Asif Mahmood

On 30 August, the world marks the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. For Kashmiris, this is not an abstract observance but a day that cuts into their deepest wounds. Since the 1990s, thousands of men and boys have been picked up by Indian forces and never returned. Families have waited for decades […]

The recent arrest of Professor Usman Qazi on allegations of facilitating terrorism raises an important legal and academic question. Does a person’s professional status as a university teacher grant any immunity from criminal liability under Pakistani law? The straightforward answer is no. The Constitution of Pakistan enshrines the principle of equality before the law. Article […]

By any measure, Rahul Gandhi’s latest remarks are political dynamite. With a few blunt sentences, he peeled away the shiny marketing label of “world’s largest democracy” and exposed the machinery underneath, a state held hostage by the ideology of Hindutva. For decades, India’s establishment has thrived on a carefully cultivated global image: an inclusive democracy, […]

Certain legal and political voices in India assert that the United Nations Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir have lost their legal significance following the Simla Agreement. They contend that, by agreeing to resolve all disputes through bilateral negotiations, Pakistan effectively transformed the Kashmir issue into a bilateral matter. Some even invoke Article 59 […]

As yet another anniversary of Burhan Wani’s martyrdom passes, Indian media-particularly its pro-regime “Godi press”-resumes its predictable chorus, branding him a terrorist. This characterization, however, collapses under even cursory scrutiny when examined through the lens of international law. Far from being a terrorist, Burhan Wani meets the definitional criteria of a lawful combatant engaged in […]

Shashi Tharoor has written eloquently and forcefully about the brutality of British colonial rule in India. But the question is: will he ever turn his pen toward the colonial ambitions of his own country-toward Occupied Kashmir, where India seems to be reenacting the very imperial script Tharoor so passionately condemns? Take the Kashmir Railway Project […]

Despite enduring challenges and grievances, a silver lining is emerging: relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are beginning to thaw once more. The two nations share a wealth of commonalities, spanning a diverse spectrum from socio-cultural ties to religious bonds, emphasizing the intricate interconnections that cannot easily be severed. In the recent past, India has attempted […]

Article 26 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969) explicitly states that no bilateral agreement can be unilaterally suspended. However, regardless of any bilateral agreement, India does not have the legal authority to block water to Pakistan. Let’s consider, for a moment, the hypothetical scenario where the Indus Water Treaty never existed. […]

In the midst of a tenuous ceasefire along the international border and the Line of Control, India appears to be waging a sophisticated cyber warfare campaign against Pakistan, reflecting a desire to shape a narrative that compensates for its military setbacks. Following the unsuccessful attempt to achieve its objectives through the Pehlgam false flag operation, […]

Amid a tenuous ceasefire along the international border and the Line of Control, India appears to be waging a sophisticated cyber warfare campaign against Pakistan, reflecting a desire to shape a narrative that compensates for its military setbacks. Following the unsuccessful attempt to achieve its objectives through the Pehlgam false flag operation, India is now […]