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India leveraging geopolitical strengths to develop its own AI-powered defense systems

Strategic initiatives such as "AI in Defense," "Make in India," and "Buy IDDM" demonstrate India's commitment to nurturing indigenous AI solutions.

With new government in Pakistan, is the US preparing to return to the AfPak theatre?

The US, it would seem, was awaiting the formation of the new government in Pakistan to nudge Islamabad to act against the various outfits operating from Afghan territory and this suited Pakistan. Simultaneously, the much-awaited tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been cleared at the staff level to help Pakistan ease its economic situation.

If Z.A. Bhutto hanging could be declared unjust, why not review hanging of Bhagat Singh and his fellow revolutionaries?

Since 1947, the establishments of Pakistan and India have aggressively promoted identities of ‘separateness’ based on religion. However, the people of both countries have a more mature understanding of the fluidity of identities.

Climate crisis does not figure in India's election campaign! Modi must mobilise youth for climate action

Accelerated climate action would continue if Modi retains his leadership after the election. Expansion of solar and wind infrastructure and enhanced investment in green hydrogen and electrical vehicles have already been announced in the interim budget presented recently.

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Is Pakistan likely to face more US sanctions after American troops leave Afghanistan?

Pakistan fails to realize that with US troops exiting Afghanistan, Washington will no longer overlook the generation of terrorism and recruitment of child soldiers by Pakistan, especially when it is wedded to Beijing against the US, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (Retd) for South Asia Monitor 

Bhutan’s king leads from the front nation's battle against Covid-19

Although Bhutan will succeed in its vaccination drive, the scramble in the South Asian region for doses underscores the highly iniquitous access to vaccines to fight Covid-19, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor

Dalai Lama turns 87: Should India continue to keep him at arm's length?

The Chinese Communists were never shy in shaking hands with insurgents and rebels from India. In contrast, the Dalai Lama has never wielded a weapon. In that sense, he is also a Mahatma Gandhi, writes M.R. Narayan Swamy for South Asia Monitor

Nepal in need of massive judicial reforms to ensure implementation of court orders

The Supreme Court of Nepal issued 246 verdicts in 2019-2020 to be implemented by the various ministries, The government, in most cases, didn’t comply with the court orders, writes Ravi Nayak for South Asia Monitor

How remote-area vaccination is boosting India's security

The government’s vaccination outreach to remote border areas, in Kashmir and the Northeast, and the local people's smiling embrace of these efforts was an indication of their comfort level and confidence in the Indian system, writes Nilova Roy Chaudhury for South Asia Monitor

Can the US underwrite regional stability against emerging Chinese threats?

In the long run, if tactically implemented, the B3W initiative can also help India and its allies balance China’s String of Pearls strategy in South Asia and beyond, writes Pradeep S. Mehta for South Asia Monitor

Uttar Pradesh will be a bellwether of Modi's continuing popularity

A defeat in Punjab or in Goa will not bother the BJP too much. But UP is different not only because its location in the heartland has always provided significant pointers about political trends, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor

Can Imran Khan's 'Pakistaniyat' help improve the country's self-image?

“Hollywood-Bollywood vulgarity” has been one of Imran Khan’s pet peeves for long and he has ordered the drafting of a new nationalist, culturally-centred film policy for Pakistan that is yet to be made public, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor

Bangladesh struggling to vaccinate its people amidst a looming third wave of Covid 19

Public health experts believe that Bangladesh, despite having a good record of conducting vaccination programs, has failed in the case of the Covid  jabs because of its earlier reliance on a single vaccine, writes Rakib Al Hasan for South Asia Monitor

Can the Afghan government channelise numerous people's movements into a new anti-Taliban front?

If the Afghan government can accurately manage the spontaneous movements of the people and prevent them from becoming mere tools for the warlords, not only can it create a new front against the Taliban, but also mobilize public opinion to a large extent, as it is already doing to some extent, writes Saleem Payenda for South Asia Monitor

Modi's Kashmir meeting has many regional ramifications, will be keenly watched

Unless Kashmir moves towards democratic governance - and New Delhi is able to reach some kind of modus vivendi over it with Islamabad - it will remain vulnerable to extremist influences and spillovers from the notorious AfPak terror sanctuaries, writes Tarun Basu for South Asia Monitor

US military exit from Afghanistan will be China's strategic gain

The US will realize its strategic blunder of surrendering Afghanistan to the Taliban after the entire Af-Pak-Iran region comes under Chinese influence, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (Retd) for South Asia Monitor

India's digital talent can be harbinger of new direction in Japan-India cooperation

Hamstrung by the shortage of digitally skilled hands, Japan needs to rope in digital talents from India that constitutes one of the biggest digital talent pools, writes S. Majumder for South Asia Monitor

Why India is losing ground in Sri Lanka

India has to reflect on its own conduct vis-à-vis smaller neighbors including Sri Lanka to have some idea of why country after country it had counted as friends are leaning towards China, writes  M.R. Narayan Swamy for South Asia Monitor

International community needs to extend humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh to end lingering Rohingya crisis

Bangladesh cannot solve the Rohingya crisis alone; the international community should come forward in implementing the promised humanitarian actions and work in coordination with Bangladesh to find a durable solution to the festering problem, writes Shaikh Abdur Rahman for South Asia Monitor