Neither Bangladesh nor India — including West Bengal — is likely to fully concede its position. The future instead lies in pragmatic compromise, where domestic political constraints are balanced against the imperatives of regional cooperation. Ultimately, the trajectory of India–Bangladesh relations will depend less on identity politics and more on whether both sides can align economic necessity with political will.
The broader reality is that even if a political understanding emerges, restoring confidence in the Strait may take far longer than restoring a ceasefire. Shipping markets operate as much on perception of risk as on military realities. Tanker operators, insurers, charterers, and energy traders require predictability — and that predictability is currently absent.
New Delhi now occupies an awkward middle space: not fully trusted by the West, yet no longer fully aligned with the broader Global South consensus either. That ambiguity becomes riskier if Washington and Beijing move into even a temporary phase of strategic stabilisation.
The major bilateral issue is border security and management. While India claims that millions of Bangladeshis enter India illegally, reside and work here, Bangladesh dismisses that contention outright, saying that as their per capita income was higher than India’s, there was no reason for economic migration from Bangladesh to India.
The census data of 2011 reflects that the four states - Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh -account for 50 percent of India's total inter-state migrants, write Suresh Kumar Patel, Abhishek Kumar & Noorul Quamer for South Asia Monitor
Launch of China Virus/COVID-19 - which only India had guts to name biological weapon - had decades of preparation to deny/mitigate global response, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
The Rohingya refugees staying inside and outside camps in Bangladesh and India are worth mentioning in the South Asian context. Their already slum-like dwellings, lack of fresh water and sanitation, densely-crowded living conditions and hunger puts them in a more perilous situation, writes Sariful Islam for South Asia Monitor
In the Indian context, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy have granted a permanent commission to women officers even as both have opened up some combat roles for women, write Subhranil Ghosh & Sayantan Bandyopadhyay for South Asia Monitor
While Trump and Bolsonaro are worried about the virus' impact on their nation's markets, economies and, by extension, their political future, Modi was open enough to admit that the pandemic would have economic costs, but saving lives was more important for him and his government, writes Tarun Basu for South Asia Monitor
The return of a Rajapaksa to the island’s highest office coincides with a potent form of majoritarianism in Sri Lanka, driven simultaneously by jingoism and fear among the electorate, writes Arman Sidhu for South Asia Monitor
After independence, this is perhaps the first time India is being put to such a test, with every part of the country affected. Not confined to India alone, but the entire neighbourhood of South Asia is being engulfed by this pandemic, writes Brig Anil Gupta (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Afghanistan has become an extremely dangerous country for its residents, especially religious minorities. After surviving there for hundreds of years, the Sikhs virtually don’t even have a right to exist anymore, writes Sanchita Bhattacharya for South Asia Monitor
The disruption of supply chains coupled with an unprecedented economic disaster waiting for the world due to the pandemic, the pertinent question is - has the time come for the world to have a rethink for globalization, asks Pranay Kumar Shome for South Asia Monitor
Despite Khaleda Zia’s suspended sentence and release from jail, no news except about the coronavirus is attracting the people’s attention in Bangladesh, writes Swadesh Roy for South Asia Monitor
If the habits of cooperation and mutual understanding developed while fighting together against COVID-19 allow the member countries to regain the lost pedestal of SAARC, it will augur well for peace and prosperity of the region, writes Monish Tourangbam for South Asia Monitor
In the South Asian region, only Maldives and Sri Lanka fare relatively better in global rankings of quality of healthcare system. Pakistan, which spends the least on health, has only 0.6 beds per 1000 people compared to 8.5 beds per 1000 people in Germany, writes Kavita Bajeli Datt for South Asia Monitor
For Kashmiris, who were hoping to come out of a long period of isolation after August 5, 2019 and subsequent government clampdown to ensure peace, the deadly virus has been a huge setback at a time when the thaw was beginning and restrictions easing, writes Brig Anil Gupta (retd) for South Asia Monitor
The government's role has to transition from that of an arrogant extortionist to a responsible shareholder: The reality is that governments across the world generally collect between 25-40% of income as taxes, writes Prof Rajendra Pratap Gupta for South Asia Monitor
It would be in the interest of all stakeholders, including India, to drive the agenda for peace to ensure the insurgency does not spiral into an uncontrollable cycle of violence which engulfs the region, writes Jaideep Chanda for South Asia Monitor
