Opinion

Iran’s Grip on the Strait of Hormuz Will Be Difficult to Break

04/05/2026
Asad Mirza The ongoing confrontation between Iran and the United States has brought renewed global attention to the Strait of Hormuz—a narrow maritime chokepoint vital to global energy flows. Despite superior Western military power, Iran’s ability to disrupt, control, and condition access to this corridor underscores a complex strategic reality that resists quick resolution. A large banne r displayed prominently in Tehran’s Enqelab Square, declaring that the Strait of Hormu...

China’s Failed Mediation in Afghanistan and Pakistan Conflict and Indian Options

03/05/2026
By Fatima Baloch In late March and early April 2026, Pakistani and Chinese media reported that China had brokered ceasefire talks between Pakistan and Taliban-led Afghanistan. Delegations from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China held informal, week-long discussions in Urumqi, the capital and largest city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, from April 1 to April 7, 2026. The meetings aimed to de-escalate tensions and address border security issues following the so...

Remembering Sarwanand Kaul Premi: A Poet, Patriot, and Martyr of Kashmir on His 36th Martyrdom Anniversary

30/04/2026
By Rohit Tikoo Hazaron saal nargis apni be-noori pe roti hai, Badi mushkil se hota hai chaman mein didavar paida. (For a thousand years, the narcissus weeps its own blindness; with great difficulty, a man of true vision is born into the garden.) — Mirza Ghalib Sarwanand Kaul Premi was one such rare visionary. Thirty-six years ago, terrorism cruelly took him and his son, Virender Kaul, from us. Their lives were extinguished not just for being taken, but for their unwaverin...

Pakistan’s Double Standards: Role as a Mediator in the U.S.–Israel–Iran Conflict and India’s Strategic Options?

25/04/2026
By Fatima Baloch On 11th April 2026, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB first publicly criticized Pakistan's role in mediating US–Iran peace talks, claiming on Telegram that talks failed due to "unreasonable" US demands despite Iran's 21-hour efforts. After this, Iran’s state-linked outlets Tasnim News Agency and Press TV began publicly accusing Army Chief General Asim Munir and Islamabad of bias toward the United States and mishandling mediation in the US–Iran talks around April 21–22, ...

The Traitor of Sindh and Indian Future Military Plans

24/04/2026
By Fatima Baloch Sindh is one of the oldest historical regions of South Asia, located along the Indus River. It is famous for ancient civilizations like Mohenjo-daro and has a long history of cultural, religious, and economic development. Over time, Sindh was ruled by various empires, including Arabs, Mughals, and local dynasties, and later became part of British India in 1843. Historically, Sindh was part of undivided India and had a significant Hindu economic presence. Notably, U...

Pope Leo vs President Trump

20/04/2026
Asad Mirza Pope Leo’s sharp criticism of war, sectarian manipulation and the political misuse of religion has cast fresh attention on the narratives shaping the US-Israel confrontation with Iran. Speaking in Cameroon, Africa, the pontiff warned against turning geopolitical rivalry into a civilisational struggle between Christianity and Islam, while also highlighting the dangers of deepening Shia-Sunni divisions. His remarks challenge strategic rhetoric that risks transforming a pol...

Iran’s Remarkable Resilience

20/04/2026
Asad Mirza As tensions intensify between Iran, Israel, and the United States, one thing has become increasingly clear: Iran has managed not only to respond to sustained pressure but to endure it far longer than many analysts had anticipated. In an era defined by advanced surveillance systems, sophisticated intelligence networks, and real-time strategic monitoring, it is difficult to argue that Iran’s capabilities or internal structures were a mystery to Western policymakers. The ...

A New Chapter in India’s Democratic Story: When Women Rise, the Nation Rises

17/04/2026
Er Priyanka Mahajan In the long arc of India’s democratic journey, there are moments that feel less like policy decisions and more like turning points in history. The enactment of the Women’s Reservation Bill—formally known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam—is one such moment. With its promise to reserve one-third of seats for women in legislatures, it signals not just political reform, but a quiet revolution. At the heart of this transformation stands our Prime Minister Narendra ...

The Elusive Peace Deal

13/04/2026
Asad Mirza As expected, the United States and Iran failed to reach a peace deal after high-stakes talks in the Pakistani capital, with American Vice President JD Vance saying Tehran refused to accept Washington’s terms after 21 hours of talks in Islamabad. And Iran citing lack of American commitment to the talks. The talks termed as ‘Islamabad Talks’, lasted a full day of negotiations, which ended with a terse three-minute press conference — and without a deal. Talks between America and...

