As Pakistan’s government restarts a debate on resource sharing between the country’s centre and the provinces, concerns emerge on fiscal recentralisation
This week in Himal
This week, Nikita Jain writes about India’s anti-Naxalite drive, Operation Kagar, which has impacted Adivasis in Chhattisgarh, leading to deaths, injuries and a clampdown on
After Pakistan’s military “win” in the May 2025 confrontation with India, the army under Asim Munir as field marshal has even greater power over the state, the civilian government and the judiciary
Operation Kagar, India’s escalating anti-Naxalite campaign in Chhattisgarh, leaves Adivasis reeling from repression, displacement, killings and other violence by state authorities and security forces
The United States and Donald Trump are courting the Pakistan military as an ally in a war against Iran, but Pakistan’s present problems and hard lessons from the US-led invasion of Afghanistan should offer grave warnings
Women are leading protests against disappearances and demanding equal participation in the Baloch struggle, but Mahrang Baloch and others face repression by the Pakistan government amid an intensified crackdown in Balochistan
Ganju Lama, an ethnic Bhutia, wangled his way into the Gurkha regiments and won a Victoria Cross in the Second World War – and proved that a true Gurkha need not come from a “martial” race, or be defined only by battles and bravery
The 26th amendment to Pakistan’s constitution means that the government – which functions at the behest of the military – will be able to rein in any judges who dare assert their independence
The Pakistani state has always tried to define itself as against ethnic identities, particularly the Pashtuns, and the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement is pushing back, says socio-political commentator Hurmat Ali Shah
Muhammad Yunus’ interim government needs to implement reforms to resurrect institutions that Sheikh Hasina had all but dismantled, starting with law and order and banking, says economist and political commentator Jyoti Rahman
Pakistan cannot meaningfully fight economic distress and mass unemployment unless its resources are freed from control by the highest echelons of its military, bureaucracy and the political class
Not learning from the past, Islamabad is unleashing a new military operation against Baloch insurgency and Islamist extremism, continuing a vicious cycle of violence instead of addressing Baloch grievances through constitutional means
