Pakistan (PAK)
Country Risk Assessment v2.3 - assessed 2026-09-19 - skew: negative
Flags
- Live-data refresh (2026-09-19): discovery-first sweep of the 2026-09-08 -> 09-19 window (six parallel regional sweeps, all source rating central), with state, belligerent, single-chain and recirculated claims excluded or direction-only. Dominant arc: the US-Iran war widened to a second maritime chokepoint as Houthis seized Mocha, Perim and Mayun, declared a Red Sea blockade on Saudi ports, and Iraqi drones shut Saudi Arabia's East-West Petroline, while Iran struck more tankers in Hormuz, the IAEA referred Iran to the UN Security Council, and Brent traded above $100. Second arc: the global tightening cycle landed, with the Fed hiking 25bp to 3.75-4.00%, the ECB to 2.50% on Sept 10, and the BOJ to 1.25% on Sept 18, all on war-driven energy inflation. Third arc: institutional strain, as Georgia moved to ban all five parliamentary opposition parties, Sudan's chemical-weapons dossier was published by NYT/WaPo, Brazil's STF froze the Moraes probe, and Cuba's grid collapsed nationwide Sept 18. Notes mark what moved.
- Live-data refresh (2026-09-03): discovery-first sweep of the 2026-08-25 -> 09-03 window (six parallel regional sweeps, all source rating central), triangulated across multilateral bodies and diverse independent press, with state, belligerent, single-chain and recirculated claims excluded or direction-only. Dominant arc: the US-Iran war RESUMED and WIDENED after the Aug 25 exit-diplomacy moment. Iran and Oman finalized a Hormuz corridor framework (Aug 26, inbound via Iranian waters, outbound via Omani, revenue-sharing, a 30-60 day mine-clearing programme), then the US struck missile launchers on Larak Island (Aug 31) and Iran retaliated across FIVE countries at once, hitting US-linked bases in Jordan (Camp Titin, Prince Hassan), Bahrain (Sheikh Isa), Kuwait (Ali al-Salem) and Iraq (Erbil). A US strike hit a wedding at Kuhestak, Iran alleged a war crime at the UN, and Iran struck the Saudi supertanker Sidr in Hormuz, killing two Filipino sailors. Trump claimed 'almost total control' of the strait, floated renaming it, and told Iranians to rise up against their leadership. The rial hit a fresh record past 2.1 million per dollar and Reuters reported the blockade achieving what sanctions never did, with exports stalled outright. Second arc: a global long-bond rout deepened into September. Japan's 10Y JGB crossed 3% for the first time in 30 years with the 30Y at a record 4.18% and the yen at 160; France sold 10Y OATs at 4.23%, the highest since 2008, with debt at 117.5% of GDP; UK gilt yields hit a 19-year high in the new Burnham government's first Commons week; the US crossed $40 trillion in debt and doubled its long-end buyback ceiling. Third arc: catastrophe and consolidation elsewhere. A glacier-collapse flood on the Nepal-Tibet border killed 1,252 by Sept 3, passing the 2015 earthquake toll, with thousands missing. DRC's Ebola outbreak reached 3,007 deaths and 6,186 cases across six provinces at a 48.6% fatality rate, still expanding. Nicaragua's congress barred opposition parties from elections and extended the presidential term, drawing a near-unanimous OAS rebuke; Zimbabwe swore in senators and appointed 14 judges under a contested constitutional amendment; Zambia's Hichilema took a second term amid a disputed count and opposition arrests. Syria's SDF dissolved into the national military. Indonesia closed its central-bank vacuum. TRAPS CAUGHT and excluded: Peru's February 'Chifagate' removal, France's October-2025 Lecornu resignation, a 2020 Belarus protest piece, a 2025 DRC Uvira piece, a 2019 Zimbabwe crackdown piece, pre-window Cuba, and a FOURTH clean Thailand-Cambodia verification. CORRECTION: Serbia's Aug 20 snap-election announcement, missed by the 08-25 pass, is booked late. Notes mark what moved.
