Aurat March in Pakistan has proved to be a phenomenal success, forcing society to acknowledge women’s efforts, writes Nadra Huma Quraishi for South Asia Monitor
New Delhi’s official response has been measured, almost pointedly so, a statement that India is “looking into the implications” rather than any dramatic condemnation. That restraint is wise, and should be read as strength rather than uncertainty. India’s ties with Saudi Arabia are too economically consequential, too carefully cultivated over the past decade, for Riyadh to jeopardize them by handing Pakistan a blank check.
The vulnerability for India lies in the asymmetry of technological readiness and the aggressive sub-surface mapping being conducted by external actors, most notably China. Beijing has been able to resource its scientific research vessels, oceanographic mapping devices, and supposed civilian ocean surveys to map the bathymetry and mineral content of the Indian Ocean Region systematically.
China’s growing influence in Sri Lanka is an immediate concern for India as the resident power in the region, but it is also a global concern for the United States.
The Indian government is caught in a bind. Despite the BNP government’s outrage, for Delhi to hasten Hasina’s extradition is not an option.
Aurat March in Pakistan has proved to be a phenomenal success, forcing society to acknowledge women’s efforts, writes Nadra Huma Quraishi for South Asia Monitor
The ‘unforeseen’ would become a frightening reality, recalling what the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had whispered piteously: "The living will envy the dead", writes Cmde C. Uday Bhaskar (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Bangladesh can neither ignore the US and India nor China in the light of the changing global geopolitical situation, writes Emilia Fernandez for South Asia Monitor
For India, an aggressive Russia does not cause concern; many here believe it to be a more reliable and effective check on China than the United States, writes Amb Dilip Sinha (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Bangladesh is being depicted unfairly - and without evidence - as a country that discriminates against its minorities, particularly Hindus, writes Anup Sinha for South Asia Monitor
Bangladesh settled for a humanistic approach, focusing on people and their wellbeing, taking steps to minimize infection and death rates, besides ensuring the availability of food, writes Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Karim for the South Asia Monitor
With the ban on kite flying in force, Basant, a celebration of nature and culture, may soon become a matter of the past in Pakistan, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
With the help of pliant media, saffron powers have discredited Muslims as an obstacle to the country's development and an enemy of equality, secularism and women's rights, writes Sohail Ahmad for South Asia Monitor
There was also a proposal for a plebiscite in Goa; Nehru stood the ground that Goa’s merger with India is non-negotiable, writes Ram Puniyani for South Asia Monitor
The upcoming meeting of Indian and Pakistani Rotary Club members and others at Kartarpur this week highlights Rotarian efforts to develop an Indus Peace Park near the Kartarpur entrance writes Beena Sarwar for South Asia Monitor
International communities should criminalize the intentional propagation of hatred towards a particular faith, write Monira Nazmi Jahan and Nusrat Jahan Nishat for South Asia Monitor
The CEPA’s larger significance is that it serves as a template for an FTA with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) whose members include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
The junta will likely leverage the hearings to gain substantial de jure recognition as the legitimate government of Myanmar within other UN bodies and beyond, writes Parvej Siddique Bhuiyan for South Asia Monitor
As of now, Pakistan’s much-sought ‘strategic depth’ with a friendly government in Afghanistan has proved elusive, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
Millions of Indian cricket fans across the globe are the real foundation of the Indian cricket board's financial power, writes Qaiser Mohammad Ali for South Asia Monitor