Some interesting links:
Trump says US will ‘permanently pause’ migration from ‘all third world countries’Ā
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad|The Tragic Genius Who Tried to Save United India| Inqalaab (in Urdu)
Tag: Open Thread
Bihar Elections (Open Thread)
A Sweep in the Making as NDA Leads on 200+ Seats; RJD Ahead on Only 24Ā
This thread is for your thoughts on the election results in Bihar.Ā You can also use it as an Open Thread.
I will not be heavily moderating this thread but-as always- egregiously anti-Pakistan comments will be summarily deleted. Otherwise, go for it.
Genetics open thread
On popular request ā or curiosity. Two recent studies are making the rounds:
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Kashmiris and Central Asians: Nature ā February 2025
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Sri Lankans and South Indians: Nature India ā February 2025
Iām generally skeptical of population genetics papers, what is their point exactly? But presumably this will awaken the Commentariat, who have been quieter lately.
If nothing else, consider it intellectual cake; open to everyone, rich in speculation. As an aside the young girl featured is a Baloch.
Open Thread
Post about whatever you find interesting.
Here is an insightful interview between Karan Thapar and Shyam Saran (former Foreign Secretary) focusing on Indo-US relations
Check out this clip from Pakistan Idol. This is a just a teaser of highlights from the Lahore audition round.Ā I believe that the contestants were told they could not sing Indian songs, which seems to be primarily a way to avoid everyone defaulting to Bollywood (There is also probably a patriotic angle).Ā After all, we have our own great composers and singers such as Medhi Hassan, Farida Khanum, Noor Jehan, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.Ā At the level of classical music, the tradition is obviously part of a shared culture.
There is a lot of musical talent in Pakistan and proper training would help to nurture it.Ā However, with all the other issues that the country is facing, art and culture have never really been a priority.Ā Finally, as a classically-trained musician myself, it is my firm belief that one cannot be successful in any kind of music without a firm foundation in Hindustani classical (which was the case with the greats such as Medhi Hassan, Madam Noor Jehan, and Farida Khanum).Ā India has obviously owned this culture much more than Pakistan–the reasons behind this are the subject of my dissertation.
Open Thread- Birthgap | WW3
Travelling ā Open Thread
š Links shared from the comments
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Indian rupee slides to all-time low on US visa hike & subdued foreign flows: Visa fee hikes and US tariffs are compounding pressures on the rupee, with concerns about equity flows into Indiaās IT sector.
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Why the PakistanāSaudi Arabia defence pact is unsettling India: Riyadhās commitment to treat aggression against Pakistan as aggression against itself is seen as a direct security challenge to India.
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Doug Macgregor thread on the SaudiāPakistan Strategic Mutual Defense Pact: Macgregor outlines how SaudiāPakistani defense ties, backed by China and linked to Iran, could reshape the balance of power in Asia.
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World Bank warns of Pakistanās failing growth model: The World Bank says Pakistanās growth model no longer supports poverty reduction, with income gains stalling and poverty at an eight-year high.
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Rail-based Agni Prime missile test-fired: India successfully tested a rail-mounted Agni Prime ICBM, underscoring advances in indigenous missile technology and delivery systems.
š¬ Keep the links and thoughts coming ā BP works best when the Commentariat bring their own sources into the mix.
Links on My Browser Right Now ā Open Thread
A few pieces Iāve been reading this week:
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The Lies America Tells Itself About the Middle East: (Foreign Affairs) ā On how U.S. narratives obscure its own role in the region.
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Donāt Overestimate the Autocratic Alliance: (Foreign Affairs) ā A counterpoint: authoritarian states may not be as cohesive as advertised.
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The Four Humours: Our 2,500-Year-Old Mania for Personality Types: (BBC Future) ā Why these frameworks endure and what that says about how societies interpret character.
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Can We Hear God? (BahĆ”āĆ Teachings) ā A reflection on divine communication and perception.
- The Dawn of the Post-Literate Society: (James Marriott, Substack) ā On how screens and AI are reshaping reading and writing itself. Thanks Kabir for the suggestion.
