Pakistan’s Balancing Act in the Iran War Walking a tightrope between the US, its neighbor in Tehran and its economic and defense partners in the Gulf, Islamabad steps into a mediator role

In the Iran war, Pakistan has walked a tightrope, balancing its ties with the United States, its neighbor Iran and its economic and defense partners in the Gulf. It now steps into a mediator role. | @surbhigupta.bsky.social .

A New Generation Is Redefining Pakistani Cuisine in the US Chefs, supper clubs and cookbooks are helping assert an identity distinct from the ‘Indian’ label that long dominated South Asian dining in America

Pakistani food is moving beyond immigrant enclaves in the U.S., writes @surbhigupta.bsky.social . Through restaurants, recipe books, pop-ups and supper clubs, a younger generation is reshaping how it’s seen — and how it's claimed.

Indians Are Celebrating the Moon Landing — One Song at a Time After the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, the country is revisiting its lunar-themed pop culture

From the @newlinesmag.bsky.social  archives:
Ever since the news arrived that India had landed on the moon, Indians have been euphoric. One of the ways they’ve celebrated is by revisiting the pop culture dedicated to it, writes @surbhigupta.bsky.social .

Kashmiris, Drawing on Historical Ties to Persia, Are Donating Their Life Savings to Iran Historic ties to Persia are pushing Kashmiris to support Iran in the ongoing war. The Iranian embassy has shared banking details to accept donations from families that are often poor, but eager to don...

Kashmir’s historic ties to Persia are driving even poor residents in the region to part with their savings — a trend that the Iranian embassy in India is encouraging.

My new dispatch in @newlinesmag.bsky.social

newlinesmag.com/running-note...

Kashmiris, Drawing on Historical Ties to Persia, Are Donating Their Life Savings to Iran Historic ties to Persia are pushing Kashmiris to support Iran in the ongoing war. The Iranian embassy has shared banking details to accept donations from families that are often poor, but eager to don...

NEW: Kashmir’s historic ties to Persia are driving even poor residents in the region to part with their savings — a trend that the Iranian embassy in India is encouraging, writes @surbhigupta.bsky.social in @newlinesmag.bsky.social . newlinesmag.com/running-note...

Pakistan’s Strikes Tear Open the Afghan Sky The bombings are widening out from the contested border areas to the cities, and those under attack are uniting in response

"There is anger in Kabul, not loud, but steady — the kind that accumulates.
This morning, in the final week of Ramadan, the city woke to the now-familiar crack of antiaircraft fire." 

The Limits of the UAE's Push for Food Security As Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf state’s strategic investments across Africa face a reality check

Jack Thompson analyses the impact that the war on Iran could have on the UAE's food security strategy, which relies on access to Africa's farmland via companies like Elite Agro and Al Dahra
newlinesmag.com/spotlight/th...
@newlinesmag.bsky.social @ipes-food.org

A New Book Tells Stories of Love and Longing Under Lockdown in Kashmir In 2019, when the Indian government shut off all channels of communication, people had to find ingenious ways of keeping in touch

From the @newlinesmag.bsky.social  archives:
@surbhigupta.bsky.social  reviews "Loal Kashmir," a book that explores the resilience of love and relationships amid conflict and government restrictions in Kashmir.

Writers Explore the Long Shadow of Partition in South Asia Decades after the painful ruptures of 1947, novelists and historians are capturing the fragmented lives, displaced communities and intergenerational stories that continue to define the region and its diaspora

Contemporary writers across South Asia and its diaspora show that the Partition of 1947 is not just history but continues to shape lives and identities, writes @surbhigupta.bsky.social 

Emirati Billionaire Questions Iran War as Dubai Influencers Shape Public Narrative Emirati billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor’s rare public critique of the U.S. over the Iran war stands out in a region where governments have issued social media restrictions and influencers have emerged as unofficial spokespeople.