- Live-data refresh (2026-08-25): discovery-first sweep of the 2026-08-14 -> 08-25 window (six parallel regional sweeps, all source rating central; WebSearch budget exhausted mid-pass, central verification via self-hosted SearXNG + targeted fetches), triangulated across multilateral bodies and diverse independent press, with state, belligerent, single-chain and recirculated claims excluded or direction-only. Dominant arc: the Iran war entered an economic-strangulation phase even as exit diplomacy advanced. The US launched the global secondary-sanctions campaign 'Operation Economic Outcast' (Aug 24, 60+ designations, all-sector scope); Iran's crude exports effectively halted (Kharg Island berths empty since July 31, satellite-verified; China-bound imports ~823k -> ~534k bpd); the rial crossed 2 million per dollar; Iran fired its first ballistic missiles toward the UAE (Aug 18) and the UAE, Iran's second-largest trade partner, cut ALL trade indefinitely (Aug 19). Yet no US strike on Iranian soil was confirmed in-window and Iran-Oman Hormuz-corridor talks reached joint-statement drafting in Tehran (Aug 25). A global long-bond rout (Aug 18) set multi-decade records (UK 50Y 5.392%; JGB 10Y highest since 1996); the US Treasury doubled long-end buybacks (Aug 19), the Fed-independence fight reopened (Cook removal deadline Aug 26), and DXY hit a 3-month low with gold at a 3-month high. US-Canada trade talks collapsed (Aug 21), first-ever Section 338 tariffs took effect (Aug 22), and Canada announced dollar-for-dollar retaliation (eff. Sept 8). Ukrainian strikes took >90% of Russia's Black Sea grain export capacity offline and Russian inflation crossed 10%. DRC Ebola deaths reached 2,642 (PHEIC reaffirmed) while Geneva produced an M23 peace-talks roadmap. Pakistan's KP floods killed 368 in five days and Islamabad defied a Supreme Court order on Imran Khan. Venezuela freed 131 political prisoners. TRAPS CAUGHT and excluded: the Sept-2025 Libya 'Sorman/Zawiya clashes' recirculation, Ghana's pre-window IMF completion run as fresh, Cuba's pre-window Aug 2-3 blackout, and a third clean Thailand-Cambodia verification (ceasefire holds, ASEAN observers verifying). CORRECTION: Serbia's June 27-30 Vucic resignation-pledge arc, missed while Serbia went unrefreshed since 05-28, is booked late as a note. Notes mark what moved.
- Live-data refresh (2026-08-14): discovery-first sweep of the 2026-07-30 -> 08-14 window (six parallel regional sweeps, all source rating central), triangulated across multilateral bodies and diverse independent press, with state, belligerent, single-chain and disinfo-network claims excluded or direction-only. Dominant arc: the Iran war paused without ending - no confirmed US strike on Iranian soil after Aug 1 (13 nights through Aug 12) while Oman-mediated Hormuz talks agreed safe-corridor coordinates with the fee rate still contested - but the strait stayed effectively closed (1 transit Aug 9 vs ~73/day), CENTCOM enforced the blockade kinetically, the Houthis hit Mocha in the worst Yemen escalation since the 2022 truce, and Saudi Red Sea exports collapsed ~90% with a compensating Sumed surge. Ukraine's deep strikes reached ~17% of Russian refining and halted Novorossiysk's grain terminals; Russia's H1 deficit hit ~6T rubles with the CBR cutting into rising inflation. The US opened a two-front trade escalation: first-ever Section 338 tariffs (50% on ~$20B of Canadian goods incl USMCA-origin, effective Aug 19) plus Section 301 tariffs on 60+ partners covering 99.4% of imports. The 30Y Treasury auctioned at ~5.24%, highest since 2001; central banks bought a record 288.9t of gold in Q2. DRC Ebola deaths jumped 1,487 -> 2,128 across six provinces. DC's National Guard deployment was extended through 2029. Colombia inaugurated de la Espriella in an orderly transfer; Indonesia nominated a BI insider and the rupiah recovered; North Korea resumed missile tests. TRAPS CAUGHT and excluded: the 2025 Katsina mosque attack, the pre-capture Maduro militia story, and the ended Jan-May Iran blackout, all recirculating as current; the news-pravda.com disinfo network is excluded entirely. Thailand-Cambodia verified clean: no kinetic event, ceasefire holds, diplomatic freeze continues. Notes mark what moved.
