Army says 18 security forces killed in militant attack in southwest Pakistan

NEW DELHI: Old rivalries between India and Pakistan are driving a shift in regional ties, with New Delhi courting Afghanistan’s Taliban while Islamabad befriends the new leaders of post-revolutionary Bangladesh.

Diplomatic dynamics in South Asia are rooted in long-running distrust between the region’s two most populous nations.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan — carved out of the subcontinent at the chaotic end of British colonial rule in 1947 — have fought multiple wars and remain bitter foes.

The rivalry shows no sign of abating, with New Delhi denying in January it had launched covert operations to kill anti-Indian militants on Pakistani soil.

“You can’t have snakes in your backyard and expect them to only bite your neighbors,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters in dismissing the allegations.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have also worsened since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul nearly four years ago.

Islamabad has accused Taliban authorities of failing to rein in militants they say are using Afghan territory to stage attacks that have killed thousands of Pakistani security personnel.

Pakistan launched deadly air strikes in Afghanistan border regions in December, with subsequent cross-border exchanges of fire.

The Taliban’s austere interpretation of Islamic law seems at first glance an unlikely pairing for the Hindu nationalism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but India has nonetheless moved to exploit the opportunity.

“India has been pursuing this path quite consistently for quite some time,” international relations professor Hassan Abbas of the National Defense University in Washington told AFP.

“They don’t want the Taliban to give space to any group that is going to ultimately be a bigger threat to India,” he said, adding that the prospect of “annoying Pakistan” was also appealing for New Delhi.

India’s top career diplomat, Vikram Misri, met with Taliban foreign minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai in January.

Jaiswal described the meeting as the “highest level of engagement” yet, adding that New Delhi was determined to “strengthen our longstanding relationship with the people of Afghanistan.”

Muttaqi had in turn “expressed his hope for the expansion of relations,” a spokesman for his ministry said.

Jaiswal said it was agreed at the meeting to “promote the use” of India’s $370 million development of Iran’s Chabahar container port “for supporting trade and commercial activities” to landlocked Afghanistan.

Chabahar is just west of Pakistan’s Gwadar port, which is considered a cornerstone of the infrastructure expansion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Pakistan.

India has long been wary of China’s growing regional clout and the world’s two most populous countries compete for influence in South Asia, despite a recent diplomatic thaw.

The Times of India said in an editorial after the Dubai meeting that New Delhi’s “quiet yet deliberate engagement” with the Taliban was reshaping strategic regional ties.

“Despite not officially recognizing the Taliban government, India understands the importance of maintaining a foothold in Afghanistan,” the newspaper wrote.

“The move also aligns with India’s broader regional strategy, which seeks to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its influence in neighboring Pakistan,” it said.

At the same time, old enemies Pakistan and Bangladesh now speak of “friendly” ties.

Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation but split in a brutal 1971 war, with Bangladesh then drawing closer to India.

However, long-time Bangladeshi premier Sheikh Hasina was ousted in an August 2024 revolution, fleeing by helicopter to her old ally India, where she has defied Dhaka’s extradition requests to face charges including mass murder.

Relations between India and Bangladesh’s new government have been frosty since then, allowing Islamabad and Dhaka to slowly rebuild ties.

The first cargo ship in decades to sail directly from Pakistan to Bangladesh successfully unloaded its containers in the port of Chittagong in November.

Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus also met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in December, saying he had “agreed to strengthen relations.”

Top Bangladeshi army commanders later visited Pakistan, discussing training programs and praising the “friendly relationship” between the nations.

Dhaka University professor Amena Mohsin told AFP that the sudden closeness reflected one of the oldest dictums in international diplomacy.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” she said.

KARACHI: Adorned with traditional garments, from colorful skirts of Tharparkar to the talismanic scarves worn by Sindhi grooms, The Haveli in Karachi has become an inspiration for many in terms of cultural preservation, with each artifact narrating a story, reflecting the landscapes, symbols, and beliefs of the people of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province.
For over 50 years, Dr. Nasreen Askari meticulously collected textiles, and documented the cultural and historical narratives woven into each piece to finally set up The Haveli in December last year. Today, the museum stands as a testament to Sindh’s deep-rooted artistry, offering a glimpse into ancient craft to people in major cities like Karachi where modern outfits mostly get the limelight.
Askari was mesmerized by the vibrant garments worn by women in Sindh’s rural heartlands, when she first arrived at Sindh University in Jamshoro as a medical student in the 1970s. The intricate embroidery and stunning hues were unlike anything she had encountered in Karachi’s urban sprawl where she had lived. What began as curiosity soon evolved into a lifelong passion for her to preserve Sindh’s textile traditions, a pursuit that would ultimately lead to the creation of Haveli.
“This institution, which is called the Haveli, is an attempt to show the cultural heritage that we have, which is so rich and so varied,” Askari told Arab News, acknowledging that her pursuit was in complete contrast to medicine which she practiced for many years.

“It is an obsession. It is not just a hobby. It is actually a passion. That is how that this institution has taken shape. Because if there was no passion, there would not be an institution [like Haveli].”
Askari shared that she practiced medicine for some time and enjoyed it, however, her passion for handicrafts moved her to start collecting artifacts, with the oldest piece being a bridegroom’s scarf she collected some 50 years ago.
“It was a very big surprise for me, and a very attractive surprise,” he recalled the time, when she decided to build her collection.
The Haveli showcases around 75 pieces from Askari’s extensive collection, amassed over five decades. It has a ‘bandhani’ (a woman’s head shawl) from 1978, a ‘kanjiro’ (a blouse or tunic front), a ‘bujhki’ (a dowry purse), ‘lungis’ (used as men’s sashes), and a ‘chola’ (a woman’s shirt). A section dedicated to animals displays a horse’s outfit, a ‘mohra’ and a ‘gaani’ (adornments for a camel’s face and neck), and a ‘jhul’ (a camel saddle cloth).

One of Askari’s favorite articles features is a ‘parha,’ a skirt made by the Meghwar community of Chachro in Sindh’s border district of Tharparkar. This resist-printed, hand-loom cotton skirt is adorned with embroidery, mirrors and depictions of peacocks gamboling among flowers.
While Askari, who is known as one of Pakistan’s pre-eminent experts on textiles, hasn’t ventured into creating her own designs, she hopes to inspire future generations of designers.
“I just stuck to the traditional designs, and to appreciating them, and examining them,” she said. “But I hope in the future, I will inspire design students to make their own designs.”

Syed Hasan Askari, Askari’s husband and chief executive of The Haveli, noted that Sindh’s rich textile traditions stem from its historical role as crossroads for artisans traveling between Iran, Central Asia and India.
“Every region has its own charm, and every region has its own skills, but Sindh does have an exceptionally rich tradition,” he said, emphasizing the importance of preserving Pakistan’s cultural heritage. 
“It is very important to preserve the culture and heritage of the country, any country, but even more so in Pakistan where there has been a lot of degradation of its historical roots.”
Askari wishes for The Haveli to not only showcase the beauty of Sindhi textiles, but also help generate income for the women who create these handicrafts. 
“I believe that we need to promote their crafts so that the women who make them can have a source of income when they create them,” she added.