Open research questions in Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East

What the literature leaves open

• Future studies could consider quantitative exploration by incorporating statistical analyses, such as surveys or demographic studies, which could provide a more robust validation of the qualitative findings. Thus, the results may not be applicable to other regions of Pakistan or countries with different socio-political dynamics.

  Religion as a Political Instrument: Comparing State Assimilationist Strategies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan · 2025 · DOI

• Despite its importance it has been understudied in post-conflict countries such as Afghanistan.

  Disaggregating normative commitment under structural fragility: the case of the Afghan media · 2026 · DOI

• Future research can build on the paper's findings to further understand the TTP's insurgency. The study's conclusions can inform future research on non-state actors and their impact on regional security.

  Rise of Non-State Actors: A Case of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) · 2026 · DOI

• The study aims to address this gap by analyzing the TTP's origins, ideological basis, and operational trajectory.

  Rise of Non-State Actors: A Case of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) · 2026 · DOI

• The research requires an understanding of the complex social and political context of Afghanistan during the period under study. The paper needs to consider the limitations of using a qualitative research method with a historical-analytical approach.

  Jirgas and the Ways Political Decisions Were Shaped in the Modern History of Afghanistan (1709–1922) · 2026 · DOI

• Future research can focus on the contemporary role of Jirgas in Afghan society. The study's findings can be used to develop strategies for promoting social and political development in Afghanistan. Further research can examine the impact of Jirgas on other aspects of Afghan society, such as economy and culture.

  Jirgas and the Ways Political Decisions Were Shaped in the Modern History of Afghanistan (1709–1922) · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of a comprehensive framework for addressing hybrid threats in Baluchistan. The need for a more effective response to non-state actors in the region.

  The Interplay between India and Afghanistan: Role of Non-State Actors in fostering separatist tendencies in the restive Province of Baluchistan · 2026 · DOI

• The study faces challenges in terms of limited data and the complexity of the historical context. The paper must navigate the nuances of Pakistani politics and the role of student unions in promoting democratic values.

  STUDENT UNIONS IN PAKISTAN: HISTORICAL BAN, BENEFITS, CHALLENGES, AND THEIR ROLE IN DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION · 2026 · DOI

• The study is limited by its focus on qualitative methods, relying mainly on documentary analysis. The study does not include large-scale surveys or statistical data, so findings may reflect selected views rather than the entire student population. Comparisons with other countries are based on secondary sources, which may not fully match Pakistan's unique context.

  STUDENT UNIONS IN PAKISTAN: HISTORICAL BAN, BENEFITS, CHALLENGES, AND THEIR ROLE IN DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION · 2026 · DOI

• The meaning of Pakistan's founding ideology is contested. The implications of the post-1977 transformation for Pakistan's development are not well understood.

  The Indus Thesis: Iqbal's Persian Synthesis and the Ba'alist Capture of Pakistan's Foundational Ideology · 2026 · DOI

• The need for a balanced approach in Pakistan's foreign and economic policy. The lack of analysis on Pakistan's transformative response to the US-China geopolitical competition.

  United States–China Geopolitical Competition in South Asia: Pakistan's Strategic Response and Balancing Act · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should focus on the economic and developmental cooperation between India and Pakistan. Future research should analyze the impact of the strategic competition on the regional security environment.

  COMPETING FOR STRATEGIC DEPTH: INDIA‒PAKISTAN STRATEGIC COMPETITION IN AFGHANISTAN SINCE THE 2021 U.S. EXIT · 2026 · DOI

• The study highlights the need for a new perspective on the security dynamics in the region.

  COMPETING FOR STRATEGIC DEPTH: INDIA‒PAKISTAN STRATEGIC COMPETITION IN AFGHANISTAN SINCE THE 2021 U.S. EXIT · 2026 · DOI

• The study is largely based on secondary sources. The difficulty of accessing primary sources restricts the originality and quality of the research. The lack of primary sources limits a deeper analysis of the situation in Balochistan and the development of new insights.

  Balochistan & Pakistan: Strong Conflict Drivers and a Frail Hope for Peace? · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of primary sources on the conflict in Balochistan. There is a need for a comprehensive analysis of the conflict drivers in the region. There is a need for an understanding of the implications of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor for the region.

  Balochistan & Pakistan: Strong Conflict Drivers and a Frail Hope for Peace? · 2026 · DOI

• The research highlights the need to address issues of safety and online harassment.

  GENDER DIFFERENCES AND ONLINE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN PAKISTAN · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of recent, peer-reviewed research on Kabul. The ambiguity of the quantitative data that is currently available. The substantial information gap for the post-August 2021 era.

  Housing Crisis and Informal Settlements: Urbanization, Infrastructure and Planning Challenges in Kabul City, Afghanistan · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of recent, peer-reviewed research on Kabul. The need for a comprehensive analysis of the housing crisis in Kabul City. The gap in understanding the impact of war and conflict on urbanization and sustainable development in fragile states.