"Much of the Gulf’s public-facing response to the conflict has been led by content creators based in the region. So much so that it may not be far-fetched to see them as unofficial spokespeople for many of the region’s major cities." | @surbhigupta.bsky.social 

I’ve covered the South Asian diaspora for over a decade. Zohran Mamdani’s election not only thrust South Asian Americans as a formidable political force but also reshaped the equation of who gets to define that label — the new South Asian Power Broker is here

The New South Asian Power Brokers in the United States Zohran Mamdani’s win reveals how Bangladeshi, Pakistani and other working-class organizers are reshaping the region’s diaspora politics in America

NEW: Zohran Mamdani’s rise in New York City signals a new kind of South Asian power broker: working class, coalition-driven and no longer defined by the Indian-American tech elite — or the politics of Modi’s diaspora lobby, writes @yashicadutt.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/argument/the...

Happy to see the big NYT piece about South Asian voters for Zohran

Hopefully this will make other editors out there more receptive of the same reporting I’ve been doing for months

Shoutout to @surbhigupta.bsky.social @dannypostel.bsky.social for recognizing this story before ANY OTHER pub.

Nepal’s Youth Uprising Is Part of a South Asian Wave of Rebellion Fueled by frustration and discontent, the Himalayan nation follows Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in witnessing mass protests against political corruption and elitism

For @newlinesmag.bsky.social, Vandana Menon writes about the recent #Nepal uprising, which followed Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and how young people in these countries do not carry the burden of history. What they see is the present, which includes broken promises. newlinesmag.com/argument/nep...

Writers Explore the Long Shadow of Partition in South Asia Decades after the painful ruptures of 1947, novelists and historians are capturing the fragmented lives, displaced communities and intergenerational stories that continue to define the region and its ...

Contemporary writers across South Asia and its diaspora show that the Partition of 1947 is not just history but continues to shape lives and identities, writes @surbhigupta.bsky.social in @newlinesmag.bsky.social

newlinesmag.com/review/write...

Writers Explore the Long Shadow of Partition in South Asia Decades after the painful ruptures of 1947, novelists and historians are capturing the fragmented lives, displaced communities and intergenerational stories that continue to define the region and its ...

Been carrying this essay in my head since 2022 — finally out in the world in @newlinesmag.bsky.social! Grateful for the time it took, the shape it found and the books that came along the way 📚✨ newlinesmag.com/review/write...

Pakistani Singer Ali Sethi Blends the Traditional and the Transgressive Trained in the Hindustani classical tradition, the Lahore-born musician is fusing centuries-old South Asian musical forms with experimental electronic pop

NEW: Pakistani artist Ali Sethi blends South Asian traditions with global sounds and queer aesthetics. He is now navigating estrangement from both Pakistan and India, writes @surbhigupta.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social

newlinesmag.com/spotlight/pa...

Writers Explore the Long Shadow of Partition in South Asia Decades after the painful ruptures of 1947, novelists and historians are capturing the fragmented lives, displaced communities and intergenerational stories that continue to define the region and its ...

NEW: Contemporary writers across South Asia and its diaspora show that the Partition of 1947 is not just history but continues to shape lives and identities, writes @surbhigupta.bsky.social in @newlinesmag.bsky.social

newlinesmag.com/review/write...

Inside India’s Greenwashing Eco Parks Projects to restore mining areas are being sold as part of a ‘just transition’ away from coal, but mask the pollution damaging locals’ lives

NEW: As the Indian government promotes eco parks on former coal mines as part of its just transition plans, in Singrauli, locals live with polluted water, toxic air and broken promises, write @mridulasee.bsky.social and Denise Fernandes for @newlinesmag.bsky.social.

newlinesmag.com/reportage/in...

