Afghanistan: Amid Politics and Sports

In light of the controversy over the cancellation of a cricket series between Australia and Afghanistan, it is crucial to ask whether sports are truly apolitical or if their non-political nature is only a concession to the world\’s most powerful lobbies.
Terrorism in Pakistan: The Indian Footprint

Without unanimity among the Pak-Afghan-India trio on what should account for a peaceful vision for the future, the region would continue to suffer, with its people repeatedly sacrificed on the altar of long-standing geopolitical rivalries.
Surrender In Dhaka: The Eastern Front

Soon after the start of the civil war in East Pakistan in March 1971, Indira Gandhi consulted her army chief, Gen. Manekshaw, about a military campaign in East Pakistan. Manekshaw stated that the Indian army was not prepared for an offensive operation in East Pakistan or for the inevitable Pakistani military counterthrust in West Pakistan […]
Ayub Khan’s Ouster by the Yahya-Mujib-Bhutto Trio

Bhutto had called Ayub Khan “daddy” at one point in his life, and Ayub had engineered Bhutto’s meteoric rise, but the two fell out in the aftermath of the 1965 war.
Rise of Mujib and The Agartala Conspiracy

In 1965, Sheikh Mujib visited India and met Indian officials. He also had a meeting with some dissident Bengali officials, in which he encouraged them to continue their anti-Pakistan activities. Thus was born the Agartala conspiracy.
Elections and War in 1965

1965 was a watershed year for Pakistan. In it, a highly charged election was contested, in which Ayub Khan won office but lost his reputation and legitimacy in most of the country’s eyes. Then the war of 1965 tested the established military doctrines, which we found wanting.
Language Agitation in East Bengal

Iqbal, Pakistan’s supposed ideologue, rejected language, race, or land as a basis for nationhood and advocated Islam as the primary basis for the yet-to-be-born Pakistan.
Role of Muslim Bengal in the Pakistan Independence Movement

To understand the role of Bengal in the history of India and Pakistan in general and in the independence movement in particular, it has to be understood that Bengal’s role has been greatly influenced by its unique geography, demography, cultural shifts, and history.
Pakistan Embassy Attack Kabul: A Perspective

If the attack on the Pakistani embassy in Kabul is any indication, there is no other option for the leadership in the two countries than to adopt a people-centric approach to prevent the region\’s descent into chaos.
The HIV Epidemic: Pakistan in Review

In view of the worrisome number of new cases of HIV in Pakistan this year and outbreaks that have been previously reported in Pakistan, there is an increased likelihood that HIV may continue to spread if appropriate preventive measures are not executed successfully.