Pakistan Insights 2019

In February 2018, the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) set up the Pakistan Study Group (PSG) to discuss and debate issues relating to Pakistan in a holistic manner. Meeting almost every fortnight since its inception, the discussions have been forthright and candid as also enriching and valuable. Articles include an overview of developments in Pakistan in 2018-19, the 2018 elections, the rise of the religious parties, especially the Barelivs, the future of Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan Muslim League (N), the Aasia Bibi case, the Pashtun protests and the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement, pressures that Pakistan faces from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan's economy and the challenges it confronts. The external section looks at Pakistan's interactions with the key countries: Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the US. This section has articles on the prospects of Indo-Pak relations, the efficacy of the Track II process, the Balakote strike, developments in Gilgit Baltistan, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the complexities of the Afghan peace process, Pak-Afghan relations, Pak-US relations and the Pak-Saudi-Iran triangle. The book concludes with some thoughts on the future trajectory of Pakistan.