TT Monitoring Desk

Reports from The Thursday Times' in-house monitoring desk.

No talks, only terms: Pakistan tells Kabul to end terror first

Pakistan has moved to shut down the impression of informal peace talks with the Afghan Taliban, insisting that there will be no dialogue without concrete and verifiable action against cross-border militancy.

Pakistan has shut down talk of backchannel peace talks, saying there will be no dialogue unless Kabul first takes concrete and verifiable action against militants operating from Afghan soil. — FILE/THE THURSDAY TIMES

Bias masquerading as expertise

The Diplomat’s piece rests on Ajmal Sohail’s unverified claims, presenting a politically situated Afghan figure as a neutral expert while offering no credible independent evidence for its most serious allegations. It also fails the basic logic test: Pakistan’s all-weather partnership with China makes the claim that Islamabad is targeting Chinese interests extremely difficult to sustain.

The Diplomat relies on Ajmal Sohail’s unverified claims, presents a politically situated Afghan figure as a neutral expert, and ignores the basic reality that Pakistan’s all-weather partnership with China makes such allegations hard to sustain. — FILE

US weapons are turning up in Pakistan’s war zone

A claim by US Congressman Ryan Zinke that Taliban fighters in Pakistan are using American Humvees and M16s has revived Pakistan’s long-running warning about post-2021 weapons spillover, as Pakistani reporting cites CNN-linked serial checks and alleged recoveries of US-origin kit in KP and Balochistan.

Weapons left behind after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan are increasingly appearing in militant attacks in Pakistan, raising concerns about regional instability and the long-term security consequences of unregulated military stockpiles. — MONTAGE/THE THURSDAY TIMES
A viral X post is being miscast as an official Israeli source to push a false claim that Pakistan and Gulf states are aligning with Israel, even though Islamabad’s posture is deterrence and de-escalation aimed at preventing regional spillover. — FILE / THE THURSDAY TIMES

مودی کا بھارت کشمیر کو دبانے اور طرزِ حکمرانی میں اسرائیل کے نقشِ قدم پر چل رہا ہے۔ الجزیرہ

بھارت مقبوضہ کمشیر سمیت مخصوص آبادیوں کو نشانہ بنانے، گھر و املاک مسمار کرنے اور جاسوسی کیلئے اسرائیلی ماڈل پر چل رہا ہے۔ مودی حکومت کے طرزِ حکمرانی اور پالیسیز میں اسرائیلی تصور جھلکتا ہے۔ ہندوتوا نظریہ صیہونیت و اسرائیل سے گہری وابستگی رکھتا ہے۔

India–Israel ties now extend beyond trade and defence, with growing parallels in governance and security approaches across Gaza and Indian-administered Kashmir. — FILE / THE THURSDAY TIMES

Punjab’s new aircraft row: Politics or practical investment?

Punjab’s aircraft acquisition has become politically charged, yet aviation experts argue that replacing an ageing jet with a modern, lower-maintenance asset may be fiscally rational in the long run. The Thursday Times analysis explores the tension between optics and economics.

The Punjab government’s aircraft replacement should be viewed as a long-term aviation investment grounded in safety, asset value and operational efficiency rather than political controversy. — FILE
Official records from Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir show over 357,000 educated youth unemployed while tens of thousands of sanctioned posts remain unfilled, suggesting a structural hiring freeze that challenges India’s post-2019 constitutional changes and development claims. — FILE/THE THURSDAY TIMES

The night India’s command structure lit itself aflame

In military doctrine, Modi's instructions to Naravane are not operational freedom. It is abdication. Decisions that could trigger a war between nuclear-armed states are not meant to be pushed downward at the last moment.

As the Chinese continued to advance, Naravane found himself caught between commanders on the ground prepared to act and a political system that had not yet decided whether it wanted to own the consequences of action. — MONTAGE/THE THURSDAY TIMES

Epstein’s emails are now haunting Modi’s diplomacy

Epstein's emails about Modi's Israel visit read less like commentary and more like a mission report. The action was “for the benefit of” Donald Trump. And finally, the verdict is delivered in capital letters: IT WORKED.

What emerges, taken strictly at face value, is not just an allegation but a story with a moral arc: secret advice, theatrical obedience, foreign benefit, declared success. — MONTAGE/THE THURSDAY TIMES
Trump’s invitation pulls Pakistan into a structured Gaza peace mechanism, widening Muslim-world representation while positioning Islamabad as a bridge-building actor focused on ceasefire, aid access, and civilian protection. — FILE/THE THURSDAY TIMES