In tense relations with India, Pakistani TV dramas break down barriers diplomacy often cannot

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Pakistani producer Shah Hussain Syed (right) observes as Kausar Bibi (left) and Robina Naz (center), perform during the shooting of a scene of a TV drama serial ‘Aadi Si Bewai’ or ‘Half Infidelity’, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on October 29, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 07 March 2025
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In tense relations with India, Pakistani TV dramas break down barriers diplomacy often cannot

  • Pakistani dramas offer millions of Indians a glimpse into life across border into arch-rival country 
  • Pakistani dramas offer simplicity, depth of writing and limited episodes, says actor Khalid Anam

KARACHI: Two Pakistani women sit together on a couch, rehearsing their lines while a director scrutinizes them. Waiting off camera for his scene is the male lead, an actor blessed with “Bachelor” hair and fine bone structure.

Also out of sight: the Islamabad homeowners, who are holed up in a separate room and whose furniture and knick-knacks will be seen by millions of viewers — many from the society that has been their country’s neighbor and uneasy sparring partner for much of the past century.

This is the set of the Pakistani drama “Adhi Bewafai,” or “Half Infidelity” — one of what some in other nations would call “soap operas.” But these dramas, it turns out, are not just for Pakistanis.

Realistic settings, natural dialogue and almost workaday plots about families and marriages make Pakistani dramas a hit with viewers at home and abroad — especially in the neighboring country that split with Pakistan in 1947 and is its nuclear archrival today: India.

Television, it seems, is succeeding where diplomacy sometimes can’t.

Several thousand people work in Pakistan’s drama industry; the country produces between 80 to 120 shows a year, each one a source of escapism and intrigue. They offer Indians a tantalizing glimpse into life across the border — and manage to break through decades of enmity between the two governments.

Maheen Shafeeq, a research associate at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad, says there is effectively no relationship between the two governments.

Each government is fixed on a single issue it cannot move past — for India, it’s “terrorism” for Pakistan, the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir. 

“The governments are very much opposed to each other,” she says. “They don’t agree what they should talk about.”




Pakistani tv actor Usman Javed and Sehar Khan (left) perform during the shooting of a scene of TV drama serial ‘Tan Man Neel-o-Neel’ or Deeply Engrossed in Love’, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on November 2, 2024. (AP)

Although it’s difficult for Indians to visit Pakistan, where these shows are filmed, they faithfully follow the plot twists and turns through platforms like YouTube, ZEE5, and MX Player.

For those of a certain generation, however, it wasn’t always so easy to keep up.

Kaveri Sharma, a writer in the Indian city of Patna, recalls her mother-in-law and aunt jiggling antennas in the 1980s and 1990s in hopes of catching a signal from Pakistan’s state broadcaster, PTV. 

It’s how Sharma first realized that the country next door was a drama powerhouse. It inspired her to discover the shows for herself years later, even going on to watch them with her own daughter.

“They feel familiar, but they are also a break from our own lives,” Sharma says. “I don’t see any differences between the two countries. Everything is relatable. I see Karachi and think that it could be Lucknow or Patna. What happens on the shows could happen to me or my friends.”

She had heard only negative things about Pakistan since childhood — that it was the enemy that would take everything from India. The TV dramas have added subtlety and detail to this image for her. She would love to visit, but is unlikely to get the opportunity.

 So she explores Pakistan through the locations, malls, offices, streets and restaurants depicted on the small screen. The names of popular Karachi neighborhoods roll off her tongue.




Technicians take a break during the shooting of a scene of TV drama serial ‘Tan Man Neel-o-Neel’ or ‘Deeply Engrossed in Love’, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on November 2, 2024. (AP)

Sharma, like Bibi Hafeez in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad and Punita Kumar in the central Indian city of Raipur, raves about the dramas’ universality of themes, the strong characterization and the emotional range.

“Pakistani characters are not only heroes or villains. They have shades to them, and that is very human,” says Kumar, who chanced upon a Pakistani drama through a chunky videocassette when she was a teenager living in the northern Indian city of Aligarh. It was love at first watch.

“They captivated me. We got a cable connection that offered PTV. Then YouTube came and I realized I could search for whatever drama I wanted. I haven’t taken a stop,” she said. “We get exposure to Pakistani life in the scenes, but the struggles the characters have with their relatives are ones I would have with my own.”

Pakistani TV veteran Khaled Anam is delighted by Indians’ enthusiasm for the country’s serials and the barriers they help erode.

“What Bollywood is to India, dramas are to Pakistan,” says Anam, who is based in Karachi and has worked as an actor since the 1980s. He has appeared in many dramas, including the ratings smash “Humsafar” (“Life Partner”).
India’s productions go big, while Pakistan’s are more low-key.




