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Ashok K Mehta
Ashok K Mehta is a retired Lt General of the Indian Army. He writes extensively on defence matters and anchors Defence Watch on Doordarshan
Taliban 2.0: The phoenix of Pashtun power
The Pashtun Taliban has risen like a phoenix: transformed from Mujahideen who pushed back the Soviets in 1979 to take power in Kabul in 1996 — as the creation of Pakistan (by Maj Gen Nasirullah Khan Babar); melted away from Afghanistan when the US and Northern Alliance (NA) ousted it...
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Op Sindoor aftermath: A dangerous drift
15 October 2025 | Ashok K Mehta -
Gen Z sparks a digital revolution in Nepal
01 October 2025 | Ashok K Mehta -
Gen Z’s quake that shook Nepal
17 September 2025 | Ashok K Mehta -
Thailand in turmoil: Lessons for India
03 September 2025 | Ashok K Mehta -
Books, Battles and Bureaucracy
07 August 2025 | Ashok K Mehta -
A Diplomatic Victory for Nepal’s Arzu Rana
09 July 2025 | Ashok K Mehta -
Valour and Legacy: Remembering the Gorkha Heroes on VC Day
26 June 2025 | Ashok K Mehta
Debate on India’s defence doctrine
The larger question looms: Can India afford costly engagements with transient outcomes, without a comprehensive reimagining of its military doctrine, defence spending and national security policy? CDS Gen Anil Chauhan has made the startling comment that costs don’t matter, outcomes do. He was answering questions from Bloomberg in Singapore about the...
A silent triumph or strategic gamble?
While Delhi claims strategic success, key questions linger: Was nuclear escalation ever imminent? Who brokered the ceasefire? As media hails a new deterrence era, critics warn that silent victories may sow deeper uncertainties Op Sindoor may have moved from Page One to Page Three. But it won’t go away as PR...
Modi pauses war, raises stakes
Striking a rare balance between statesmanship and strategic bluntness, Modi laid out a new doctrine for countering cross-border terrorism, signalling a fundamental shift in India’s military posture and approach to deterrence In his 22-minute address to the nation on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a ‘pause’ in the war. The...
The endless war for Kashmir
The latest civilian attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-backed terrorists not only shattered a long-standing unspoken pact against targeting tourists but also reignited calls for retribution, hinting at a dangerous new phase The latest civilian attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-backed terrorists not only shattered a long — standing unspoken pact against targeting...
Saluting the Gorkha spirit
From World War trenches to high-altitude patrols, and now well into their centenarian years, these warriors — my comrades, my teachers, my brothers — carry their legacy with the same quiet pride as they once did a khukuri In my nearly 66 years of trekking and travelling in Nepal, from a...
Nepal: The struggle to restore monarchy
The political situation in Nepal is in flux. King Gyanendra, deposed in 2008, is rallying supporters to reclaim the throne, while Nepal’s Left-led republicans fight to uphold the 2015 secular, democratic Constitution I am in Tikapur, Kailali District, on the India-Nepal border, having been in Nepal since March 11, when I...
Nepal’s monarchy debate reignites
Former King Gyanendra Shah, backed by the royalist Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), has launched a bold campaign to reclaim relevance. His recent high-profile return to Kathmandu has ignited political tensions Returning to Pokhara, Nepal, during the current weather-fickle Holi season what struck me was the reignition of the debate on the...