Cultural Ties Binding India and Pakistan Face Unprecedented Strain In the wake of political tensions between the two neighbors, cross-border collaborations in entertainment and the arts have come to a standstill

NEW: Cultural exchange between India and Pakistan, long sustained through cinema, music and fashion, faces unprecedented strain amid rising political tensions, writes @surbhigupta.bsky.social in @newlinesmag.bsky.social.

newlinesmag.com/spotlight/cu...

India Takes Notice as Pakistan and Bangladesh Strengthen Ties After Sheikh Hasina’s fall, Dhaka — long aligned with New Delhi — is recalibrating its regional alliances and drawing closer to its historical adversary

A lot has been happening in South Asia and a lot has been written about it. This story becomes even more relevant now 👇

Pakistan & Bangladesh strengthen ties and the shift is making New Delhi uneasy.

Waleed Nasir writes for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/spotlight/in...

Yay! Which one is that?

Are India and Pakistan Edging Closer to the Brink of War? As tensions increase between the two nuclear-armed nations, which have fought on four previous occasions, their publics seem ready for escalation

NEW: As India and Pakistan face a situation close to war, public sentiment on both sides seems primed to back escalation, writes @surbhigupta.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social

newlinesmag.com/spotlight/ar...

How Diljit Dosanjh Changed the Way Sikh Men Are Viewed in Pop Culture Sardars — with their beards and turbans — were often considered unattractive and undesirable in India until the Punjabi singer entered the scene

The Punjabi pop star Diljit Dosanjh revolutionized the way people look at Sikh men in South Asian pop culture, writes @surbhigupta.bsky.social in @newlinesmag.bsky.social

The War on India’s Free Press — with Manisha Pande and Samar Halarnkar “There’s a complete and near total capture of mainstream voices, especially the loudest voices, the most prominent voices,” says Manisha Pande, managing editor at Indian media watchdog Newslaundry.…

“In the more than 30 years now that I’ve been a journalist, I have never felt as acutely a sense of threat as I do today.” Journalists Manisha Pande and Samar Halarnkar discuss the free press in India with @surbhigupta.bsky.social on The Lede.

India is Reeling as the Illusion of Normalcy Dissolves in Kashmir A deadly militant attack has shredded Modi’s vision of a tourist haven and sent shockwaves throughout society, fueling calls for vengeance and war with Pakistan

“Bilateral relations between India and Pakistan have hit their lowest point in decades, with tensions rising dangerously.”

@surbhigupta.bsky.social writes for @newlinesmag.bsky.social about the deadly attack that sent shockwaves throughout society.

India is Reeling as the Illusion of Normalcy Dissolves in Kashmir A deadly militant attack has shredded Modi’s vision of a tourist haven and sent shockwaves throughout society, fueling calls for vengeance and war with Pakistan

The recent attack in #Kashmir has exposed the Modi government’s claims of normalcy in the region and escalated tensions between India and Pakistan, as calls for revenge resonate through Indian society. I write for @newlinesmag.bsky.social

newlinesmag.com/argument/ind...

India is Reeling as the Illusion of Normalcy Dissolves in Kashmir A deadly militant attack has shredded Modi’s vision of a tourist haven and sent shockwaves throughout society, fueling calls for vengeance and war with Pakistan

NEW: The recent attack in Kashmir has exposed the Modi government’s claims of normalcy in the region and escalated tensions between India and Pakistan, as calls for revenge resonate through Indian society, writes @surbhigupta.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social.

newlinesmag.com/argument/ind...

Badar’s fellowship is partially subsidized by the Scholars at Risk program, which works with U.S. universities to host international scholars facing threats in their countries. He never imagined that a country with a Scholars at Risk program would one day pose a risk to scholars.

A powerful essay ⤵️

Pakistan Struggles to Maintain Strategic Relevance The government’s attempts to reengage with the United States since the fall of Kabul have been largely unsuccessful

Since the fall of Kabul, #Pakistan has struggled to maintain its strategic relevance, and its (rather desperate) attempts to reengage with the United States have been largely unsuccessful. Waleed Nasir writes @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/spotlight/pa...