Khamenei’s funeral: Iran’s strategic messaging Raksha Anirveda 13 Jul 2026 The carefully choreographed week-long funeral of Ayatollah Khamenei, killed in US-Israeli airstrikes on Feb 28, was a message to the world of unity and solidarity within Iran. The gathering of his supporters was possibly the largest seen in the globe in recent times. While estimates of numbers have varied, […]
Four years on, Agniveers future hangs in balance The Statesman 14 Jul 2026 The Agnipath scheme, launched in 2022, began the process of inducting its first batch of Agniveers at end of the same year, continuing into early 2023. They finish their service around end this year, after which they will be discharged with a Rs 11.71 lakh ‘Seva […]
Controlling the air space over the TBA CLAWS Issue Brief 10 Jul 2026 Introduction Nature of conduct of war is changing with induction of technology and AI. Weapon systems have enhanced lethality, accuracy and range, while detection capabilities are improving, thereby making survivability of weapon platforms in the combat zone challenging. The battle zone is being saturated with Unmanned […]
Track dialogue: India should avoid talks with Pakistan Raksha Anirveda 07 Jul 2026 The Pak Express Tribune last week published a column mentioning that India and Pakistan had engaged in a Track 1.5 dialogue involving former diplomats, retired military officials and politicians. They claimed it was held on the sidelines of the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ (IISS) annual […]
Another protest, a similar script The Statesman 07 Jun 2026 A successful film will always have a sequel, with directors hoping that the public responds in a similar manner as with the original. The same can be true for politics also. A sequel to the Anna Hazare protest is currently ongoing at Jantar Mantar led by the Cockroach Janta […]
US-Iran talks the Excelsior 07 Jun 2026 The US seeks everything in a hurry, unwilling to understand that others do not follow the same timetable. This desperation of the US is justified because every administration looks at its own term in office, ignoring long-term interests. This is Trump’s last tenure and about 18 months have already elapsed. If any […]
The ugly incident in Kishtwar The Excelsior 01 Jul 2026 The recent army-civil administration clash in Kishtwar could have been avoided had parties involved displayed maturity. A small incident, especially when egos of individuals are involved, can damage carefully built working relations between institutions. Kishtwar is a region prone to terrorist incidents and hence is essential that all government […]
Pakistan plays to its internal audience The Statesman 30 Jun 2026 Speaking as the co-chair at the Arria-formula meeting of the Security Council on ‘Bridging the Implementation Gap: Security Council Resolutions and the Maintenance of International Peace and Security,’ Pakistan’s permanent member to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, raised Kashmir, as expected. He reiterated Pakistan’s standard cry for self-determination […]
The role of narratives in the Iran conflict Raksha Anirveda 25 Jun 2026 The US missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary and girls’ elementary school in Minab in Southern Iran on the first day of the war on 28th Feb resulted in 168 casualties, predominantly schoolgirls between the ages of 7 and 12, while many more were wounded. […]
Has Trump scuppered Israel’s W Asia plans? The Statesman 23 Jun 2026 It was Netanyahu who pushed Trump into the Iran conflict promising multiple gains, including regime change, degradation of the IRGC and surrender of Iran with just a short and swift bombing campaign. He did this when talks in Geneva were progressing smoothly and Iran had almost agreed […]