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karakoram Pass
Strategic Essay: The Genesis of the Line Joining NJ 9842 with the Karakoram Pass


Amit Krishankant Paul

This essay traces the origins and evolution of the imaginary line joining NJ 9842 to the Karakoram Pass, a cartographic construct with no legal basis in the 1949 Karachi Ceasefire Agreement. It reveals how private and official mapmakers—particularly in the West—erroneously extended the ceasefire line beyond NJ 9842 without any factual basis and the practice became pronounced after “Hodgson’s Line” introduced by the U.S. State Department in 1968.

Siachien
Strategic Essay: Comprehending NJ 9842 and the Region Beyond


Amit Krishankant Paul

This essay critically examines the origins, significance, and misconceptions surrounding NJ 9842—the northernmost demarcated point of the 1949 India-Pakistan Ceasefire Line (CFL) in Jammu and Kashmir. It argues that NJ 9842 emerged not as a terminus by design but as a consequence of an incomplete demarcation exercise halted by mutual consent due to terrain challenges and presumed irrelevance...

Pakistan-Afghanistan
The Pak-Afghan Border Clashes: Fallout of Unrealistic Expectations?


Ashish Shukla

Ever since August 2021, when Taliban fighters captured the seat of power in Kabul, the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan started deteriorating. It was primarily because of Pakistan’s unrealistic expectations from the Taliban.....

Nepal
Nepal’s September Reckoning: How Gen Z is Rewiring Nepal’s Democracy


Afroz Khan

The comment analyses Nepal’s September 2025 Gen Z-led uprising that toppled Prime Minister K.P. Oli’s government. Triggered by a social media ban, the protests escalated into a nationwide revolt against corruption, inequality, and elite privilege.