Farah Siddiqui writes on Indian politics with a focus on identity, community, and the management of majorities and minorities. Her essays move between the national and the regional, tracking how political language gets remade by each election cycle.
Recent work
Operation Hard Ball Reframes the Nijjar Case as a Law Enforcement Matter
The FBI's Operation Hard Ball has arrested 24 individuals across the US, Canada, and Europe, charging Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar with directing the 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia. Crucially, the US indictment makes no allegation of Indian government involvement — a significant evidentiary development that reshapes a diplomatic dispute that has shadowed India-Canada relations since Justin Trudeau's 2023 claims. India now has both a strategic opening and a structural obligation: engage the US Department of Justice proactively, or watch the evidentiary record form without Indian input.
A Rangoli on American Stamps: Diwali's Long March Into the US Mainstream
The United States Postal Service will release a Diwali commemorative stamp in October 2026, featuring a rangoli designed by Houston-based artist Sangita Bhutada. The stamp places Diwali alongside Hanukkah and Kwanzaa in the American cultural calendar — a positioning that took two decades of sustained diaspora civic engagement to achieve. For India, the moment is less about the stamp itself and more about what it reveals: that civilisational soft power travels farthest when carried organically by diaspora communities, not projected from government offices.
Iran Strikes Israeli Petrochemical Site as West Asia Violence Threatens India's Energy Security
Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired nearly 30 ballistic missiles at Israel, targeting a petrochemical facility in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Iranian sites. The escalation prompted US Ambassador Mike Huckabee to take shelter, highlighting growing regional tensions that threaten India's strategic interests in West Asia.
Jaishankar Navigates Energy Security Diplomacy in Quad Prep Talks with Japan
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi to prepare for Quad discussions on the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, emphasising energy security concerns and West Asian tensions. The bilateral talks underscore India's strategic positioning as both nations navigate regional challenges through maritime cooperation.