(By Faraz Ahmed) The Indian Air Force (IAF), long touted as a regional powerhouse, is sinking deeper into a crisis of its own making, with its pilot cadre plagued by shortages, rampant attrition, and a stark decline in recruit quality. Recent Right to Information (RTI) disclosures lay bare the harsh reality: in 2025 alone, 163…
(By Khalid Masood) The United States’ recent approval of a $686 million sustainment and upgrade package for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets represents a timely affirmation of Islamabad’s strategic resilience. Notified by the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) to Congress on December 8, 2025, this deal arrives at a pivotal moment, reinforcing the Pakistan Air…
(By Ayesha Mahnoor) In the hallowed halls of India’s Lok Sabha on December 10, 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah delivered a stark proclamation that reverberated far beyond the chamber’s walls: the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s unwavering policy toward “illegal immigrants”—a term often wielded in reference to Muslims and other minorities from neighboring countries—is…
(By Quratulain Khalid) As we reflect on the storied yet tarnished history of the Indian Air Force (IAF), a pattern emerges that belies its self-proclaimed mantle of operational excellence. Over the past 50 years—from the cataclysmic blunders of the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War to the relentless peacetime debacles that have claimed countless lives and squandered billions—the…
(By Khalid Masood) In a world of shifting alliances and persistent regional challenges, Pakistan emerges as a proactive force for change in South Asia. With a population exceeding 240 million, strategic location bridging Central and South Asia, and a legacy of resilience, Pakistan is not content to let outdated structures define its future. Islamabad is…
(By Khalid Masood) International affairs students/experts view Vladimir Putin’s state visit to India on December 4–5, 2025, as a significant moment in the evolving geopolitical landscape. The “23rd India-Russia Annual Summit” is more than a routine diplomatic engagement; it represents a calculated move within an increasingly multipolar world, where major powers maneuver for influence and…
(By Ayesha Mahnoor) In the heart of what was once proudly hailed as the world’s largest secular democracy, a quiet but relentless transformation is underway. Nearly 200 million Indian Muslims—citizens whose families have lived on this soil for centuries, sometimes millennia—are being pushed to the margins of their own country. Streets that once echoed with…
(By Khalid Masood) I. Introduction The skies over Dubai turned from a canvas of aerial prowess to a scene of utter devastation on 21 November 2025, as the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) much-vaunted Tejas light combat aircraft erupted into a fireball during what should have been a routine demonstration at the Dubai Airshow. Wing Commander…
(By Ayesha Mahnoor) I. Introduction: The Four-Day War that Rewrote South Asian History From 7 to 10 May 2025, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan delivered a thunderous and unambiguous military victory over India in what has entered national lore as “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos.” Triggered by India’s unprovoked air strikes—launched under the guise of retaliation for the…
(By Khalid Masood) I. Introduction On the morning of November 14, 2025, Patna’s counting centers turned into theatres of disbelief. As the NDA’s tally surged past 200 seats, shell-shocked RJD workers gathered outside the strong rooms shouting “EVM chor hain!” In Muzaffarpur, an elderly woman—her calloused hands clutching a State Bank passbook—summed up the election…
