UN warns of acute food insecurity in Afghanistan

IANS | July 18, 2026 10:59 PM

Kabul, July 18 (IANS) The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is worsening as aid agencies are scaling back food assistance due to severe international funding shortfalls, local media reported citing the United Nations and Human Rights Watch (HRW).

EU assessment report resembles chargesheet on Pakistan’s human rights abuses

IANS | July 18, 2026 9:18 PM

Tel Aviv, July 18 (IANS) The European Union’s (EU) latest assessment of Pakistan on trade preferences under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP Plus) granted by the EU resembles a carefully prepared chargesheet rather than a routine monitoring report, highlighting the worsening human rights record in the country.

Pakistan's civil-military compact under fresh strain as veteran leader challenges Munir

IANS | July 18, 2026 8:49 PM

Islamabad, July 18 (IANS) Pakistan's political landscape has long been shaped by one enduring reality: "governments may change, but the military remains the country's most powerful institution". Against that backdrop, Pakistani Islamist leader and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman's open challenge to Army chief Asim Munir represents a striking break from convention, a report has detailed.

Mounting police casualties expose gap in Pakistan’s security structure: Report

IANS | July 18, 2026 8:44 PM

Kabul, July 18 (IANS) The wave of attacks on Pakistani security forces, coupled with the armed groups’ ability to leave the area with a large number of captives, has raised concerns over Pakistan’s preparedness, intelligence, communications and the availability of reinforcements to deal with the threats, a report has stated.

Pakistan's attempt to rebuild international image tarnished by years of isolation fails yet again

IANS | July 18, 2026 8:39 PM

Ottawa, July 18 (IANS) Pakistan's recent mediation between the US and Iran reflects a strategy shaped by its own vulnerabilities, aimed at avoiding entanglement in a wider conflict. Amid Islamabad’s defence commitments to Saudi Arabia, the country sought to secure its 900-kilometre border with Iran, and rebuild an international image tarnished by years of isolation, a report has stated.