World
Alarm bells are ringing in New Delhi after US President Donald Trump, who had no compunctions about cutting off intelligence sharing and arms and aid to war ravaged Ukraine facing the Russian Army, did just the opposite for India’s arch enemy Pakistan. While preparing to slap reciprocal tariffs on India from April 2. Even though India had lowered tariffs on US goods. Trump has approved a $400 million fund for Pakistan’s F-16 maintenance and praised its role in capturing IS-K commander Mohammad Sharifullah. The sequence of events bears an uncanny similarity to the million-dollar payoff that preceded the elimination of Osama bin Laden’s deputy Ayaman Al Zawahiri. This comes amid rising concerns over Pakistan’s ties with Washington’s rival China and its growing influence in the region. With General Asim Munir heading to Washington and Imran Khan openly praising Trump, where does India stand? Should India be worried about Pakistan’s narco-nuclear network and its terror-backed smuggling routes? With India facing multiple regional challenges, rebuilding ties with our problematic western neighbour Pakistan is on hold. Pakistan ranks 2nd in the Global Terror Index 2025. Talking to TNIE's Senior Journalist Neena Gopal about the treachery of the dangerous new jihad that Delhi is up against are two veteran commentators on Pakistan, Shyam Bhatia, an Indian-born British journalist, writer, author, and war reporter based in London, and Iqbal Chand Malhotra, an author, documentary filmmaker, and television programmer.