(Quratulain Khalid) India, a nation celebrated for its kaleidoscopic cultural diversity and religious pluralism, stands at a crossroads with the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC), a legislative ambition to standardise personal laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and maintenance across all communities. Enshrined in Article 44 of the Indian Constitution as a Directive Principle of…
(Ayesha Mohsin) In Saadat Hasan Manto’s 1951 short story Yazid, a Pakistani villager laments India’s ability to choke the rivers flowing into Pakistan, a fear that resonates chillingly in 2025. On 22 April 2025, the Pahalgam attack in Indian Occupied Kashmir, which claimed 26 civilian lives, prompted India to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT),…
(By Mohsin Tanveer) In the annals of Indian history, few leaders have polarised the nation as profoundly as Narendra Modi, Prime Minister since 2014. While his supporters hail him as a transformative figure, critics label him India’s “worst-ever Prime Minister.” The scathing critique accuses Modi of undermining democracy, fostering societal divisions, and promoting organised hatred…
(By Khalid Masood) Arrogance, as Dante wrote in Inferno, is one of the “tongues men know and heed, a babel of despair.” Defined as an attitude of superiority manifested in overbearing conduct or presumptuous claims, arrogance erodes humility and fosters self-obsession, blinding leaders to their weaknesses while exaggerating perceived strengths (Merriam-Webster). In the case of…
(By Ayesha Mohsin) In a seismic shift in South Asian geopolitics, China and Pakistan are spearheading an audacious initiative to replace the dormant South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) with a new regional bloc that pointedly excludes India. Advanced discussions, highlighted by a trilateral meeting in Kunming, China, on 19 June 2025, involving Pakistan,…
(Tahir Masood) On 4 July 2025, former Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in an interview with Al Jazeera, ignited a firestorm by suggesting that Pakistan might consider extraditing individuals like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar to India as a “goodwill gesture” to foster “comprehensive dialogue.” This reckless proposition, cloaked in diplomatic rhetoric, is not…
(By Khalid Masood) In the aftermath of the May 2025 Indo-Pakistani clashes, sparked by the 22 April Pahalgam attack, the Indian government, military high command, and media orchestrated a concerted campaign to deny significant military losses, particularly among Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots and assets like the Rafale jets and S-400 air defence systems. The…
(By Khalid Masood) The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane, published in 2007 by Lancer Publishers, is a memoir by Bahukutumbi Raman, a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and former Additional Secretary in India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). Spanning 294 pages, the book offers an insider’s perspective on R&AW’s operations from its inception…
(By Khalid Masood) On 22 April 2025, a tragic terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists, in the Baisaran meadow. India swiftly pointed fingers at Pakistan, alleging state-sponsored terrorism without presenting credible evidence. This knee-jerk accusation launched a global diplomatic campaign to vilify Pakistan, spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi…
(Tahir Masood) RAW: A History of India’s Covert Operations by Yatish Yadav, published in 2020 by Westland Publications, offers a rare glimpse into the shadowy world of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), the country’s external intelligence agency. Authored by an investigative journalist with over 15 years of experience covering intelligence and conflict zones, the…
