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Asad Baig //DAWN: April 26, 2025
IN the early hours of a night in Gaza last October, an entire family was erased by what the Israeli military referred to as a ‘precision strike’. There was no warning, or any other elements of conventional warfare. Just an algorithm, part of an AI-driven system called Lavender, scanning metadata, flagging the location as a threat, and triggering death from the sky. Investigations have since revealed that Lavender flagged over 37,000 Palestinians for potential targeting, often with little to no human verification, a substantial number of which were non-combatants. But that didn’t stop the system from working in a cold, brutal, and ‘efficient’ manner.
Welcome to the future of warfare currently being beta-tested in Gaza, where battle decisions are processed by codes and cold logic, and are no longer weighed by conscience or law.
Israel has long touted its military as among the most advanced in the world, and with artificial intelligence (AI) now integrated into its architecture of occupation, it has taken a lead that should terrify us all. From AI-powered surveillance towers and facial recognition checkpoints in the West Bank, to autonomous drones and predictive kill lists in Gaza, the Israeli military has embraced AI more as an executioner than a support tool.
The Lavender system, according to testimonies from Israeli intelligence officers, would identify suspected Hamas operatives using pattern recognition, facial data and digital footprints. Once flagged, the individual’s home could be bombed within minutes, often when children and relatives were most likely to be present. In many cases, there was no requirement to validate whether the flagged person was actively engaged in combat or posed any imminent threat. The decision to strike was rubber-stamped by junior officers relying on the system’s ‘high success rate’ rather than actual intelligence.
Israel’s AI militarisation is deeply intertwined with the global tech industry. The irony is that big tech companies that boast about ethical AI principles are, in parallel, fuelling some of the most sophisticated systems of digital apartheid and mechanised killing on the planet. Amazon Web Services and Google, for instance, are jointly involved in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with the Israeli government, which provides the backbone for data processing and AI operations. These companies claim the project excludes military applications, yet whistleblowers and experts have raised serious doubts, pointing to the blurred lines between civilian and military data in a heavily securitised state.
Gaza, by design, has become the perfect test lab. A densely populated, besieged strip of land where two million Palestinians including children live under permanent surveillance and recurring bombardment, and their movements, conversations and clicks are harvested by a regime that has turned them into data points. Israel’s experimentation with AI-based warfare is far more structural than incidental. The occupied, blockaded territory offers an unregulated environment to deploy technologies that would raise a living hell if tested on civilians anywhere else in the world.
The results are devastating. AI-driven targeting has contributed to one of the highest civilian death tolls in modern conflict. Entire residential buildings are flattened on the basis of ‘data patterns’. The Israeli military frames these as surgical strikes, but the body count and eyewitness accounts tell another story. The cold, clinical language of AI allows the Israeli military to mask the violence as objective. We are told that algorithms aren’t political, but they are trained on data shaped by occupation, bias, and years of dehumanisation. In Gaza, this prejudice appears to have been actively automated by AI.
One can safely assume that accountability has collapsed when a machine recommends a target and a human merely clicks ‘confirm’. Where does the responsibility lie? The developers who built it, the officer who trusts it, the tech company that profited from it, or the government that funds it? No one is held to account in the current legal vacuum.
International law is just as unprepared, maybe even rendered obsolete. The Geneva Conventions and other frameworks governing the laws of war were built around human decisions, proportionality, and accountability. But what happens when war is waged by machines making probabilistic guesses? There is no binding international treaty on Lethal Autonomous Weapons System, ironically abbreviated as ‘LAWS’. However, the UN secretary general has called for the conclusion of a legally binding instrument by 2026, aiming to prohibit LAWS that operate without meaningful human oversight.
Meanwhile, Israel enjoys near-total impunity. While the US provides billions in military aid, Big Tech players namely Amazon, Google and Microsoft, quietly support the development and deployment of AI tools used in the occupation. These companies face virtually no consequences for their role. While the US has introduced some export controls on advanced computing chips and certain AI models, these measures fall short of regulating the kinds of dual-use technologies currently enabling military operations in Gaza. There are no effective penalties for companies that supply infrastructure later used in targeted surveillance or algorithmic warfare. Regulatory bodies continue to promote ethical AI frameworks in theory, but remain silent when it comes to enforcement, especially when violations are cloaked in national security or foreign policy interests.
Unsurprisingly, this silence is profitable for all parties involved. As Israeli firms market their AI tools as ‘battle-tested’, they gain traction with other governments eager to adopt similar tactics. As a result, we are witnessing what could be the globalisation of algorithmic warfare, with Palestinians as the first subjects.
