For more than six decades, the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), signed in 1960 between Pakistan and India, remained as one of the most enduring transboundary water-sharing agreements in the world. Despite multiple wars, political crises, and prolonged periods of bilateral hostility, the treaty largely continued to govern the allocation and management of the waters of the Indus Basin
Pakistan’s annual budget is more than a fiscal document; it is a reflection of the country’s structural economic constraints, political choices, and shifting development priorities. The tension between fiscal survival and meaningful economic reform has become increasingly pronounced amid rising debt servicing obligations, limited fiscal space, and recurring dependence on external financing. In this context, budget-making often appears reactive—focused on stabilisation and compliance with short-term macroeconomic targets—rather than transformative, aimed at broad-based productivity, institutional reform, and sustainable growth.
The world is witnessing the collapse of the Western order, if not the emergence of an alternative one. The idea of ‘West’ as against the rest is still at the root of contemporary understanding of world politics. Georgios Varouxakis, a remarkable voice on Modernity and Nationalism, has provided the historical origins and modern connotations attached with the idea of ‘West’. In his book ‘The West: The History of an Idea’, Varouxakis has argued that the West is not an eternal entity, rather it is a modern socio-political construct that emerged in the political philosophy of the early 19th century and evolved with the passage of time. The book provides an in-depth historical analysis of the idea to determine the roots of its modern interpretation.
Space has emerged as a distinct domain of warfare alongside land, sea, air, and cyber. Developed countries like the United States, Russia, and China possess offensive and support capabilities in space. In the shadowed expanse of Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where satellites operate like silent custodians, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine transformed the nature of modern conflict. As Russian troops marched forward, the commercial satellites like Maxar and Planet, which are operated by Western firms, captured high-resolution imagery of Russian troops, providing real-time intelligence to Ukrainian commanders, unlike ever before.
Zahra Niazi ‘States tend to overestimate themselves or the benefits and swiftness of war, and to underestimate their opponents’ capabilities, intentions, or the costs and duration of war.’ If anything, the 2026 war initiated by the United States and Israel against Iran shall be remembered in the annals of warfare among the most visible manifestations of this dynamic. The war, immediately preceded by the January mass protests in Iran, did not represent a sudden rupture but rather the continuation of a 47-year-long confrontation and a more intense phase of the June 2025 war. The US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, defined the war’s objectives as being laser-focused: to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities and its security infrastructure, while ensuring that it could never develop nuclear weapons. Beyond these stated objectives, among the priorities on the continuum also lay the objective of regime change, with both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu explicitly calling on the Iranian population to take over the government at the outset of the war.
On 7th May 2025, Pakistan’s military forces took the international security community by surprise when it demonstrated operational superiority against its larger belligerent adversary India with its rapid and coordinated response. The Four-Day conflict proved to be a watershed moment for Pakistan, marking its rapid emergence as an important player in the region. In recent years, amidst the ongoing global competition between the United States and China, Islamabad has adopted a position of ’Strategic Balancing,’ where it maintains ties of cooperation with both Beijing and Washington. Deft diplomacy, emphasis on geo-economics, and credible conventional and strategic deterrence have remained the foundational pillars for Pakistan’s ambition as a rising middle power
Air defense has always been a central aspect of warfare. In South Asia, the phenomenon carries immense significance due to compressed reaction times. In this context, one of the most-hyped systems is the Russian-made S-400, touted by New Delhi as a one-stop solution to counter aerial threats from both Pakistan and China. The 2025 conflict between India and Pakistan marked an important chapter in testing the S-400 technology. The conflict began on May 7, when India attacked what it alleged were terrorist targets in both Pakistani-held Kashmir and Pakistan proper, using drone and missile strikes. The conflict lasted for four days, culminating in a U.S-facilitated ceasefire. However, the brief conflict debunked a lot of the myths regarding the S-400 technology. First, India claimed that the mobile S-400 would be able to control Pakistan’s airspace. In contrast, Pakistani aircraft continued to operate freely, according to official briefings by the Pakistani military. Although the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft were in their own airspace, they were still within the air defense range.
Recent global developments—including geopolitical tensions, energy crises, and shifting power dynamics—have intensified discussions around nuclear capability. After the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the US-Israel-Iran war, nations are increasingly evaluating nuclear technology not only as a strategic defense mechanism but also as a reliable and large-scale energy source. These developments have brought nuclear capability back to the forefront of international debate. The dual-use nature of nuclear capability—serving both military and civilian purposes—makes it a critical area of analysis. The ongoing war on Iran has introduced significant uncertainty into the future of Iran’s nuclear trajectory, particularly regarding
On 7 May 2025, 114 combat aircraft clashed in what has been described as one of the largest beyond visual range (BVR) air engagements since WWII During the 52-minute aerial battle triggered by India's Operation Sindoor, traditional visual confirmation of kills became difficult. Missile impacts occurred at unprecedented ranges from 160 km to 190 km, often beyond the horizon, while claims and counter-claims continued to spread rapidly across social media platforms, amplified by unverified facts and AI-produced imageries. Amid this torrent of conflicting claims, determining what actually happened was as disputed as the battle itself. Amidst this fog of confusion, Pakistan's clear and unambiguous claims backed by published evidence as well as openness to independent verification provided a welcome breath of clarity. As the prevalence of BVR battles increases and the spread of disinformation continues to outpace verified data in shaping both domestic opinion and international perceptions
The tale of how the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) entered the era of Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air combat spanned decades before it came to its culmination on the night of 7 May 2025. For almost 50 years after partition, the PAF and IAF engaged each other in close-distance dogfights. Pilots would often recognize the tail markings on the fighter aircraft they were attempting to shoot down with their short-range guns and heat-seeking missiles. As such, all aerial engagements during the wars of 1965 and 1971 were conducted within visual range. The technological enablers for BVR engagements and corresponding doctrines did not develop in South Asia until the 2000s. In BVR air combat, the first one to see, lock on, and fire their missiles wins the engagement. Initially, the IAF had the ‘First Look, First Shot’ advantage. PAF’s fighter aircraft were capable but carried missiles with limited range, hindering effective long-range engagements
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