Pakistani actor and producer Khalid Anam (center) performs with Saad Qureshi (left), Shaheen Khan (second left), and Azra Mohiuddin during the shooting of a scene of TV drama serial ‘Aik Lafz Mohabbat’ or ‘One Word Love’ in Karachi, Pakistan, on November 11, 2024. (AP)

India dominates the movie market in South Asia and beyond, with big stars and bigger budgets. Pakistanis have been exposed to Bollywood films for decades, although the prevailing hostile political climate means they can’t watch them in movie theaters.

The bans are mutual, though. India, like Pakistan, restricts content from across the border in movie theaters and TV channels.

And while India is no slouch when it comes to TV production, it doesn’t offer viewers what Pakistan does, according to Anam: simplicity, depth of writing and a limited number of episodes.

“There are 15-minute flashbacks in Indian serials. (The characters) are decked out and dolled up. It’s a fantasy world. The shows go on forever. Everything is ‘DUN dun dun!’” says Anam, mimicking a dramatic musical riff and shaking his hands.

The actors on the couch in Islamabad are rehearsing lines about a woman who is disrespectful and so, according to one of them, is an unsuitable marriage prospect.

 The delivery and grammar could be heard in virtually any South Asian household.




Pakistani tv actor and producer Saife Hassan (center) talks with actor Usman Javed (right) and Sehar Khan (second left) on the set during the shooting of a scene of TV drama serial ‘Tan Man Neel-o-Neel’ or ‘Deeply Engrossed in Love’, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on November 2, 2024. (AP)

“Pakistanis are generally emotional people, and that is in their dramas also,” says Islamabad-based director Saife Hassan. “It would take me less than two minutes to explain the plot of the super-duper hit ‘Kabhi Main, Kabhi Tum’ (‘Sometimes Me, Sometimes You’). It’s about the emotions between a husband and wife.”

Hassan, who began his TV career in the 1990s, says Indians frequently comment on his social media pages and send him direct messages about his work. He even recalls Indian viewers praying for the recovery of a character who was in a coma.

Hassan would love to see more homegrown dramas make it onto platforms like Netflix, as some Indian shows have with great success. But he wonders whether international audiences would understand and connect with Pakistani stories or lives: 

“The way we think is different from the West. Our shows are not driven by events. They are driven by emotions.”

There is also a lack of raunch in Pakistani dramas, which are family-friendly with little to no vulgarity, violence, or even action. Indians, therefore, are a natural audience for Pakistani dramas, Hassan says.

“They are our people. They are like us. They eat like us,” he says. “I love India, and I love Indians. They have grown out of this animosity.”


UN estimates 2.5 million refugees will need resettling in 2026 from Pakistan, other countries

Updated 24 June 2025
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UN estimates 2.5 million refugees will need resettling in 2026 from Pakistan, other countries

  • The largest refugee populations likely to be resettled were Afghans, Syrians, South Sudanese, Rohingya from Myanmar, and Congolese
  • Part of the decline in resettlement is linked to the US, long the world’s biggest resettler of refugees, which has now shut its doors

GENEVA: An estimated 2.5 million refugees worldwide will need to be resettled next year, the UN said Tuesday, at a time when the United States but also other nations are shrinking resettlement access.

UNHCR, the United Nations’ refugee agency, said the needs were down slightly from this year, when around 2.9 million refugees are estimated to need resettlement.

“This is mainly due to the changed situation in Syria, which has allowed for voluntary returns,” UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo told reporters in Geneva.

“We are seeing some people pull out of resettlement processes in favor of plans to go home to rebuild,” she added.

Mantoo said that in 2026, the largest refugee populations likely to need to be resettled were Afghans, Syrians, South Sudanese, Rohingya from Myanmar, and Congolese.

Most of the refugees will need resettling from major host countries including Iran, Turkiye, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Uganda, she said.

The announcement came as the UNHCR’s resettlement efforts face towering hurdles.

“In 2025... resettlement quotas are expected to be the lowest in two decades, falling below the levels seen even during the Covid-19 pandemic, when many countries paused their programs,” Mantoo said.

Part of the decline is linked to the United States — long the world’s biggest resettler of refugees — which has now slammed its doors shut.

Shortly after returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump halted the US refugee resettlement program.

Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden had embraced the program designed to facilitate legal resettlement of vetted refugees, resettling over 100,000 refugees in the United States last year.

Mantoo stressed though that the problem was not with just one country.

“We have indications that a number of countries are reducing or adjusting quotas,” she said.

Stressing that resettlement among other things “offers a concrete alternative to dangerous journeys,” Mantoo urged countries to “sustain their programs and increase their intake.”

