DK Shivakumar Alleges Bengaluru Was Unfairly Denied IPL Final Hosting Rights After RCB's Title Win

Russia has signed a military-technical cooperation pact with the Taliban, becoming the first major power to formally recognise and militarily engage Afghanistan's ruling regime. The move came as India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held a series of high-level meetings in Moscow on defence, maritime security and strategic cooperation. The timing has triggered intense geopolitical debate. Pakistan, once considered the Taliban's closest ally, now finds itself locked in confrontation with Kabul after months of border clashes and military exchanges. As Russia opens a new channel with the Taliban and India maintains growing engagement with both Moscow and Kabul, the strategic balance in South Asia is shifting rapidly. Is a new Eurasian security architecture emerging? Can India leverage this opening without formally aligning with the Taliban? And why are Pakistani military planners increasingly concerned about a hostile western frontier? This report breaks down the new Russia-Taliban pact, Doval's Moscow diplomacy and the implications for India, Pakistan and the wider region.