Explainer: How counterterrorism evolved from a purely military doctrine into a multidimensional instrument of foreign policy — and why 2026 exposed the limits of that transformation. (By Khalid Masood) On May 6, 2026, the White House released its new Counterterrorism Strategy, promising a “return to common sense.” Four months earlier, on January 7, presidential memoranda…
(By Khalid Masood) Introduction: When Counterterrorism Becomes Statecraft In the twenty-first century, the struggle against terrorism is no longer confined to battlefields, intelligence operations, border controls or law-enforcement agencies. It is also fought in conference rooms, diplomatic missions, international organizations and the increasingly contested arena of strategic narratives. Counterterrorism has consequently become an important instrument…
(By Khalid Masood) I. The SCO Bishkek Summit 2026: Cementing Pakistan’s Multilateral Leadership The Summit Context and Strategic Posture The 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State summit, convened in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in late August 2026, marked a watershed moment for Eurasian geopolitics. Occurring against a backdrop of profound regional turbulence—including the…
(By Khalid Masood) 1. HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS The Accession and Its Discontents The Balochistan insurgency traces its origins to the contested integration of the princely state of Kalat into Pakistan in March 1948. While the Khan of Kalat signed the Instrument of Accession, his brother Prince Agha Abdul Karim launched an armed revolt in July 1948,…
(By Faraz Ahmed) The story of a banker who exposed 25,000 disappearances—and a film the government doesn’t want you to see A Film That Lasted 48 Hours On July 5, 2026, the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj quietly premiered on ZEE5. Within 48 hours, it was gone—removed from the platform in India without any official court order or FIR ….
(By Khalid Masood) Introduction “Pakistan will cut off those hands that seek to claim Islamabad’s water share.” This stark warning, delivered by Climate Change Minister Dr. Musadik Malik on June 30, 2026, marked a dramatic escalation in the simmering dispute between India and Pakistan over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Speaking at Pakistan’s first-ever international…
(By Khalid Masood) 1. Introduction The May 2026 exchange between Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) represents a dangerous escalation in declaratory policy between two nuclear-armed adversaries still recovering from the May 2025 Operation Sindoor crisis. Dwivedi’s warning that Pakistan must choose whether to remain “part of geography or…
(By Quratulain Khalid) The illusion of restraint in southern Lebanon has long since dissolved. Over the past months, documented Israel Lebanon conflict ceasefire violations have transformed a fragile truce into a sustained campaign of aerial bombardment, artillery strikes, and ground incursions. Despite repeated international calls for de-escalation, Israeli military operations have consistently expanded beyond declared…
(By Khalid Masood) In the pre-dawn darkness of March 18, 2026, Israeli warplanes violated Iranian airspace once again, launching a cowardly strike that murdered Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, alongside Basij Commander Gholamreza Soleimani and several brave defenders of the Islamic Republic. The blood of these martyrs stains not just the…
(By Khalid Masood) The last night (16-17 March 2026) airstrikes of Pakistan Air Force inside Afghanistan have sparked intense regional debate, with the Taliban government condemning the operations as violations of sovereignty and alleging civilian harm at protected sites. Yet, to view these strikes solely through the lens of diplomatic friction is to overlook the…
