(By Khalid Masood) Every year on July 13, Kashmir Martyrs’ Day (Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Kashmir) is solemnly observed across Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and by Kashmiris worldwide to honor the 21 martyrs killed by Dogra forces outside Srinagar Central Jail in 1931. This day marks a pivotal moment in the Kashmiri struggle for freedom, symbolizing resistance…
(Quratulain Khalid) The death of Humaira Asghar Ali, a 32-year-old Pakistani actress, model, and visual artist, in her Karachi apartment in July 2025 or earlier, sent shockwaves through Pakistan’s entertainment industry and sparked a national conversation about isolation, family dynamics, mental health, and the ethics of media coverage. Found in an advanced state of decomposition…
(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…
(By Khalid Masood) Rare earth elements (REEs), a group of 17 chemically similar metals including neodymium, dysprosium, and lanthanum, are pivotal to the global high-tech, green energy, and defence sectors. From smartphones and electric vehicle (EV) batteries to wind turbines and precision-guided missiles, these minerals underpin modern technology and the transition to a low-carbon economy….
(By Khalid Masood) On the night of 10 to 11 July 2025, the N70 highway in Balochistan’s Zhob district became the site of a chilling act of violence. Armed militants intercepted two Lahore-bound passenger buses, checked passengers’ computerized national identity cards (CNICs), and singled out nine individuals of Punjabi origin. These victims were abducted and…
(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 Khalid Masood) In the rugged terrain of Kashmir on 11 May 2025, a Bayraktar TB2 drone, cruising at 18,000 feet, pinpointed four Indian Bofors howitzers targeting Pakistani positions. Within minutes, laser-guided MAM-L munitions delivered surgical strikes, neutralising the threat. Simultaneously, a Wing Loong II, orbiting at 30,000 feet, streamed real-time imagery to the Air…
(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 Khalid Masood) On 7 July 2025, during his address to the graduating officers of the National Security and War Course at the National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), delivered a clear and resolute message. He noted that India’s inability to achieve its stated military…
