Domestic political pressure on the government persists, and the possibility  remains that the prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, may be ousted. Government effectiveness is also low, and it could worsen further as a consequence of the current political uncertainty. The likelihood of an early general election has increased significantly (the poll does not have to be held until February 2013). The killing by U ...

Obama's escalation of a war that's already caused thousands of deaths will only destabilise his own allies and bolster al-Qaida Seumas Milne More than a decade after George W Bush launched it, the "war on terror" was supposed to be winding down. US military occupation of Iraq has ended and Nato is looking for a way out of Afghanistan, even as the carnage continues. But another war – the undeclared drone war ...

By Michael Singh How Tehran is outflanking Obama We have failed to understand Iran's motives Last week’s talks in Baghdad between Iran and the P5-plus-1 — the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — yielded no agreement. Paradoxically, however, both Washington and Tehran are likely to view the negotiations as successful, but for vastly different reasons. There is an interest that both Ir ...

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This month's NATO summit in Chicago has provided many writers and analysts a moment to debate possible outcomes of the U.S. endeavor in Afghanistan.  Commentary ranges from David Ignatius "thinking the unthinkable" about the Taliban returning to Kabul, to former First Lady Laura Bush urging the international community to remember the women of Afghanistan.  The meeting provides a timely inflection point abou ...

Jon Boone The Pakistani doctor who assisted the CIA in its hunt for Osama bin Laden was given a 33-year jail sentence not for aiding the US intelligence service but for providing medical care to banned terror groups, according to leaked legal documents. According to a five-page verdict seen by Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, the administrator from the country's tribal areas that tried and convicted Shakil Afridi ...

State-run defence behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has entered into a contract with Russian firm United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) to manufacture 205 multi-role transport aircraft (MTA) in 15-20 tonne-class for the Indian Air Force (IAF), Russian Air Force (RAF) and other countries. The Indo-Russian partners have roped in another Russian firm - Multirole Transport Aircraft Ltd (MTAL) - as third part ...

Racism in India Most Indians think racism exists only in the West and see themselves as victims. It's time they examined their own attitudes towards people from the country's North-East The mysterious death of Loitam Richard in Bangalore, the murder of Ramchanphy Hongray in New Delhi, the suicide by Dana Sangma and other such incidents serve as reminders of the insecure conditions under which people, partic ...