Abdul Ghaffar

PhD student IR, UoP, currently Exchange Visitor Research Scholar at the University of California @UCSB

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

Ludwig Wittgenstein, an Austrian philosopher, believed that one's cognition—the ability to think and comprehend—is constrained by the language they speak. He famously said, "The limits of my language mean the limits of my world."

However, the development of advanced AI models, fluent in all major languages, is changing this reality. Today, with the help of ChatGPT and DeepSeek, one can easily code, compute, and communicate in any language. Language is no longer a gatekeeper to world knowledge. And cognitive development is as much a process of access to the internet, computers, and communication hardware as a social process shaped by culture, language, and interaction with others.

With hyperscalers spending billions of dollars on these AI models, science and technology are on a fast track to develop Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). In the near future, AGI will possess human-level cognitive abilities. From there, it's a straight shot to robots capable of performing human-like functions and acquiring superintelligence. Therefore, it's no longer Thought and Language (Vygotsky); it's Machines and Thoughts (Turing).

Alan Turing once said, "One day ladies will take their computers for walks in the park and tell each other, 'My little computer said such a funny thing this morning.'" We are in Turing Park now.

Link to the book:
https://t.co/tPLqGtyep4

China: An Emerging Software Power | RAND

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

The way @CFR_org Daily Brief talks about Sharaa is as if he is Mahatir Mohamad or Le Kuan Yew.

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

#CentralCommand Vs #MissionCommand
The proposed #27thAmendment rewrites numerous articles of the Constitution of Pakistan. Besides changing powers and functions of the Supreme Court, it radically alters the command-and-control structure of the Armed forces of Pakistan, especially powers the Army Chief. The draft proposes creation of a new office of the Chief of Defence Forces, headed by the army chief. It vests more power and privilege in the most powerful person in the country. If approved, the Chief of Defence Forces will oversee and control all three domains (land, air and navy).
The draft further proposes creation of the office of Commander of the National Strategic Command, who would be appointed by the Prime Minister on the recommendation of the Army Chief, and must come from within the army. This new office will place the National Command Authority (NCA), a federal agency that oversees the country’s nuclear weapons, under the direct control of the army chief. Therefore, the 27th amendment is a constitutional step towards further military centralization in Pakistan. This has significant implications for operational command and military hierarchy in the country.

According to a recent report by RAND Corporation the US command and control (C2) structure has been pointed to as one key enduring advantage of the US forces over the Chinese military. Pakistan has a similar advantage over India due to the rapid and independent response structure of its Army, Air and Naval forces. However, the proposed 27th amendment seems to change this equation and deny Pakistani forces, especially Air force, of its strategic advantage.

As the nature of war changes due to new technologies and unfamiliar battle ground strategies, states are adopting new concepts of command and control. Opposed to the traditional Central Command is a futuristic idea of Mission Command.

The concept of Central Command is based on the idea of centralization of power and decision making. Best example is the United States military having separate commands for different domains and different parts of the world. E.g., US Central Command, US Northern Command, US Space Command. But due to the operational limitations and issues of time and space centralized command structure is not viable in any future conflict. Here enters Mission Command

Mission Command, which is faster, adaptable and more resilient, delegates decision making authorities to subordinates to enable flexibility, initiative, and responsiveness in the accomplishment of commander’s intent.

According to the RAND report, China has already started organizing and exercising its forces on the basis of Mission Command. But unfortunately, the 27th amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan ignores this reality and delegates too much power to one office. This will disturb the existing institutional power equilibrium (land, air, navy) and affect efficiency and professionalism of armed forces of Pakistan.

Link to RAND Report is here. https://t.co/EbbIIVjhPv

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

Economic Corridor vs. Air Boulevard

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman of the Afghan Taliban, says American drones pass through Pakistani airspace and violate Afghanistan's airspace. This is not the first time a Taliban official has accused Pakistan of wrongdoing and interference in Afghanistan.

In January 2025, Abbas Stanekzai, deputy foreign minister, claimed Kabul has evidence that "the Pakistani army is supplying weapons to ISIS and then sending them to Afghanistan to carry out attacks."

Similarly, in October 2025, Mujahid accused that “training centers for ISIS-K have been established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and trainees are being brought there through Karachi and Islamabad airports. Our findings show that the attacks in Iran and Moscow were orchestrated from these centers.” Serious and baseless allegations, highly unlikely, because Pakistan itself is fighting a bloody war against terrorism.

Mention of Moscow is interesting and concerning. An ISIS affiliate in the region, ISK (Islamic State Khorasan), claimed responsibility for the March 2024 terrorist attacks in Crocus, Moscow. But before the Crocus attack and Taliban's accusations, Russia had already voiced concerns about outsiders' involvement in the region.

