Author: Saifullah

Afghanistan has long carried the haunting label of the “graveyard of empires,” a phrase carved into its identity through decades of invasion, conflict, and upheaval. Few literary works capture this relentless trajectory as powerfully as Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. In these novels, deeply personal stories unfold against a backdrop of national collapse, tracing Afghanistan’s descent from the Soviet occupation of the 1980s to civil war, and ultimately to Taliban rule between 1996 and 2001. What were once reflections on a troubled past now read like warnings that were never heeded. The pain, fear, displacement,…

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced a province-wide pen-down strike on Wednesday, May 6, intensifying its standoff with Islamabad over what it describes as systematic discrimination in resource allocation. In an official statement, the provincial administration said the move is intended to draw attention to grievances surrounding the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, as well as electricity and gas distribution. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi claimed the province is being economically sidelined, particularly in decisions involving federal financial transfers and energy-related payments. He argued that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is facing undue pressure and neglect in key national matters, accusing the federal government…

The United States has sought to contain rising tensions in the Gulf as its newly launched military initiative, Project Freedom, unfolds against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire with Iran. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the operation remains limited, defensive, and carefully calibrated to avoid escalation. Speaking to reporters, he emphasized that the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran is still technically intact, despite recent exchanges of fire in the Strait of Hormuz. “The ceasefire is not over,” he said, underscoring that US forces have acted strictly to safeguard commercial shipping in the region. The situation, however, remains volatile.…

The gradual dismantling of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) has now entered a dangerous phase, transforming from a bilateral disagreement into a direct challenge to the global rules-based order. For decades, the IWT served as one of the few enduring examples of functional diplomacy between Pakistan and India. Today, that framework is being deliberately weakened, not by circumstance, but through a calculated pattern of unilateral actions by New Delhi. The current crisis goes beyond water disputes. It strikes at the credibility and authority of international law itself. On 29 January 2026, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague…