What is the deal? On 7 August 2026, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in the Saudi city of Mecca. The pact states that an armed attack on any one of the three shall be treated as an attack on all. It emerges amid the […]
Yearly Archives: 2026
42 posts
Swat is a picturesque valley located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Long celebrated as one of the country’s premier tourist destinations, it possesses a natural beauty that has drawn visitors from around the world. Its verdant landscapes, snow-capped peaks, rivers, and historical sites once made it a favoured […]
On 29 July 2026, the Ng Teng Fong • Sino Group Belt and Road Research Institute (NSBRRI) welcomed a delegation from the Belt and Road Office of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, led by Mr. Nicholas Ho Lik-chi, Commissioner for Belt and Road. The Belt and Road Office […]
The conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan have long drawn Bangladeshi citizens. Radicalised youth continue to travel to these theatres to join various militant groups. Bangladesh has a documented history of nationals fighting in Syria and Afghanistan; these experiences are now feeding back into domestic radicalisation and militant activity. […]
On 2 August 2026, a suicide bomber detonated himself near a police station in the Swat region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The attack claimed more than a dozen lives, the majority of them police personnel. Swat had been a major hub of terrorism in 2008. Following a military operation […]
We have previously assessed that militant activity and flows are gaining momentum in the north of the Afghanistan–Pakistan region—an area of strategic importance for Chinese interests along its borders. In Badakhshan, the Afghan Taliban maintain that the situation remains calm and fully under control. However, reports indicate a low-intensity insurgency, […]
ISBN: 978-988-72370-0-6 This monograph, written by researchers from The Ng Teng Fong · Sino Group Belt and Road Research Institute of the Hong Kong Chu Hai College and Azerbaijan State University of Economics, is the result of fruitful academic collaboration between these institutions. It covers a wide range of economic […]
Despite sustained efforts by Pakistan, China, and other regional countries, relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have failed to normalise. The primary obstacle is the presence of terror outfits in Afghanistan that continue to threaten regional peace and security. According to Pakistani officials, Afghanistan under the Taliban has become a persistent […]
The Azad Kashmir Issue and the Awami Action Committee: A Detailed Overview Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), often called Azad Kashmir or Pakistan-administered Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan but constitutionally distinct from it. It has its own legislative assembly and government, yet remains deeply tied to Pakistan’s stance […]
Although Chinese workers have resumed operations in Tajikistan, enhanced security measures remain essential. The Badakhshan region is divided between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. According to the NSBRRI Monitoring and Evaluation team, Gorno-Badakhshan in Tajikistan has recently experienced riots and separatist tendencies. In recent years, the global terrorist group Islamic State Khorasan […]
