The Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission needs to be viewed in backdrop of the fast-changing geopolitics of South Asia and its military implications. The Shaksgam Valley sits immediately north of the Siachen Glacier and just west of Aksai Chin under China's control. By controlling Shaksgam, China can jointly monitor Indian military movements from the north while Pakistan does so from the south.
The question, therefore, is not whether Bangladesh could have secured a particular agreement simply by attending. There is no guarantee that participation in a summit automatically produces investment or diplomatic breakthroughs. The question is whether Bangladesh benefited by being absent.
For China to achieve its hegemonic ambitions in Asia, weakening democracies is essential. India, therefore, stands as an iron wall against illiberal encroachments, positioning itself as both a regional hegemon and a defender of democratic order.
The Mecca Pact, barely a month old, has already been discredited. Its authenticity is in question, its efficacy doubtful. The very notion of an “Islamic Nato” has been exposed as a mirage. Collective defence requires not just declarations but capabilities, coordination and political will. None of these are evident in the pact’s functioning.
The success of the CPEC project, which is dubbed as a “game-changer” for the region, will be in question if the concerns of the people of Gwadar are not dealt with practically by the Pakistani establishment, writes Nizam Hassan for South Asia Monitor
Disregarding Gwadar in particular and forsaking Balochistan in general is causing a sense of alienation among the people, writes Mannan Samad for South Asia Monitor
Many competent and high qualified individuals refused to work in Ghani's administration and quit their jobs in frustration, writes Qudratullah Karimi for South Asia Monitor
Technological domination by developed nations emerges as a new form of colonization as developing countries are the markets, writes Dr Mohammad Rezaul Karim for South Asia Monitor
Covid-19 led to disconnected efforts of governments, severely damaging global supply chain linkages, now leading to Omicron strain, writes Akshat Singh for South Asia Monitor
Overfishing by highly subsidized distant water fishing fleets threaten the low-income countries that depend on fish for food sovereignty, hurting livelihoods of fisherfolk of this region like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
It remains unclear why no leader from India’s closest neighbour Bangladesh has ever been a chief guest at the Republic Day parade, writes Nilova Roy Chaudhury for South Asia Monitor
Pakistan seems headed to greater instability with Taliban cadres joining ISIS-K against China for genocide against Muslims in Xinjiang, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd.) for South Asia Monitor
By becoming a leader in the green energy movement now, India can reap economic and climate change benefits for the nation and its citizens in the future, writes Frank F Islam for South Asia Monitor
It is a sad picture of India of the 21st century that communal fires have erupted in states as far apart as Tripura and Maharashtra, writes Jagdish Rattanani for South Asia Monitor
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh must sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and, if needed, a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) to boost trade and connectivity, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
The Modi government in India has repealed farm laws as it does not want to pay a political price in coming state elections, writes Jagdish Rattanani for South Asia Monitor
Extractive institutions ensured that the limited gains of growth in Afghanistan were cornered by political elites like warlords, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
With geopolitical rivalry in the Indian Ocean Region intensifying, China and Turkey are exploiting Pakistan’s troubled relations with India to push forward their own strategic interests, writes Niranjan Marjani for South Asia Monitor
The Indian foreign minister’s statement still does not convey the strength that a bully like China would appreciate, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
