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In Brief
AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN
Afghanistan to reduce economic dependence on Pakistan, says Dawn report; seeks to expand trade with Central Asia
On 17 November, Dawn reported that Afghanistan is looking to reduce its economic dependence on Pakistan by expanding trade with Central Asian countries. According to a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report, geography, cost, and political limitations will challenge efforts by Afghanistan’s cash-strapped and unrecognised Taliban government to move trade to Central Asia. Afghanistan aims to improve commercial relations with oil-rich neighbours to offset recent tensions with Islamabad and the worst border closure in years. The month-long disruption has reportedly cost Afghan traders around USD 200 million. Whereas, Pakistan exports goods to Afghanistan worth USD 100–200 million per month, ranging from fresh fruit and cement to medicines and manufactured items.
Senior Taliban officials have advised Afghan traders to redirect investments northwards. “We are actively working with our northern neighbours to find reliable trade alternatives,” the Commerce Minister said, while the Deputy Prime Minister pointed to Pakistan's use of trade as a “tool of political pressure.” Analysts, however, say this shift is constrained by structural limitations. Central Asia is landlocked, overland corridors are long and costly, and tariff regimes and poor logistics limit the competitiveness of Afghan exports, especially agricultural products. Experts note that removing tariffs and providing incentives would be required to make northern routes a possible option, but customs revenue remains a key income source for the Taliban government.
On the other hand, incomplete rail projects, lack of finance, and Afghanistan’s international isolation further limit infrastructure development, keeping trade with Central Asia modest. But trade between Afghanistan and the five Central Asian states, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, has reportedly grown steadily, reaching around USD 1.7 billion. Despite growth in these links, Pakistan still provides Afghanistan with its shortest and cheapest access to seaports, India, and wider South Asian markets. Frequent closures at Torkham and Chaman have highlighted vulnerabilities; however, only a few alternatives can match Pakistan’s proximity and port capacity. Experts say that keeping all transit routes open would benefit both countries and support broader regional economic integration. (“Afghanistan seeks to cut economic dependence on Pakistan,” Dawn, 17 November 2025)
ECONOMY
11th NFC meeting postponed again
On 17 November, Dawn reported that the National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting scheduled for 18 November had been postponed again amid a downward revision in the economic growth forecast. The 11th NFC was constituted on 22 August this year for an updated award for the sharing of federal divisible resources among the centre and the provinces. The provincial governments receive their horizontal shares on the basis of population, poverty, revenue collection, and inverse population density. The decision for the postponement of the 11th NFC meeting comes amid the Planning Ministry reducing projected FY2026 growth by 0.3-0.7 per cent, lowering the growth outlook from 4.2 per cent to 3.5-3.9 per cent. Earlier, the proposed 27th Constitutional amendments included the NFC parameters revision with the aim to reduce financial shares of the provinces and include some subjects under the federal list, like education and population. However, the federal government did not include it in the final version of the 27th constitutional amendment as PML-N stepped back from talks with coalition partner PPP on this part. (“Maiden session of 11th National Finance Commission delayed again - Pakistan,” Dawn, 17 November 2025)
SECURITY
Five TTP militants killed by security forces in KP
On 17 November, Dawn reported that five alleged terrorists affiliated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed in an intelligence operation in Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district. The terrorists were reportedly acting under the command of local TTP commander Abuzar. The funerals of two major Afghan militants were held in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, reports Dawn. There has been no official confirmation of the killing of these insurgents by regional security officials. (“5 TTP terrorists killed in KP’s Tirah,” Dawn, 17 November)
POLITICS & GOVERNANCE
Migrations prompted by military operations cause civic crisis in Peshawar, says Dawn
On 17 November, Dawn reported Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi’s statement that military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had led to migration to Peshawar, creating civic problems in the city. He emphasised that people from tribal districts and Malakand division migrated to Peshawar, causing overcrowding at the provincial capital. The CM was speaking at the launch of the Peshawar beautification project. He highlighted that the objective of launching the scheme was to restore the past glory of the provincial capital and that the development of Peshawar was a must. He also underscored that most of the visitors to the provincial capital were outsiders, and it was their collective responsibility to improve the city. Afridi asserted that KP made the greatest sacrifices due to threats of terrorism, legitimising the one per cent share received by KP under the NFC Award for the war against terrorism. (“Peshawar faces civic crisis due to heavy influx of people from restive areas: KP CM,” Dawn, 17 November 2025)
PoK
PPP moves to unseat PoK PM Haq