- Live-data refresh (2026-07-30): discovery-first sweep of the 2026-07-21 -> 07-30 window (six parallel regional sweeps, all source rating central), triangulated across multilateral bodies and diverse independent press, with state, belligerent and single-source claims excluded or direction-only. Dominant arc: the 10-day ceasefire proposal was never accepted - a de facto US strike pause (July 25-29, Oman presenting a Gulf-backed Hormuz fee mechanism, Brent $94 -> $86) collapsed and CENTCOM resumed heavy strikes on Iran overnight July 29-30 (Brent back to $90.74). The war widened: a drone set fires in Egypt's Damietta port (first strike on Egyptian soil), the US and Saudi Arabia jointly struck militias inside Iraq, the Houthis set Aramco's Jizan refinery ablaze while enforcing their blockade of Saudi ports, and Iran publicly hanged two protesters. Elsewhere: a hawkish Fed hold with three dissents FOR a hike sent the Dow down 1,153 and the 30-year Treasury to its highest since 2007; the EU adopted its 21st Russia package freezing the oil price cap at $44.10 for a year; a Russian Kh-101 crashed 100 km inside Poland with Warsaw declining to invoke Article 4; DRC Ebola deaths jumped from 930 to 1,487 in six days; Tunisia's and Libya's blackout crises turned into anti-government mobilization; Bank Indonesia's governor resigned in a central-bank-independence shock; Ghana exited high debt distress after 13 years; Peru completed a contested but on-schedule transfer of power. CORRECTIONS: the Thailand-Cambodia 'fresh clashes' carry-forward was again misdated 2025 coverage (ceasefire holds; the real story is diplomatic hardening), and Mali's 07-20 'Anefis reversal' framing is corrected (the army retook Anefis July 10; the road remains insecure). Notes mark what moved.
- Live-data refresh (2026-07-20): discovery-first news sweep since the 2026-07-14 pass across the whole canon, triangulated across multilateral bodies + diverse independent press (state-self-reported data excluded, used only for direction; confidence set from corroboration). Dominant arc: the US-Iran war DEEPENED rather than broke pattern - the US naval blockade of Iranian ports held all window, OFAC's wind-down GL X1 EXPIRED July 17 (full Iran oil sanctions restored), the US combat death toll rose to 17 (430+ wounded) after Iran hit Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti air base July 17, and the US ran a ninth consecutive night of strikes (incl. the Darkhovin nuclear-plant site, IAEA reviewing). Iran's retaliation crossed a threshold: it struck Kuwait's power + desalination plant twice (first civilian-infrastructure targeting) and Iraqi Kurdistan oil fields (-140-150k bpd), and on July 20 the Houthis opened a new front with a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia (ending the 2022 truce). Brent ran to ~$88-90; Hormuz war-risk hull premiums held at 3-10% of value. Secondary: the EU FROZE the $44.10 Russia oil cap for one week to July 23 (the prior pass's lapse risk did NOT materialize - held, not scored as relief) with the 21st sanctions package still stalled (a narrow Kyiv-strike mini-package adopted July 17 instead); Russia's MOEX hit a 17-week losing streak (worst since 1997), the deficit overshot plan by ~1T rubles and the ruble slid ~8%/mo to ~78.6; Ukraine's Kerch Strait / Don-Azov shipping halt PERSISTED with no reopening as Russia hit Kyiv with a 41-missile barrage July 19; the Poland-Ukraine White Eagle rift DE-ESCALATED (Zelensky opened SBU archives July 17, Tusk welcomed it); Andy Burnham became UK PM July 20 (7th in a decade but a clean handover, dropped digital ID); Israel's Knesset dissolved on schedule July 17 (Oct 27 elections) after a judicial-oversight/media legislative blitz; China's Q2 GDP printed 4.3% (weakest since 2022); India's rupee broke past its defense band to ~96.4; deadly monsoon flooding hit Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal; Nicaragua's Ortega declared no more elections; Cuba logged its 5th total grid collapse of 2026; Venezuela's quake toll passed 5,200; DRC's Ebola became the fastest-growing month-on-month; Mali's JNIM/FLA reversed the Anefis gain; Morocco released journalist Ali Lmrabet; a M7.4 quake struck the Mexico-Guatemala border. Notes mark what moved.
