Uzair talks to Dr. Sahar Khan about her key takeaways from the recent India-Pakistan war and why this conflict was an inflection point. We also talked about the role of international diplomacy, particularly the United States. Finally, the conversation also looked at what could happen in the next crisis, and the ways in which better engagement could avert total disaster.

Dr. Sahar Khan is an independent analyst and an expert on South Asian regional dynamics and strategic stability. She is based in Washington, DC.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:50 Key takeaways from the war

27:50 Role of diplomacy and the US

37:30 What happens in the next crisis?

51:45 Reading recommendations

You can access Dr. Khan’s recent commentary here:

- https://inkstickmedia.com/the-myths-that-keep-india-and-pakistan-at-war/

- https://theworld.org/segments/2025/05/22/surge-in-popularity-for-pakistani-military

- https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3310688/rapid-escalation-india-pakistan-clashes-warning-new-tech-dangers

Uzair talks to Colonel Ajai Shukla (retired) about the fallout of the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir. We spoke about the state of the insurgency in the region, how their tactics and strategies are evolving, and what can be done to improve security. In addition, we also touched on the prospects of a India-Pakistan war and potential off ramps that could be available for either side to take.

Colonel Ajai Shukla (Retired) is a columnist and freelance journalist. He writes on strategic affairs, defence policy, military technology and the defence economy. He has written extensively for Business Standard, a pan-India daily; and for The New York Times, Guardian, BBC, Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post. He hosts a defence affairs blog, Broadsword (ajaishukla.com), which is visited daily by over 5,000 readers from across the world.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

2:00 Normalcy in Kashmir

6:00 Evolution of tactics

11:40 Intelligence failures and counterinsurgency

19:20 Evidence about links to Pakistan

25:30 India-Pakistan tensions

31:10 General Munir’s strategy

35:10 Conclusion

Uzair talks to Dr. Hassan Abbas about the ongoing standoff between India and Pakistan following the recent terror attack in Kashmir. We talked about what options are on the table for both sides, the role of the United States, and why engagement and negotiations are the only path forward for both countries.

Dr. Hassan Abbas is Distinguished Professor of International Relations at the Near East South Asia Strategic Studies Centre (NESA), National Defense University in Washington DC. He serves as a senior advisor at Project on Shi’ism and Global Affairs at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and his current research work focuses on building narratives for countering political and religious extremism & rule of law reforms in developing states.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

2:30 Backdrop of the terror attack

14:20 Allegations and evidence

18:50 Narratives and media

25:10 Commitment traps

29:40 US response so far

36:30 Misreading the other side

Uzair talks to Muhammad Faisal about the fallout from the recent terror attack in Kashmir and the options both India and Pakistan have moving forward. We talk about the nuclear stability risks in the region as well as potential off-ramps that can help deescalate the situation.

Muhammad Faisal is a Research Fellow at the University of Technology in Sydney and an expert in strategic stability and India-Pakistan relations.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

2:30 What led to this crisis?

15:40 Options for both sides

33:30 Off ramps and deescalation

In this episode, Uzair talks to Adil Husain about his perspective on how AI is going to disrupt the labor market and create new opportunities for young talent in markets like Pakistan. Adil is an entrepreneur and strategist based in Washington.

You can read his full piece here - https://adilhusain.substack.com/p/the-real-ai-threat-is-a-27-year-old

If you want to get in touch with Adil, message him on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adilhusain

In this episode, Uzair talk to Abdul Moiz Jaferii about the frivolous cases against journalist Farhan Mallick, who was arrested during Ramzan and given bail after Eid. We discussed the ways in which a process was used to deliver punishment against him, and how the state of Pakistan is moving towards criminalizing thought in the country.

Abdul Moiz Jaferii was part of the legal team that is continuing to represent Mr. Mallick in his ongoing cases.

Uzair talks to Zahid Husain about the worsening security situation in Balochistan, which has led the army chief to assert that Pakistan must become a “hard state.” We discussed what can be defined as a hard state, and also try to understand the reasons for why Zahid Husain calls Pakistan a “predator state.”

Zahid Husain is an author and journalist who writes a weekly column for Dawn. You can read his latest column titled “A Predator State” here: https://www.dawn.com/news/1900408

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:40 What is a predator state?

15:10 The state’s colonial mindset

24:10 Difference in KPK and Balochistan

33:50 Anti-military sentiment in Punjab

38:10 Evolving views on military intervention

Uzair talks to Adil Mansoor about the state of Pakistan’s agriculture sector and the outlook for the year. We focused on the wheat and sugar markets, whether deregulation is here to stay, and the ways in which farmers have dealt with collapsing wheat prices.

Adil Mansoor is an agriculture analyst and writes for Business Recorder Research.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:40 Water shortages

4:10 Wheat outlook

18:00 Food inflation coming back?

24:20 Sugar prices

36:50 Storage and supply chain issues

42:00 Market reforms

Uzair talks to Arifa Noor about the mood in Islamabad after the Jaffer Express terror attack in Balochistan. We discussed the failures of Pakistan’s Balochistan policy, why political elites have continued to cede space to the military on key topics, and the decline in parliament’s standing over the years.

Arifa Noor is a journalist at Dawn and host of the TV show Newswise.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:50 Jaffer Express fallout

13:10 PPP pushes back against canal projects

23:10 PTI and an opposition alliance

31:30 Media blackouts and conspiracy theories

This episode focuses on the ongoing and worsening crisis in Balochistan, where militancy is rising and the political process shows no signs of improving. Rafiullah Kakar joins Uzair to explain what is going on in the province, the root causes of the insurgency, and why a number of political problems have added fuel to the burning fire in Balochistan.

Finally, Rafiullah also discusses his research on the structural and constitutional drivers of the core political economy issues in the province, with the conversation concluding on what can be done to alleviate the crisis in Balochistan.

Rafiullah Kakar is a policy analyst currently pursuing a PhD at Cambridge University, where he is seeking to understand the political economy of sub-national state capacity through a comparative study of education policy in two Pakistani provinces: Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

You can read Rafiullah Kakar’s paper that was discussed on the podcast here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14662043.2024.2382458

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:50 Worsening militancy in Balochistan

17:10 Engaging with young political leaders

25:50 India’s role in the insurgency

32:20 Is the status quo secure?

36:10 Structural drivers of the issues

47:20 Devolution of power

56:00 Competition in politics