Author: Yusara Askari

Pakistan’s Generals Are Unable to Stuff the Results
7Mar By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Pakistan’s Generals Are Unable to Stuff the Results

akistan’s worst-kept secret is that its military dominates its government. Whether to safeguard the nation against chaos or to protect their own privileged access to power and wealth, its generals have manipulated the country’s politics for decades. Pakistan’s voters, like voters elsewhere, want change. February’s ugly election fiasco shows that it’s only getting harder for the army to prevent political disrupters from upending their plans but, unfortunately for Pakistan’s future, they have yet again managed to override public demand for a new direction. A brief recap: The generals and popular leader Imran Khan decided some time ago they could no longer trust one another. The army then removed Khan from his post as Prime Minister and put him in jail, as it has done to many past Prime M
Read More
A contentious poll resulted in Shehbaz Sharif being elected Pakistan’s PM for a second term.
3Mar By Yusara AskariNo Comments

A contentious poll resulted in Shehbaz Sharif being elected Pakistan’s PM for a second term.

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistani legislators have elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s prime minister for a second term following a controversial election last month. The South Asian country voted on February 8 in a vote marred by allegations of large-scale rigging and delayed results. On Sunday, the National Assembly, as the lower house of parliament is called, met to elect the premier. “Shehbaz Sharif is declared to have been elected the prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said. Shehbaz secured 201 votes in the 336-member National Assembly, comfortably prevailing over rival Omar Ayub Khan, who won 92. The winner needed at least 169 votes. Khan was backed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), the political group legislator
Read More
What to anticipate in the midst of party conflict and a faltering economy at China’s “Two Sessions”
3Mar By Yusara AskariNo Comments

What to anticipate in the midst of party conflict and a faltering economy at China’s “Two Sessions”

Taipei, Taiwan – China’s “Two Sessions” kick off in Beijing on Monday with the meeting of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The event brings together China’s political elite, as well as leaders in business, tech, media, and the arts. Known as lianghui in Chinese, the concurrent meetings are an annual fixture of China’s legislative agenda and run for approximately two weeks. During the period, legislators will approve new laws, political appointments, and government work reports detailing the progress of various departments such as the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission. What are the major developments to watch?During last year’s Two Sessions, delegates officially approved
Read More
Why Kishida would view Japan’s proposal for negotiations on North Korean abductions as “political suicide”
28Nov By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Why Kishida would view Japan’s proposal for negotiations on North Korean abductions as “political suicide”

PM Fumio Kishida hopes to address North Korea’s recent missile launches and resolve the issue of Japanese nationals seized by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s But Kim Jong-un will ‘simply refuse’ to engage, after his late father’s 2002 admission to the abductions proved a ‘disastrous miscalculation’, analysts say The prospects of a meeting between the leaders of Japan and North Korea appear to be “slim” and even “political suicide” for Tokyo because of Pyongyang’s refusal to address an abduction issue as well as its recent missile launches, according to analysts. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last weekend said he would “step up efforts to realise an early summit meeting” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and resolve the decades
Read More
Israel-Hamas Conflict Has a Prolonged Effect on China’s BRI Stocks
10Oct By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Israel-Hamas Conflict Has a Prolonged Effect on China’s BRI Stocks

China’s muted diplomatic stance – calling for de-escalation but stopping short of condemning Hamas – has also added to investors’ nervousness China’s already beat-up stock market is facing fresh trouble, with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas worsening investors’ jitters about their investments in the country. Investors have flooded listed companies ranging from fertiliser producers and oil companies to drone makers with questions around their exposure to the war. At the same time, Chinese stocks are seeing a broad sell-off, with infrastructure-related shares – especially those exposed to Belt and Road projects in the Middle East – being the worst hit. “Uncertainty was still high in domestic market despite improved economic data, facing t
Read More
“A welcome sound for Beijing”: Is China the new president of the Maldives?
3Oct By Yusara AskariNo Comments

“A welcome sound for Beijing”: Is China the new president of the Maldives?