- Live-data refresh (2026-07-14): discovery-first news sweep since the 2026-07-11 pass across the whole canon, triangulated across multilateral bodies + diverse independent press (state-self-reported data excluded, used only for direction; confidence set from corroboration). Dominant arc: the US-Iran ceasefire cycle BROKE PATTERN into the war's largest escalation - a third consecutive night of US strikes across Iran, Iranian retaliation on six Gulf/Levant states (Al Udeid struck; two UAE-flagged tankers hit in Omani waters, one sailor killed) and on US facilities in Bahrain/Kuwait, and a reinstated US naval blockade of Iranian ports (effective July 14) plus a proposed 20% Hormuz transit toll the UN IMO calls legally baseless; Brent jumped ~9% to ~$86 and Hormuz traffic virtually halted (war-risk ~5% of hull). Iran conflict near -8 -> -9 (not floored; talks nominally alive, positive skew retained) and sanctions -9 -> -10 (blockade = maximal isolation); Gulf conflict/trade re-priced across the GCC + Jordan; the US moves as a belligerent (conflict near -4 -> -5) with alliance reliability -7 -> -8 after renewed Greenland-annexation rhetoric + a threatened troop pull-out from Europe. Secondary: EU accession Cluster 6 FORMALLY OPENED for Ukraine + Moldova July 14 alongside the 37-leader Paris coalition summit (SAMP/T + 16 Rafale), but the EU's 21st Russia sanctions package FAILED July 13 (Greek LNG + Austrian Raiffeisen objections) with the $44.10 oil cap set to lapse (not scored as lapsed); Russia halted Kerch Strait + Don-Azov Canal shipping under Ukraine's Azov drone campaign while ~350 drones hit the Moscow region and the 5-month deficit passed 6T rubles; a Poland-Ukraine rift (White Eagle affair) opened; Colombia's transition rupture escalated to the inauguration venue itself; Venezuela's Article-233 180-day cap passed unmet (quake toll past 4,490); US June CPI 3.5% y/y (BLS partially-entangled, market-corroborated) as the DC National Guard deployment was extended through 2029; Pakistan's Balochistan wave killed 42+; Vanke's board passed to Shenzhen state control; North Korea fired ~10 ballistic missiles; South Africa's deportations doubled to 53,449; DRC's Ebola outbreak became the 3rd-largest on record; Bukele was proclaimed a 2027 candidate under indefinite-reelection rules; Jamaica's homicides fell 22%. Notes mark what moved.
