Historical Context: A Legacy of Unresolved Partition Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu & Kashmir is part of the unfinished agenda of the 1947 sub-continent partition. Instead of acting upon the will of the people, India forcefully entered its forces and occupied the valley. Since then, there has been no end to the brutalities of Indian occupational … Read more
Elevated ISIS/ISKP Threat Warnings Top US security officials, including Centcom chief General Erik Kurilla, FBI Director Christopher Wray, US Attorney General Merrick Garland, and outgoing director of the National Counterterrorism Center Christine Abizaid, alongside the German intelligence chief, are all raising alarms about an “elevated ISIS/ISKP threat to the United States.” This chorus of warnings … Read more
The Rise of Far-Right Appropriation Where globalization of thought on the internet has made the evolution of ideas easier, the nature of reality has also repeatedly come under trial. One sad development in recent years is the appropriation of big names and works by the far right. Take alt-right’s Richard Spencer’s love for Nietzsche, for … Read more
A recent Supreme Court judgment has advocated for the establishment of child-friendly courts, having specially trained judges. The Supreme Court has emphasized that the welfare of minors should be “the foundational principle” in custody decisions. Justice Athar Minallah in his landmark ruling asserted that the courts must assess and determine a course that would serve … Read more
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently visited China to further strengthen the ‘Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership’. Besides a three-hour meeting with President Xi Jinping and another one with Premier Li Qiang, dozens of MoUs and agreements were signed. A joint statement described the bilateral relationship as “as unshakable as a mountain”, “solid as a rock”, … Read more
The British Ban on Hizb ut-Tahrir – In January 2024, the British government labeled Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT) as the 80th proscribed terrorist organization, raising significant questions about balancing the protection of democratic institutions against subversive ideologies and preserving freedoms of speech, assembly, and association. Since the 1980s, HuT has engaged in radical but peaceful activism … Read more
Today was Friday again. I listened to the speech given by the Imam during Friday prayers. He once again repeated what we have heard for decades on repeat. That we must stay away from women, drinking, and so forth because we will have all that and much more in heaven. It got me thinking. Usually, … Read more
Lessons from History and Geography – Lessons from History and Geography – We are at the crossroads of history is a typical political phrase used most unapologetically and most frequently by our leaders. Critical junctures have been a permanent part of our political discourse and whereas critical junctures always end up altering the course of … Read more
From the off, this election has been Labor’s to lose – and boy does it know it. Every indicator signposts victory, but Labor is fighting it as if there’s a real risk of defeat. “Change,” the simple one-word slogan inscribed on the front cover of the manifesto, emblazoned on every podium and never absent from … Read more
What is religious extremism’s definition? What compels a mob to burn someone to death? What explains such amplified levels of anger that an accusation against some person from a marginalized group leads to a lynching? What is religious extremism’s definition? What reasoning dictates why groups of people — including state functionaries — engage in the … Read more