Ayaan Institute

03/06/2026

When Narendra Modi first came to power in 2014, he launched the Make in India initiative, a program aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing but soon the policy was extended to defence production and greater private-sector participation. The initiative have disproportionately benefited the Adani Group.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rise to power in 2014 India has become a key player in Israel’s arms trade. As the world’s largest arms importer, India has become Israel’s most reliable buyer, accounting for 37% of its total Arms export.

Central to this relationship is the Adani Group, led by Gautam Adani, the second-richest man in India, the group has expanded aggressively in recent years. Adani’s proximity to Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has enabled him to secure favourable business deals in India and abroad; Modi has often been accused of lobbying in support of Adani.

In 2016 Adani formed a joint venture with Israel’s Elbit Systems to manufacture Hermes 900 drones domestically. Adani-Elbit Advanced System India, Premier Explosives, and the state- owned Munitions India are actively supplying drones and weapons to Israel.

Elbit Systems is widely known for its complicity in war crimes against Palestinians due to the use of its weapons, and its surveillance systems are employed along walls and checkpoints in occupied Palestine.

The Hermes 900 stands out as one of Israel’s preferred tools of war, primarily because of its capacity to deploy lethal force with precision. First used during Israel’s brutal 50-day assault on Gaza in 2014, the Hermes 900 has since become a recurring presence in the Israeli arsenal. In addition to producing drones and weapons, the facility also supplies Israel with counter-drone systems marketed as ‘hunting drones’.

In 2018 Adani also entered a joint venture with Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) to produce a range of different guns in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. This partnership, known as PLR Systems (Precision, Lethal, Reliable) is part of broader arms collaboration. In 2022, Adani expanded this business with IWI to include AI-controlled weapons, introducing India's first AI-based firing system, ARBEL.

27/05/2026

26/05/2026

Islamabad has consistently maintained that normalization with Israel cannot occur without the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, a position reiterated by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in response to Trump’s proposal. He went on live television on Monday night and told the world that joining the Accords "clashes with our fundamental ideologies".

On May 25, Trump convened a conference call with eight leaders, from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain and told them he expected every nation not yet in the Abraham Accord to join after an Iran deal is finalised.

Pakistan’s firm rejection of Donald Trump’s push to join the Accords reflects a deeper convergence of ideological, domestic, and geopolitical realities rather than a mere diplomatic disagreement.

Beyond ideology, Pakistan’s leadership recognizes that joining the accords amid the ongoing Gaza genocide and heightened regional anger toward Israel would provoke severe domestic backlash, undermine its recent standing in the Muslim world, and strain ties with partners such as Iran, Türkiye, and sections of the Gulf bloc.

Trump’s attempt to link Iran ceasefire diplomacy with expansion of the Accords was viewed in Islamabad as strategic coercion rather than genuine peace-building.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had repeatedly dismissed speculations about Abraham Accord participation and confirmed there had been "no shift in Pakistan's official Palestine Policy. "

Pakistan's MOFA spokesperson, Tahir Hussain Andrabi, had separately clarified : "Participating in peace delegation never means joining the Accords or participating in international peace keeping force in Gaza." Pakistan had categorically ruled out joining the accords in January 2026, when it signed onto the Gaza Board of Peace.

Saudi Arabia likewise voiced the disapproval because both the nations understand that unconditional normalization risks weakening the collective Arab and Islamic negotiating position on Palestine, especially when public opinion across the world remains overwhelmingly sympathetic to Palestinians.

26/05/2026

Jahangir Mohammad argues that the proposed Oxford Union Debate on Islam featuring Tommy Robinson is simply a rehash of previous debates on Islam and Muslims, using the same framing.

The Oxford Union merely confirms existing political media biases towards Islam and Muslims, preparing the next generation of political and media elites with the same prejudices and hostility towards Islam and Muslims.

To read more, click on the 🔗 in bio.

25/05/2026

Read our latest article. The Oxford Union has had at least 5 debates on Islam and two others on religion with an Islam input since 2001. They all mirror the same themes and prejudices. The idea that the proposed new debate is novel and needed does not accord with the historical record. But as in other spheres of life, bashing Islam and Muslims can help you make your name whilst reaffirming prejudices and stereotypes.

Jahangir Mohammed of the Ayaan Institute argues that the proposed Oxford Union Debate on Islam featuring Tommy Robinson is simply a rehash of previous debates on Islam and Muslims, using the same framing. The Oxford Union merely confirms existing political media biases towards Islam and Muslims, preparing the next generation of political and media elites with the same prejudices and hostility towards Islam and Muslims.

