South Asia Investor Review

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) pilots flying Chinese-made J10C fighter jets shot down at least two Indian Air Force's French-made Rafale jets in history's largest ever aerial battle involving over 100 combat aircraft on both sides, according to multiple media reports. India had 72 warplanes on the attack and Pakistan responded with 42 of its own, according to Pakistani military. The Indian government has not yet acknowledged its losses but senior French and US intelligence officials have  confirmed  that at least one Indian Rafale jet was shot down by Pakistan on May 7, 2025. Reports of  more Rafale downings are being investigated by western intelligence officials. This marks the first time that the sophisticated French-made warplane has been lost in combat. Rafale is the most advanced French 4.5 generation fighter plane. Indian Prime Minister Narendra spoke about India's need for Rafale back in 2019 after the last IAF-PAF dogfight and said: "We (Indians) acutely felt the ...

A recent terrorist attack on April 22 in Kashmir has killed 26 Indian tourists. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu Nationalist government took no time to blame Pakistan for the attack and vowed to "punish" the neighbor for it. Indian media, also derisively known as "Godi media", immediately went into overdrive to demand action against Pakistan. New Delhi followed up with suspending the Indus Basin Water treaty from the 1960s which guarantees 80% of the water from the three western rivers (Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers) to Pakistan, while India gets the exclusive use of the water from three eastern rivers (Beas, Ravi and Sutlej rivers). India also ordered Pakistani visitors to leave the country and reduced Pakistani diplomatic staff posted in India. Pakistan responded by suspending Simla Agreement and banning overflights of Indian civilian and military aircraft through its airspace. Pakistan warned India that any attempt to block its share of water from the t...

Pakistan celebrates Earth Day on April 22 every year by organizing various events sponsored by the government and non-government organizations to raise awareness of the issues faced by the earth. Today it is being observed with a range of initiatives, including pledges for zero waste, commitments to sustainable practices, and community-based actions to protect the planet. Pakistan contributes less than 1% of global carbon emissions, but it is among the countries considered most vulnerable to climate change. About a third of the country was devastated by massive  floods  in 2022. The nation committed continued pursuit of nature-based solutions to the problem at  COP26  in Glasgow in 2021. As part of this commitment, the country is planting one of the world's largest  mangrove forests  in the Indus River Delta, a key component of its Ten Billion  Tree Tsunami  campaign launched by former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The area where Pakistan is mak...

Pakistan ranks among the top 5 nations in terms of international schools offering schooling based on International Baccalaureate (IB) and IGCSE (Cambridge) curricula. China leads with 1,000 international schools, followed by India (900), UAE (784), Pakistan (598) and Brazil (415). The medium of instruction in these schools is English.  Aitchison College, Lahore, Pakistan The international schools in India and Pakistan date back to the days of the British Raj when these schools were established to serve the children of the British and the British-Indian civil servants. Later, these schools also attracted the children of diplomats and expats as well as Indian and Pakistani  elites . Today, the vast majority of students attending these schools are the children of rich Indians and Pakistanis.  Karachi Grammar School, Karachi, Pakistan The international schools favored by Pakistani elites include Aitchison College, Karachi Grammar School,  Lahore Grammar School and the Am...

Pakistan's mineral resources, estimated to be over $6 trillion, attracted global investor interest at the Pakistan Minerals Investors Forum 2025 (PMIF2025) held recently in Islamabad on April 8th and 9th. It was attended by major international companies and government officials from Australia, Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the US and other nations.  Pakistan is known to have large deposits of critical minerals from copper and gold to  lithium . Canadian Mining Journal has described the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan as "Saudi Arabia of lithium".  These deposits are found in various parts of the country, including Balochistan,  Gilgit,  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and the Exclusive Economic Zone of Pakistan's coastal waters. The Geological Survey of Pakistan also notes the potential of lithium in LCT-type pegmatites and super arid salt lakes. Pakistan's major lithium-bearing areas are found in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Tribal Areas (...

President Donald Trump's announcement of "reciprocal tariffs" has shocked the world. Nations and corporations were all expecting the US to increase tariffs but the scope and scale have caused severe tremors in the global economy.  There's a base level of 10% tariffs on all trading partners. Imports from China (54%), Vietnam (46%), Bangladesh (37%), Pakistan (29%), India (26%), Japan (24%) and the European Union (20%) are all subject to higher tariffs. Even the poor African nation of Lesotho (GDP: $2.5 billion) has not been spared. It is now subject to a 50% tariff on the jeans it exports to the United States.  Trump's Reciprocal Tariffs. Source: CNBC The charts showing President Trump's claimed tariffs on US imports by other countries have no resemblance to reality. For example, the US Commerce Department claims Pakistan imposes a 58% tariff on imports from the US. Pakistan's trade weighted average tariffs on the US goods were  7.3%  compared to 9.9% that ...