THE GLASS HALF FULL

There have been several events that need to be considered for their direct and indirect impact on Pakistan. The bomb attacks in Kabul that point to the resilient capacity of the Afghan Taliban. The US decision to prolong the stay of US troops in Afghanistan and to support the counter terror efforts in Afghanistan with bombing raids besides Special Forces and intelligence. The stand-off between the Pakistani and Afghan security forces over a border post on the Pak-Afghan border. The attack on Istanbul Airport that follows the pattern of a string of previous such attacks. The implications of the vicious killings in Bangladesh and the recent armed attack on diplomats in a secure part of the capital Dhaka; Britain’s surprise vote to exit from the European Union that has opened up a Pandora’s Box: the high profile violence in Karachi that reignited fears of internal destabilization, fears of Pakistan’s international isolation, collusion between external forces to destabilize Pakistan and concerns about centrifugal forces emerging.

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