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Good evening, In September 2026, when Japan’s Nagoya and Aichi will host the Asian Games, a new sport will be added to the programme: Mixed Martial Arts, also popularly known as MMA. The Olympic Council of Asia confirmed that MMA will be classified as a discipline under Combat Sports, alongside kurash and jujitsu, featuring six medal events. This development will benefit the likes of Anshul Jubli and Pooja Tomar, two Indian professionals prominent in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) MMA circuit. The OCA also announced that cricket will make its fourth appearance at the Games, having debuted in Guangzhou in 2010. In the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, India won the gold medal in both men’s and women’s T20 tournaments. Next year, the cricket programme is likely to take place in Aichi, though exact venues have yet to be determined. PS: Yesterday’s edition of this newsletter misspelt our contributing editor Neerja Chowdhury’s last name as “Choudhary.” I deeply regret the error. 🤦♂️ On that note, let’s dive in 👇🏽
📝 The Debrief
India has intensified its global diplomatic outreach following the Pahalgam attack, with Pakistan increasingly isolated
In the week following the gruesome attack in Pahalgam, India’s diplomatic corps has been understandably busy. It has been aided by a unanimous condemnation of the terrorist attack by world leaders, from US President Donald Trump to the Saudis and even the Taliban-led Afghan government. In what is a massive win, the language in their statements has been unambiguous, with their wordings chosen carefully, in a quiet recognition of India’s rise as a significant global actor. India’s diplomatic offensive comes at a time when Pakistan, once a key geostrategic actor for the West, is increasingly finding itself isolated, irrelevant, and with a floundering, aid-reliant economy, offering little to the world at large. Chess moves: India’s diplomatic successes thus far have not merely been about blunting (and exposing) its rival at the global stage, but also scoring key manoeuvres, such as the one in the United Nations Security Council, where Pakistan is currently a non-permanent member. Pakistan understandably blocked the name of The Resistance Front, the terrorist group responsible for Pahalgam, to deny its complicity (especially post-FATF). However, India managed a substantial win, with American and French support, blocking Pakistan’s attempt to get “disputed” added to Jammu and Kashmir. Unsurprisingly, China, a key Pakistan ally, has backed its call for an “impartial investigation” into the attack. Helping hand: India has also sought to use Pakistan Defence Minister (yes, they exist, by the way), Khawaja Asif’s self-incriminating words, to bolster its case globally. Over the past week, Asif, seemingly a designated spokesperson for the real power centre (The Establishment), told British channel Sky News in an interview, “Well, we have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades, you know, and West (sic), including Britain.” Asif’s comment was in response to a comment that he admits Pakistan’s long history of backing, supporting, training and funding these terrorist organisations. Beyond Asif, his colleagues from Pakistan’s civilian government have engaged in constant rabble-rousing about an “imminent attack” by India, with Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan’s Information Minister, releasing a midnight video to assert the same. Rallying around: Over the past week, India has also intensified its outreach efforts with the Taliban government in Kabul. Delhi dispatched M Anand Prakash, the Ministry of External Affairs’ Joint Secretary in charge of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, to Kabul this week. While there, Prakash met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to strengthen bilateral political relations and enhance trade and transit cooperation. This is important because India’s trade with Afghanistan occurred via the Integrated Check Post at Attari, which has now been closed. Turkey, considered one of Pakistan’s closest allies, issued a statement “condemning” the “terrorist” attack. It also defied Pakistan by not referring to Jammu and Kashmir as “disputed”, which MEA sources told us is “strong” and “positive.”
✍️ From our newsroom
Undermine Asim Munir: As India readies its military response to the Pahalgam attack, it must grasp the strategic calculus of Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir. His decision to reignite conflict with India comes amid a domestic polycrisis, characterised by economic stagnation, internal unrest, and strained civil-military relations. Munir’s aim: consolidate support by invoking the “two-nation theory,” provoke communal tension in India, and raise the spectre of nuclear escalation to trigger international intervention. As C Raja Mohan argues in this essential read, India’s challenge is to preserve internal unity and shape global perception in its favour. With shifting geopolitical dynamics, including Washington’s Indo-Pacific pivot and Gulf nations aligning more closely with India, Pakistan’s external support is weakening. Mohan urges Delhi to break the entrenched “conflict cycle” of terror-provocation and retaliation. Instead, he advocates undermining Munir by engaging with political forces within Pakistan that seek internal reform and a reset of its confrontational status quo.
🔎 Need to know
Meta’s AI play: Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms, launched its standalone app for the Meta AI assistant on Tuesday. The app will compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and other products, including Anthropic’s Claude. Meta’s Llama 4 model will power the AI assistant.
Take three: Shri Thanedar, a House Democrat from Michigan, introduced seven articles of impeachment against US President Donald Trump. Thanedar accused Trump of obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and usurpation of power, among other issues that also included Elon Musk’s DOGE. Tragic: At least seven people were killed when a newly-constructed wall at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Visakhapatnam’s Simhachalam collapsed early Tuesday morning. Six people were injured. The collapse followed heavy rains in the state.
🎙️Expresso Playlist! In today’s Playlist, I’ll recommend two fantastic episodes from The Rest is History, which deep dive into the origins of The Rolling Stones. Pro-tip: If you have two hours to spare, it's well worth indulging → Part 1 | Part 2
✋🏽 One last thing I’ll leave you with this fantastic reporting in Semafor on how the tech right in the US got radicalised (and went MAGA!), and the role of “group chats” (on Signal, etc) in the same. It’s a long read, but one well worth your time. That’s all from me today. Thank you so much for reading this edition. If you enjoy the Evening Expresso, tell your friends to subscribe to the newsletter. You can do so by signing up for the Morning Expresso. Additionally, you can reach me via email for tips, feedback, or simply to say hello! 😀 Until tomorrow, Venkat Ananth |
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