- Live-data refresh (2026-07-11): discovery-first news sweep since the 2026-07-07 pass across the whole canon, triangulated across multilateral bodies + diverse independent press (state-self-reported data excluded, used only for direction; confidence set from corroboration). Dominant arc: another turn of the US-Iran ceasefire CYCLE (announced and collapsing on ~weekly cadence, not a one-off) - Hormuz tanker strikes (July 7) -> OFAC REVOKED Iran General License X the same day (wind-down GL X1 to July 17), erasing the verified oil relief the last pass scored -> US strikes on ~80-90 Iranian sites incl the Bushehr perimeter (July 8-9, IAEA no radiation rise) -> Trump declared the ceasefire 'over' -> Iranian retaliation on Jordan/Kuwait/Bahrain/Qatar (July 9, GCC-condemned) -> talks resume. Iran near-term conflict deepens (near -7 -> -8, intermittent not floored) and the oil relief reverses (sanctions -8 -> -9); Gulf trade-chokepoint risk re-prices (Hormuz war-risk insurance ~5% of hull); Iran positive skew RETAINED because the talks keep resuming. Secondary: Russia's refining/fuel crisis deepened (diesel export ban July 8, now a fuel importer; MOEX 3-year low) vs Ukraine's Azov shadow-fleet strikes; NATO Ankara's 70bn-euro Ukraine pledge + EU Cluster-6 Coreper clearance (formal opening slated July 14) + Hungary's 10bn-euro RRP unlock; a European instability cluster (France Le Pen eligible for 2027, Germany AfD ahead of CDU, UK Farage by-election); Colombia's transition rupture (Petro rejects De la Espriella on debunked fraud claims); Syria's US state-sponsor-of-terrorism de-listing; an Ethiopia-Eritrea war-risk mobilization; a UN genocide finding on Sudan's RSF; Venezuela's quake toll past 4,000 with the constitutional election-call unmet; Argentina's country risk at an 8-year low; South Korea's 'fake news' law; a stalled India-US trade deal; China's Vanke near-default + maritime coercion; and an IMF WEO cut to 3.0% global growth. Notes mark what moved.
- Live-data refresh (2026-07-07): news pull since the 2026-06-18 pass, triangulated across multilateral bodies + diverse independent press (state-self-reported data excluded). Dominant arc: the US-Iran ceasefire proved repeatedly reversible (remote MoU June 17 + 60-day Burgenstock roadmap June 21, then a Kiku-tanker strike -> US strikes on 5 Iranian sites -> Iranian retaliation on US bases in Kuwait/Bahrain June 27-28 -> fresh Saudi/Qatari tanker strikes July 7 -> Trump 'finish the job'), even as verified relief landed (OFAC General License X, a 60-day Iranian-oil-export waiver ~$8-9B) and Hormuz volumes recovered to ~90% of pre-war baseline. Iran's $24B/$12B frozen-asset claim stays Mehr/parliamentary-sourced and US-denied -> excluded. Secondary: Russia's refinery/fuel crisis + deficit blowout (160% of the annual target, exile-press sourced); Ukraine's EU-accession progress + NATO 140bn-euro pledge vs the deadliest Kyiv strikes of the year; Venezuela's twin quake + constitutional-legality shock; certified-but-contested elections in Peru (Fujimori) and Colombia (de la Espriella); Bolivia's blockade crisis easing under a state of emergency; US inflation topping 4% and SCOTUS striking the birthright-citizenship order while domestic-terrorism sentences and ICE-detention deaths mount; China's rare-earth coercion + HK Article 23 expansion; India's near-final US trade deal vs a press-freedom slide; an Ethiopia-Eritrea war-risk watch. Notes mark what moved.
- Generated 2026-05-28 under v2.0: multilateral (IMF EFF program/Art IV, World Bank, ADB, WJP, RSF, TI, V-Dem, UN) + Pakistani official (PBS, State Bank of Pakistan) + Pakistani independent press (Dawn, The News, Express Tribune, Profit).
- A distressed-but-stabilising economy under IMF tutelage, a military-dominant civilian hybrid with a legitimacy crisis, resurgent terrorism, and catastrophic climate exposure.
- Standout drags: chronic debt distress, weak institutions, a manipulated-election legitimacy crisis, terrorism, and extreme flood/heat exposure. Source-lean: HIGH Anglophone; Urdu/regional reporting under-read.
Transparency & confidence ceiling
Tier: opaque - every composite below is confidence-capped at 0.60 (TIER_CAP.opaque).
The state controls the information environment, so scores rest on external proxies and carry a capped, lower confidence. The read may be flattered by what cannot be seen.
