Pearl Pandya is the South Asia Senior Analyst at ACLED, having joined the organization in February 2022 as an India Researcher. In her current role, she oversees the South Asia research team and performs data review and analysis. Prior to joining ACLED, she worked on international law and human rights at the UN, and in local politics in India. Pearl holds a master’s degree in public international law from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a LL.B. from King's College London.
Spoken languages: English, Hindi and Gujarati Timezone: GMT
Sharif Osman Hadi’s assassination triggered nationwide unrest in Bangladesh, a large-scale border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia ended in a fragile ceasefire, and tensions flared in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.
If Pakistan is to address its worsening security crisis, it requires military pressure, political engagement, and reaching an agreement with Afghanistan.
Continuing militancy threatened the ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea saw election-related violence, and anti-corruption protests in the Philippines were widespread, but divided.
ACLED’s expert comment on the interim government’s crackdown on the Awami League ahead of Hasina’s trial, and the party’s continued influence despite it.
TTP attacks led to cross-border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Chinese and Philippine vessels faced off in the South China Sea, and the Ta’ang Army in Myanmar agreed to a ceasefire.
After reports suggesting the Pakistani Taliban’s leader was killed in an airstrike, Pearl Pandya, our Senior Analyst for South Asia, comments on the reported strikes in Kabul and what they mean for Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
Rohingya militants became increasingly active in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state, anti-government demonstrations turned deadly in Nepal, and mass rallies and violent demonstrations against corruption broke out in the Philippines this past month
The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, often referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, has re-emerged as one of the biggest national security threats to the Pakistani state, and it is only getting stronger.
Watch the recorded conversation unpacking the increase in TTP activity since 2021, the Pakistani state response, and the civilian impact of their expanding operations.
