Imran Khan’s sons speak out: “Our father’s prison conditions aren’t bad, they’re awful.” Whatever one thinks of Pakistani politics, the treatment of a former prime minister is a measure of a state’s institutional health.
Is the Paknationalism or Indophilia; the strange twist of Pakistan is that both can be true at the same time.
It was my birthday two days ago on the 15th. The official celebration will be later this month in Sri Lanka, but the last few weeks have been unusually hectic with travel and work.
The end-of-year rush is real, but there is also momentum. BRAHM just landed its second viral video. The first, a few weeks ago, crossed close to a million views and brought in over 10,000 followers. The latest is already past 4,000 likes and still climbing. It’s gratifying to see sustained resonance rather than a one-off spike.
As I get older, I find myself paying less attention to noise and more to patterns: how power is exercised, how cultures endure stress, and how certain relationships, personal and civilisational, never quite disappear, no matter how much history tries to force a clean break.
Happy Birthday!
On Imran Khan: He may be a former prime minister but he is also a criminal who incited his followers to attack Pakistan’s military installations. That is absolutely unforgivable in Pakistan. When IK was PM, Mian Sahab and Maryam Bibi were in jail. They were also treated very badly. It’s now IK’s turn.
He has officially been declared a “national security threat” by the Pakistan Army so things are not going to go well for him. For what it’s worth, I do think that–like any other prisoner in Pakistan– he should be allowed to meet his family and his lawyer. However, he should not be allowed to discuss politics with anyone. He is not above the state of Pakistan. No Pakistani is.
Pakistan Army has recently court martialed General Faiz Hameed and sentenced him to 14 years in prison. This is the first time that an ex-head of ISI has been court martialed. It’s another sign that people who think they are above the state of Pakistan need to think again.
Edit: Imran’s sons seem to think that he’s being treated worse than any other Pakistani PM. This just reveals their absolute lack of knowledge of Pakistan’s history. ZA Bhutto was literally executed by the Pakistani state. That’s not going to happen to Imran.
This was also interesting:
“Calls for Bihar CM to quit after he ‘unveils’ Muslim woman
https://www.dawn.com/news/1961600
Touching a Muslim woman’s hijab is an absolute red line. People have serious concerns about Nitish Kumar’s mental health.
Impressive, Trump claims Venezuela has stolen oil and Land from US. That would be like the Brits claiming India belongs to them
He (Trump) then warned, “It [the blockade] will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.” Minutes after the announcement:
https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/hunting-season-opens-18-sanctioned-tankers-venezuelan-crude
“India’s electoral roll revision threatens democracy and Muslims, say critics”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/16/india-electoral-roll-special-intensive-revision-threatens-democracy-muslims
Remember, Kabir – India always existed. Pakistan is the rump state. Need to keep reminding you of it from time to time so you can’t pretend otherwise.
Epstein, Ehud Baruch , Netanyahu and the Israeli Govt.
https://web.facebook.com/reel/1272184711600964
The reason Pakistanis have an issue with Dhurandhar is that Dhurandhar is good. It is not some cartoonish Gadar like thing or badly made like Kashmir Files and can actually catch on with international audiences, especially with its Netflix release (RRR spread like wildfire due to Netflix).
And just like Americans made Russians villains in the international perception, Indian media will do as well as India becomes richer and Indian media comes closer to first world standards.
I read that Pakistan has only 114 cinema screens in the entire country. India has 20,000+ lol.
Ye log karenge humar muqabla lol.
This article is more clear on Trumps logic
President Donald Trump has said the US is seeking to reclaim oil, land, and other assets from Venezuela, arguing that previous administrations allowed Caracas to strip America of its economic interests in the country.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Trump said Venezuela took “oil rights” and other assets that he claimed belonged to the US, prompting his decision to impose a naval blockade on the Latin American state.
“They took our oil rights. We had a lot of oil there,” Trump said. “They threw our companies out, and we want it back.”
https://www.rt.com/news/629573-trump-venezuela-oil-rights/
“When RSS-Modi Attack Macaulay and English, They Attack Upward Mobility of Dalits, Shudras, Adivasis”
By Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd
https://thewire.in/caste/when-rss-modi-attack-macaulay-and-english-they-attack-upward-mobility-of-dalits-shudras-adivasis
.
“Between Memory and Homeland: Reading Rumi’s Being Pakistani”
By Usama Malick
https://www.thefridaytimes.com/17-Dec-2025/memory-homeland-reading-rumi-s-pakistani
(Disclosure: the author of this book review is part of “The Peshawar Review” team)
“They Questioned India-Israel Ties. Now the Hindu Right Wants to Destroy Their Lives”
By Azad Essa
https://azadessa.substack.com/p/indian-activists-targeted-attacked-speaking-on-palestine
” ‘The Hindi Heartland’: An indispensable guide to engaging with India’s most influential region”
By Khawar Khan Achakzai
https://scroll.in/article/1089016/the-hindi-heartland-an-indispensable-guide-to-engaging-with-indias-most-influential-region
With all the talk about “Dhurandhaar”, here’s an Indian movie that I actually enjoyed recently:
“The Great Shamsuddin Family”
By Kuntil Baruwa
https://kuntilbaruwa.substack.com/p/the-great-shamsuddin-family