Economic
A fragile IMF-dependent stabilisation, against chronic debt distress and a narrow export base. (skew: negative)
┌────────────────────────────────┬────────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┐
│ Sub-factor │ Weight │ Conf │ Near │ Mid │ Long │
├────────────────────────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│ Fiscal State │ 0.22 │ 85% │ -5.0 │ -5.0 │ -5.0 │
│ Monetary Independence │ 0.22 │ 80% │ -4.0 │ -4.0 │ -4.0 │
│ Reserve Currency Intl Monetary │ 0.16 │ 95% │ 0.0 │ 0.0 │ 0.0 │
│ Inflation │ 0.13 │ 70% │ 0.0 │ -1.0 │ -2.0 │
│ Banking Stability │ 0.10 │ 70% │ -3.0 │ -3.0 │ -3.0 │
│ Trade Actions Capacity │ 0.17 │ 85% │ -5.0 │ -5.0 │ -5.0 │
└────────────────────────────────┴────────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘
Fiscal State - The IMF cut Pakistan's FY27 growth to 3.5% (below the 4% target) and sees inflation rising to 8.4%, citing Iran-war/Middle East spillover, against a strong FY26 market rally under the EFF/RSF program (IMF via ProPakistani/Arab News - multilateral/independent). Held at -5; confidence held.
Monetary Independence - The State Bank holds rates high but policy is IMF-conditioned and FX-crisis-prone. (SBP; IMF)
Reserve Currency Intl Monetary - The rupee is not a reserve currency. (definitional)
Inflation - Worsened near +2 -> 0: the Finance Division reported inflation returning to double digits at 10 to 11% for August, citing higher energy prices, flood risk and new US duties on Pakistani goods. This is a government body reporting on its own economy and is therefore partially entangled, so the move is booked at reduced confidence 0.8 -> 0.7 and held to the level the release states rather than extrapolated. Long held -2.
Banking Stability - Heavy sovereign-debt exposure, functioning but propped by the program. (IMF Art IV)
Trade Actions Capacity - A narrow textile-heavy export base, a widening trade deficit, tiny FDI, and heavy remittance dependence. (SBP; Finance Division)
Category composite by horizon (categoryComposite, confidence-capped by transparency tier):
┌─────────┬─────────────────┬────────────┐
│ Horizon │ Composite score │ Confidence │
├─────────┼─────────────────┼────────────┤
│ near │ -3.13 │ 60% │
│ mid │ -3.26 │ 60% │
│ long │ -3.39 │ 60% │
└─────────┴─────────────────┴────────────┘
Institutional
Weak rule of law under military influence, low capacity, and a heavily pressured press. (skew: negative)
┌──────────────────────────┬────────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┐
│ Sub-factor │ Weight │ Conf │ Near │ Mid │ Long │
├──────────────────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│ Rule Of Law │ 0.31 │ 85% │ -7.0 │ -7.0 │ -7.0 │
│ Statistical Integrity │ 0.22 │ 60% │ -2.0 │ -2.0 │ -2.0 │
│ Civil Service Capacity │ 0.22 │ 65% │ -4.0 │ -4.0 │ -4.0 │
│ Press Freedom │ 0.13 │ 85% │ -6.0 │ -6.0 │ -6.0 │
│ Civil-Military Relations │ 0.12 │ 70% │ -8.0 │ -8.0 │ -8.0 │
└──────────────────────────┴────────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘
Rule Of Law - Worsened -6 -> -7: the government DEFIED a Supreme Court order (Aug 18) to transfer Imran Khan to a named private hospital within two days, routing him to a state-run facility instead, and PTI filed contempt (Aug 21-22; Al Jazeera). Executive non-compliance with an apex-court order on the treatment of the jailed opposition leader is a qualitative step past selective prosecution.
Statistical Integrity - Official data is usable but capacity-limited, with politicisation concerns. (WJP; press)
Civil Service Capacity - Patronage-driven, with weak delivery. (World Bank)
Press Freedom - RSF 158/180, with military surveillance and laws used against journalists. (RSF 2025)
Civil-Military Relations - The clearest praetorian case outside an outright junta. The army chief was elevated to field marshal in 2025. The 27th constitutional amendment later that year consolidated command of all services and extended legal immunity, formalizing in the constitution an arrangement that had previously operated by convention. Civilian governments hold office at the army's sufferance. The historical record of direct military rule is extensive.