And so the question is no longer just moral. What does it mean for the future of humanity when machines are trained to kill with impunity and algorithmic ‘prediction’ becomes a justifiable case for annihilation? The militarisation of AI does not just threaten Palestinians, it threatens us all. Once the machines are allowed to decide who lives or dies, the rest of the world is only ever a few datasets away from becoming the next battlefield. The systems being perfected over Gaza today could soon be deployed in migrant camps, urban protests, or across other war zones. And if the world continues to watch in silence, the militarisation of AI is bound to be industrialised.
The writer is the founder of Media Matters for Democracy.
Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2025
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Rafia Zakaria //DAWN: April 26, 2025
WHILE the tragic attack in Pahalgam and escalation of tensions between Pakistan and India may have increased the prospects of war between the two countries, New Delhi is already fighting an arguably bigger war with potentially dire consequences.
This past month, India has been hit by 10 per cent tariffs on goods it ships to the US. The US is India’s largest trading partner, with exports to it accounting for 18pc of India’s manufacturing output. The trade deficit between the two is $45.7 billion.
As seen during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit, President Donald Trump is irked by this and unwilling to give India breaks in the tariff war he has unleashed on much of the world. Since then, the initial tariffs have come into effect, with possibly more to follow, bringing the total up to 26pc if India fails to strike a deal that is to America’s liking by July.
So when the Vances showed up in India this week, all jaunty with their children in tow, Trump’s right-hand man knew he had to deliver for his boss in D.C. This week, Trump’s trade team — far less belligerent than when the tariffs were first announced — has been eager to boast of how the world is coming to America, begging for reprieve.
“South Korea is very close to a deal,” one headline read, adding that the Trump team was delighted by how the South Koreans had brought their A-game and were ready to move into specifics. Speaking to the press after meeting the Norwegian prime minister, Trump and his chief economic adviser Scott Bessent reiterated this. Another headline announced that things were similarly “close” with Japan.
Close, of course, is not done, and all the president’s men are eager to deliver the ‘first’ complete deal, J.D. Vance chief among them. The veiled threats that the Trump administration is passing off as diplomacy were everywhere. As announced at the Trump-Modi meeting in February, there was pressure to get India to purchase US Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter planes as part of India’s efforts to modernise its air fleet. This ‘deal’ sounds good in theory but presents problems for Modi’s domestic initiatives.
First, it has been reported that the F-35 fighter jet may not necessarily be a better deal than the SU Stealth 37 fighters, which Russia has proposed could be produced within India. This aligns with Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative aimed at creating more domestic jobs. The F-35 costs $80 million per unit, without full technology transfer, driving up maintenance costs. Aligning with the Trump administration’s aim to have more manufacturing jobs in the US, these would not be produced in India.
Second, concerns have been raised regarding the effectiveness of the F-35 as a fighter aircraft, including by the Congress party in India. It has also been noted that, before becoming best buddies with Trump, Tesla CEO and czar of the much-feared ‘Department of Government Efficiency’, Elon Musk, called the F-35 “junk”. In the drone age, manned fighter jets like the F-35 are, in Musk’s view, obsolete.
Of course, Vance could not mention that on his Indian trip. Vance welcomed the idea of India buying energy from the US. The push, again, was for India to stop buying Russian or Gulf oil and, instead, import it from the US, meaning shipping it halfway across the globe. To do this, India would also have to reconfigure its refineries. Even as Vance glibly called the agreement a ‘win-win’ for both countries, many would see this as a superpower bullying a trade partner into submission.
Reading between the lines of the Vance visit shows how far apart the two countries are. Vance aimed to leverage his ‘Indianness’ — the silent, smiling Usha and children ready for photo ops — to rush a deal that would make him a favourite with his boss. The Indians, for their part, thought they could use what many have portrayed as their inside connection to the Trump administration — the Indian-American second lady — as a way to wriggle out of tariffs and the forced purchase of planes they perhaps don’t need and oil they cannot easily refine.
However, not even the crisis sparked by the terror attack was enough to soften Vance’s hard sell. Trump’s boys care only about pleasing Trump — India, to Vance, is not the enchanted native land of his beloved but simply an opportunity to curry favour and become the top dog among Trump’s band of deal-hunters. The tension between India and Pakistan is unfortunate, but follows the usual playbook.
India’s trade war with the US, however, seems to augur only uncertainty and depression for an otherwise burgeoning Indian economy.
