The storm over Raja Pervez Ashraf’s pilgrimage to Ajmer Sharif was needless, to state the least. The Pak Premier was on a private visit and India went out of the way to make it appear as one, without, of course, causing any diplomatic affront to the visitor. Read more

A political maelstrom has engulfed Pakistan. The unpopular PPP-led regime may survive under a new leader. But Yusuf Raza Gilani’s days as prime minister appear numbered after he was served notice for being in contempt of the Supreme Court. Read more

The case of US undercover agent Raymond Davis has come to have a major bearing on Islamabad’s relations with Washington. There’s danger clear and present of its fallout on President Barack Obama’s stock in the US and Asif Zardari’s in Pakistan. Read more

An invitation to speak at a seminar on Future Directions in India Pakistan relations has left me at my wit’s end. The question defies easy answers even while agreeing that dialogue’s the only option. Read more

SM Krishna’s biggest challenge since he assumed the reins of the Indian Foreign Office has arrived. The US-educated politico has faced many a battle at home. But the turf this time is unfamiliar and unfriendly. Read more

No foreword to a blog on contemporary Pakistan can be complete without some mention of Asif Zardari, who promised to model himself after India’s Sonia Gandhi but fell to the lure of de jure power so assiduously shunned by Indira’s bahu. Read more