The US factor remained a quintessential element in the 2024 Pakistan elections, given the Pakistan diaspora, the US Congress’ Pakistan Caucus and the PTI pressure groups.
The annulment of Article 370 on 5 August 2019 is considered a watershed in the seven-decade long history of India's approach towards Kashmir. The rescinding of a separate special status and, subsequently, the endorsement by the Supreme Court verdict on 11 December 2023 marked the culmination of India's long haul project to constitutionally absorb the former princely State of Jammu and Kashmir.
Nawaz Sharif's statements on forging 'good ties' with India after his return to Pakistan are unlikely to translate to any meaningful forward movement in bilateral ties.
Independent Kashmir: An Incomplete Aspiration by noted author and expert Christopher Snedden touches upon a raw nerve in the discourse on Kashmir—the aspiration for independence. Snedden describes how and where exactly the idea germinated, sequentially tracing its evolution. This is Snedden’s third book on Kashmir; the first focussed on the so-called ‘Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)’ that together with Gilgit-Baltistan forms Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The second book focused primarily on Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in India.
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the multi-billion dollar flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has brought the Sino-Pakistan partnership at the centre stage of contemporary strategic discourse.
US–Pakistan relations have witnessed upheavals in the past; the US’ exit from Afghanistan is the latest in the series of inflection points in their relationship. However, irrespective of the escalatory war of words sometimes, the nature of US–Pakistan relationship of convenience is likely to keep them strategically aligned in the future as well.
Mired in controversies, the 2021 elections in the so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir were heavily tilted towards the Kashmir issue, which overpowered all other issues including those concerning immediate local needs and the extant development lag.
Pakistan has not allowed a genuine democratic system of governance to emerge in PoK, as it interferes with its pursuit of absolute control over the occupied territories.
China's decision to fund the controversial Diamer-Bhasha Dam in Gilgit Baltistan could be part of its strategic pursuits in the region to further deepen its engagement in India’s neighbourhood.