In November 2022, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said that "The Americans are openly blackmailing Taliban leaders...and forcing them to distance themselves from Russia and China.”

After Russia became the first country to recognize the current Taliban government, Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, wrote that the road to stability in Afghanistan is thorny and that “the situation is aggravated by the recorded facts of the transfer of militants from other regions of the world to Afghanistan.”

Why is the road to stability in Afghanistan thorny? How will it impact Pak-Afghan relations?

In my opinion, it all started on August 16, 2021.

President Biden, defending his decision to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan, said that "we’ve developed counterterrorism over-the-horizon capability that will allow us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on the direct threats to the United States in the region."

Over-the-horizon approach requires use of drones or presence of US assets on the ground, either in Central Asia or Pakistan. Drones are not suitable due to technical and operational issues, plus high collateral damage. Therefore, the US seeks presence on the ground.

When Prime Minister Imran Khan was asked in June 2021, "will you allow the American government to have CIA in Pakistan to conduct cross-border counterterrorism missions against Al Qaeda, ISIS or the Taliban?" He said no.

But the current government of Pakistan seems willing to provide that access. Financial Times reported that Pakistan has offered the US to develop an air and naval base in Pasni, Balochistan, near the Af-Pak border. Passage through Pakistani airspace is necessary for over-the-horizon policy. According to Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, it will be an 'Air Boulevard' of US forces in the region.

This potential air boulevard has strategic and security importance. Near Pasni, in Gwadar, China has constructed a deep seaport and invested billions of dollars in Pakistan and Afghanistan under its Economic Corridor policy.

Currently, with the war in Ukraine and the New Great Game being played in Africa and the Middle East, Pakistan has successfully maintained balanced relations with both China and the US. America's G2 acceptance, for the time being, created space for the US-Pak-China triangular relations. Once the theater moves to East Asia and Russia's near-abroad, maintaining balanced relations will become more complicated and eventually Pakistan will be forced to take either an Economic Corridor or an Air Boulevard.

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

Anyone doing PhD with a daily 5+ hours screen time must quite one.
Your thoughts…..

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

@HarpreeTlt What do you mean?

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

@owaiswxr @Oldpeshawar @junaidbangash37 @Aamirsohail956 @NoorUllah445 @ShaukatSwaati Tabahi

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

@worqas A week before I was attending a session on Development and Globalization at UCSB, and this professor who has written more than 25 books, and is a renowned sociologist, referenced Dr Mehbub-ul-Haq on capitalism, int financial institutions and inequity in third world countries.

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

@YousufNazar There are multiple layers of relation political, economic, military, and social. No total breakdown ever. Relations continued in one field/form or another. About the headline read Daniel Markey’s ‘No Exit From Pakistan’.

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

@YousufNazar Simplistic aphorisms never fully explained US-Pakistan relations (my PhD dissertation). It’s not transactional (read US humanitarian assistance and cooperation in fields of science technology and education). It’s not clientalist (Pakistan’s Nuclear program and relations with 🇨🇳)

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

Steve Coll writes in his book Directorate S that “if the army and ISI did not misrule Pakistan in alliance with corrupt political cronies, the country’s potential to lift up its own population and contribute positively to Int system might today rival India’s”. #FloodsInPakistan

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

@pind_wave Upwork and Fiverr are best, especially for US market place. If you can do proof reading, editing and proper referencing, you will be able to get freelance work from there.

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

@SMAJ_UoP @junaidbangash37 Hahaha Sir zama da zra khabara am ok 😝

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

@junaidbangash37 @SMAJ_UoP Wallah os khu ba zaror sa bandobast kol ghwari 😂

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

@SMAJ_UoP @junaidbangash37 Sir lynx da Zafran na hume nayab dy 😝

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

@SMAJ_UoP Hahaha Sir yo meme me okato wai Pakistan k tool boards 100% out put werka nan Saba , including cricket board 😂

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

@Owais_Wazir @junaidbangash37 Surgica strike Ta ready osa 😝

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

William Phillips, United States representative in British India, met Jinnah on 6 April 1943. According to Phillips “his brilliant intellect, his ability to hold masses of people spellbound for hours” and “his concept of an independent Moslem nation have captivated Moslem”
#Jinnah

[Abdul Ghaffar @abdul279]

@Aamirsohail956 A very sad moment. Two sentences which got my attention most after KabulAirportAttacks are “This war started with the blood of innocent people and ended with the blood of innocent people” and “The world has failed Afghans”.