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

Mian Mazhar Waqas , Dr. Aamir Khan — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

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

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

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.

International Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

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

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