China and Pakistan are always scouring for opportunities by utilizing any kind of strain in Bangladesh-India ties, and would obviously try to exploit the present regional political scenario, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
In the run-up to the Bengal elections, 2026, the fish debate did exactly that. Banerjee stitched fish to language, secularism and regional pride, painting the BJP as a Hindi-heartland force that would impose vegetarian norms. The BJP countered by showcasing its own non-vegetarian leaders from Assam and elsewhere, eating “macher jhol” on camera, and promising “Bengal’s way of life will not change.”
Iran did not defeat U.S. airpower in this conflict. It demonstrated, with one strike against one aircraft, what happens when force architecture built around high-value irreplaceable platforms meets an adversary that has spent years studying exactly which targets to hit. The E-3 destroyed at Prince Sultan is not primarily a story about one aircraft.
The newest symbol of Pakistan-Sri Lanka defence cooperation is Exercise Shake Hands-II, launched on April 27, 2026, in Tarbela, Pakistan. The two-week exercise brings together Pakistan Army’s elite Special Services Group (SSG) and Sri Lankan Special Forces. The purpose of the drill is to enhance interoperability, exchange operational experience and improve professional capabilities in counter-terrorism scenarios.
The question India needs to answer is not whether to side with Washington or Tehran. That framing is itself a trap. The question is whether India has the political will to build the energy independence, the institutional credibility, and the diplomatic infrastructure that would make such a choice genuinely unnecessary.
China and Pakistan are always scouring for opportunities by utilizing any kind of strain in Bangladesh-India ties, and would obviously try to exploit the present regional political scenario, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
Being oblivious to the history and traditions of Afghanistan, misreading the local culture, or a sickening obsession with 'Islamic terrorism' has always clouded the reality for the West, writes Anondeeta Chakraborty for South Asia Monitor
The Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) sub-regional group has the potential to multiply the prosperity of its members, writes Amb. Sarvajit Chakravarti (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Pakistani analysts say the civil-military 'hybrid arrangement' has been severely dented and mutual mistrust has set in, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
A potent Western Leg of Quad in partnerships with Russia, France, Japan and possibly Oman, South Africa, Indonesia and Singapore remains a must to craft, writes Lt Gen Yash Malhotra (retd) for South Asia Monitor
A US drone base in Pakistan will adversely affect Pakistan-China relations; it will arouse Taliban anger with whom Islamabad is negotiating to curb the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Attacks on Hindu localities and places of worship, like temples and Durga Puja mandaps, are aimed at terrorizing Hindus so that they don't assert politically, stay away from voting and even vote against Awami League in frustration at lack of protection, writes Subir Bhaumik for South Asia Monitor
The Turkish actors are immensely popular in Pakistan, even as the women actors, glamorous and without any veils, even sporting swimwear in real lives, have drawn criticism from the Pakistani conservatives, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
While the ruling Awami League remains committed to protecting the minorities, the administration has been often unable to prevent Islamist rampages, writes Tapas Das for South Asia Monitor
Instead of following the unsustainable growth example of the US and China, which is based on extreme greed and a very materialistic outlook, we should give the world a new direction of development where high technology is guided by spirituality, writes Anil K. Rajvanshi for South Asia Monitor
Had it not been exploited by Pakistan economically for 24 years (1947-71), Bangladesh would have gone further ahead, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
In a cooperative set-up of the four nations focused on the Middle East, UAE has the capital, Israel and the US the technology edge and India the manufacturing and execution capability, writes Arul Louis for South Asia Monitor
The GHI ranking given to India is certainly a wake-up call for the country, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
Pakistan has shifted anti-India terrorist camps into Afghanistan and there is evidence of the Taliban allowing Harkat-ul Ansar (HuA) to push terrorists from Afghanistan into Kashmir, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
The new strategy is a most welcome development for India, which had been juggling its national security interests in this vast and volatile region with support, as usual, from France, writes Amb. Bhaswati Mukherjee (retd) for South Asia Monitor