  Housing Crisis and Informal Settlements: Urbanization, Infrastructure and Planning Challenges in Kabul City, Afghanistan · 2026 · DOI

• According to Becker and Murphy (1988), individuals are often drawn to illicit drug economies when legitimate opportunities are scarce, as these activities offer quick financial returns in dire circumstances.

  Narcotics and Long-Term Strategies for Combating in Panjshir A Case study · 2026 · DOI

• Future research can explore the impact of federalism and provincial autonomy on national integration in Pakistan. The study's findings can be used as a basis for further research on the importance of federal solutions to political and constitutional problems.

  Problems of Federalism and Provincial Autonomy in Pakistan during the Military Rule of General Ziaul Haq (1977-1988) · 2026 · DOI

• At the same time, one of its still scarcely studied areas, despite the seeming obviousness for researchers, is the British vision of the outbreak of the internal political conflict in Afghanistan and its early stage in the context of Soviet assessments of the prospects for the development of the situation in the Central Asian borderland.

  The Outbreak of the Civil War in Afghanistan Through British Eyes Against the Backdrop of Soviet Assessments of the Central Asian Borderlands (1928) · 2025 · DOI

• Youth are the backbone of a society; the youth have a fundamental role to ensure peace and tranquility in a country. They should be in the political arena.

  The Impact of Taliban Rule on Youth Rights in Afghanistan: An Analysis of Repression · 2026 · DOI

• The Pak-Afghan border region is more of a cultural space than merely a border line. In this space, compliance with state policies is difficult to achieve straightforwardly; rather, it requires the tribal community's willful acceptance. Considering ongoing military action against militants as an external factor, this study recommends the following steps to achieve sustained compliance with state policies.

  How Informal Norms Impact Compliance of State Policies in the Pak-Afghan Border Region · 2026 · DOI

• The suspension of access to secondary schools and universities for many girls has interrupted educational pathways. Limited access to healthcare undermines physical and mental well-being.

  Afghan Women: A Life Without Rights – The Struggle for Freedom, Education, and Equality Under Taliban Rule · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in the understanding of the problems of federalism and provincial autonomy in Pakistan during the Zia rule. The research aims to fill this gap by analyzing the constitutional maneuverings and measures taken by the Zia regime.

  Problems of Federalism and Provincial Autonomy in Pakistan during the Military Rule of General Ziaul Haq (1977-1988) · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East

• The everywhere war · Geographical Journal · 2011 · 336 citations
• The file: agency, authority, and autography in an Islamabad bureaucracy · Language & Communication · 2003 · 247 citations
• Religion and ethnicity: Dual and alternative sources of identity among young British Pakistanis · Ethnic and Racial Studies · 1997 · 185 citations
• “To veil the threat of terror”: Afghan women and the ⟨clash of civilizations⟩ in the imagery of the U.S. war on terrorism · Quarterly Journal of Speech · 2004 · 170 citations
• Ecologic Relationships of Ethnic Groups in Swat, North Pakistan · American Anthropologist · 1956 · 161 citations
• Ruled by records: The expropriation of land and the misappropriation of lists in Islamabad · American Ethnologist · 2008 · 126 citations
• Unveiling imperialism: media, gender and the war on Afghanistan · Media Culture & Society · 2005 · 114 citations
• Militias, Ideology, and the State · Journal of Conflict Resolution · 2015 · 112 citations
• The Unbearable Humanness of Drone Warfare in FATA, Pakistan · Antipode · 2011 · 111 citations
• Transforming the Military · Foreign Affairs · 2002 · 108 citations

Most recent work

• Beyond liberal peace? Qatar’s ’hybrid’ mediation and the politics of peacemaking in Afghanistan · Contemporary Politics · 2026
• Protectors or security threats: how political orders shape citizens’ fear of militias · Journal of Peace Research · 2026
• Checkpoint Taxation and Neo‐patrimonial Political Order in Afghanistan · Development and Change · 2026
• The TTP challenge in Pakistan: role of legitimacy and its impact on securitisation process and counterinsurgency efforts · The Round Table · 2026
• Daily communication as cultural practices: Afghan women’s online and offline resistance under Taliban rule · The International Journal of Human Rights · 2026
• The status of women under Taliban rule in Afghanistan: education & healthcare · The International Journal of Human Rights · 2026
• Rise of Non-State Actors: A Case of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) · Global Political Review · 2026
• THE ENIGMA OF PAK-AFGHAN RELATIONS: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
• Singing as a special form of ius resistendi – Afghan women’s protest against the banning of their voices · Scientia et Securitas · 2026
• Jirgas and the Ways Political Decisions Were Shaped in the Modern History of Afghanistan (1709–1922) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026

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