On 17 November, Dawn reported on the PPP in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) moving to unseat Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq by submitting a no-confidence resolution and preparing to install Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore as the new premier. The resolution had been submitted on 14 November, after which the speaker summoned the Legislative Assembly to meet today. The PPP had already secured the required support of 27 lawmakers, and its strength rose to 29 after two PTI forward-bloc ministers announced their decision to join the party. The PML-N leadership had decided to support the no-confidence motion but refused to join any new coalition government. Two senior PML-N leaders, Shah Ghulam Qadir and Raja Farooq Haider, signed the resolution along with PPP legislators. Meanwhile, the PTI, the Muslim Conference, and the JKPP announced they would stay away from the process. Under the PoK Constitution, the successful no-confidence motion would automatically elect Rathore as the new prime minister, with the oath expected the following day. (Tariq Naqash, “Haq to ne unseated, Rathore installed in AJK today,” Dawn, 17 November 2025)
ENVIRONMENT
Digital transformation needed in Pakistan’s agriculture sector, FAO Report
On 17 November, Dawn reported that the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations published a report titled “The Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security 2025," providing digital solutions for reducing risks and impacts. The FAO report findings are relevant to Pakistan, as agriculture in Pakistan is facing disastrous floods, resulting in soil erosion, irrigation and damaging drainage networks. The report suggests that the Pakistan government should also work on formulating a digital-oriented national strategy for agriculture, as Pakistan lags in digital crop monitoring. It adds that tech-based resilience in the agricultural sector is the need of the hour, with focus on AI-based surveillance, mobile advisory hubs and disaster-indexed insurance. (“Agriculture crisis,” Dawn, 17 November 2025)
Editorials/Opinions
PAKISTAN & AFGHANISTAN
Aisha Khan, "Tenuous currents," Dawn, 17 November 2025
The Kabul River system has emerged as a potential flashpoint in Pak-Afghan relations, with growing concerns that Afghanistan’s accelerated dam construction — supported by foreign actors, particularly India — could alter river flows critical for Pakistan’s irrigation, hydropower, and food security. Pakistan’s complex position as both an upper and lower riparian on different tributaries of the basin presents both risks and opportunities. The Chitral River originates in Pakistan and flows into Afghanistan as the Kunar River, before re-entering Pakistan to join the Kabul River and eventually the Indus. This geographic configuration gives Pakistan upstream leverage, yet its downstream dependence makes it vulnerable to flow reductions.
Editorial, "Cost of no trade," Dawn, 17 November 2025
A media report indicates that Afghanistan is increasingly shifting its freight through Iran’s port of Chabahar, bypassing Pakistan to avoid recurring border and transit disruptions. Kabul’s trade with Iran has already reached $1.6bn — higher than its exchange with Pakistan — underscoring that its decision to halt trade is not merely an act of defiance but a potential strategic realignment.
PAKISTAN'S EXTERNAL RELATIONS
Maleeha Lodhi, "Misplaced priorities," Dawn, 17 November 2025
EXTERNAL overreach and internal underreach have long characterised the approach of governments in the country...Policies of external overreach also encouraged a habit of relying on outsiders to address economic challenges. Economic and military assistance or geopolitical rents received through various phases of the country’s alignment with the US-led West created an official mindset of dependence. This set up perverse incentives for domestic reform. Aid and financial ‘drips’ from allies substituted for reforms that could have placed the economy on a sustainable high-growth trajectory and transformed the country.
KABUL AND THE INDUS WATERS
Syed Khawar Mehdi, "Water under siege," The News, 17 November 2025
To Pakistan’s north, Afghanistan’s renewed push to dam the Kunar River adds urgency. The Kunar contributes nearly three-quarters of the Kabul River’s annual flow, which enters Pakistan near Peshawar and ultimately feeds the Indus system. Pakistan has long sought a water-sharing framework with Kabul; none has materialised. Kabul’s announcement to “begin construction as soon as possible” asserts sovereign right but intensifies Pakistan’s water insecurity. Nearly 80 per cent of Pakistan’s renewable freshwater originates beyond its borders; if both India and Afghanistan pursue aggressive upstream development, the Indus Basin could face a two-front squeeze.
27TH AMENDMENT
Tariq Aqil, "Pakistan’s 27th Amendment: Centralised Power, Judicial Upheaval And Military Dominance," The Friday Times, 16 November 2025
Specifically, the changes establish the Army Chief’s dominance, constitutionalise the Field Marshal position, politicise the Field Marshal rank, and grant unprecedented immunity that could shield the Field Marshal from any legal accountability. By amending Article 243 of the Constitution, it eliminates the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and transfers its coordinating authority to the Army Chief, who will also hold the new title of Chief of the Defence Forces (CODF). Henceforth, every Army Chief will command not only the land forces but also the Navy, Air Force, and intelligence branches under a unified structure. This arrangement, on the surface, appears to be workable and efficient, providing a single chain of command, but it has centralised military power not seen even during the martial law regimes in the country.
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