Abdul Hai Kakar is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal.
Locals in northwestern Pakistan, where the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan extremist group is seeking to reclaim its former strongholds, say it has imposed extortion, banned music, and shut down some girls’ schools.
Pakistan is taking a strong stance against mob justice following the lynching of a man with a mental disorder accused of blasphemy. But rights campaigners say Islamabad is reluctant to repeal or reform the country's strict blasphemy laws and rein in hard-line Islamists.
Al-Qaeda is expected to revive and even thrive in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, but it might choose to avoid trouble for its Afghan allies and nurture local jihadist movements instead of attracting international attention through global attacks.
As the United States heads for a complete exit from Afghanistan, support for the Afghan Taliban’s war effort remains robust in Pakistan amid recriminations between Kabul and Islamabad. Taliban sanctuaries and this support network will be critical in determining Afghanistan’s post-withdrawal future.
In Pakistan, many believe most deaths in the restive province of Balochistan are caused by separatist violence and attacks by Islamist groups. But independent studies show that the region’s poorly maintained highways claim more lives.
Pakistan's Abdul Wali Khan University is still reeling from the lynching of a student four years ago. Mashal Khan's murder is one of the most brutal examples of how the accusation of blasphemy has been weaponized in the Muslim-majority country.
The human toll of a two-decade-old simmering insurgency in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province is mounting as the region’s political problems remain unresolved.
The author of a book apparently banned by Pakistani authorities for describing his time in prison for his ties to a civil rights movement says he will challenge the ban in a court of law.
Women are not the only victims of so-called "honor crimes" in Pakistan.
No child should have to grow up amid fear and war, according to Kailash Satyarthi, and the Indian Nobel Peace Prize laureate is looking to join forces with co-winner Malala Yousafzai to ensure that none have to.
UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown says Malala Yousafzai has become a symbol of how much one person can do when she believes in a principle.
Established in the mold of British imperial army, Pakistan's military transformed itself to accommodate Islamic influences. Can this change in culture weaken the military's ability to counter the threat of Islamic extremism?
Secular politicians in Pakistan are concerned over a precipitous U.S. withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistani leaders believe their own future could be compromised should the Taliban or other radical Islamists return to power in Kabul.
The media in Pakistan are ostensibly free and thriving under a civilian government, but while the number of outlets may have grown, the scope of coverage has not.
