Author: Uzma Ehtasham

By Uzma Ehtasham There is a particular quality to the silence that follows a diplomatic bombshell. It is the hush of recalibration, the quiet moment when old certainties are weighed against new possibilities and found wanting. Such a silence now hangs over Islamabad following remarks by Russia’s envoy, Albert P. Khorev, who dangled before Pakistan the prospect of cheap Russian oil. The offer, delivered with the casual assurance of a man holding a winning hand, arrives at a moment of maximum regional volatility. As the United States and Israel press their campaign against Iran, and as Pakistan positions itself as…

By Uzma Ehtasham Three weeks into ‘Operation Epic Fury’, the United States finds itself entangled in a conflict that bears all the hallmarks of a strategic miscalculation. With B-2 stealth bombers now deployed to “eliminate the ability to rebuild” Iranian military capabilities, the Trump administration appears to be doubling down on a policy that even its own advisers warn could lead to catastrophe. The deployment of America’s most advanced strategic bomber, designed for penetrating the most sophisticated air defences, signals not a limited punitive expedition but a sustained campaign of degradation against a nation that has, thus far, proven remarkably…

By Uzma Ehtasham Two drones, ominous and silent, hovered over Faizabad, the busy junction linking Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Their presence, brief but alarming, was swiftly neutralized by Pakistan’s air defence system, averting what could have been a serious breach of national security. Islamabad Airport saw only a temporary disruption in flight operations, quickly restored, as officials confirmed that the threat had been contained before it could endanger passengers or infrastructure. Early reports suggest the drones originated from Afghanistan, while similar attempts in Kohat were also intercepted, demonstrating a pattern of evolving threats along the country’s peripheries. In the hours following…

By Uzma Ehtasham The escalating conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has once again plunged the Middle East into a maelstrom of violence, with consequences that stretch far beyond the region. Iran’s recent attacks on three naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, coupled with its declaration that any vessel allied with the United States is now a target, underscore the intensity of this confrontation. Iranian claims of having disabled Israel’s communications network, alongside strikes on oil facilities in Oman, Israeli military bases in Haifa, and American installations across Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, paint a picture of a…

By Uzma Ehtasham The publication of a new study examining how British media reports on Muslims has revived a long-standing debate about bias, representation and responsibility in journalism. According to the report, almost half of all news coverage referring to Muslims or Islam in the United Kingdom during 2025 contained measurable forms of bias, ranging from subtle distortions to overtly hostile framing. The findings, presented at an event in the House of Commons in London, offer one of the most detailed assessments yet of how a major religious minority is portrayed across the British press. The study, titled The State…

By Uzma Ehtasham More than two decades after the attacks of 11 September 2001, the legacy of the wars that followed continues to cast a long and complicated shadow over international politics. What began as a swift military response by the United States to the attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. soon evolved into a sprawling global campaign that reshaped foreign policy, military strategy and the political landscape of several regions. The phrase “war on terror,” once invoked as a rallying cry for security and justice, has since become the subject of intense scrutiny as researchers, historians and…

By Uzma Ehtasham The Middle East is once again teetering on the edge of crisis, a stark reminder of the fragility of international diplomacy and the profound human cost of geopolitical brinkmanship. The escalating confrontation between Iran, the United States, and Israel exposes not only the limits of dialogue but also the precarious balance between national sovereignty and global security. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has acknowledged that some countries are attempting to mediate. Yet his message is unambiguous: Iran’s pursuit of regional stability cannot come at the expense of its sovereignty or dignity. For those watching from afar, this is…

By Uzma Ehtasham Since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, yet the impact has rippled across the Middle East in ways few could have imagined. In the space of a week, what began as a military strike has become a regional conflagration, touching more territory than any single war in decades, perhaps since the Second World War. The sheer scale of the violence is horrifying, but even more distressing is how it has exposed the unevenness of global attention and the moral failures of those who claim to champion human rights. Iran has borne the brunt of…

By Uzma Ehtasham As the confrontation between Iran and the United States intensifies, a familiar feature of modern warfare has once again taken hold: the fog of war. Competing narratives from Tehran and Washington now dominate the information space, each presenting a sharply different account of events unfolding across the Middle East. In the absence of independent verification, the truth becomes difficult to isolate, leaving observers to navigate a landscape shaped as much by strategic messaging as by battlefield realities. Iranian officials claim that their recent attacks on American military installations in the region have inflicted heavy losses. According to…

By Uzma Ehtasham The latest escalation along Pakistan’s western frontier underscores a deepening security crisis that Islamabad argues it did not seek but has been compelled to confront. In Balochistan, fighters identified with the Afghan Taliban reportedly launched coordinated ground assaults at 16 locations across the districts of Qilla Saifullah, Nushki and Chaman, while carrying out fire raids at a further 25 positions targeting Pakistani forces. According to official accounts, security units managed to repel the attacks at all sites, killing 27 militants and wounding several others. The fighting, however, came at a cost. One soldier of the Frontier Corps…