Tashkent/Islamabad: Afghanistan’s stability is a regional imperative that demands a coordinated, principled, and inclusive response. At a multistakeholder dialogue hosted by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Islamabad in collaboration with the Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS), Tashkent, on July 23–24, 2025, participants emphasized that peace and economic recovery in Afghanistan must not be treated as charity or a political burden, but as a shared moral and strategic responsibility. They underscored that regional stability hinges on inclusive education, collective security, and cross-border cooperation rooted in mutual interest, not exceptionalism. The two-day dialogue held in Tashkent, “Building Bridges: Regional Dialogue for Peace and Development”, brought together scholars and policy experts from Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Egypt. Discussions focused on inclusive education, addressing the misinterpretation of religion, and developing practical frameworks for sustained regional cooperation rooted in mutual benefit and long-term peacebuilding. Participants emphasized the need for greater regional synergy to promote trade, inclusive economic development, and coordinated responses to shared challenges such as refugee displacement, drug trafficking, and terrorism. They unanimously reaffirmed that education is both a sacred Islamic right and a regional necessity, especially in the light of the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan. “Women’s education is an absolutely essential element for socio-economic development. Universities must serve not just as centres of knowledge, but as bridges between communities and countries, and scholars hold the sacred responsibility of opening minds and gatekeeping societies against negative influence”, said Dr. Qibla Ayaz, former Chairperson of Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology. Speakers also warned that the instrumentalization of religion by non-state actors continues to erode...

By Imtiaz Gul Iran’s response to Israeli aggression has redrawn the contours of modern conflict in the region, where missiles are only part of the story. For Pakistan, the real threat may lie in the invisible war already underway. The recent ceasefire between Iran and Israel marked the end of a brief but consequential confrontation, one that unfolded not just on the battlefield but across cyber domains, diplomatic arenas, and intelligence networks. While the immediate hostilities may have ceased, the shockwaves they triggered are only beginning to reach countries like Pakistan, which must now confront a rapidly evolving security landscape. This was not merely another Middle Eastern skirmish. It was a direct challenge to the established regional order, exposing not only the vulnerabilities of traditional military alliances but also the silent war unfolding beneath the surface, involving drones, data, and deeply embedded espionage networks. A Heavy Toll and Unshaken Resolve Iran is currently engaged in a comprehensive post-conflict assessment. The country suffered grave losses, both in human terms and in critical infrastructure, particularly its drone and defense production capabilities. Over 600 people were killed, including senior military commanders, nuclear scientists, intelligence operatives, and civilians. Despite these staggering losses and the overwhelming pressure from the United States and Israel, Iran did not buckle. Instead, it responded forcefully. The Israeli perception of security was punctured by a massive Iranian missile barrage, which reportedly bypassed Israel’s defense systems and led to an American-mediated ceasefire after 12 days of intense confrontation. The Illusion of Invincibility Shattered Though figures like Donald Trump have claimed that Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility was decimated, credible observers argue there is no concrete evidence of such irreversible damage. More importantly, the myth of Israeli military invincibility, carefully...

Israeli military targeted Iran’s nuclear scientist and military sites and Iran vows painful and bitter revenge. As expected, Israel launched widespread strikes across Iran Friday morning, reportedly targeting nuclear facilities and military sites, including in Tehran, Natanz, Tabriz, and Isfahan. Israel stated the operation aimed to "roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival." This attack reportedly involved over 200 fighter jets. Iranian state media confirmed the deaths of several senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. This includes: Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri: Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. Gen. Hossein Salami: Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid: Senior IRGC commander and head of the central headquarters of the Iranian military. Fereydoon Abbasi: Nuclear scientist and former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi: Nuclear scientist. Abdolhamid Minoucher: Nuclear scientist. Other unnamed senior figures of the Iranian General Staff and leaders of the nuclear program were also reportedly eliminated. Prior to these recent strikes, there have been other assassinations attributed to Israel: Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (November 2020): Iran's top nuclear scientist. Col. Sayad Khodayee (May 2022): An officer in Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Ayoub Entezari (May 2022): Aeronautical engineer. Kamran Aghamolaei (May 2022): Geologist. Razi Mousavi (December 2023): Senior Iranian general in Syria. Brigadier General Sadegh Omidzadeh (January 2024): Intelligence officer with the IRGC Quds Force. Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi (April 2024): Killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian Embassy complex in Damascus, along with other IRGC officers. Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, and Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, were also killed in Israeli attacks. Ismail Haniyeh: Was assassinated on July 31, 2024, in Tehran, Iran, by what was described as...

