Mehsud Tahafuz Movement to Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, a Movement for the Protection of Pashtuns.

• Zainab Akhter, Yaqoob-ul-Hassan |
• May 04, 2018 |
• IDSA Comments

The idea of abolishing FATA as a distinct administrative entity and merging it with KP led to a country-wide debate, with some commentators pointing to the futility of the merger and others advocating its early implementation in the interest of peace and stability in the region.

• Zainab Akhter |
• August 29, 2017 |
• Backgrounder

Given an already upset population and the presence of anti-establishment factions, the unequal distribution of the benefits of CPEC is likely to ignite protests and cause a setback to the initiative as well to the Pakistan establishment.

• Zainab Akhter |
• April 13, 2017 |
• IDSA Comments