Category composite by horizon (categoryComposite, confidence-capped by transparency tier):
┌─────────┬─────────────────┬────────────┐
│ Horizon │ Composite score │ Confidence │
├─────────┼─────────────────┼────────────┤
│ near │ -5.23 │ 60% │
│ mid │ -5.23 │ 60% │
│ long │ -5.23 │ 60% │
└─────────┴─────────────────┴────────────┘
Political & Social
A military-dominant hybrid with a legitimacy crisis, restricted liberties, deep cleavages, and Afghan-refugee expulsions. (skew: negative)
┌────────────────────────┬────────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┐
│ Sub-factor │ Weight │ Conf │ Near │ Mid │ Long │
├────────────────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│ Political Stability │ 0.30 │ 82% │ -6.0 │ -6.0 │ -6.0 │
│ Civil Liberties │ 0.20 │ 80% │ -5.0 │ -5.0 │ -5.0 │
│ Treatment Non Citizens │ 0.25 │ 85% │ -6.0 │ -6.0 │ -6.0 │
│ Social Cohesion │ 0.15 │ 82% │ -6.0 │ -6.0 │ -6.0 │
│ Demographics │ 0.10 │ 70% │ -3.0 │ -3.0 │ -3.0 │
└────────────────────────┴────────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘
Political Stability - Held at -6 with confidence up 0.8 -> 0.82: Imran Khan passed three years in detention (Aug 5) with Amnesty documenting denial of regular counsel access since Dec 2025, no family visits in 8+ months, and reported health deterioration in solitary - while thousands of PTI supporters protested nationwide under heavy security (Amnesty primary + Al Jazeera). Sustained, institutionalized suppression of the largest opposition bloc; the level already encodes it, the anniversary record firms it.
Civil Liberties - A sustained opposition crackdown, protest suppression, and digital censorship. (Amnesty; RSF)
Treatment Non Citizens - Not a relocation destination, with a mass expulsion of millions of Afghans underway since 2023. (UNHCR; HRW; Amnesty)
Social Cohesion - Worsened -5 -> -6: a suicide car bombing at Old Police Lines mosque in Kohat killed 21-27 and injured 100+ on Sept 18; TTP claimed responsibility (UPI, Al Jazeera). This is the most severe domestic terrorism event of the window. Confidence 0.8 -> 0.82.
Demographics - A huge, fast-growing young population straining jobs, with weak human capital. (World Bank)
Category composite by horizon (categoryComposite, confidence-capped by transparency tier):
┌─────────┬─────────────────┬────────────┐
│ Horizon │ Composite score │ Confidence │
├─────────┼─────────────────┼────────────┤
│ near │ -5.50 │ 60% │
│ mid │ -5.50 │ 60% │
│ long │ -5.50 │ 60% │
└─────────┴─────────────────┴────────────┘
Geopolitical
A patron-dependent hedger, dominated by resurgent terrorism and border tensions. (skew: negative)
┌────────────────────────────┬────────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┐
│ Sub-factor │ Weight │ Conf │ Near │ Mid │ Long │
├────────────────────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│ Alliance Reliability │ 0.40 │ 70% │ -2.0 │ -2.0 │ -2.0 │
│ Conflict Involvement │ 0.35 │ 85% │ -8.0 │ -8.0 │ -8.0 │
│ Sanctions Capital Controls │ 0.25 │ 75% │ -3.0 │ -3.0 │ -3.0 │
└────────────────────────────┴────────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘
Alliance Reliability - Active hedging - deep China/CPEC ties, a new Gulf defence pact, and warming US ties - flexible but patron-dependent. (Atlantic Council; CSIS)
Conflict Involvement - The Balochistan insurgency-suppression continued at pace: Operation Shaban's reported toll reached 129 'Khawarij' (TTP/BLA) militants killed since July 5 (ISPR-sourced body counts - excluded, direction only; the underlying sustained counter-insurgency tempo is corroborated by domestic press) (Pakistan Today, Daily Pakistan - domestic). Held at -8; confidence held.