By Engineer Arshad H. Abbasi India's canal expansion plan sparks water war fears as Pakistan warns of treaty violation and agricultural collapse. On May 16th, five Reuters journalists revealed a grim and deeply troubling report: India is allegedly considering a drastic measure to curtail Pakistan’s water supply by expanding the Indus River infrastructure. At the heart of this alarming development is a proposal to double the length of the Ranbir Canal on the River Chenab—from its current 60 kilometers to a staggering 120 kilometers. This move appears to be a calculated strategy to choke the vital flow of water from the Indus Basin to Pakistan, a lifeline for millions downstream. Is India’s action essentially an open declaration of its intent to unilaterally revoke the Indus Waters Treaty? With plans to increase the canal’s water-carrying capacity from 40 cubic meters per second (1,400 cusecs) to 150 cubic meters per second (5,300 cusecs), this initiative could deal a devastating blow to Pakistan’s water reserves. Simple calculations underscore the scale of the potential loss: the average flow in the Chenab River where the canal originates is approximately 28,000 cusecs. By diverting such a significant volume, Pakistan’s water supply from the Chenab could plummet by nearly 20%. Quantitatively, this translates to an annual loss exceeding 5 million acre-feet (MAF) of water—valued at an estimated $10 billion on the global market. Such a reduction would not only deplete Pakistan’s already-stressed water resources but also devastate Punjab province, the nation’s agricultural heartland. Punjab, which contributes 68% of Pakistan’s annual food grain production, stands on the precipice of an agricultural and economic disaster. While India has long utilized the Ranbir Canal—a 19th-century irrigation channel predating the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)—such a significant expansion raises serious questions about compliance with the treaty’s limitations. Annexure C of the IWT...

By Engineer Arshad H Abbasi This op-ed explores the urgent need to safeguard the Chenab River’s fragile ecosystem, threatened by rampant hydropower expansion and accelerating climate change in the Himalayan region. A serious oversight is unfolding in Pakistan. While the nation focuses solely on India’s activities concerning the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum Rivers, a potentially more pressing issue goes unnoticed. The Ministry of Water and Power appears to limit its concern to Indian-occupied Kashmir, overlooking developments beyond that region. This narrow geographical focus raises concerns about the ministry’s understanding of the rivers it is responsible for safeguarding. For those who remain oblivious, let this sink in: the Chenab River, poetically known as the Moon River, flows for 130 kilometers through Himachal Pradesh, a region that holds just a small fraction—7,500 square kilometers—of its total 61,000 square kilometers basin. Yet, in this relatively small region, Himachal Pradesh is ruthlessly constructing, implementing, and planning 49 hydroelectric projects on the Chenab. The tragic reality does not end here. Rivers like the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, along with their smaller tributaries, have already been dammed into submission. The Chenab, South Asia’s last relatively free-flowing and thriving river, is now under siege. And what lies ahead? If these hydroelectric projects are completed as planned, the Chenab will be reduced to a lifeless trickle, less than 10% of its flow visible to the world. Dams are being built in relentless succession, one after the other, leaving no room for the river to breathe. Water from one hydro project no longer meets the river; instead, it pours into the reservoir of the next. What was once a vibrant, living river is being transformed into a series of stagnant puddles and barren stretches, bypassed entirely by tunnels. The consequences of this brutal transformation are nothing short of catastrophic. Devastating impacts will be...

CRSS is dedicated to delivering the finest unbiased, professional technical and legal analysis regarding the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. Our mission is not only to offer opinions but also to provide historical context and reports aimed at reinstating this landmark treaty, which once symbolized peace between two hostile nuclear powers. Our center will be glad to address all your queries. The announcement came like a knell, a cold and calculated stroke that severed the lifeline of hope. India declared the immediate suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a cornerstone of fragile peace between the two nations entangled in history’s barbed wire. The pronouncement, delivered by the steely voice of the Minister of Water Resources, C.R. Patil, left no room for ambiguity: “We will ensure that not even a drop of water from the Indus Rivers System goes to Pakistan.” For those who had clung to the faint possibility of reconciliation, it was more than a statement; it was the collapse of reason itself. It reduced decades of negotiations, treaties, and hopes to rubble. Among the broken aspirations was the vision of one solitary figure who had spent over a decade striving to turn the Siachen Glacier into a Peace Park, a sanctuary where hostility might thaw alongside the ice. Yet, even this glacier, occupied and melting at an unforgiving pace since 1982, now mirrors the unyielding stubbornness of human conflict. What could have been a beacon of reconciliation now lies as barren and battered as the treaty that has been discarded. The implications of this grim promise are staggering. The Indus River Basin, a lifeline for millions in Pakistan, will face catastrophic consequences if India follows through. This basin, with its annual flow of 122 to 150 million acre-feet, tells a bitter truth: 35% of the Indus’s waters, 55% of the Jhelum’s, and nearly all of the Chenab’s originate from Indian-controlled catchments. These rivers, vital to agriculture, energy, and livelihoods,...