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Kunwar Khuldune Shahid

Kunwar Khuldune Shahid

Kunwar Khuldune Shahid is a Pakistan-based correspondent for The Diplomat.

He’s also a member of 101Reporters, a pan-Asia network of grassroots reporters. His work has been featured in The GuardianThe IndependentForeign PolicyBBCHaaretzArab NewsCourrier InternationalLe MondeDaily BeastThe Telegraph, MIT Review, among other publications.

Posts by Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
February 01, 2024

Pakistan’s Not-So-Azad Kashmir

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
Pakistan spends a lot of effort condemning India’s governance in Kashmir. Few are interested in addressing the plight of the Kashmiris under Pakistan’s control.

December 26, 2023

The Delimitation of Pakistan’s Democracy

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
Whether the delay in elections, and the tarnished delimitation process, abets any party in the February polls remains to be seen.
September 27, 2023

Pakistan’s Fatal Electricity Bills

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
Inflation and taxes have sent Pakistani electric bills soaring, leading to protests, shuttered businesses, and a wave of suicides.

July 28, 2023

Pakistan’s Economic Blindspot

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
No number of IMF packages or foreign bailouts will suffice in keeping the Pakistani economy afloat without the country undergoing a multifaceted structural revamp.

April 28, 2023

Pakistan’s Electoral Limbo

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
The last year has been been a microcosm of Pakistan’s seven decades of dysfunction, now culminating in ambiguity over the most fundamental of democratic exercises: holding an election. 

March 15, 2023

Pakistan’s Cricket League Rises Above the Country’s Troubles

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
With the country facing an economic and political crisis, plus a resurgence of terrorism, the Pakistan Super League offers the public a much-needed respite.
January 27, 2023

The Af-Pak Dollar Cartel

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
The black market flow of U.S. dollars across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border is unifying the two countries' economic crises. 

November 01, 2022

Pakistan’s Chief Problem

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
The entirety of Pakistan’s politics, including its conflicts and paradoxes, is wrapped up in the question of who the next chief of army staff will be.

September 28, 2022

Pakistan’s Vicious IMF Cycle

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
Governments come and go, but Pakistan's economic woes – and its love/hate relationship with the IMF – remain constant.

August 27, 2022

Is This the End for Pakistan’s Sharif Political Dynasty?

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
The Sharif family’s political fate hinges on whether they can overcome a split between backers of brothers Nawaz and Shehbaz – and convince supporters their alignment with the military is not a betrayal.

June 22, 2022

Pakistan’s Negotiations With Terrorists

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
Pakistan’s government is talking with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), sparking fears about what the state is prepared to negotiate away.
April 25, 2022

The Rise, Fall, and Rise of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
Imran Khan’s unceremonious fall from the prime minister’s office has only reinvigorated his devoted supporters.

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