China will use its increased presence and influence in Iran and Afghanistan to target Indian interests, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor

The government’s move on the temple, some media commentators suggest, is to show Pakistan in a better light in comparison with India,  which is seen as being driven by Hindutva forces that are against India's religious minorities, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor

The Maldivian open support against Pakistan in OIC is a victory of Indian diplomacy, writes Jai Kumar Verma for South Asia Monitor

Taking into consideration the zero-sum nature of Pakistan-India relations, Islamabad maybe compelled to acquire arms in a tit-for-tat response to New Delhi, writes Maham S. Gillani for South Asia Monitor

The US aid under MCC is a golden opportunity for Nepal to look beyond India and China and seek greater engagement with other powers and to derive economic benefit and relinquish meaningless geopolitical adventures, writes Vikash Kumar for South Asia Monitor

Bangladesh is a very important neighbour for India. The fulcrum of India’s Act East policy and vital for development of India’s North East, it has a major role in the success of BIMSTEC, writes Maj Gen Alok Deb (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen met Pakistan’s High Commissioner Imran Ahmed Siddiqui in Dhaka on July 1. According to a media report, the meeting indicates a possible thaw in bilateral relations, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor

Given the doctor-dependent, top-heavy nature of our healthcare system, creating a functional telemedicine network in rural areas by leveraging the vast spread of Community Health Centre (CHC) and PHCs will help increase access to quality medical care, writes Vikram Thaploo for South Asia Monitor

The COVID-19 crisis has slowly generated a new kind of waste made up of disposable masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) items, writes Mahmuda Amir Eva for South Asia Monitor

The dragon’s shadow has lengthened over the South Asian region as it has rapidly developed port and transport infrastructure, some of it as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor

India has been dubbed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the most depressed country in the world. The numbers themselves are pretty frightening,  writes Dr. Lovleen Malhotra for South Asia Monitor

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa set a fine example of neutrality of the public service in the forthcoming general elections by instructing that no public official serving in the security forces, government service, corporations, boards, and statutory bodies should engage in political activities, writes Sugeeswara Senadhira for South Asia Monitor

The use of anti-India sentiment is an old stratagem used by Nepalese politicians to assert their own relevance and divert attention away from the real problems facing Nepal, writes Shakti Sinha for South Asia Monitor

China’s fresh illegal claims on Bhutanese territory could lead to PLA intrusions to pressure India and orchestrate another standoff, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor 

India has been careful to maintain that its closer ties with the US and its Indo-Pacific partners were not directed against anyone – diplomaticspeak that they weren't meant to be anti-China, writes Arul Louis for South Asia Monitor