31/05/2026
By Devraj Thakur
The recent decision on May 29,2026, of the Supreme Court mandating Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) qualification for in-service teachers has reignited a nationwide discussion on educational standards, teacher accountability, and career security. While extending the deadline for qualifying TET until August 31, 2028, the Court re-affirmed that quality education for children is a constitutional imperative and that minimum professional standards for teachers cannot be...
26/05/2026
Asad Mirza from Jeddah/Mina
The 1447 AH/2026 Hajj season has started in Makkah and Madinah. However, most of the people don’t have a clue about the massive scale of preparation and delivery managed by the various ministries of Saudi Arabia and municipalities of the regions, visited by the Hajj pilgrims, which take place. In the fourth part of the series of hajj 1447/2026, Asad Mirza provides an insider’s view of preparations at Mina, where the rituals and prayers for the Hajj start...
03/05/2026
By Fatima Baloch
In late March and early April 2026, Pakistani and Chinese media reported that China had brokered ceasefire talks between Pakistan and Taliban-led Afghanistan. Delegations from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China held informal, week-long discussions in Urumqi, the capital and largest city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, from April 1 to April 7, 2026. The meetings aimed to de-escalate tensions and address border security issues following the so...
30/04/2026
By Rohit Tikoo
Hazaron saal nargis apni be-noori pe roti hai, Badi mushkil se hota hai chaman mein didavar paida.
(For a thousand years, the narcissus weeps its own blindness; with great difficulty, a man of true vision is born into the garden.)
— Mirza Ghalib
Sarwanand Kaul Premi was one such rare visionary.
Thirty-six years ago, terrorism cruelly took him and his son, Virender Kaul, from us. Their lives were extinguished not just for being taken, but for their unwaverin...
24/04/2026
By Fatima Baloch
Sindh is one of the oldest historical regions of South Asia, located along the Indus River. It is famous for ancient civilizations like Mohenjo-daro and has a long history of cultural, religious, and economic development. Over time, Sindh was ruled by various empires, including Arabs, Mughals, and local dynasties, and later became part of British India in 1843. Historically, Sindh was part of undivided India and had a significant Hindu economic presence. Notably, U...
20/04/2026
Asad Mirza
As tensions intensify between Iran, Israel, and the United States, one thing has become increasingly clear: Iran has managed not only to respond to sustained pressure but to endure it far longer than many analysts had anticipated.
In an era defined by advanced surveillance systems, sophisticated intelligence networks, and real-time strategic monitoring, it is difficult to argue that Iran’s capabilities or internal structures were a mystery to Western policymakers. The ...
01/04/2026
Asad Mirza
The war against Iran has threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertiliser shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices. The United States and Israel continue to strike Iran, whose retaliatory attacks have targeted Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states. More than 3,000 people have been killed. In this backdrop, the entry of Iranian-backed Houthi rebels the war, has increased concer...
30/03/2026
By Fatima Baloch
Through its notorious “Buy America, Hire America” strategic Middle East policy, the United States has long engineered artificial security threats for Arab countries in the Middle East by pushing Arab nations to fight against one another, coercing them into seeking US military support, purchasing American weapons, and hiring US military services—often against their neighboring Arab states. By supporting Israel, the US intimidates Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, and the...
24/03/2026
By Fatima Baloch
The USSR militarily intervened in Afghanistan in 1979, toppling President Mohammad Daoud Khan and installing a communist government under Babrak Karmal. In response, the United States and Saudi Arabia, under Pakistan’s supervision, brought together various Afghan factions, mostly tribal warlords, and labelled them the so-called Afghan mujahideen. They waged a decade-long proxy war in the interests of the U.S. and Pakistan that ultimately led to the Soviet withdrawal ...
19/03/2026
By Afreen Jan
Some of my earliest memories of Ramadan in Kashmir are not of food or gatherings, but of a sound. A soft yet steady beat of a drum echoing through the quiet lanes before dawn.
As a child, I would often wake up to that sound while the valley was still wrapped in darkness. I remember lying in bed, half asleep, listening carefully as the rhythm slowly came closer to our street. It was Sahar Khan, walking through the neighbourhood to wake people up for Sehri.
My mother would ...
18/03/2026
By Fatima Baloch
The demoralized Pakistan Army, struggling against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in Balochistan, has escalated its conflict with its western neighbor, Afghanistan. On 27 February 2026, it launched a full-scale military campaign, codenamed Operation Ghazab-e-Ilhaq, bombing major Afghan cities including Kabul, Kandahar, and Khost, destroying civilian infrastructure and killing innocent people. Pakista...
16/03/2026
By Fatima Baloch
Whether it is India in the east, Taliban-led Afghanistan in the west, a religious jihadist ideological insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that is gradually engulfing Pakistan, or the secular Baloch national armed struggle seeking an independent Republic of Balochistan, Pakistan has opened multiple strategic fronts and is now facing grave security and existential threats. For India in particular, the situation carries serious implications. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)...