Sanctions Capital Controls - Off the FATF grey list and unsanctioned, but with persistent FX/capital-control reflexes. (IMF; FATF)
Category composite by horizon (categoryComposite, confidence-capped by transparency tier):
┌─────────┬─────────────────┬────────────┐
│ Horizon │ Composite score │ Confidence │
├─────────┼─────────────────┼────────────┤
│ near │ -4.35 │ 60% │
│ mid │ -4.35 │ 60% │
│ long │ -4.35 │ 60% │
└─────────┴─────────────────┴────────────┘
Physical & Practical
Catastrophic climate exposure, weak healthcare, a power crisis, and very low catastrophe cover. (skew: negative)
┌────────────────────┬────────┬──────┬──────┬───────┬──────┐
│ Sub-factor │ Weight │ Conf │ Near │ Mid │ Long │
├────────────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┤
│ Climate │ 0.20 │ 88% │ -7.0 │ -7.50 │ -8.0 │
│ Healthcare │ 0.30 │ 85% │ -6.0 │ -6.0 │ -6.0 │
│ Infrastructure │ 0.20 │ 80% │ -5.0 │ -5.0 │ -5.0 │
│ Crime Safety │ 0.15 │ 75% │ -5.0 │ -5.0 │ -5.0 │
│ Disaster Insurance │ 0.15 │ 70% │ -7.0 │ -7.0 │ -7.0 │
└────────────────────┴────────┴──────┴──────┴───────┴──────┘
Climate - HELD at near -7. The NDMA issued a 72-hour flood alert for northern Pakistan on Sept 3 and heavy monsoon rain flooded Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Sept 1 with the Nullah Lai crossing danger levels. NDMA is state self-report and is used as direction; the level was already set from the corroborated KP-province flooding and does not move on an alert. Long held -8.
Healthcare - About 1% of GDP in public spend, high out-of-pocket costs, and one of the last polio-endemic countries. (WHO EMRO; World Bank)
Infrastructure - A chronic power crisis and large circular debt under restructuring. (IGC; IEEFA)
Crime Safety - A poor order-and-security standing, terrorism-adjacent with urban crime. (WJP)
Disaster Insurance - Held at -7: a second consecutive catastrophic monsoon with state-led relief and no meaningful insurance transfer; UN OCHA emergency mechanisms activated. Level already reflects it.
Category composite by horizon (categoryComposite, confidence-capped by transparency tier):
┌─────────┬─────────────────┬────────────┐
│ Horizon │ Composite score │ Confidence │
├─────────┼─────────────────┼────────────┤
│ near │ -6.0 │ 60% │
│ mid │ -6.10 │ 60% │
│ long │ -6.20 │ 60% │
└─────────┴─────────────────┴────────────┘
Decisions
Confidence-weighted composite of every category above (decisionComposite), at each decision's native horizon (HORIZON_BY_DECISION), with the threshold reading (readingFor).
┌──────────┬─────────┬───────┬────────────┬────────────────┐
│ Decision │ Horizon │ Score │ Confidence │ Reading │
├──────────┼─────────┼───────┼────────────┼────────────────┤
│ Living │ long │ -5.14 │ 60% │ clear negative │
│ Assets │ mid │ -4.42 │ 60% │ clear negative │
│ Currency │ near │ -3.85 │ 60% │ clear negative │
└──────────┴─────────┴───────┴────────────┴────────────────┘
Same weighting projected across all three horizons (near 1-3y, mid 3-7y, long 5-10y):
┌──────────┬───────┬───────┬───────┐
│ Decision │ Near │ Mid │ Long │
├──────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┤
│ Living │ -5.07 │ -5.10 │ -5.14 │
│ Assets │ -4.36 │ -4.42 │ -4.49 │
│ Currency │ -3.85 │ -3.93 │ -4.01 │
└──────────┴───────┴───────┴───────┘