Photo: Lok Sabha

Unruling parliamentary behaviour setting a bad example for Indian democracy

The proceedings of the recent parliamentary session create doubts as to whether our MPs are capable of setting up such standards. By their behavior as seen currently, they are setting up a very bad example for the younger generation and are doing great harm to the fiber and fabric of a resurgent India.

Quota unrest in Bangladesh has lessons for India

There should also be no doubt that these protests are being fueled by China and Pakistan to depose the pro-India Sheikh Hasina Government and install a pro-Islamist anti-India government like the erstwhile BNP-led government in Bangladesh. 

Rumblings in the BJP point to a more fundamental problem

The reality is that communal politics of the kind played by the BJP, led by Prime Minister Modi, has stopped paying dividends of the kind that it once did. 

A Republican future and its impact on international relations

As the world watches the unfolding drama in the United States, the implications for South Asia, particularly India, Pakistan, and China, are profound

More on Perspective

Pakistan’s trade deficit at a historic high: Can Islamabad bite the bullet of structural reforms?

Experts have pointed out Pakistan’s need to undergo deep structural reforms to avoid recurring cycles of loans and knocking at the IMF's doors

Sri Lanka’s fuel crisis threatens its prized tea industry; 400,000 jobs at risk

For Sri Lanka, which is in dire need of foreign exchange reserves, tea is among a few commodities offering an assured income in dollars. The industry faced immense hardship during the last year’s ban on chemical fertilisers

India establishes a tentative diplomatic presence in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

The move isn’t a recognition of the Taliban regime which remains internationally isolated. The emphasis on people-people and civilizational connections underscores New Delhi’s attempt to retain its soft power in the country

The clock is ticking for Pakistan to secure an IMF deal

From withdrawing the fuel subsidies, hiking electricity tariffs and reducing expenditure to increasing tax rates, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has gone all out at the expense of its own political capital to get the IMF programme running

Nepal in a cleft stick: Another US programme stirs domestic politics with Beijing watching

Notwithstanding the Deuba’s government push to strengthen ties with the US, Nepal is still far from signing any security pact with it. Further, China, despite suffering a relative pushback in Nepal, is unlikely to take such a deal kindly

Amid ruling party infighting, a former Maldivian president waits in the wings

If Yameen returns to power in the Maldives, it would have repercussions on the present close strategic ties with India

The significance of India’s relations with Gulf and Muslim countries

India needs strong and friendly relations, be they diplomatic, economic, social or cultural, with the countries of GCC. And some of these arguments carry over for relations with members of the OIC too

Pakistan’s 5.9 % GDP growth comes with ‘landmines’, fears of ‘overheated’ economy and Imran Khan's 'biggest protest'

Challenges are compounded by the almost unaffordable prices of global commodities and fuel—factors beyond the government’s control. “I cannot control this but cannot leave people without food and fuel, either,” Ismail said.

No place in Hinduism for intolerance of other faiths

Denigration of another faith is not the act or practice of a true Hindu. Every Hindu must condemn such acts., writes Amb Sarvajit Chakravarty (retd) for South Asia Monitor 

What two WHO tales say about India's health system

While ASHAs make us proud, the state of the health management system makes us hang our heads in shame.  Is this where India should be in the 21st century?

Unchecked communal rhetoric will have implications for India’s foreign policy

Messages, and communal narratives - and even state-sanctioned actions - targeting Muslims reach audiences in the Muslim countries in real time and will produce resentment against India and its diaspora community living there. These sentiments will eventually make it a bit harder for their governments to embrace New Delhi and do business with it, at least in the open.

The Indian Navy's three-dimensional capabilities

“Today, Indian Navy is counted among the frontline navies of the world. Today, the world’s largest maritime forces are ready to work and cooperate with India,” Singh said and described INS Khanderi as a shining example of the ‘Make in India’ capabilities of the country.

A bridge over the river Padma: Bangladesh's passage to a developing nation

The decision to build the much-awaited Padma Bridge, which is set to open for traffic on June 25, through its own finances has brightened Bangladesh's image in the world, writes Dr Malika-e-Abida Khattak for South Asia Monitor. 

Boosting rail connectivity between India and Bangladesh is a win-win for both

While air remains a major mode of transportation for tourists—almost 77 percent, around 80 percent of Bangladeshi tourists used the land as the mode of transportation. Thus, an integrated, cross-border railway network as a faster mode of transport could bring enormous benefits to the region, including boosting regional trade.

Progress in India’s warship building, but not enough except in surface ships

There are not many developing countries like India having the capability to produce such a wide variety of warships ranging from fast-attack craft to aircraft carriers, writes Col Anil Bhat (retd) for South Asia Monitor