
Sonam Mahajan
@AsYouNotWish • 522,448 subscribers
Columnist & strategic affairs commentator | South Asian security, India’s foreign policy & the region’s recurring absurdities | 📝 @RisingKashmir @Page3NewsThai
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Arfa Khanum Sherwani often positions herself as a guardian of journalistic ethics and a champion of women’s rights. Which is why her conversation with Nivedita Menon on love jihad was revealing, but perhaps not in the way she intended. What began as a discussion about individual choice quickly descended into crude communal stereotypes. The suggestion was that Hindu men are frustrated because Muslim men supposedly have some special appeal to Hindu women that Hindu men do not enjoy with Muslim women. Cue the laughter, the jokes about appearance, and the casual mockery of an entire community of men. Think about the contradiction. If interfaith relationships are fundamentally about personal autonomy, why reduce them to a competition between religious communities? Why frame it as one side ‘winning’ and the other side ‘losing’? The contradiction runs even deeper. The exchange was initially framed around the idea that interfaith relationships are simply the result of women exercising their agency. Yet within minutes, the conversation shifted from individual choice to collective outcomes, from personal decisions to communal patterns, from agency to a discussion about which group of men is supposedly more successful in attracting women from another community. If the issue is truly about individual choice, why analyse it through the language of communal success and communal frustration at all? The irony is hard to miss. In the process of mocking concerns about ‘love jihad’, Sherwani ended up framing interfaith relationships as a competition between religious communities herself. More importantly, she inadvertently echoed a much older prejudice that has existed in sections of Islamist discourse across the subcontinent for generations: the idea that the Hindu is weak, timid, inferior and less capable, while the Muslim is strong, virile and dominant. Variations of this stereotype have been repeated for decades in political, religious and military narratives. Reality, of course, is less accommodating to such prejudices. India’s armed forces have repeatedly defeated Pakistan despite the latter’s alliances, foreign backing, and strategic advantages at different points in history. Strength, competence, and character are not determined by religion. The same applies to appearance, attractiveness, and every other stereotype casually invoked in such conversations. Indians and Pakistanis are not separate races. They are people of the same broad civilisational and genetic stock, shaped by geography, family history, region, and climate rather than by religion. There is no Muslim gene for attractiveness, confidence, or masculinity, just as there is no Hindu gene for weakness or timidity. People of every complexion, appearance, and temperament exist in every community. This is why Sherwani remarks matter. Not because they were offensive, but because they inadvertently exposed a bias that many pretend does not exist. Beneath the language of progressivism and feminism emerged a familiar communal stereotype, one that would have been condemned instantly had the communities been reversed. For someone who spends so much time identifying prejudice in others, it was a surprisingly unguarded display of her own. Source: The following clip is excerpted from a podcast published on Arfa Khanum Sherwani’s YouTube channel on 23 February 2026, and shared solely for the purposes of commentary, criticism, analysis, and public discussion.
Sonam Mahajan93,241 Aufrufe • vor 6 Tagen

UK-based journalist Adil Raja claims that under the ‘third-party validation’ component of Pakistan’s $1.2 million, two-year lobbying contract with Washington-based Ervin Graves Strategy Group, LLC, some Indian thinkers, columnists, and voices based in the U.S. and within India have also been brought on board. The lobbying agreement, reportedly worth $50,000 per month, is aimed at improving Pakistan’s global image, safeguarding its major non-NATO ally status, maintaining its international standing, securing access to the White House, Congress, and key policymakers, and facilitating high-level meetings. According to Raja, the outreach effort is not just limited to direct lobbying in Washington but also involves third-party validators and opinion-shapers, including individuals of Indian origin, to advocate for Pakistan’s position or push for dialogue with Pakistan. Adil Raja is a UK-based commentator and former Pakistan Army major who served for nearly two decades in the military. He has previously stated that he was involved in military intelligence and influence operations linked to Pakistan’s security establishment and has frequently spoken about the workings of the military, ISI, and Pakistan’s broader influence and perception-management apparatus.
Sonam Mahajan20,900 Aufrufe • vor 8 Tagen

Funny how Dubai did not change overnight, but the Pakistani ‘auntie brigade’ morality suddenly did. All of a sudden, every washed-up Pakistani actress and struggling YouTuber has a problem with Dubai. For example, this middle-aged woman who claims she once did a few Pakistani dramas is now calling Dubai the land of Satan, a hub of prostitution and sins, a ‘dunyavi fitnah’, warning people that it causes ‘Allah se doori’ and corrupts your soul. Ironically, the ‘naachna gaana’ industry she belonged to was not exactly a shortcut to spirituality either. And all this while she sits in front of a camera, dolled up with polished nails, coloured lenses, dyed hair, 10 kilos of make-up, and a full influencer aesthetic, lecturing millions of na-mahrams. The hypocrisy is almost artistic. Nobody is getting fooled. This is not some spiritual awakening; it is a coordinated ISPR-style meltdown. Dubai was halal when the pay cheques were coming in. The UAE asks for its money back, and just like that, Dubai becomes Iblees. Classic Pakistani munafiqat. Even funnier, many of these nobodies have also started claiming they were offered a Golden Visa but rejected it. Sure 🤣 The UAE authorities should start calling out these lies publicly. Because if these Pakis are this desperate to malign a country after cashing its money for years, they should not be allowed to set foot there again.
Sonam Mahajan100,440 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat

British Pakistani influencer Bushra Shaikh, notorious for posting pro-Islamist, anti-Hindu, anti-Jewish and anti-West tweets online, under radar after she visits Iran and delivers speeches at IRGC events where Hezbollah flags are waved. Shaikh also made posts on X urging her native Pakistan to give nukes to Iran and issue nuclear warnings to Israel every time Donald Trump threatens Iran. An online petition started by British commentator Nicholas Lissack calling for an investigation against her has already received over 36,000 signatures. Bushra Shaikh’s X account is also withheld in India due to radicalising content that humanises extremist networks based in Pakistan known for carrying out terror attacks in India, along with allegations of links to Pakistani intelligence and military officials.
Sonam Mahajan61,099 Aufrufe • vor 28 Tagen

India sends fresh relief packages for Afghan refugees recently deported by Pakistan.
Sonam Mahajan680,422 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

Meet Ayesha Suleman from Pakistan, who was born Tina Sharma in Indian Punjab. She fled to Pakistan nearly seven years ago after allegedly facing domestic violence at the hands of her husband and to marry her current husband, a Pakistani national whom she met on an online gaming platform. She went from saying “terrorism has no religion” in response to the Pahalgam terror attack to calling it a false flag operation real quick, echoing the Pakistani conspiracy playbook. She now appeals to Indians to elect a Congress Prime Minister, as, according to her, it is the only political party in India that supports open borders and normalised trade and relations between India and Pakistan. In her vlogs, she frequently makes toilet and urine jokes while consistently urging Indians, especially Sikhs and Muslims, to subscribe to her channel and boost her views so that she can one day have enough money to travel to a third country and meet her now-estranged Hindu parents, who, as per her claims, no longer wish to remain in contact with her.
Sonam Mahajan596,671 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

Absolutely shameful. What a disgusting attitude! A man from Punjab calls Punjab the “king” and the rest of the country, particularly UP and Bihar, its “servants,” while falsely claiming no flood relief has arrived. The Centre and the Indian Army have deployed their best resources in the state, yet some prefer lies and deceit. This arrogance and incompetence can’t be indulged any longer. Time to call it out.
Sonam Mahajan419,106 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten

Shaky, clueless, and an utterly disappointing start. And she is leading the delegation. If this is India’s idea of a narrative offensive post-Operation Sindoor, we are not just unprepared, we are unserious. A costly junket dressed up as diplomacy. The enemy does not need propaganda when we serve them this. Sorry, but what a pathetic show. A masterclass in wasting taxpayer money. Shashi Tharoor, Jay Panda, and Ghulam Nabi Azad seem like the only reasonable picks to me as of now.
Sonam Mahajan557,064 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

This is comedy gold 😆 Pakistani podcaster: “So, how scared is Israel of Pakistan after we imaginary-won a standoff with India?” Hamid Mir: “Several Israeli defence experts were present at six different Indian Air Force bases during Operation Sindoor. Some even got injured in Pakistani air strikes on the IAF’s Adampur base.” Source: “Trust Me, Bro” School of Strategic Excellence. Meanwhile, Israeli military analysts: “Wait… We were where? Adampur? Who approved this field trip!?” Video credit: Dunya News
Sonam Mahajan495,703 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

A young Pakistani man places his shawl on the head of a female interviewer, implying she must conform to Islamic customs. In response, the woman, Shaila Khan, handles the situation with grace and firmness, asserting her physical boundaries and stressing the importance of consent before establishing any kind of physical contact with someone, while also challenging the young man’s interpretation of Islam. She bravely addresses the broader issue of how men in Pakistan manipulate religious beliefs to exert control over women, particularly in professional settings. Shaila Khan, a Pathan woman, not only confronted this young man but also another Pakistani Punjabi YouTuber who recently criticised her attire out of professional jealousy. His comments aimed to incite religious sentiments against her and deter her from pursuing her YouTube career. I salute Khan’s courage in standing up to such behaviour. Her experience sheds light on the challenges faced by women in Pakistan’s media industry, where they are often subjected to unwarranted lectures on religion and faced with attempts to undermine their professional pursuits. Khan’s resilience serves as an inspiration to women everywhere. More power to her.
Sonam Mahajan1,003,560 Aufrufe • vor 2 Jahren

Asaduddin Owaisi: I have become Pakistan’s national “Dulha Bhai.” They can’t find anyone more articulate, outspoken, and handsome than me in their entire country, so they should keep listening to me; their knowledge will increase, and ignorance will disappear.
Sonam Mahajan511,874 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

🚨 Let this sink in. Just days before the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 Indian civilians dead, Pakistani YouTuber Shehzad Ghias quoted Najam Sethi on his podcast, saying jihadist groups were likely to be activated in Kashmir by Pakistan’s military. He cited Sethi’s deep links within the establishment to lend weight to this prediction. Sethi’s forecast? That Pakistan would respond to the Jaffar Express hijacking in Balochistan by stepping up Islamist terrorism in Kashmir. Pakistan has not presented a shred of evidence implicating India in the Jaffar Express incident, not to India, and not to the international community. That’s because the attack was carried out by Baloch insurgents resisting decades of Pakistani occupation, genocide, resource theft, and enforced disappearances. Pakistan’s own Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances says there were at least 2,752 active cases in Balochistan as of January 2024. Baloch groups say the real number is much higher, somewhere between 7,000 and 21,000. Yet, instead of addressing its own internal crises, Pakistan chose to activate its jihadist networks to unleash intensified attacks on Hindu tourists in Kashmir. The pressing question remains: how did Najam Sethi know about this escalation in advance? You do not need more proof. You just need to stop pretending.
Sonam Mahajan505,948 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr


