February 2026
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Pakistan – Falling Behind in the Indian Subcontinent
Bombay Badshah uses UN and Global Data Lab human development figures to argue that Pakistan now has the lowest HDI in the subcontinent, is set to fall below Nepal on…
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Bangladesh
X.T.M posts a BBC report on Tarique Rahman’s swearing-in as Bangladesh’s prime minister, with an opinion piece by Irfan Chowdhury for Sapan News on the BNP’s two-thirds win in the…
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Pakistan’s dramatic drop in fertility
X.T.M argues that Pakistan’s fertility fall from 3.61 to 3.19 children per woman reflects urbanisation, education, female work and social media rather than ideology or theology. He says religious societies…
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Open Thread
Open thread; X.T.M says he has much to write about but is parking it for a little while.
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On Editorial Authority and Trust
X.T.M explains that he has removed Kabir’s editorial and authorship rights after comments were hard-deleted and posts rearranged beyond what was agreed. He sets out the editorial reset, says January…
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Not All Our Ancestors Were “Just Hindu”
X.T.M rejects the claim in Aslan Pahari’s videos that Pakistanis’ pre-Islamic ancestors were uniformly Hindu. He argues the pre-8th-century Indus region was layered and regional, with Buddhists in Sindh, later…
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The Importance of Grace
X.T.M, noting that Kabir has resigned, argues that online forums need grace rather than agreement or deference. He says blunt voices should not be silenced and that BP must remain…
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India Has Sacred Land. Pakistan Has Sacred Purpose. The Comment Section Needs Neither.
X.T.M asks commenters to respect the rules, invites a fair-minded volunteer moderator and explains why BB was given authorship. He adds that India has sacred geography while Pakistan was founded…
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Epstein in Peshawar: Not a Financier, Not Just a Predator
X.T.M reads a 2013 Jeffrey Epstein email from Peshawar as a field report on tribal and official contacts and polio funding. He argues it shows Epstein as an access broker…
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On Breakup Fantasies and Basic Geopolitical Decency
X.T.M distinguishes criticising a state from fantasising about its breakup. He argues that states fracture when weak institutions meet sustained external pressure, cites 1971 and the Arab Spring, and says…
