In 1892, India’s first Nobel laureate, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, wrote the timeless short story Kabuliwala — The Person from Kabul. Through its tender portrayal of an Afghan trader’s bond with a young Bengali girl, Tagore embedded a romantic image of Afghans in India’s cultural consciousness. Over the past century, Kabuliwala has come to symbolise the
Editor’s Note: As international media recently reported, regional powers have signalled firm opposition to any U.S. attempt to reclaim Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base. Russia, China, Iran, and Pakistan view such a move as a direct threat to regional security and stability — reflecting a broader consensus that Washington’s return to the heart of Central Asia
The cloisters of Jesus College in Cambridge are used to weighty debates. For centuries, scholars have gathered in its panelled halls to wrestle with questions of politics, philosophy, and power. Yet on 19–20 September 2025, the air seemed heavier than usual. It was not only the crisp, but bright autumn weather that lent solemnity to
Introduction from Narrativa360 Afghanistan’s governance challenges remain among the most complex in the world. This essay, authored by Professor Sayed Hussain Eshraq and Zalmai Nishat, outlines the intellectual foundation and practical design of the Composite Comprehensive Roadmap (CCR), a product of the Cambridge Massoud Conference. The CCR seeks to fuse Afghanistan’s historical, cultural, and civilisational
10 Questions For Priyajit Debsarker 1.) In your analysis, you highlight both the pitfalls and the immense potential for collaboration in the subcontinent. What do you believe is the single greatest barrier to achieving real regional cooperation? It is extremely difficult to pinpoint one fundamental underlying reason for this perpetual spiral of enmity. However, if
10 Questions For Mariam Solaimankhil The Parliamentarian Who Refused to Be Silent 1.) What was the moment you knew you had to enter politics—not just as an Afghan woman, but as a fighter for change? And how did growing up between Afghanistan and the diaspora shape your sense of justice and identity? It wasn’t about
In late 2021, not long after Kabul fell, I received a message from a young woman I had once mentored during my time in Afghanistan’s parliament. She was smart, sharp-tongued, and obsessed with becoming a judge. I still remember her saying, “I want to be the one who tells old men they’re wrong.” When the