Historical Vijeshwar Temple Bijbehara is in a deteriorating condition

01/04/2026
By Vijeshwar Devasthan Trust The image shows an old Vijeshwar Temple, historically known as Vijayeshwara structure that appears neglected—there’s visible damage to the upper portion, vegetation growing out of the walls, and the surrounding area looks unmaintained. It’s understandable to feel concerned seeing a heritage or religious site in such a state of Jammu and Kashmir. However, attributing the condition to a specific cause like terrorism. What can be said with confidence ...

Bab el-Mandeb May Prove To Be The Gate Of Tears

01/04/2026
Asad Mirza The war against Iran has threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertiliser shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices. The United States and Israel continue to strike Iran, whose retaliatory attacks have targeted Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states. More than 3,000 people have been killed. In this backdrop, the entry of Iranian-backed Houthi rebels the war, has increased concer...

‘No Kings’ Protests Symbolises Global Frustration With Trump

30/03/2026
Asad Mirza More than 3,000 ‘No Kings’ protests against the Trump administration were held across America and in more than a dozen countries on Saturday (March 27), according to a coalition of organisers that included “anti-authoritarian” groups - Indivisible and 50501, labour unions and other grassroots organisations. Saturday, March 27 protests were the third ‘No Kings’ protest against US President Donald Trump; the last one in October 2025 drew seven million people nationwide. A...

Pakistan is behind Arab suffering and Middle East Wars

30/03/2026
By Fatima Baloch Through its notorious “Buy America, Hire America” strategic Middle East policy, the United States has long engineered artificial security threats for Arab countries in the Middle East by pushing Arab nations to fight against one another, coercing them into seeking US military support, purchasing American weapons, and hiring US military services—often against their neighboring Arab states. By supporting Israel, the US intimidates Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, and the...

Pakistan’s Aggression Against Afghanistan and India’s Options

24/03/2026
By Fatima Baloch The USSR militarily intervened in Afghanistan in 1979, toppling President Mohammad Daoud Khan and installing a communist government under Babrak Karmal. In response, the United States and Saudi Arabia, under Pakistan’s supervision, brought together various Afghan factions, mostly tribal warlords, and labelled them the so-called Afghan mujahideen. They waged a decade-long proxy war in the interests of the U.S. and Pakistan that ultimately led to the Soviet withdrawal ...

Easing Sanctions On Iranian Oil - A Pragmatic Move?

23/03/2026
Asad Mirza The decision last week by the United States to temporarily ease sanctions on Iranian oil shipments already at sea sparked immediate reactions on social media. Apparently, the hasty American move is viewed by experts at cooling surging global energy prices amid the ongoing West Asia conflict. However, in the current scenario India stands to benefit from this move and it may ease the pressure a bit on the Indian demand side. The US decision to temporarily ease sanctions on ...

The Drum that woke my Ramadan

19/03/2026
By Afreen Jan Some of my earliest memories of Ramadan in Kashmir are not of food or gatherings, but of a sound. A soft yet steady beat of a drum echoing through the quiet lanes before dawn. As a child, I would often wake up to that sound while the valley was still wrapped in darkness. I remember lying in bed, half asleep, listening carefully as the rhythm slowly came closer to our street. It was Sahar Khan, walking through the neighbourhood to wake people up for Sehri. My mother would ...

Pakistan’s Crimes Against Muslims and Humanity

18/03/2026
By Fatima Baloch The demoralized Pakistan Army, struggling against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in Balochistan, has escalated its conflict with its western neighbor, Afghanistan. On 27 February 2026, it launched a full-scale military campaign, codenamed Operation Ghazab-e-Ilhaq, bombing major Afghan cities including Kabul, Kandahar, and Khost, destroying civilian infrastructure and killing innocent people. Pakista...

PoK under TTP and India’s Future Security Challenges

16/03/2026
By Fatima Baloch Whether it is India in the east, Taliban-led Afghanistan in the west, a religious jihadist ideological insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that is gradually engulfing Pakistan, or the secular Baloch national armed struggle seeking an independent Republic of Balochistan, Pakistan has opened multiple strategic fronts and is now facing grave security and existential threats. For India in particular, the situation carries serious implications. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)...

Iran’s 'Mosaic Defence' and ‘Fourth Successor’ Models

14/03/2026
Asad Mirza In the ongoing war against Iran by US and Israel two terms which have gained prominence are “Mosaic Defence” model of war tactics and “Fourth Successor” model of leadership, both of which have shown the success of the Iranian regime in the war, so far. As US-Israel versus Iran conflict intensifies, Iran’s decentralised “Mosaic Defence” and “Fourth Successor” layered leadership models ensure military operations persist despite leadership losses. The world first heard the t...

