Brigadier Jafar Khan passed away in May 2017. Jafar belonged to a family with long association with the army. His grandfather was Khan Bahadur Risaldar Major Malik Muhammad Gulsher Khan Gheba. Born in 1860, young Gulsher was an expert horseman. In 1880, he rode into Mardan with his horse and servant to join legendary Guides…
“Soon shall We show them Our signs in the universe and in their own selves, until it becomes clear to them that this Qur’an is indeed the truth. Is it not enough that your Lord is a witness over everything?” (Qur’an;41:53); “Verily in the heavens and the earth are Signs for those who believe. (Qur’an;…
Every year, the United Nations celebrates World Oceans Day on June 8 with a unique theme, and for this year it is: Our Oceans, Our Future. The UN believes it is important to have a day solely for creating awareness about the oceans among people, who may or may not directly depend, for their livelihood,…
The strategic landscape of the Middle East is a difficult puzzle of covert alliances, clandestine nuclear activities, incompatible political behaviours and contesting territorial claims of regional states. A complex network of intelligence communities actively working in a troublesome environment is an additional factor dominating the ongoing wave of crisis which is fundamentally inherited in unsettled…
What all was left of the Middle East in the aftershock of the Arab Spring is now on fire with the onset of implosion within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The current crisis in the Gulf is the gravest that the GCC has faced in its nearly four decades of existence. Although Qatar’s relations with…
World Oceans Day and World Environment Day fall within a few days of each other on 5 and 8 June respectively. Designated as special days by the United Nations, the two are intrinsically linked. Addressing the importance of both should be at the forefront of all our minds if we are to have a healthier…
India’s newly annunciated “Joint Armed Forces Doctrine” envisaging force projection beyond its borders mandates that the three services, Army, Navy and Air Force will fight as an integrated force. Calling for cooperation and inter-operability of goals, services, techniques, command structure and logistics as opposed to fighting independently of each other, the Doctrine spells out combatting…
“Soon shall We show them Our signs in the universe and in their own selves, until it becomes clear to them that this Qur’an is indeed the truth. Is it not enough that your Lord is a witness over everything?” (Qur’an;41:53); “Verily in the heavens and the earth are Signs for those who believe. (Qur’an;…
This was a good week for Pakistan. First Modi made the faux pas of the decade by boycotting the China Summit on the “One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiatives, than India gave us an enormous platform for internationalizing human rights by going to the ICJ over the Kulbushan Jadhav matter. Arrested by security forces while…
Recently, President of Turkmenistan H.E. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov decreed the “Concept of foreign policy of Turkmenistan for 2017-2023” which outlined strategic priorities during 2017-2023. He emphasized that Turkmenistan would participate in addressing critical environmental issues, matters of water resources management and prevention and mitigation of natural and man-made disasters. Decree of concept of foreign policy of…
