Pakistan’s Religious Right
Pakistan has a legacy of religious, political and societal influences from the greater Middle East, Central and South Asia and the British raj. These are reinforced by the challenges of state and nation-building in 21st Century; further accentuated by the onslaught of social media and an ever-agitating street. It was the religion and nationalism ‘combine’ […]
The Unfinished Work of Independence
Tomorrow, Pakistan will mark seventy-nine years of independence.The green and white flag will rise over homes, schools, government buildings and public squares. Patriotic songs will fill the air. Streets will wear the colors of celebration, and a new generation, born decades after Partition, will celebrate a country they have always known. But before the ceremonies […]
Five Years On, Afghanistan Is Still in Survival Mode
Five years after the Taliban returned to Kabul, Afghanistan is no longer facing the same nationwide war that defined much of the previous two decades. Yet for millions of Afghans, the end of large-scale conflict has not translated into a life of security or dignity. Hunger, poverty, weak healthcare and restrictions on women continue to […]
Pakistan Condemns Colombia’s Recognition of Israeli Sovereignty Over Occupied Syrian Golan Heights
Colombia’s decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights marks a troubling milestone in the erosion of international consensus on territorial occupation. With this move, Bogota becomes only the second UN member state, after the United States in 2019, to formally break from the near universal position that the Golan remains occupied […]
Taliban Rule at Five: What Changed, What Didn’t
The promises and expectations attached to the Taliban since February 29, 2020, when Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signed the Doha Agreement, largely disappeared after the group took control of Kabul on 15 August 2021. The international community, especially neighbouring countries, expected a similar code of conduct to that followed […]
Startup Pakistan: Venture Capital Trends in 2026
Pakistan’s startup industry has improved in 2026 after being affected sharply in 2023–2024 due to macroeconomic instability. Today, the main concern is the nature of the recovery rather than prominent funding figures. After the industry’s decline in recent years, investors are returning selectively rather than flooding the market as they did during the 2021–2022 period. […]
Subverted From Within
India does not need to send agents into Azad Jammu and Kashmir to destabilise. It needs only to wait for administrative failures to produce a grievance, position its information apparatus to capture that grievance before the state can respond to it and reframe a dispute about flour subsidies as evidence of oppression. That is precisely […]
Kashmir’s Curfew Generation: A Seven-Year Portrait
Six years after India stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status on August 5, 2019, the region remains caught in a state of stability and instability. It is caught between deeper constitutional ties to India, ongoing political push back, and an international dispute that has yet to end. When New Delhi scrapped Articles 370 […]
The White in Pakistan’s Flag
There is a detail in Pakistan’s flag that millions see, few question, and fewer still know the story behind. Every August, as the green and white flag is raised across government buildings, schools, homes and streets, attention naturally falls on the crescent, the star and the deep green field. But along one edge of that […]