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Muhammad Akbar Notezai

Muhammad Akbar Notezai

Muhammad Akbar Notezai is a Lahore-based journalist and correspondent for The Diplomat.

He has contributed dozens of articles to Pakistani national newspapers and magazines including the Daily TimesThe Friday TimesThe NationViewPoint Online and The News On Sunday. His writings and interviews focus on Pakistan-China relations, Pakistan’s foreign relations, domestic politics, Gwadar port, and religious extremism. He tweets as @Akbar_notezai and he can be reached at [email protected].

Posts by Muhammad Akbar Notezai
February 10, 2023

Frankenstein’s Monster: The Growing TTP Threat in Pakistan

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
The latest wave of terrorism in Pakistan represents decades of policy choices coming home to roost.

July 23, 2022

Is Pakistan the Next Sri Lanka?

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
Pakistan’s own economic crisis has sparked worried comparisons to the disaster unfolding in nearby Sri Lanka.
April 09, 2022

The Emerging IS Threat in Pakistan

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
Given Pakistan's lax approach to religious extremist groups, it was only a matter of time before IS reared its ugly head.

December 09, 2021

Gwadar Protests Highlight CPEC’s Achilles’ Heel

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
The mass protests reflect six years of disappointment and resentment on the part of locals who have seen no benefit from Chinese investment projects.

July 19, 2021

Chaos in Afghanistan Threatens CPEC

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
The latest attack in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province confirms what analysts already feared: Taliban advances in Afghanistan are emboldening terrorists seeking to target Chinese interests in Pakistan.

February 16, 2021

What Happened to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor?

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
Six months after a supposed revival, the project has been in headlines for all the wrong reasons.
November 06, 2020

The Return of Militancy in Pakistan

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
After a few years of relative peace, militant groups are on the rise again – and at a dangerous time for Pakistan.

September 10, 2020

CPEC 2.0: Full Speed Ahead

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is back with a vengeance. But the problems remain.

June 24, 2020

What Does the China-India Standoff in Ladakh Mean for Pakistan?

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
For Islamabad, the Sino-Indian border clash is a chance to press the advantage on the Kashmir issue.

March 17, 2020

The Coming Crisis Along the Iran-Pakistan Border

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
Qassem Soleimani’s killing will have trickle down effects that could ramp up Baloch militancy in both countries.

December 27, 2019

What Does the Musharraf Verdict Mean for Pakistan?

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
The sentencing to death of Musharraf has been welcomed by many Pakistanis.
October 07, 2019

Has the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Stalled?

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
In a break from earlier feverish optimism, discussions about the CPEC have become more muted in Pakistan.

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