Representational Photo

Sri Lanka's coming presidential election has implications for region; India better watch out

Just twenty years ago, India's neighboring countries, apart from Pakistan, were solely dependent on India. But now all the small countries except Bhutan are trying to identify themselves as neutral countries in the India-China rivalry.

An Indian TV series ignites cross-border cultural discourse over a romanticised bygone era

Even so, Bhansali’s project has evoked considerable interest in Pakistan since the word went out that he was once considering casting Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, two of the top stars who have acted in Bollywood films. “Then, politics entered,” one of them rued.

Western media biases colour South Asia coverage: Need for greater journalistic empathy and objectivity

Despite the myriad challenges faced by Western journalists in covering South Asia, maintaining journalistic integrity is non-negotiable. This entails a rigorous commitment to fact-checking, corroborating information from diverse sources, and challenging ingrained biases.

Clash of Civilizations: Which will be the best-placed to lead the world?

India and China represent the future, America (West) the present, and Europe the past; Islam has a long way to go. 

More on Spotlight

‘India’ or ‘Bharat’ debate reflects postcolonial insecurities, not in tune with modern nationhood

India holds together not by ignoring diversity but by granting constitutional and ideational recognition to different ethnic, religious and linguistic groups. The word ‘India’ evokes and symbolizes a “we feeling” in the people's collective consciousness, derived from long-held traditions and pluralist imaginations. 

Child marriages in South Asia: Gross violation of girl rights that needs urgent regional attention

The persistence of child marriage in South Asia indicates the widespread failure of governments to address one of the most critical human rights issues. Effective legal remedies and ensuring accountability for those complicit in such crimes can be the panacea for such social ills.

G-20: India can seize the moment to give a new direction to multilateralism

India's leadership has already committed itself to exploiting the linkages between economic growth, gender equality, peace, and security and the use of technological innovations for universal benefit. India has championed the cause of low-income nations in the past — and it could now do so again.

How RAW and SIS had worked together to prevent the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka

Contrary to the bizarre story spun by Maulana in the Channel 4 documentary, Indian intelligence agencies, mainly RAW, played a pivotal role in monitoring IS movements in Sri Lanka. 

‘India’ or’Bharat’: Constituent Assembly debates showed reasonableness amid opinion divergence

The incongruity of “India, that is Bharat”, as given by Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, who drafted the Constitution, was pointed out by some members of the Constituent Assembly just as an independent India was taking shape.

Growing Indo-Bangla defence ties will have a significant bearing on South Asian security and stability

India and Bangladesh have welcomed initiatives to strengthen their maritime security partnership. A MoU for the establishment of a coastal surveillance radar system in Bangladesh’s Chittagong and Mongla ports has been inked.

South Asian youth raise a collective voice for climate justice across borders

The event platformed youth environmental activists and entrepreneurs from Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who have been working to educate, mobilise and organise people to combat climate change, obtain climate justice and move relevant policy regimes to these ends.

Will China have its way in Bhutan?

The question is whether Bhutan can ward off the Chinese pressure, given the dynamics of South Asia, chances of which don’t appear bright.

Trouble in paradise: Bhutan's little talked about political prisoners and minority discrimination

Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, said, “The long-term imprisonment and mistreatment of political prisoners remains a blight on Bhutan’s human rights record. Bhutanese authorities should release these prisoners and embark on reforms to end torture in custody, unfair trials and poor prison conditions.”

India and Bangladesh transit agreement holds promise for both countries and the region

Bangladeshi products like clothing, cement, and food can be sold directly in Nepal and Bhutan via India. In the future, Bangladesh will also find it simpler to ship goods to Myanmar.

Taliban's war on women: International community must not remain a mute spectator

In a brazen on-camera interview, Sirajuddin Haqqani, Afghanistan’s acting interior minister, said in response to a question on how Afghan women feel unsafe to leave homes under the Taliban rule, “We keep naughty women at home.” 

China poses no threat to the multi-faceted India-Bangladesh partnership

The accompanying data and graphs indicate that random charges about Bangladesh tilting toward China are just hype and with no basis in facts. Unlike Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh has conducted prudent macroeconomic management in order to avoid overdependence on China.

Helpless pawns in a bilateral dispute: No relief in sight for poor Indian and Pakistani fishermen

The current process shows the insensitivity of our systems and highlights how fishermen and others are of the lowest priority as they remain incarcerated without reason in the other country's prisons.

The Rohingya refugee dilemma: Does a sustainable solution lie in their integration into Bangladesh?

While the Rohingya issue remains complex and multi-faceted, the potential for the coming generations to integrate into Bangladesh seems natural and realistic. As we move into a seventh year since their major influx, it's evident that repatriation efforts have made limited headway. 

Six years later, Bangladesh's Rohingya refugee crisis sees no signs of resolution

Declining funds, deteriorating camp conditions, growing insecurity, and the adverse impact of the refugees on the host community have made Bangladesh a desperate host looking to reduce the burden. This crisis is also destabilizing regional security.