Why US–Iran Peace Talks Hit Wall and What’s Next The most likely option in the coming days is “the use of backchannels to communicate with the warring parties,” Fahad Nabeel, CEO at Geopolitical Insights, an Islamabad-based research consultancy firm...

Spoke to Sputnik a few days ago about the first round of US–Iran talks.
sputnikglobe.com/20260412/why...

Pakistan navigates delicate diplomatic balance amid US-Iran-Israel tensions

I am quoted in this Independent News Pakistan’s story on Pakistan’s mediation efforts.
www.inp.net.pk/news-detail/...

3) "When the international coalition troops were still in Afghanistan, the TTP sheltered the Afghan Taliban in the tribal areas of Pakistan. The current support of the Afghan Taliban for the Pakistani Taliban is a way of thanking them for their help."

......But the Afghan Taliban harbor and protect numerous groups hostile to Pakistan, including the TTP,”

2) "The Afghan Taliban enabled the TTP to flourish,"

I am quoted in Clément Perruche’s story for French newspaper ‘Les Echos’ on recent Pak-Afghan clashes:

1) “With the Taliban’s rise to power in Kabul, Islamabad hoped the security situation would stabilize and that no threat would come from Afghan territory.

www.lesechos.fr/monde/asie-p...

This discussion was part of a seminar titled “Pakistan’s Strategy to Counter Violent Extremism and Terrorism” held at the School of Politics and International Relations, Quaid-i-Azam University.

I spoke about the current trends of terrorism in Pakistan and emphasized the need to adapt counterterrorism and countering violent extremism strategies to effectively respond to these evolving challenges.

Afghanistan bombing: What’s Pakistan’s strategy as India-Taliban ties grow? Pakistani air raids break fragile ceasefire as Islamabad faces pressure on both borders.

4) “Pakistan cannot afford to keep both borders [with Afghanistan and India] engaged at a time when the prospects of military confrontation between the US and Iran are growing with each passing day,” he said, referring to rising tensions in the Middle East.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/...

Afghanistan bombing: What’s Pakistan’s strategy as India-Taliban ties grow? Pakistani air raids break fragile ceasefire as Islamabad faces pressure on both borders.

3) Nabeel argued, Pakistani policymakers need clarity on how to address armed groups operating from Afghan soil.

.........to increase pressure on the Afghan Taliban to act against anti-Pakistan militant groups,” he told Al Jazeera.

Afghanistan bombing: What’s Pakistan’s strategy as India-Taliban ties grow? Pakistani air raids break fragile ceasefire as Islamabad faces pressure on both borders.

2) “Reopening the border and resuming bilateral trade are two possible measures that Pakistan can adopt. Pakistan also needs to share actionable intelligence with allied countries like China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye....

Afghanistan bombing: What’s Pakistan’s strategy as India-Taliban ties grow? Pakistani air raids break fragile ceasefire as Islamabad faces pressure on both borders.

I am quoted in Abid Hussain's story for @aljazeeraenglish.bsky.social on Pakistan’s aerial strikes in Afghanistan:

1) Fahad Nabeel, who heads the Islamabad-based research consultancy Geopolitical Insights, said Pakistan must also work to build goodwill among Afghans.

• Militant groups rely on informal funding mechanisms, cryptocurrencies, and social media propaganda.
• Pakistan must work with global partners to monitor digital platforms, disrupt funding channels, and deny terrorists online space.

• Economic engagement with Afghanistan, particularly by countries like China, must be linked to security guarantees.
• Equally important is tackling terror financing and digital radicalization.

• The broader concern is that Afghanistan now hosts more than 20 terrorist groups, according to UN reports, posing a threat not just to Pakistan, but also to China, Russia, and Central Asia.
• Pakistan must focus on preventive counter-terrorism and better intelligence prioritization.

Key Points:
• The objective of the Islamabad terrorist attack was to inflame sectarian tensions and attract international attention by striking the capital during a period of multiple diplomatic activities.

Pakistan TV - Resurgence of Terrorism in Pakistan - 8th February 2026 YouTube video by Fahad Nabeel

Last night, I appeared on Pakistan TV’s ‘Unfold’ to discuss the resurgence of terrorism in Pakistan, particularly in the aftermath of the Afghan Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021.
youtu.be/6tF4tDe_PWo

Deadly Islamabad bombing sharpens focus on cross-border attacks in Pakistan Analysts warn mosque attack in Pakistan could inflame sectarian fault lines in an already volatile security landscape.

I am quoted in Abid Hussain's story for @aljazeera.com on the potential implications of the Islamabad terrorist attack.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/...

My talk focused on how Baloch ethno-nationalist militant groups are using cyberspace for propaganda, recruitment, and financing.

Delivered my talk titled “Understanding the Cyberspace Activities of Militant Groups in Balochistan” as part of a three-day policy dialogue among stakeholders on Countering Violent Extremism, which is being organized by the Balochistan Center of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism.

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN’S PERSONAL INFORMATION: A LEGAL AND PRACTICAL ANALYSIS OF PAKISTAN’S APPROACH I attempt to situate children’s personal data protection within Pakistan’s existing legal landscape. By examining the existing draft personal data protection law, I argue that it is important to more ...

Therefore, different guidelines for parental consent should be adopted depending on the type of data being processed. Similarly, age-verification mechanisms and parental consent requirements should be clearly defined to prevent misuse.

Presentation - www.academia.edu/145394366/SA...

I attempt to situate children’s personal data protection within Pakistan’s existing legal landscape. By examining the existing draft personal data protection law, I argue that it is important to more carefully distinguish between children’s sensitive & non-sensitive personal data during processing.

The paper attempts to answer the following questions:
• What is the current status of the protection of children’s personal information?
• What are the rules governing the protection of children’s personal information in Pakistan?
• What are the key challenges and how can they be addressed?

Earlier this month, I virtually presented my conference paper titled “Safeguarding Children’s Personal Information: A Legal and Practical Analysis of Pakistan’s Approach” at Istanbul Gelişim University’s 8th International New Media Conference.

The lecture, part of the Intelligence and Security Studies program, focused on Pakistan’s existing surveillance and spyware infrastructure by situating it within the country’s broader digital authoritarian practices. Special thanks to Dr. Rabia Akhtar for the invitation.

Delivered a guest lecture on 'Surveillance and Spyware – A Case Study of Pakistan' at the University of Lahore’s School of Integrated Social Sciences.

By applying McPhail’s Feminist Policy Framework, I argue that cyber security in South Asia (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan) is primarily state-centric and securitized and gender is silenced in overall discourse.

The paper attempts to answer the following question:
• How do South Asian countries incorporate gender in their cybersecurity policies and strategies?

Last Monday, I virtually presented my conference paper titled ‘A Critical Analysis of Gender in South Asian Cyber Security Discourse’ at AIOU’s 3rd International Conference on Advancing Research in Social Sciences.

Paper Presentation - www.academia.edu/145201689/A_...

• Pakistan’s conception/understanding of cyber sovereignty and related aspects is closely aligned with Turkiye’s conception/understanding.
• Pakistan has not allocated even on average 0.1% of its budget to cybersecurity in the past decade.