In recognition that the needs far outstrip the available spots, she said that the international community had set itself a goal of resettling 120,000 refugees in 2026.

“Recent history shows that this is achievable,” she said.

Last year, she said that despite the challenges, the UNHCR supported the resettlement of 116,000 refugees globally.

“Every place is invaluable for those fleeing danger.”

Earlier this month UNHCR said a record 123.2 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes at the end of 2024.

But that figure dropped to 122.1 million by the end of April this year, as Syrians began returning home after years of turmoil.


PM hosts Pakistani delegates for successfully presenting Islamabad’s case on India crisis

Updated 24 June 2025
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PM hosts Pakistani delegates for successfully presenting Islamabad’s case on India crisis

  • Pakistan, India engaged in a military conflict last month that saw the neighbors attack each other with drones, missiles and artillery
  • Pakistani delegates this month visited key capitals to apprise them of India’s unilateral moves, including suspension of key water treaty

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday hosted a dinner in honor of a Pakistani delegation, led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, that presented Islamabad’s stance on recent crisis with India before key world capitals.

Pakistan and India engaged in a four-day military conflict last month that saw the two neighbors attack each other with drones, missiles and artillery in their worst fighting in decades.

The conflict had raised fears of a full-blown war between the nuclear-armed neighbors who agreed to a United States-brokered ceasefire on May 10, with the conflict killing nearly 70 people on both sides.

Bhutto-Zardari led Pakistan’s mission to the US, United Kingdom and Europe to apprise the world powers of Indian unilateral actions, including the suspension of a World Bank-brokered water-sharing treaty with Pakistan.

“The delegation presented the events from Pahalgam to the Indus Waters Treaty [suspension] in the right perspective and in a good manner,” Sharif said. “I hope that with the guidance, cooperation and suggestions of all of you, we will overcome all internal and external challenges.”

Other members of the Pakistani delegation included Sherry Rehman, Musadik Malik, Hina Rabbani Khar, Bushra Anjum Butt, Faisal Sabzwari, Khurram Dastgir and Jalil Abbas Jilani.

On Monday, Bhutto-Zardari said Islamabad had defeated New Delhi on the “battlefield, in diplomacy, and in the war of narratives.”

“India has two options: share water fairly or we will deliver water to us from all six rivers [of the Indus basin],” Bhutto-Zardari said, while addressing the lower house of Pakistan parliament.

“The attack on Sindhu [Indus river] and India’s claim that the IWT has ended and it’s in abeyance, firstly, this is illegal, as the IWT is not in abeyance, it is binding on Pakistan and India but the threat itself of stopping water is illegal according to the UN charter.”

His comments followed a statement from Indian interior minister Amit Shah in which he said they would take the water that was flowing to Pakistan to the Indian state of Rajasthan by constructing a canal.

“Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably,” Shah told Times of India newspaper.

The IWT grants Pakistan rights to the Indus basin’s western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — for irrigation, drinking, and non-consumptive uses like hydropower, while India controls the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — for unrestricted use but must not significantly alter their flow. India can use the western rivers for limited purposes such as power generation and irrigation, without storing or diverting large volumes, according to the agreement.

Islamabad is also exploring a legal challenge to India’s decision to hold the treaty in abeyance under international law.

Last month’s conflict between Pakistan and India was triggered by a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam town.

India accused Pakistan of backing the assault that killed 26 tourists on April 22 and suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, which ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms, among a slew of punitive measures.

Islamabad denied the allegation and offered to join a credible, international probe into the Kashmir attack, followed by its own set of diplomatic measures against New Delhi.


Pakistan PM discusses Middle East crisis with Saudi Crown Prince, calls for de-escalation

Updated 24 June 2025
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Pakistan PM discusses Middle East crisis with Saudi Crown Prince, calls for de-escalation

  • Heightened tensions after Iranian missile attack on US base in Qatar spark fears of wider Gulf conflict
  • Sharif also holds third call with Iranian president in as many days, urges diplomacy to restore peace

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday spoke by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the situation in the Middle East amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.

The call followed Israeli and United States strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory missile attack on a US base in Qatar on Tuesday. Qatar condemned the Iranian strikes as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty, raising fears the crisis could draw in other regional powers if not defused.

During the call, Sharif said Pakistan supported immediate de-escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict and its peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy.

“While referring to last night’s attacks, he called for adherence to international law and the UN Charter principles by all sides,” Sharif’s office said after the telephone discussion with the Saudi Crown Prince. “In this context, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Sharif also praised the Saudi crown prince’s efforts to restore calm, describing them as reflective of the kingdom’s leadership role in the Muslim world and its position as a peacemaker, according to his office.

