Perspectives: Diverse Voices on Pressing Issues

Pakistan’s Heritage and Rights Ethos: Unlocking Cultural Diplomacy

Muhammad Yousaf Ilyas December 1, 2025

Pakistan’s diverse cultural heritage, from the hospitality of Pashtunwali and Sufi music in Sindh to folk traditions in Punjab, Balochistan, and Gilgit–Baltistan, reflects an enduring rights-based ethos. These living practices promote dignity, justice, and social inclusion. By integrating these traditions into cultural diplomacy, Pakistan can showcase its soft power while supporting custodians of heritage, artisans, and local communities.

The New Cold War: How Rare Earth Metals Are Rewriting Global Power

Mahjabeen Aamir November 27, 2025

Rare earth metals have become the backbone of modern military power and clean-energy technology. As China dominates nearly every stage of the REE supply chain, Western states scramble to secure alternatives, transforming mineral access into the defining battleground of a new global Cold War.

Dividend or Disaster? Why India’s Population Policy Needs a Jobs-first Approach

Ashutosh Gupta November 24, 2025

India’s youthful demographic profile presents enormous opportunities, but only if the country can generate enough quality jobs. While the Economic Survey 2024 highlights improvements in labour participation and unemployment, deeper structural issues persist, including informal work, regional disparities, and gender gaps. A jobs-first approach is essential to convert India’s demographic advantage into real and sustained economic gains.

FILE PHOTO: Taliban leaders attend the first-anniversary ceremony of the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2022. REUTERS/Ali Khara

Sharia Absolutism at Home, Realpolitik Abroad

Amna Hassan November 20, 2025

The Taliban govern through a stark duality: rigid Sharia enforcement at home paired with flexible, interest-driven diplomacy abroad. Domestically, religion is used to silence women, suppress dissent, and mask governance failures. Yet the same regime that polices Afghan society with severity adopts a pragmatic tone toward India, Russia, and the TTP. This selective morality reflects political survival rather than theology, with lasting implications for Afghanistan and the wider region.

Media Narratives and National Security: How Public Opinion Is Shaped in Times of Crisis

Sardar Sheheryar Khan November 18, 2025

During regional crises, including the Pahalgam incident and border clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, Pakistani media’s factual reporting counters Indian propaganda and Taliban disinformation. By emphasizing evidence, diplomacy, and restraint, it strengthens national security and shapes public perception in South Asia.

Modern Platforms, Evolving Doctrine

Dan Qayyum November 17, 2025

The Gulf’s air-power evolution is increasingly shaped by the fusion of advanced platforms with modern doctrine and faster decision cycles. As regional forces adapt to complex threat environments, partners like Pakistan, whose operational experience spans multiple domains, are becoming part of the broader conversation on future air-power thinking.

Zohran Mamdani calls out Modi and Netanyahu as war criminals, linking Gujarat 2002 and Gaza, and demands global justice and accountability.

Zohran Mamdani Stands Up for Justice: Holding Modi and Netanyahu Accountable

Farwa Imtiaz November 13, 2025

Zohran Mamdani, a rising progressive voice in the U.S., has boldly equated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with war crimes. Drawing on global principles like the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and ICC indictments, Mamdani challenges the immunity of influential leaders and advocates for accountability for mass atrocities in Gujarat (2002) and Gaza.

How Pakistan can Benefit from the World Bank’s New Nuclear Policy

Hira Bashir November 13, 2025

The World Bank’s decision to lift its decades-old ban on nuclear energy financing marks a turning point for developing nations. For Pakistan, this policy shift offers a rare opportunity to tackle its chronic energy crisis through clean, affordable, and reliable nuclear power. By aligning with the IAEA’s safety standards, engaging with World Bank institutions like IFC and MIGA, and integrating nuclear expansion into its national climate goals, Pakistan can position itself at the forefront of sustainable energy transformation.

Why Kabul’s Trade Boycott Hurts Itself More Than Pakistan

Haleema Khalid November 12, 2025

Afghanistan’s bid to pivot trade away from Pakistan after the October 2025 closures reveals the limits of sovereignty without geography. Islamabad’s leverage remains structural, grounded in security and logistics, not coercion.

The End of Dollar Dominance: How Gold is Rewriting the Rules of Global Finance

Prof. (Dr.) Akhilesh Chandra Prabhakar November 10, 2025

After nearly eight decades of U.S. dollar supremacy, the global financial order is entering a historic transition. As nations seek refuge from debt crises, sanctions, and monetary manipulation, gold is regaining its status as the world’s most trusted store of value. Led by China’s strategic accumulation and supported by a worldwide shift toward de-dollarisation, this transformation signals the birth of a multipolar, asset-backed financial era, one anchored not in promises, but in tangible wealth.

South Asia Times

Perspectives