Pakistan

Many experts emphasise the need for conditional cash transfer programmes, improved rural schooling, transportation support for students, and vocational training initiatives to ensure that families are not forced to choose between survival and education.

As protests grow, human rights defenders are calling on Pakistan’s new administration to take immediate steps.

Climate researchers warn that Pakistan has little time left. Without decisive action, disasters of the magnitude seen in 2022 and 2025 could become regular events.

As the 38-day shutdown continues, both sides face mounting pressure. Unless the Torkham crossing reopens soon, the economic and human costs risk becoming permanent scars on bilateral trade.

The absence of female panel members in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s ADR committees and the exclusion of non-Muslim members make clear that what may appear as decentralised and accessible justice may in practice perpetuate discrimination.

In Dera Ismail Khan, the chain of violence took an even more horrifying shape when a transgender individual was allegedly gang-raped by four men, bound with ropes and assaulted before registering a complaint – highlighting not just deadly acts, but wider sexual violence targeting the community.

As thousands of Afghans are loaded onto trucks for forced return, the crisis reflects not just the failure of diplomacy but also the erosion of trust between two interdependent nations. Unless talks resume on a more equal footing, analysts warn, South Asia may face yet another cycle of displacement, resentment and instability.

The two-day dialogue, hosted by Turkey and facilitated by Qatar, followed a period of heightened tension along the Durand Line