Nepal Elections 2026

Pakistan appears to believe that its military might, which is far greater than Afghanistan’s, will force the Taliban to bend. But rather than weakening the regime in Kabul, Pakistan’s aggression is fueling Afghan nationalist sentiment and allowing the Taliban to cast themselves as defenders of the nation, effectively granting them a level of popular legitimacy they have long struggled to secure.
Politics
Pakistan’s “open war” on Afghanistan only strengthens the Taliban
By
Hamayon Rastgar
Pakistan’s airstrikes and mass deportations do little to control the TTP, but strengthen a Taliban regime that thrives in conflict and can feed off popular Afghan and Pashtun resentment
Himal Interviews: The threat to Muslims is a crisis for India’s democracy
Politics
Himal Interviews: The threat to Muslims is a crisis for India’s democracy
By
The Editors
Mohsin Alam tells Harsh Mander that anti-democratisation of the economy has had a terrible impact on minorities and Muslims in particular
Recent Hindi films increasingly echo Hindutva politics, recasting history, glorifying militarism and normalising Islamophobia in the service of a majoritarian national project.
Culture
Hindi cinema’s appalling descent into Islamophobia and Hindu nationalism
By
Raza Rumi
From manufacturing mythic pasts to promoting muscular nationalism, militarism and Islamophobia, Hindi cinema is increasingly aligning with Hindutva politics, and ripping up Indian secularism and democ ...
Global demand for Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft increased following the jet’s involvement in the India–Pakistan conflict of May 2025. Pakistan’s military and government are trying to present a slew of JF-17 export deals as an economic success that can help turn the country’s stumbling economy around.
Politics
Are Pakistan’s booming defence exports a strategic boon but domestic bane?
By
Salman Rafi Sheikh
Pakistan’s deals to export JF-17 fighter jets can revive its international standing and boost macroeconomic stability, but they concentrate even more power and resources in the hands of the military ...
A miniature painting depicting young Brahmins studying Hindu scripture, circa 1820. Tradition, in Ravikant Kisana’s telling in ‘Meet the Savarnas’, becomes training in hierarchy, where excellence from the margins is permitted only insofar as it does not unsettle the dominant-caste hold on knowledge.
Politics
Unpacking the Savarna state of mind in a caste-ridden India
By
Shainal Verma
Ravikant Kisana’s ‘Meet the Savarnas’ dissects dominant-caste notions of merit, intimacy and power, showing how caste survives beneath India’s claims to modernity
Himal Interviews: Tariq Ali on a life in writing and dissent
Politics
Himal Interviews: Tariq Ali on a life in writing and dissent
By
Shwetha Srikanthan
In a conversation on his latest memoir, the Pakistani-British writer and activist reflects on decades of political upheaval, from neoliberalism in the West to turmoil in Southasia, and offers sharp cr ...
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