South Asia - South Asia Times

Pakistan’s Defence Modernization: Between Sovereignty and Strategic Synergy

Sultan Mehmood Hali September 20, 2025

Pakistan’s defence modernization reflects a shift from dependence on foreign suppliers to indigenous innovation, marked by platforms like the JF-17 Thunder, Al-Khalid tank, and indigenous UAVs. While partnerships with China and Turkey remain vital, the future hinges on balancing sovereignty, economic constraints, and strategic sustainability. The challenge is not only to build power but to wield it wisely.

Trump’s H1B Policy: Consequences for India

SAT Editorial Desk September 20, 2025

A new Trump executive order imposing a $100,000 annual fee on H1B visas marks more than a shift in U.S. immigration policy, it is a geopolitical act with lasting consequences. While American firms may adapt, India faces structural damage.

Bagram: The Empire’s Airfield

SAT Editorial Desk September 19, 2025

Bagram Airbase was the nerve center of America’s two-decade war in Afghanistan and a unique strategic vantage point at the crossroads of South, Central, and West Asia. Its loss created a void in US power projection that over-the-horizon operations cannot fill.

Institutionalizing Collective Defense: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the Region’s Future

SAT Editorial Desk September 18, 2025

The Pakistan-Saudi Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement marks a historic shift from informal cooperation to a binding security alliance. Anchored in collective defense and deterrence, the pact reshapes Gulf security, challenges reliance on Western guarantees, and positions Islamabad as a formal net security provider in the region.

Framing the Enemy: Modi, Bollywood and the Battle of Narratives

Javeria Tanwir September 17, 2025

Bollywood has become a powerful weapon in India’s information warfare, reshaping narratives on Pakistan, Kashmir, and Islam through propaganda-driven blockbusters. Under Modi’s BJP, cinema is being used to rewrite history, fuel nationalism, and normalize Islamophobia, raising serious concerns for regional peace and stability.

Cloud Burst and Calamities: Exploring Pakistan New Environmental

Cloud Burst and Calamities: Exploring Pakistan’s New Environmental Reality

Aiza Jaffery September 17, 2025

Pakistan is facing a new environmental reality where floods, glacier melts, and devastating cloudbursts are no longer rare but routine. Despite contributing less than 1% of global emissions, the country bears the brunt of climate change, with fragile infrastructure and limited resources leaving millions vulnerable to recurring disasters.

Multilateralism in Crisis: Pakistan’s Call for Collective Islamic Security

SAT Commentary September 16, 2025

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Pakistan’s Deputy PM Ishaq Dar declared the UN system broken and urged the Muslim world to move from words to action. He called for an Islamic security roadmap, highlighted Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence, and issued red lines on India and Afghanistan.

The Unholy War: Religious Consensus Against Insurgency in Pakistan

SAT Editorial Desk September 15, 2025

For two decades, Pakistan has endured TTP-led violence. Now, a rare consensus among Deobandi, Barelvi, and Ahl-e-Hadith scholars delegitimizes the insurgency and redefines jihad versus rebellion.

Pakistan’s Gaza dilemma: capability without viability. Can it disrupt Israel’s siege without collapsing internally?

Zionism, Gaza, and the Crisis of Civilisation: Pakistan, Gaza, and the Architecture of Muslim Strategy

Abdul Munim September 14, 2025

Pakistan has the military capacity to challenge Israel’s siege on Gaza, but not the strategic insulation of Iran. Its real role is not war posturing but disrupting the default — building structures, alliances, and deterrence frameworks that restore coherence to a fragmented Muslim world.

Pakistan and the TTP: Why Peace Talks Are a Strategic Mistake

SAT Editorial Desk September 13, 2025

Pakistan is once again at a critical juncture in its war against terrorism. A resurgent Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has intensified its attacks, posing a severe