Author: Uzma Ehtasham

By Uzma Ehtasham In Pakistan’s official military and political discourse, the events of 10 May last year have increasingly been elevated beyond the immediacy of operational reporting into something closer to a defining national reference point. The day is now frequently described in official language as a moment of decisive confrontation, in which Pakistan’s armed forces are said to have successfully repelled Indian aggression through a combination of conventional military readiness, cyber capability and advanced technological systems. Within this framing, the narrative extends across multiple domains of modern warfare, suggesting disruption of adversary systems, neutralization of aerial assets and a…

By Uzma Ehtasham The Director General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has issued a stark message to India, saying that Pakistan is prepared for any form of confrontation, whether conventional or unconventional, and will respond with full force if challenged. He reiterated that Pakistan had been ready before and remains ready now, insisting that the country stands firm and would respond decisively to any threat. He also rejected what he described as India’s narrative on terrorism, arguing that Pakistan would defend its security “at any cost” and stressing that no one would be allowed…

By Uzma Ehtasham KARACHI: Senior figures from the University of Karachi’s Department of Persian Language and Grammar have met Iran’s consul general in Karachi, Akbar Isa Zadeh, in discussions focused on strengthening Persian studies and expanding academic ties between Pakistan and Iran. The meeting, held at the Iranian consulate in Karachi, brought together academics and diplomats who reviewed the historical role of Persian in South Asia’s education system and its continuing cultural significance. Participants from the university outlined the department’s current teaching activities and proposed new initiatives, including the introduction of additional courses aimed at encouraging wider uptake of Persian…

By Uzma Ehtasham KARACHI: Commemorations marking Victory Day were held on Friday as Russian diplomatic representatives in Karachi paid tribute to the sacrifices made during the second world war and reflected on the enduring significance of 9 May in global history. In a message issued on the occasion, Nikita Kosiakov, Vice Consul and Director of Russian Friendship House Karachi, extended greetings to those observing the anniversary, describing the day as a solemn reminder of courage, sacrifice and collective resilience in the fight against fascism. He said Victory Day remained one of the most significant moments in modern history. On 9…

By Uzma Ehtasham The deepening crisis in the Middle East has once again reminded the world how fragile international stability becomes when confrontation overtakes diplomacy. For weeks, the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran appeared to be moving steadily towards a dangerous and unpredictable phase. Military threats, strategic signaling and fears of direct confrontation had begun to dominate the global conversation, reviving memories of earlier conflicts that left the region fractured for decades. Yet amid the rhetoric of power and retaliation, there are now cautious indications that diplomacy, however fragile, may still prevent another catastrophic conflict from engulfing…

By Uzma Ehtasham The Middle East is once again drifting into a familiar and uneasy pattern, where diplomacy and deterrence run in parallel but rarely in step. The rhetoric of restraint sits uneasily alongside the reality of escalation risk, as tensions between the United States and Iran sharpen and the wider region braces for consequences that could extend far beyond the immediate actors involved. What is striking about the current moment is not simply the presence of friction, but the density of it. Military signaling, diplomatic messaging, and proxy dynamics are all operating simultaneously, creating a strategic environment in which…

By Uzma Ehtasham In Pakistan, the first anniversary of what is being officially described as the “Battle of Haq” is being marked not simply as a commemoration of a security episode, but as an attempt to fix meaning onto a highly contested and politically charged moment in recent South Asian history. Across government institutions, provincial administrations and sections of civil society, a series of four-day events has begun to frame the confrontation of late April and early May 2025 as a defining rupture, one that is now being absorbed into the country’s evolving narrative of statehood, sovereignty and endurance under…

By Uzma Ehtasham An international survey by Ipsos has offered a revealing snapshot of how Pakistanis are interpreting their country’s perceived diplomatic engagement in the latest phase of tensions between the United States and Iran. At a time when global crises are increasingly mediated not only through official diplomacy but also through public perception, the findings point to something important: foreign policy is no longer confined to closed rooms in ministries, but is being actively read, judged and reframed by domestic audiences in real time. The headline figure is striking in its simplicity. Seventy-four per cent of respondents say they…

By Uzma Ehtasham There is a familiar conceit in the conduct of powerful states, whether in London or Washington: the quiet assumption that intervention in the affairs of more fragile regions is not only justified but inherently constructive. It is a habit that has survived the end of formal empire and continues to inform the tone, if not always the substance, of Western commentary. The latest remarks by Richard Lindsay, expressing concern over violence along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border and urging restraint, fall squarely within this tradition. They are couched in the language of diplomacy, careful and composed, yet they risk…

By Uzma Ehtasham There is a particular kind of exhaustion that settles over a country when its leaders keep asking for patience. Pakistan knows this feeling well. This week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stood before his federal cabinet and did what prime ministers here so often do: he acknowledged the pain, blamed circumstances beyond the nation’s borders, and promised that if everyone just holds on a little longer, the dawn will arrive with honor intact. The war in the Middle East, he explained, has set back Pakistan’s economic recovery. Oil prices have surged. The petroleum import bill has climbed from…