Jahangir Mohammed of the Ayaan Institute argues that the proposed Oxford Union Debate on Islam featuring Tommy Robinson is simply a rehash of previous debates on Islam and Muslims, using the same framing. The Oxford Union merely confirms existing political media biases towards Islam and Muslims, pre...

23/05/2026

For years, US-Israel convinced the Gulf that Iran can be contained through sanctions, regional pressure and limited strikes. This strategy shaped the Gulf's dependence on Washington and its growing ties with Tel Aviv. But the recent war has shaken that confidence.

Iran suffered serious damage, with the top political order assassinated and economy weakened but it's deterrence capabilities remain intact and it's ability to threaten the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, supply chain and wider regional stability cannot be ignored.

The US-Israel war on Iran altered the Gulf's calculations, the war revealed Iran's capacity to impose heavy costs in the region.

This reality gives significance to recent reports about a Saudi-backed regional non-aggressive framework. Although no formal negotiations or drafts agreement exist, the proposal reflects a broader shift in Saudi Arab's approach post war.

According to Financial Times, Riyadh proposed a framework inspired by the Cold War era Helsinki Process- a series of events and diplomatic dialogues that reduced tension between the Soviets and Western blocs.

For Tehran, however, the proposal is not entirely new. In 2019, Iran introduced HOPE initiative, calling for Gulf security arrangements led by regional states rather than Western powers. At that time, Arab governments viewed it skeptically, seeking it as an effort to weaken US influence and uproot the US bases in the Gulf.

Saudi Arab, particularly, appears more interested in balancing relationship with Iran, reducing dependence on US, and avoiding prolonged regional wars.

Right now, Tehran may not prioritise the proposal yet. From Iran's perspective, the consequences are on going, tensions with Israel and US remain high, at any moment, Trump could order another round of strikes, sanctions continue and uncertainty surrounds the Strait of Hormuz.

22/05/2026

War is good for business.

19/05/2026

The Unite the Kingdom Event showed perfectly the limitations of an Islamophobia definition that says "Islamophobia is a form of racism". Whilst academically and theoretically, it is understandable why racialisation of prejudice might make sense. However, at the practical level of law, policing, CPS and courts, as well as general public articulation, it does not work and may even be counterproductive.

The organisers at the UTK even simply claim they are not targeting a race but are targeting a religion, and showcase other people of colour, Africans, black people, Jews, Iranians and others as evidence that they are not racists and against a race or ethnicity but a religion. They then argue that criticising a religion is free speech. Political Parties do much the same thing by having brown faces talking anti-Islam and anti-Muslim narratives.

Of course, the UTK march was intended to and did incite hatred against Islam (religious hatred) and therefore Muslims, but not on the grounds of race. Robinson and the speakers and GB News made it clear they were not targeting a race and could not be deemed racists, but a faith. The media also used that argument.

18/05/2026

Tommy Robinson delivered exactly what we said he would: Unite the Kingdom against Islam and Muslims hate speech for Israel. Hence, all the speakers hated Islam (code for Muslims) and no doubt supported Israel. The prominent display of Zionist Phalavi monarchist flags and Israeli flags highlighted exactly what the event was- a Mossad operation organised by Israeli asset Tommy Robinson.

The good thing is that most genuine British patriots have now realised this and kept away. Genuine British patriots should have nothing to do with Islam/Muslim-hating Zionist Phalavis and Israeli-supporting supremacists.

These fascists in the service of Israel will destroy Britain. They are not the friends of the British working class but of the elite and establishment of this country.

16/05/2026

Hezbollah's growing use of fibre-optic FPV( First Person View) drones along Israel's northern border has exposed a major gap in its battlefield defences, with military officials warning that the small low flying drones are proving extremely difficult to detect, jam or intercept.

What are FPV drones?

Unlike conventional drones that rely on radio signals or satellite navigation, the FPV drones are connected directly to their operators through fibre-optics cables stretching between 10-30 kilometres. Because they do not transmit wireless signals, Israeli electronics warfare systems cannot jam or distupt them.
The drones are extremely small, fly close to the ground and made from lightweight fibreglass, giving them little thermal or radar signature.

According to Israeli media reports, Hezbollah recently released footage showing an FPV drone striking an Iron Dome battery near the northern border.
In another attack by FPV drone, Israeli reservist First Sergeant Alexander Glovanyov was killed.

Why Israel's defence systems are struggling?

Former Israeli air defence commander Ran Kochav acknowledged that Israel is struggling to defend against this new threat.
"They fly very low and very fast and they are very small that makes them difficult to detect and even after they are detected, they are really hard to track, " he said.

Israel spent years focussing heavily on missile and rocket defence systems while drones did not receive the same level of priority