Mohamed Muizzu’s election win is a setback for India, a boost for China and a sign of tensions in the Indian Ocean region, say analysts. The Maldives has a population of half a million people scattered across more than 1,000 islands. But last weekend, the picturesque archipelago delivered an electoral verdict that has sent shock waves around the world — and especially across the Indian Ocean region. Mohamed Muizzu, the opposition candidate, emerged victorious in the presidential run-off on Saturday and secured 54 percent of the vote, results released by the electoral commission showed. Muizzu, who backs closer ties between the Maldives and China, defeated the incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is widely perceived as pro-India. “With today’s result, we have got the
Read More
China advises India that certain concerns shouldn’t define relationships.
15Jul By Yusara AskariNo Comments

China advises India that certain concerns shouldn’t define relationships.

Beijing's senior diplomat Wang Yi warned Indonesian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar that "specific issues" shouldn't "define the overall relationship" in Jakarta, reflecting ongoing disparities between how India and China approach advancing relations. Mr. Jaishankar said that during Friday's discussions, which the Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed were conducted at India's request in a statement on Saturday, both parties "discussed outstanding issues related to peace & tranquillity in border areas." The Minister sent a statement on Twitter stating, "Our conversation also covered EAS/ARF [ASEAN Regional Forum] agenda, BRICS and the Indo-Pacific." Additionally, Mr. Jaishankar had emphasized the significance of peace on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as a prerequisite for ...
Read More
Is President Xi Jinping a dictator? Unfortunately, President Joe Biden is right
5Jul By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Is President Xi Jinping a dictator? Unfortunately, President Joe Biden is right

China has taken umbrage at U.S. President Joe Biden calling President of China Xi Jinping a dictator. Unfortunately for Beijing, however, the U.S. President is right. At a fundraiser campaign on June 20, 2023, night, Joe Biden said Xi was embarrassed over recent tensions surrounding a suspected Chinese spy balloon that had been shot down by the U.S. Air Force over the East Coast. “That’s a great embarrassment for dictators, when they did not know what had happened,” Biden commented. The next day Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning called the comment by the U.S. President “extremely absurd and irresponsible,” as it went “totally against facts.” President Biden has subsequently made it clear that he will continue to stick to his opinion, though that does not mean souring relat
Read More
[All Politics is International] Bhutan Caught in the Great ‘Five Fingers’ Of China
6Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

[All Politics is International] Bhutan Caught in the Great ‘Five Fingers’ Of China

Tibet is the palm, which we must seize, stated Mao Zedong. Next, we'll pursue the five fingers. After Nepal, Bhutan is the third "finger".With the recent remarks made by the prime minister of Bhutan, Lotay Tshering, to Belgian Daily La Libre, the territorial and boundary-related difficulties between Bhutan, China, and India were exacerbated. Since then, concerns have been voiced over whether Bhutan is changing its stance. This is particularly true in light of how Thimphu has approached Beijing over the matter. Evidently, Bhutan's position has changed in light of Tshering's assertion that China "holds a stake in finding a resolution" to the territorial issue. China has recently made clear moves to assert new, rash claims in Bhutan's eastern region. Arunachal Pradesh, an Indian state, is...
Read More
Nato Plus alarmed over China wants India on board
30May By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Nato Plus alarmed over China wants India on board

Fathoming the ever-growing geo-political importance of India, a strong US Congressional China committee has suggested making India a part of NATO Plus group. Nato Plus, or Nato Plus 5, comprises 5 aligned nations – Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, and South Korea – that aim to empower global defence cooperation. The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), led by Chairman Mike Gallagher and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, pushed hard for India’s inclusion to NATO Plus in order counter China’s supremacy in trade circles and enhance Taiwan’s deterrence. "Winning the strategic competition with the Chinese Communist Party and ensuring the security of Taiwan demands the United States strengthen ties to
Read More
×