The crown prince, for his part, appreciated Pakistan’s show of solidarity and acknowledged Islamabad’s constructive role in supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

“His Royal Highness said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was fully committed to efforts aimed at fostering lasting peace and stability in the Middle East,” Sharif’s office said.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” to be phased in over 24 hours. However, Israel warned of possible missile launches from Iran early Tuesday, and the launches began after 4am local time in Tehran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would halt its attacks if Israel ended its airstrikes.

It was unclear how the latest developments would affect the planned ceasefire.

Separately on Tuesday, Sharif held a third phone call in as many days with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and again urged dialogue and diplomacy to restore peace in the region.

The crisis has left Islamabad navigating a delicate balance between ties with Iran, other Gulf partners and the United States, which remains one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and a major source of military and economic assistance.

“The prime minister said that Pakistan was closely following the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East,” Sharif’s office said after the call with Pezeshkian. “He reiterated Pakistan’s support for Iran at all diplomatic forums, including at the UN Security Council and the OIC [Organization of Islamic Cooperation], while calling for adherence to international law and the UN Charter principles.”


Army major among two soldiers, 11 militants killed in Pakistan’s restive northwest

Updated 24 June 2025
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Army major among two soldiers, 11 militants killed in Pakistan’s restive northwest

  • The casualties occurred during an intelligence-based operation in South Waziristan district, which borders Afghanistan
  • Pakistan and India often accuse each other of backing militant groups that launch cross-border attacks on the other’s soil

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani soldiers, including an army major, and 11 militants were killed in a shootout in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Tuesday.

The operation was conducted in KP’s South Waziristan district, which borders Afghanistan, on intelligence reports about the presence of “Indian-sponsored” militants, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.

The intense exchange of fire killed 11 militants and injured seven others. The shootout also left two Pakistani soldiers, Major Moiz Abbas Shah and Lance Naik Jibran Ullah, dead.

“Sanitization operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored kharji [militant] found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.
Pakistan and India often blame each other for supporting militancy.

Islamabad accuses India of backing a separatist insurgency in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province as well as religiously motivated militant groups, like the Pakistani Taliban, in KP. India denies the allegations.

Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy in KP since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Islamabad broke down in late 2022. The TTP and other militant groups have frequently targeted security forces convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in the region in recent months.

In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to Major Shah and Lance Naik Jibran Ullah for thwarting the evil designs of the enemy.

“We will continue the fight against the scourge of terrorism until it is completely eradicated from the country,” he said. “The entire nation, including me, stands by our Pakistani forces in their unwavering resolve to protect the homeland.”


In call with Iran president, Pakistan PM urges dialogue to restore peace in Middle East

Updated 24 June 2025
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In call with Iran president, Pakistan PM urges dialogue to restore peace in Middle East

  • The development came a day after Tehran attacked a US base in Qatar in retaliation for airstrikes on its nuclear facilities
  • The crisis appeared to put Islamabad in a difficult position to balance its equation with Iran, other Gulf partners, and the US

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for the third time in as many days and urged dialogue and diplomacy to restore peace in the Middle East, Sharif’s office said.

The development came a day after Tehran attacked a United States (US) base in Qatar in retaliation for US airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities late last week. The US strikes followed days of Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear program and military leadership.

Qatar condemned the Iranian missile attack and called it a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty, saying it reserved the right to respond directly and in accordance with the international law. The Iranian attack raised fears about a wider conflict in the already volatile region.

The crisis appeared to put Islamabad in a difficult position to balance its equation with Iran, other Gulf partners, and the US, which remains one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and a critical source of military and economic assistance.

“The prime minister said that Pakistan was closely following the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East. He emphasized the importance of restoring peace through dialogue and diplomacy,” Sharif’s office said after his telephonic conversation with the Iranian president.

“He reiterated Pakistan’s support for Iran at all diplomatic forums, including at the UN Security Council and the OIC [Organization of Islamic Cooperation], while calling for adherence to international law and the UN Charter principles, by all sides.”

The development came hours after US President Donald Trump said that Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” to be phased in over 24 hours.

But Israel warned its public to take shelter after detecting missile launches from Iran early Tuesday. The launches came after 4am local time in Tehran, the time Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would stop its attacks if Israel ended their airstrikes.

It was unclear yet how the latest developments would impact the possible ceasefire agreement.

President Pezeshkian appreciated Pakistan’s consistent and principled support to Iran throughout the crisis, according to Sharif’s office.

“He also acknowledged Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” it said. “The two leaders agreed on the importance of unity among the Ummah during this most challenging time. They agreed to remain in touch.”