South Asia

The US Report on Pakistan’s May Win

The US Report on Pakistan’s May Win

The USCC’s 2025 report delivered a rare moment of clarity in South Asian geopolitics. By openly describing Pakistan’s military success over India, the Commission broke with years of cautious Western language and confirmed a shift many analysts had only hinted at. The report’s wording, and the global reactions that followed, mark a turning point in how the 2025 clash is being understood.

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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

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.

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A sharp examination of how the Taliban evolved into a rentier insurgency, financing their rule through smuggling networks, geopolitical manipulation, and strategic pivots from Pakistan to India, revealing the economic logic behind their survival.

The Rentier Insurgency

The Taliban’s recent outreach to India marks more than a diplomatic shift—it exposes the economic engine that has driven their power for three decades. From exploiting the Afghan Transit Trade in the 1990s to monetising ties with al-Qaeda and now courting New Delhi, the Taliban have mastered the art of rentier insurgency. Their survival has never depended on developing Afghanistan’s economy, but on extracting revenue from regional rivalries and geopolitical anxieties. As Pakistan clamps down on smuggling routes that once bankrolled the movement, the Taliban have turned to India in search of their next patron.

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India’s Broadcasting Advisory and the Crisis of Media Credibility

India’s Broadcasting Advisory and the Crisis of Media Credibility

The Red Fort blast and the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting’s subsequent advisory have reignited debate on India’s declining media standards. Sensationalism, unverified claims, and AI-driven misinformation overshadowed responsible reporting, revealing a deeper structural crisis within Indian journalism and its growing vulnerability to political influence.

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Digital Deception

Digital Deception

The viral video alleging to show a Delhi blast suspect has sparked renewed debate on AI-driven disinformation. Forensic inconsistencies, ideological distortions, and the Indian media’s rush to broadcast the clip suggest a manufactured narrative aimed at securitizing Kashmiri identity and reshaping public perception through synthetic reality.

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The Tragedy of the Boat: Awami League’s Rise and Fall

The Tragedy of the Boat: Awami League’s Rise and Fall

The rise and fall of the Awami League is a story of nationalism turned inward, power hardened into authoritarianism, and a political movement ultimately consumed by the very forces it once harnessed. From its separatist origins in the 1960s to the iron-fisted rule of Sheikh Hasina, the party’s arc ends with an extraordinary reversal: the International Crimes Tribunal sentencing Hasina to death in absentia. The party that delivered independence now stands condemned, morally, legally, and historically, under the weight of its own contradictions and its fateful overreliance on India.

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Narrative by Design: Al Jazeera’s Editorial Tilt on the Pakistan–TTP Conflict

Narrative by Design: Al Jazeera’s Editorial Tilt on the Pakistan–TTP Conflict

Al Jazeera’s reputation for alternative journalism contrasts sharply with its recent reporting on Pakistan’s conflict with the TTP and tensions with the Afghan Taliban. A close review shows consistent editorial choices that soften the Taliban’s image, reframe terrorist violence as resistance, and cast Pakistan’s counter-terrorism actions as aggression—ultimately reshaping the narrative in Kabul’s favour.

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