An Asymmetric War In Terms Of Costs

11/03/2026
Asad Mirza Recent US and Israeli operations against Iran and the latter’s retaliatory strikes have once again demonstrated the mathematics of modern air defence. Waves of Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones—crude, slow, and estimated to cost as little as $20,000 apiece—have in a number of exchanges forced the United States and several Gulf partners to expend their Patriot and SM-6 interceptors that cost millions of dollars each. During the ongoing Iran War interception rates have been ...

Gen Z Triumphs in Nepal, Falters in Bangladesh

11/03/2026
Asad Mirza During the last six months, there have been two political movements and subsequent elections in India’s immediate neighbourhood, which might have an impact on India’s regional aspirations and impact. These two movement and elections happened in Bangladesh and Nepal. Both were led by the young voters of the two countries, anxious for a change in the political leadership of their countries. But the results in both have been different. Let’s analyse the reasons for the same....

TTP-Led Pakistan and Future Indian Security Challenges

11/03/2026
By Fatima Baloch Whether it is India in the east, Afghan Taliban–led Afghanistan in the west, a religious jihadi ideological insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, or the secular Baloch national armed struggle for a secular Republic of Balochistan, Pakistan has opened multiple strategic fronts and is facing grave security and existential threats. For India in particular, the situation carries serious implications. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has expanded its operational focus into P...

Iran’s New Supreme Leader - Mojtaba Khamenei

09/03/2026
Asad Mirza Iran on Monday (March 9) named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as the supreme leader of Iran, signalling that hardliners remain firmly in charge. Iranian institutions and politicians, from the foreign ministry to lawmakers, issued statements expressing their allegiance to the country's new supreme leader as the war entered its 10th day and fresh missile and drone strikes reverberated across the Middle East. This has also resulted in the failure of th...

Unrest in Gilgit-Baltistan. A Warning Sign for Pakistan

08/03/2026
Dr Shabir Choudhry from London When crowds burn military headquarters, attack government offices, and defy curfew orders, the message is rarely about a distant geopolitical event alone. The recent unrest in Skardu and other parts of Gilgit-Baltistan may have been triggered by anger over developments in the Middle East, but the targets of the violence tell a deeper story. Beneath the immediate outrage lies a reservoir of long-standing political frustration in a region that remains...

War Against Iran, Is it a Religious War?

06/03/2026
Asad Mirza US and Israeli leaders are framing the ongoing conflict with Iran as a religious war primarily for domestic mobilisation, civilisational framing, and strategic narrative construction. While the US-Israel led war against Iran could primarily be described as the one which is aimed at reducing Iran, the only country in west Asia, as it is a direct threat to the American hegemony in the region. Most other countries in the region are under the direct or indirect influence of ...

Pakistan’s Objectiveless Military Aggression Against Afghanistan

05/03/2026
By Fatima Baloch Every military operation and war generally has certain strategic objectives. However, just like the 1965 war and the Kargil conflict, Pakistan’s military operations often lack clear strategic objectives during wartime. This frequently leads to failure, heavy military casualties, and embarrassment, and Pakistan continues this legacy both in external wars and in internal military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)...

Who After Ayatollah Khamenei?

03/03/2026
Asad Mirza The latest Israeli-US war on Iran began with airstrikes on the home and offices of the Late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Apparently, the strategy behind this stemmed from the wishful thinking that Khamenei’s sudden elimination would pose a dire threat to the current ruling system of Iran and after his elimination the country would be thrown in chaos. Further, these chaos would be exploited by anti-Iran elements present in the country to foment anti-government mass move...

Ripples of a Regional Conflagration

03/03/2026
Dr Shabir Choudhry From London The recent escalation in the Middle East has underscored a stark geopolitical truth: localised conflicts now have global reverberations. What began as shifting regional alignments in West Asia has rapidly evolved into a cascade of political, security, and societal effects — extending far beyond the immediate theatre of confrontation. Pakistan and the broader South Asian region are currently experiencing the early shockwaves of this unfolding crisis. ...

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: End of an era

01/03/2026
Asad Mirza Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (1939–2026), the second Supreme Leader of Iran, was killed on February 28, 2026, during coordinated US and Israeli airstrikes on Tehran. His death was confirmed by the Iranian state media on March 1, 2026, following an initial announcement by US President Donald Trump. Khamenei was killed at his office in a joint operation known as "Operation Epic Fury". Several other high-ranking officials, including the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guar...

Israeli-American attack on Iran:A prelude to the destruction of the Middle East

01/03/2026
Asad Mirza The latest attacks by Iran and Israel on each other heralds a horrific and decisive phase in the verbal duel between the two. It is no longer just a traditional fight of words between two countries, but is leading to a permanent change in the geographical and political map of the Middle East. 1. From historical background to direct confrontation For almost four decades, Israel and Iran have fought a "shadow war" against each other, which included cyber-attacks, targeted ...