A vast majority of Pakistanis are well familiar with the name “Doval”. Some even pronounce it as “Devil” to amuse themselves and their listeners. These and other alterations all refer to Ajit Doval, India’s National Security Adviser in office since May 30, 2014. Who is this person and why is he discussed too often by government officials and security analysts around the world? Profile Ajit Kumar Doval is a former
The following is a concise English translation of renowned bureaucrat Dr. Safdar Mehmood’s column titled “Sataesween Ramazan aur Qayam-e-Pakistan”, published in Jang newspaper on August 16, 2015 (continued from the previous part). ****** He (my spiritual teacher) said, “Today is the last Friday of Ramazan, a blessed day. Prostrate before Allah in gratitude and offer prayers to make Pakistan a great empire”. In a special session of Pakistan’s first Constituent
Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan and ironically one with the least inhabitants. With a combined area of approximately 347,000 square kilometres, it is home to deserts, coastal belts, plateaus, mountains and oases littered across the vast expanse of mud, sand and hot air. The tribes which live here have been part of this land for thousands of years, wandering here and there as nomads. There are hundreds of
For its immediate neighbours India is not as shinning as it is to the world. It is vicious, expansionist and nothing less than a fascist Mussolini Italian state or a Hitler’s Nazi Germany, with only slight difference of having policies complemented by an ambitiously and tactfully driven international diplomacy. India’s highly magnified bitterness towards Pakistan may not be enough to define that country’s neighbourhood relations as it is encircled by
There have been many calling out for a unanimously agreed platform for a more close-knitted Muslim world. Especially with Muslim countries undergoing extreme security situations, a desire to build a NATO-style Muslims-exclusive army seems like a desperate option, yet useful at a time of collective devastation descending over the Muslim world. There is next to no doubt about the fact that Muslims are under a cloud of grievous curse, an
Colonel Kirit K. Nair is an in-service (serving) officer in the Indian Army. He was commissioned to 1 Sikh Light Infantry in March 1992. He has served extensively in Counter Insurgency (COIN) operations in occupied Jammu & Kashmir and Assam. He is currently on Study Leave for a post graduate degree program. In early 2015, Nair published a paper for Indian Army’s Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) titled ‘India’s
Pakistan’s relations with Myanmar (formerly ‘Burma’) go back to 1947 when the Union of Burma and East Pakistan shared borders. Despite the independence of Bangladesh, both countries continue to maintain bilateral relations; since 1988, Pakistan and Burma each have embassies in each other’s capital. As recently as 2012, then President Asif Ali Zardari visited Myanmar to promote trade, economic and energy cooperation between the two Asian countries. Many hailed the
Time and again, the Indian establishment creates a stir in the media by pressing Pakistan on the extradition of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed and other members of Jamaat-ud-Daawa (JuD) who it believes are responsible for the tragic 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Without an iota of tangible evidence to support its claim, India further alleges that Pakistan’s premier spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) provided finance and logistical support to JuD members.
Special Forces are unconventional forces used to execute irregular warfare in terrains which are otherwise difficult to operate in for conventional troops; they are almost always used for strategic objectives. Selection in such units across the world are very difficult as they have strict recruitment criteria. States which are known to exert regional and global influence tend to employ Special Forces as tools of exerting state policy abroad. Some notable
Indian media is known to regularly incline towards sensationalism, even at the expense of covering more important issues. Electronic media in India, unlike the comparatively independent and serious print media, often reflects a strong pro-establishment narrative. This is the reason why red tickers and flashes on “Breaking News” seem to take the very pulse out of an ordinary viewer who would perhaps be more concerned with domestic sanitation, healthcare, human