The writer is an attorney teaching constitutional law and political philosophy.
rafia.zakaria@gmail.com
Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2025
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DAWN EDITORIAL: 26 April 2025
THE revelation is shocking. Hundreds of individuals holding Pakistani passports who were detained by the Saudi government were discovered during investigations to not be Pakistanis at all, but Afghans who had managed to fabricate their national identity and obtain travel documents from Pakistan. The Senate Standing Committee on Interior was told on Thursday that the Saudi authorities had flagged a total of 1,296 Afghan nationals who had acquired Pakistani passports through fraudulent means, ostensibly with the help of local collaborators exploiting weaknesses in the national identity registration system. Informed sources say there was a loophole in the family registration process, which Nadra recently closed, and which allowed new family members to be registered under a Pakistani national’s family tree based on fabricated, union council-issued birth certificates. This was exploited by foreigners to register themselves as members of Pakistani families and then use these altered records to acquire CNICs and passports on which they travelled abroad.
It is no wonder that Pakistanis have been facing immense difficulties securing visas to travel abroad. Issues like these are bound to make even the most ‘brotherly’ of nations view visitors from this country with deep suspicion, and one cannot really blame them. After all, if Saudi Arabia alone has been able to nab hundreds of Afghans who had successfully given Pakistani authorities the slip, there may be many more in other parts of the world. Such actions — be they taken by any foreign national on Pakistani soil — represent a major liability for this country. Any crimes they commit or trouble they cause besmirch Pakistan’s image and create difficulties for its citizens. The authorities must, therefore, take action against such individuals and their accomplices. Nationality records must be thoroughly reviewed to identify travellers suspected of having acquired Pakistani documentation through illegal means, and they should be asked to provide proof of their citizenship. It is also important to identify local collaborators and give them exemplary punishments. Foreign trust will not be restored unless there is transparent action.
Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2025
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DAWN NEWSPAPER: 26 April 2025
DEFENCE Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that any Indian attack on Pakistan could trigger “all-out war” between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, as tensions escalate following the recent deadly assault in India-held Kashmir.
In an interview with Sky News, Mr Asif said, “If there is an all-out attack or something like that, then obviously there will be an all-out war,” adding that the world should be “worried” by the prospect of a full-scale military conflict in the region.
The warning comes after at least 26 people were killed and several others injured in the Pahalgam terror attack in the India-held Kashmir earlier this week. Responsibility for the attack was allegedly claimed by the hitherto unknown The Resistance Front (TRF).
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to “identify, track and punish” the perpetrators and their backers.
Mr Asif dismissed the allegations of Pakistani involvement as unfounded and part of a familiar pattern. “The reaction that came from Delhi was not surprising for us, we could make out that this whole thing was staged to create some sort of crisis in the region, particularly for us,” he said.
He questioned the legitimacy of TRF, stating, “Our government has condemned it categorically. Pakistan has been the victim of terrorism for decades. But this sort of pattern is going on in India. This time again, the people who are being accused are not known. Never heard of that organisation.”
Addressing accusations from the United States and other countries, Mr Asif said, “It’s very convenient for big powers to blame Pakistan for whatever is happening in the region.” He reiterated Islamabad’s condemnation of terrorism “in all its forms”.
Challenged about Lashkar-i-Taiba’s alleged links to the attack, the minister argued that the group is now defunct. “Lashkar-i-Taiba is a name from the past. It is defunct. It does not exist,” he said, asking, “When the parent organisation does not exist, how can the offshoot take birth?”
Mr Asif also pointed to past incidents, labelling the 2019 Pulwama and Balakot events as “false flag operations” by India, intended to justify aggressive postures towards Pakistan.
“This has happened before, also, Pulwama. It was a false-flag operation. We have never heard of the organisation behind this attack. If India attacks us, we will retaliate in kind,” he warned.
When asked about Pakistan’s alleged historic support for militant groups, Mr Asif acknowledged the country’s past involvement but pointedly shifted responsibility towards Western nations. “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for decades, you know, and the West, including Britain,” he said.
With these remarks, the minister apparently sought to highlight how Pakistan’s role was shaped by Cold War alliances and Western strategic interests, arguing that it was at the behest of major powers that such groups were supported and funded.
Indian media outlets, however, seized on the “dirty work” phrase as an admission of state-sponsored militancy, something Mr Asif categorically rejected.
Emphasising Pakistan’s preparedness, Mr Asif stated, “We have already prepared for any attack from India.” However, he also expressed hope that hostilities could be averted through dialogue, saying the dispute should be resolved through negotiations rather than confrontation.
Mr Asif also reminded the interviewer of Mr Modi’s controversial past, citing his role in the Gujarat riots.
Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2025
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