This issue brief explores whether Pakistan can evolve from a traditional “security contractor” into West Asia’s net security stabiliser. The September 17, 2025, Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement marks a pivotal moment, formalising decades of military cooperation between the two countries. Historically, Pakistan has trained Gulf forces, guarded monarchies, and provided military personnel, often in transactional arrangements....
The Jatiya Nagorik Party (JNP)— born out of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) movement, that steered the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh— is seeking to break the decades-long dominance of the Awami League and BNP, and advocating for a Second Republic through constitutional reform and centrist, pluralist governance. As it navigates entrenched power structures and competing opposition forces, it faces both great promise and uncertain challenges in its quest to reshape the nation’s political future.
Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, balances economic ties with China while asserting its sovereignty amid tensions in the South China Sea. China's maritime claims and illegal fishing in Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the....
Dr Imran Khurshid's Article on "India-US relations under strain: What went wrong from ‘Namaste Trump’ to strategic turbulence" published in BLiTZ on 13 August 2025.
Despite unprecedented outreach by Prime Minister Modi, India–US ties are under strain—not due to New Delhi’s actions, but because of Donald Trump’s erratic diplomacy and strategic disregard.
Dr Imran Khurshid's Article on India, the Quad, and China’s Shadow: Building a Coherent Indo-Pacific Strategy published in The Diplomat.
The Quad must evolve from rhetoric to action with a unified strategy that fully integrates India and counters China’s multifront challenge across trade, tech, and security.
Mr Harsh Pandey's Article on How Do Cyprus and Croatia Fit Into India’s Europe Strategy? published in The Diplomat, Dated June 27, 2025.
Dr. Imran Khurshid's Article on published in Eurasian Times on dated June 20, 2025.
A new trilateral axis is quietly taking shape on India’s doorstep, challenging existing strategic equations. Its cooperative veneer belies deeper ambitions that may disrupt South Asia’s fragile stability.
The comment analyses Bangladesh’s political transition following Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August 2024 and the rise of an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus. It critiques democratic backsliding, human rights abuses, Islamist resurgence, economic fragility, and strained regional ties, highlighting the urgent need for inclusive....
This comment analyses well-known Pakistani columnist Suhail Warraich’s positive portrayal of Pakistan’s military leadership—from endorsing the Bajwa-Faiz hybrid regime in 2019 to idealizing Asim Munir as a pro-democracy figure in 2025. It critiques media-military dynamics and highlights Pakistan’s personality-driven political culture over institutional reform.
The comment critiques Washington’s strategic tilt toward Pakistan. It argues that it undermines democracy, emboldens military dominance, and jeopardizes India–U.S. relations. It highlights Imran Khan’s imprisonment, selective tariffs, and counterterrorism hypocrisy......
Topic: “US under Trump 2.0: Issues, Challenges and Future Directions for India and the World”
Syed Eesar Mehdi's Article Published in Centre for Kashmir Analysis and Research (C-KAR) titled "Pakistan’s Social Media Disinformation Blitz: Orchestrated Propaganda Seeks to Twist Kashmir Narrative Amid Pahalgam Tragedy" on April 27, 2025.
The International Centre for Peace Studies (ICPS), New Delhi, proudly partnered with the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (NMCPCR), Jamia Millia Islamia, for a one-day Graduate Conference titled “World Order in Disarray: Perspectives on Shifting Geopolitics”, held on April 25, 2025.
Syed Eesar Mehdi's Article Published in Centre for Kashmir Analysis and Research (C-KAR) titled "The Battle of Narratives and Perception: Will Pahalgam 2025 Mark the Change in Kashmir Forever?" on April 24, 2025
There was a time when Kashmir was a headline. A buzzword. A flashpoint used by talking heads and politicians far from the valley’s windswept apple orchards and snow-laced hills. It was spoken of in boardrooms, in war rooms, and in drawing rooms—anywhere but where the real people lived, where the real damage was done. But something has begun to shift, quietly but profoundly. And perhaps for the first time in decades, Kashmir is not being defined by those who seek to fragment it, but by those who have lived, endured, and are now choosing to rebuild it.
If Bangladesh continues to whitewash its past, it risks losing its national identity and the ideals that gave it independence
Comments
The Pak-Afghan Border Clashes: Fallout of Unrealistic Expectations?
Ashish Shukla
Ever since August 2021, when Taliban fighters captured the seat of power in Kabul, the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan started deteriorating. It was primarily because of Pakistan’s unrealistic expectations from the Taliban.....
Nepal’s September Reckoning: How Gen Z is Rewiring Nepal’s Democracy
Afroz Khan
The comment analyses Nepal’s September 2025 Gen Z-led uprising that toppled Prime Minister K.P. Oli’s government. Triggered by a social media ban, the protests escalated into a nationwide revolt against corruption, inequality, and elite privilege.
Mutual Defence, Mutual Leverage: Decoding Pakistan–Saudi Security Agreement
Imran Khurshid
The Pakistan–Saudi Arabia Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed in September 2025 marks a formal deepening of bilateral security ties, declaring that “any aggression against either country shall be considered aggression against both.” This pact reflects shifting
Bangladesh’s Democratic Crossroads: The Stakes of 2026 Elections
M.A. Hossain
The commentary explores Bangladesh’s fraught path to its 2026 national election, highlighting deep public mistrust, historical electoral dysfunction, and the volatile political climate following the 2024 uprising.