Jan Achakzai

Jan Assakzai regrets the plight of journalists covering militancy in FATA. Journalists in Pakistan are increasing targeted by extremists and the security establishment to prevent them from fulfilling their professional responsibilities, an important issue raised by Adil Shahzeb VOA's London Correspondent in his package.

As analyst Jan Assakzai says  Pakistan has still not shared its concerns on Afghanistan, Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged Pakistan that Islamabad should approach Afghanistan as its neighbour, (BBC).

Democracy hostage in Pakistan: Jan Assakzai (BBC)  As civilian government in Pakistan  is embroiled  deeper in "memogate" scandal,  Jan Assakzai says that democracy is held hostage by the establishment and more pressure is  applied to.

VIEW: Case for delaying Afghan drawdown —Jan Assakzai VIEW:  Case for delaying Afghan drawdown  —Jan Assakzai     (Source: Daily Times) If the US wants to send a strong message to its supposed ally, it needs a stronger military presence across the border to convince Islamabad that its dangerous game of proxy warfare in the region and tolerating terrorist sanctuaries within its borders is unacceptable At this juncture, it is given that the US administration in the run up to the US presidential election would stick to its drawdown deadline: 2014. At the moment, the plan is to aggressively shrink a US force that will be about 68,000-strong in October 2012. For now the underlying assumptions for the set timetable are domestic: President Obama’s bid for re-election, and the poor economic situation of the US. However, the new emerging realities in the region warrant a revisit of the level of US forces’ drawdown timetable over the next three years. First, the US...

As Pakistan says, blockage of Nato convoys 'may last weeks', Analyst Jan Assakzai assess the state of US-Pakistan relations saying due to divergent US-Pakistan priorities, anti-terrorism coalition may collapse soon-in an interview with the BBC World Service

Euro Deal reduces financial  sovereignty: Jan Assakzai (BBC) Jan Assakzai analyses  what the new EU deal means for the UK and rest of Europe as it  has stipulated  new  regulations for the members' countries fiscal policies

As Afghan President Hamid Karzai postpones inking of strategic partnership with UK, Afghan affairs expert Jan Assakzai, speaking to VOA's Urdu Correspondent Adil Shahzeb, says that Pakistan's role is critical in Afghanistan's peace and stability. More details in Adil Shazeb's package that starts with his voice.

Open Letter to Najam Sethi—by Jan Assakzai Open Letter to Najam Sethi—by Jan Assakzai   Dear Najam Sethi                                                      (Sources: Pashtunchronicles.com)  As some other pro-establishment Journalists and anchors in Pakistan, you also believe that the proxy Taliban represent Pashtuns in Afghanistan and by extension are their (Pashtuns’) political and ideological representatives. The problem with this formulation is lack of understanding of non-Pashtuns/Afghans  of Pashtun society in Afghanistan and Pakistan as mostly Pashtun/Afghan "Shinasi/Aggahi" (understanding) in Pakistan has come through the coloured lenses of the Deep State, (ironically, a term coined by my respected colleague and a liberal Punjabi intellectual Kamran Shafi). Look at the seminars, think tank papers o...

VOA's London Correspondent Asib Shahzeb speaks to Pakistan's UK High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan and regional analyst Jan Assakzai on Pakistan's boycott of Bonn conference and its potential cost on its economy due to Islamabad's isolationist policies and possible rupture in relations with the US and allies-in a package.

Bonn II: Is Pakistan a spoiler or peace maker?—By Jan Assakzai As Bonn Conference gets underway on Monday, 5th Dec., the boycott of Pakistan has simply dealt a blow to any prospect of regional consensus on Afghanistan. The conference is billed to hammer a strategy to stabilise Afghanistan as coalition forces withdraw in the coming years. Many analysts agree that peace in Afghanistan hinges on whether Pakistan plays a constructive role in the process. Is Pakistan ready to play that constructive role? The answer so far is, unfortunately, a resounding NO. Why Pakistan is critical to peace in Afghanistan, because it wields powerful levers that potentially give Pakistan all the fire power absolutely essential to be either a spoiler or a peace-maker in Afghanistan. The first and perhaps, the most important lever is its ability to project its influence through proxies in Afghanistan. It can create elements of the Taliban or other proxies because of its linguistic and intelligence ass...