ISLAMABAD: A sepoy was killed in an intelligence-based operation in the northwest of Pakistan, the military said on Thursday, as it battles a spike in militant attacks.
In recent months, the military has launched frequent operations in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The army’s target in the area are militants it says launch attacks inside Pakistan and against the army using safe havens in Afghanistan. The Taliban government in Kabul says it does not allow its territory to be used by insurgents against other countries.
Groups like the Pakistani Taliban, commonly known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have been waging a war against the Pakistani state for nearly two decades in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with what they consider an Islamic system of governance.
In the latest operation, the army’s media wing said security forces had conducted an intelligence-based operation in general area Maddi in the Dera Ismail Khan district on Apr. 16, killing four militants.
“However, during intense fire exchange, one brave son of soil, Sepoy Basit Siddique (age: 23 years, resident of District Attock), having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat [martyrdom],” the army’s statement said.
Militants have intensified their attacks since revoking a ceasefire with the government in late 2022, with recent months witnessing significant strikes targeting the military and its bases.
Soldier, four militants killed in armed operation in northwest Pakistan
https://arab.news/m8cym
Soldier, four militants killed in armed operation in northwest Pakistan
- Military has launched frequent operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan in recent years
- Pakistan says militants launch attacks using safe havens in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies
India’s Bollywood bets big on ‘event cinema’
- Films centered on geopolitical conflict, internal enemies, masculinity now dominate mainstream Hindi cinema
- Critics argue Bollywood is using cinema’s unrivalled mass reach to shape the public sentiment in India
MUMBAI: India’s Bollywood is moving decisively toward a cinema of scale and confrontation — where patriotism, spectacle, and ideological clarity increasingly trump nuance and narrative risk, industry insiders say.
The shift has fueled what experts describe as “event cinema,” as studios rely on big-budget spectacles and top-tier stars to lure audiences — especially smartphone-loving Gen Z viewers — back into theaters.
That strategy appears to be working. Akshaye Rathi, a prominent film exhibitor, predicted a 45-50 percent rise in net Hindi box-office collections and a 25 percent increase in young theater-goers this year.
“The year looks poised for historic numbers,” Rathi told AFP.
The industry’s financial model was shaken during the Covid-19 pandemic, which coincided with the rapid rise of streaming platforms and a shift to home viewing.
But its 2026 upcoming slate, packed with patriotic war dramas, spy thrillers, mythological epics and nationalist narratives — reflects not just a commercial recalibration, analysts say, but a broader change in creative priorities.
‘PROPAGANDA’
Critics argue Bollywood is increasingly producing polarizing films aligned with the ideology of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government, using cinema’s unrivalled mass reach to shape public sentiment.
“These days film themes also depend upon who is ruling at the center — Hindu wave, propaganda... all these are big factors that filmmakers cash in on,” said movie business analyst Atul Mohan, editor of film trade magazine Complete Cinema. “But only one or two films work, not all 10 or 15.”
He cited the success of 2022 blockbuster “The Kashmir Files,” depicting in harrowing detail how several hundred thousand Hindus fled Muslim militants in Indian-administered Kashmir in 1989-90.
And he compared that with the 2025 film “The Bengal Files,” on alleged political violence in eastern India, which he described as a commercial “disaster.”
Films centered on geopolitical conflict, internal enemies, and heroic masculinity now dominate mainstream Hindi cinema, reflecting both the political mood and the economics of theatrical survival.
Last year’s gory action thriller “Dhurandhar,” meaning “formidable,” leaned heavily on hyper-nationalist tropes of Indian agents confronting Pakistan-linked foes, and became one of 2025’s highest-grossing films — following a real-life four-day border clash with Pakistan.
Its sequel, “Dhurandhar 2,” again starring Ranveer Singh, is set for release in March.
‘GRATUITIOUS VIOLENCE’
Veteran Delhi-based film critic Arnab Banerjee said political messaging now outweighs craftsmanship.
“It is not the quality of the film that matters today, it is propaganda films that are working,” said Banerjee.
“The mood of the nation is such that people are lapping up these subjects. Pakistan-bashing and references to enemy countries are being accepted without questioning.”
Banerjee also criticized what he called an excess of “gratuitous violence,” arguing that “it is social media hype that is deciding the film’s fate.”
He pointed to “Ikkis,” a film on the 1971 India-Pakistan war released in January, which struggled commercially despite positive reviews.
“It is a well-made film, but it didn’t work,” he said. “Perhaps because Pakistan is not shown as the enemy.”
Director Ahmed Khan, however, said quality still ultimately determines success, citing his upcoming action-comedy “Welcome to the Jungle,” starring Akshay Kumar.
“Whatever the genre — action, drama, comedy or horror — it depends on how well you’ve made it,” Khan said.
He pointed to the 2025 successes of the contrasting romantic drama “Saiyaara” as well as high-octane “Dhurandhar.”
“Both, poles apart in genre, did great business,” he said. “People’s mood can change any time.”
