International Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

COVERT DIPLOMACY AND NON-KINETIC STATECRAFT: THE EVOLUTION OF INDIA-PAKISTAN RIVALRY (2018–2023)

Mian Mazhar Waqas — 2026-06-30

Relation between India and Pakistan have been traditionally characterized by military confrontation, territory-related problems and direct engagement. Indo Pakistan strategic rivalry has seen some major changes, especially during 2018 – 2023. This period has demonstrated a clear transition towards non-kinetic and institutionally mediated contests. India has managed to align its statecraft by focusing on covert diplomacy, which is an indirect, undeniable and structurally embedded strategy through international institutions, economic regimes, strategic partnerships and global narrative construction.Using a qualitative interpretivist approach, the study analyse how India has been able to make use of multilateral platforms, financial governance structures and reputational mechanisms in order to influence the results that are not favourable to Pakistan. The process has led to the creation of a reputation asymmetry whereby India’s image of being a responsible and emerging power internationally offers diplomatic protection. While, placed Pakistan in a discourse of danger, instability and lack of compliance. This transformation, presents theoretical constructs, Boat Bridge Doctrine and Anshan Model. The former views national power as internally produced capacity based on addressing internal fault lines while the latter gives a practical model that if adopted can sail a nation through the turbulent waters of global politics towards glory. Combined, the frameworks represent a unified perspective on the way modern power can be produced and used on escalation-limited grounds. The transformation of India-Pakistan rivalry is indicative of wider tendencies in international politics whereby power is being exercised less through use of kinetic means and more through non-kinetic ones. The capacity of Pakistan to respond well will only be achieved through a complete re-set of its statecraft i.e. an inner consolidation, geo-economic involvement and a long-term narrative reconstruction.

NEUROIMAGING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AUTISTIC AND NEUROTYPICAL BRAINS:IMPLICATIONS FOR SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND SOCIAL COMMUNICATION—A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Sayyeda Rabia Basri Basri — 2026-06-30

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is associated with differences in speech, language, and social communication. This systematic review synthesised neuroimaging evidence published between 2020 and 2026 comparing autistic and neurotypical brains. A systematic search of nine databases identified 832 records, of which 30 peer-reviewed studies met the inclusion criteria. Findings showed atypical organisation in language-related cortical regions, white matter pathways such as the arcuate and uncinate fasciculi, functional networks including the default mode and salience networks, auditory electrophysiological processing, and self-related brain networks. Overall, the evidence suggests that communication differences in autism arise from distributed neural network organisation rather than isolated abnormalities in a single brain region. These findings have implications for speech-language pathology assessment, early intervention, and individualised support planning. Future research should include longitudinal designs, larger diverse samples, and stronger links between neuroimaging findings and communication outcomes.

THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STRESS PERCEPTION IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH AMONG PSYCHOLOGY AND MEDICAL STUDENTS

Anisa Habib — 2026-06-30

The students enrolled at any university having intensive professional courses like medicine, psychology have high risk of mental health problems because of high exposure of psychological distress and academic stress. Emotional intelligence (EI) is one of the psychological resources that has been identified as playing a pivotal role in supporting adaptive coping and regulating emotions. Some evidence is available based on empirical studies and there is still limited evidence regarding the effect of EI on mental health in terms of stress perception among the students of these two groups in Pakistan. For the present study, a total of 300 subjects (students of medical and psychology) of age 19-30 years were selected from different universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. There were 3 validated instruments which were Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale-10 (BEIS-10), Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) and Mental Health Inventory-5 (MHI-5). The results of the correlation analysis indicated that perceived stress had an inverse relationship with mental health measures of both groups, whereas EI showed a positive correlation with mental health measures. In particular, medical students' perceptions of the inverse relationship of EI to perceived stress and psychology students' perceived positive relationship of EI with psychological well-being were deeper. Using PROCESS Macro v4.2 for mediation analysis, the results indicate that EI has a direct effect on mental health, and that perceived stress is partially mediated between EI and mental health. The findings offer implications for understanding the psychological processes underlying the link between emotional competence and well-being and suggested avenues for emotion-focused training programs for universities and interventions that focus on emotions.

A MEDIATING ROLE OF SEDUCTIVENESS IN ATTENTION SEEKING BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL COMPARISON AMONG YOUNG FEMALES

Dr. Sameera Shafiq — 2026-06-30

The study aimed to find out the connection between seductiveness, attention seeking behavior, and social comparison and to examine the connection between demographic variables (age, marital status) with seductiveness, and attention seeking behavior among girls. A cross sectional correlational research design was used to collect data from a sample of 510 women aged 19 years and above from University of Gujrat via purposive sampling technique. The participants were screened by using the HPDS. After the screening process, the selected participants completed the BHPS and the INCOM. The findings indicate adequate variability across all study variables. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient showed seductiveness have a significant positive correlation with attention-seeking behavior (r = .78, p < .01) and social comparison (r = .23, p < .01). Furthermore, attention-seeking behavior was positively associated with social comparison (r = .22, p < .01). The results showed a significant positive partial mediation between attention-seeking behavior and social comparison of ability among females (β = .20, p < .05), and with opinions in social comparison (β=.51 .23, p < .001). The results were non-significant with respect to seductiveness and attention seeking behavior among unmarried and married females. Finally, the results showed significant differences with respect to seductiveness (F(2, 507)= 10.44, p<0.001) and attention seeking behavior (F(2, 507)= 11.14, p<0.001) among females with different age groups. In conclusion, the findings of the present study demonstrated significant positive relationships among seductiveness, attention-seeking behavior, and social comparison. Moreover, seductiveness partially mediated between attention seeking behavior and social comparison. Insignificant differences were found in married and unmarried females in their attraction approach and attention seeking behavior. Youngest group of females showed high seductiveness and attention seeking behavior followed by younger and young groups of the females. Implications are discussed in the light of the present results.

WORKFORCE DISPLACEMENT AND EMPLOYEE PERCEPTIONS OF AI ADOPTION IN PAKISTAN'S AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Haseeb Jan Saduzai — 2026-06-30

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the automotive industry by improving production efficiency, quality control, predictive maintenance, and decision-making. However, the increasing adoption of AI technologies has also raised concerns regarding workforce displacement, job security, and employee adaptation, particularly in developing countries such as Pakistan. This study examines workforce displacement and employee perceptions of AI adoption in Pakistan's automotive industry. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to employees working in automotive manufacturing and assembly firms. The findings indicate that while employees acknowledge the benefits of AI in enhancing productivity, operational efficiency, and workplace safety, many also express concerns about job displacement, changing skill requirements, and reduced employment opportunities for low-skilled workers. The study further reveals that organizational support, employee training, and reskilling initiatives significantly improve employees' acceptance of AI technologies. The research concludes that successful AI implementation requires balancing technological advancement with workforce development through inclusive policies, continuous training, and strategic human resource management to ensure sustainable industrial growth and employee well-being in Pakistan.