Reflections
On the Ummah: Muslims have often failed to concede ground in internal debates, which has left them politically boxed in. One reform across all denominations would be to return directly to the Quran as the primary authority. That alone would dissolve many cultural accretions, halal (animals should be stunned before slaughter), hijab (a Sassanian trait), and other practices, into something more adaptive.
And hereās a more speculative question: if the āSatanic Versesā were reconsidered if Al-Lat, Al-Uzzah, and Al-Manat were understood as sacred divinities at the threshold of the Lote Tree, would that make Islam more fluid, especially for minority-majority dynamics?
On Kabir: Iām not moderating him out, but readers should be aware that he frames everything through Muslim-rights activism. Engage, but donāt get gaslit into endless provocations. Everyone is entitled to their nationalisms ā but they canāt claim liberalism at the same time. That tension makes it worth examining how plurality is treated within the Hindu fold itself. Dharma, unlike the Abrahamic Faiths, tends to all for multiple truths co-existing with each other (Buddhism and indigenous East Asian religions).
š Over to you. Iām retreating from heavy moderation ā I see BPās strength in letting the commentariat lead. Biases are fine. Gratuitous abuse is not.
āIn March 1998 the Indian PM Gujral, told ā¦ āPakistan was not capable of making atomic bombs.ā he had been convinced by Indian Intelligence and Dr Raja Raman, the head of Indian Atomic Energy Commission, who had publicly claimed that nuclear weapon were beyond Pakistanās reach.ā
š§µ Open Thread: Hate Speech, Travel Notes, and Diplomatic Surprises
I just saw a comment that genuinely crossed the line; not just a misstep, but something hateful, dehumanizing, and deeply communal. It invoked Partition violence in a way that glorified massacre. Thatās not just a dogwhistle, thatās a foghorn.
As most of you know, Iām a light-touch moderator. I tolerate a lot. I believe in messy dialogue. Iāve been fair on my WhatsApp groups, fair on BP, and generally try to err on the side of letting things play out. But this? This wasnāt a close call. It was a clear failure of moral language.
Even if the commenter didnāt āmean it,ā this kind of rhetoric has consequences. When youāre speaking about events like 1947, where entire families were destroyed, you need to speak with care, not contempt. Thereās no room for casual violence, coded language, or historical gloating. None. Zero.
Before this commenter contributes further to the blog, he will need to fully retract and apologise for the communal language he used. Criticism is fair game. But hate speech is not. Kabir can be theatrical, yes but he does not traffic in dehumanization. The standards must be consistent, and that comment clearly crossed the line.
Please observe this on the thread. Iām traveling, and this is an open post. Iāll be back with more soon. Iāve written a bit in my newsletter but I will expand on those.
In the meantime:
ā”ļø Yes, it appears Pakistan is running smart diplomacy ā both with Iran and the U.S.
ā”ļø I don’t have time to share the links (plane about to take off); theyāre all Google-able.
ā”ļø But credit where itās due. There is no infallibility in foreign affairs. But when someone cannot stand to see Pakistan get anything right, it reveals more about their own biases than about geopolitics.
This isnāt about defending states or “sides”; itās about defending basic decency in discourse.
š§µQuick Moderation Note
Just a heads-up for everyone:
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IndiaāPakistan threads are totally fine when the post is about IndiaāPakistan, or if itās an Open Thread. Let the sparks fly there.
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But on other postsāplease avoid steering every conversation back to IndiaāPakistan. Itās not always relevant and derails useful discussion.
I wonāt be actively moderating every thread. If something is genuinely offensive or disruptive, feel free to flag itāIāll step in only if needed. Continue reading š§µQuick Moderation Note
Open Thread: Rajiv Gandhi, 34 Years On
On this tragic day 34 years ago, Rajiv Gandhi was brutally assassinated in Chennai. It would be timely and worthwhile to respectfully reflect on his legacy ā the good, the controversial, and the unresolved.
