Author: Ayesha Shaikh

The ongoing conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan is also rooted in colonial divides and the incomplete American project in Afghanistan. The 2640 km long Durand line, between the two states, has a long history ingrained in political contention and geographical challenges. However, the solution to this contention lies beyond historical shadows and conventional tactics of border management. The legal foundation of the Durand Line is based on the agreement reached between the representative of the Imperial British colony in the subcontinent, Sir Mortimer Durand, and the Emir of Afghanistan, Abdur Rahman Khan, on 12 November 1893. However, the legal foundation faced contention from the Afghan side in 1947, as soon as the Radcliffe award announced the contours of the decolonised state of Pakistan. The

In the world governed by the nation-state system, Air power is considered to be an eminent symbol of national pride. The ability of a nation-state to develop air power by indigenous means signifies technological superiority of a state. In this context, India has ardently been promoting the self-construed narrative of indigenous defence production. The aim of this narrative propagation is two-fold: firstly, to promote Indian defence exports, and secondly, to immunise India from excessive dependence on foreign defence imports. However, the narrative seems to be falling upon its own foundations, reflected in the absence of Tejas in the Republic Day Parade of 2026. The Republic Day Parade is a national symbol for the glorification of the defence and military capabilities of any state. Indian Republic Day Parade

In an annual bid to review U.S.-China relations, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s (USCC) report for the year 2024-25 has overplayed the role of China in the Indo-Pak conflict of May 2025 to play down Pakistan’s Sovereign victory.

There was a time when, during the extension Margalla Road in Islamabad had bend to go around old trees. However, the city that was once known for its ability to conserve greenery and blooms every season is now under the spell of massive tree-massacre and bonsai plantations. The year 2025 brought along hailstorms and cloud bursts for the calm and scenic city of Islamabad. These extreme weather events are nature’s way of manifesting its discontent towards the disruptive practices of tree-slaughter and dwarfed cultivation in the region. The phenomenon indicates governance inadequacies, and nature is not the only one discontent with it.

In an annual bid to review U.S.-China relations, the U.S.-China Economic…