India increasing engagement with Afghanistan The Excelsior 09 Oct 2025 The visit of the Taliban interim foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, to India this week will be closely watched across the region as it would bring India-Afghan relations, quietly nurtured over the years, into the open. In Jan this year, the Indian foreign secretary, Vikram Misri had met Muttaqi […]
How Trump trapped Pakistan into the Gaza peace plan First Post 07 Oct 2025 Shehbaz Sharief and failed marshal Asim Munir celebrated their recent visit to Washington and meeting Donald Trump as a sign of increased bonhomie between Islamabad and Washington, unaware as to why they were entertained by Trump. Reality dawned with the release of the Gaza peace plan […]
Many questions on protests in Ladakh The Statesman 07 Oct 2025 The arrest of Sonam Wangchuk brings to an end the sordid drama of violence in Ladakh. Violence erupted in Ladakh on 24th Sept as some who were involved in Sonam Wangchuk led hunger strike were shifted to hospital. Wangchuk, the face behind ongoing protests, termed the violence as […]
Trump’s Sharif-Munir photo-op may sway Pakistanis, but can’t forge enduring ties First Post 30 Sep 2025 Against all norms the Trump-Sharief meeting conducted in the White House was closed to the press. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State, Marc Rubio, were present. From Pakistan’s side Shehbaz Sharief was accompanied by the army chief, failed marshal Asim Munir. […]
Dealing with sensitive Ladakh The Excelsior 27 Sep 2025 A day after violence in Ladakh, the government dispatched a special envoy to the region, while a team of six negotiators including three each from Leh and Kargil flew to Delhi for talks. Thupstan Chhewang, the Chairman of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), stated, ‘An official of the Centre has […]
Preparing for theatre commands: Joint military stations Amar Ujala 23 Sep 2025 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared 2025 as the year of reforms. A press release issued by the MoD on 01 Jan this year mentioned that reforms would aim at, ‘transforming the Armed Forces into a technologically-advanced combat-ready force capable of multi-domain integrated operations.’ It added that this […]
Will Pak- Saudi pact impact India The Statesman 23 Sept 2025 The killing of Jamaal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 led to Riyadh facing global flak. US President Biden, promised to hold Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accountable. Everything changed a year later when the US began courting Riyadh to stem the Chinese challenge to […]
India’s delicate balancing of US, Russia and China ties reflects political realism First Post 17 Sep 2025 Photographs of Putin, Xi and Modi walking, smiling and conversing throughout the SCO summit is haunting Washington as never before. US political commentator Van Jones mentioned, ‘the image of Xi Jinping with Putin, with Modi from India, with the leader of Iran, […]
Nepal in a crisis The Excelsior 17 Sep 2025 The Gen Z protests in Nepal, which left over 30 dead, hundreds injured also resulted in political upheaval, with the government resigning and the army taking control of security of the state. Led by youth, supported by members of the opposition as also youth friendly leaders like Sudan Gurung, President […]
South Asian protests follow a common trajectory The Statesman 16 Sep 2025 The Gen Z uprising in Nepal led to the overthrow of the Oli regime in just two days. In its wake it left over 30 dead and hundreds injured. The houses of many politicians were torched while some senior members of the government, manhandled. Democratic institutions, including […]