S M Hali

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, accompanied by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford and newly appointed Advisor to the US Government on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad stopped at Islamabad on their way to New Delhi. The recent hubris demonstrated by US president Donald Trump and rhetoric emanating from the White House via his South Asia Strategic Review, the new-year … [Read more...] about Resetting Pak-US ties

At a time when Turkey is faced with severe economic challenges because of a disagreement with the US, Pakistan’s newly elected Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has given Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan his backing. Using Twitter, Imran Khan assured the Turkish President and the people of Turkey that Pakistan was praying that they could successfully overcome the formidable economic challenges … [Read more...] about Imran pledges support to Erdogan

Last week, US President Donald Trump, in a bid to squeeze the Pakistani military further slashed military aid meant for Islamabad. US Congress approved the National Defense Authorisation Act-2019 (NDAA-19) which capped its security-related aid to Pakistan to $150 million, significantly below the historic $1 billion to $750 million per year. In January 2018, the US suspended more than$1.15 … [Read more...] about The death of Pak-US military ties

The 2018 general elections have proven to be a watershed moment for the Pakistani people. Despite the outgoing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government's "honour the vote" slogan, and the insistence of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Safdar that only the people could judge elected representatives, the people did not cast their votes in the PML-N's favour. … [Read more...] about Was it rigging or are people finally sick of corruption?

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) India has a stockpile of more than a 100 warheads. Its desire to match the nuclear warhead capabilities of China and Pakistan has prompted Indian planners to invest in a top secret project of establishing a nuclear city at Chellakere, Karnataka. It had been exposed in 2012 that apart from many facilities, India has built … [Read more...] about Chellakere — India’s secret nuclear city

Anti-Muslim sentiments have prevailed in India for quite some time. Since Muslims ruled India for centuries, a significant chunk of the Hindu majority bore a grudge against their erstwhile sovereigns. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, with prescience, took cognizance of these anti-Muslim sentiments and endeavoured to create Pakistan, a separate homeland for Muslims. India is a secular state and … [Read more...] about Indian Muslims in the extremist crosshairs

It is no secret that India aspires to be a regional power. However, ambition must be backed by responsibility.A spate of accidents in the sensitive Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), have left Indians wondering whether its scientists can be trusted with weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). According to Indian media, on June 19 2018, a blast took place while workers were … [Read more...] about DRDO: A liability for India

Pakistan signed the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with India under the aegis of the World Bank (WB) in 1960 in good faith. Unfortunately, India has not kept its end of the bargain and has repeatedly violated the IWT and constructed numerous hydroelectric power (HEP) projects, which have infringed on Pakistan’s water rights. Pakistan has made two mistakes in this regard. Firstly, it did not plan and … [Read more...] about India: The water bully

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his Justice and Development (AK) party and their nationalist allies have won the 24 June 2018 elections by securing 52.6 percent of the votes cast. President Erdogan's main rival, Muharrem Ince, was able to secure only 30.76 percent of the votes. The results preclude the requirement of a second round of polls. Simultaneously, in the parliamentary vote, AK … [Read more...] about Erdogan’s pyrrhic victory