Pakistani pilgrims often return from Iran impressed by Mashhad’s roads, transport, hotels and shopping areas. Their observations do not disprove Iran’s economic crisis. They reveal how strong urban infrastructure and pilgrimage economies can coexist with sanctions, inflation and declining household purchasing power. Continue reading If Iran Is Crippled by Sanctions, Why Do Pakistani Pilgrims Come Back Impressed?
A Pakistani reader asked why the country is importing LNG through a war-disrupted Strait of Hormuz when Iran sits next door and a gas pipeline has been discussed for decades. The answer leads from sanctions and Pakistan’s unfinished pipeline to an extraordinary 2026 irony: Islamabad now needs Iranian cooperation to help Qatari LNG pass through Hormuz. Continue reading Pakistan Never Built the Iran Gas Pipeline. Now It Needs Tehran to Get LNG Through Hormuz
Palki Sharma called Pakistan’s fuel crisis “a very Pakistani problem.” I examine the military exemption, Iran sanctions and the regional energy shock. Continue reading “A Very Pakistani Problem”? How Palki Sharma Turned a Regional Energy Shock Into a Pakistan Punchline