Expanding the arc of aerial/missile destruction to the Bab el-Mandeb would irreparably threaten the last viable option for Gulf oil exports and a regional war will soon cascade into an ‘epic’ global crisis. Ironically, the tally of death and destruction is barely mentioned and the war sanitized to a daily video ritual. Scroll and move on. Sagacious global leadership is absent when it is most needed and a discerning global civil society has been paralyzed by the unending Trump theatrics.
Given that Nepali citizens enjoy national treatment in India, greater enrolment in higher education institutions across Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal should be encouraged. India must remain the first responder to Nepal’s needs at all times. Sustained cooperation and mutual trust can help realise the vision of “Viksit Nepal” alongside “Viksit Bharat.” Regional frameworks such as SAARC, BBIN, and BIMSTEC should be leveraged to strengthen Nepal’s alignment with India across international platforms.
Balendra Shah’s rise as Prime Minister of Nepal represents a defining moment in the country’s contemporary political evolution. It signals a break from traditional party dominance and the emergence of a new political language shaped by youth aspirations and digital mobilization. At the same time, it introduces new uncertainties into Nepal’s regional relationships, particularly with India and China, both of whom will closely monitor Kathmandu’s evolving foreign policy orientation.
Since August 2024, Pakistan’s military establishment, its intelligence apparatus, and associated actors—including Turkey’s MIT—have allegedly been involved in sending weapons and explosives into Bangladesh. These materials are believed to have ended up in the possession of pro-Yunus loyalist mercenaries as well as various extremist groups, including Ansar Al Islam, a local affiliate of Al Qaeda.
Experts feel that impunity enjoyed by rapists in the country are not due to the fact that Bangladesh does not have a high punishment for rape - currently the highest punishment afforded is life imprisonment - but that rapists are convicted in only three percent of the cases, writes Tasmiah Nuhiya Ahmed for South Asia Monitor
The anger of these agitating farmers is yet another manifestation of the narrative of farmer distress that stalks the India growth story, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
With the outgoing President Donald Trump having ordered a nearly full US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan after almost two decades in the war-torn country, in Bolton’s assessment there are clear dangers of a serious instability that could threaten not only the South Asian region but the rest of the world, writes Mayank Chhaya for South Asia Monitor
Yet no nuclear scientist has been targeted in Pakistan, not even Abdul Qadeer Khan, father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb who indulged in blatant nuclear proliferation with obvious government support, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Rasool Bux Palijo has earned a place in the pantheon of leaders of South Asia who has earned lasting fame and created an ideological legacy in the struggle against martial law, feudalism, colonialism, and imperialism, writes Muhammad Abbas Khaskheli for South Asia Monitor
India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives agreed to expand the scope of intelligence sharing, including terrorism and cybersecurity, at the meeting to discuss common security threats, writes Sugeeswara Senadhira for South Asia Monitor
Pakistani audiences seem unwilling to discard the supposedly "vulgar" stuff they are addicted to, given the common socio-cultural ethos of the subcontinent, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
The spread of COVID-19 infections in South Asia has not been uniform across countries; while some countries were successful in controlling the pandemic, others were not, writes Partho Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
The BJP governments in these states, in their quest to criminalize interfaith marriages, are going ahead with coming out with this law, despite not even a single case of ‘love jihad’ having been detected by the central investigative teams to date, writes Reeti Prakash for South Asia Monitor
Till the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are confident and sufficiently armed to stabilize the country, it would be prudent for the US to retain troop strength between 5000-8000 in Afghanistan, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
The Malabar naval exercises could be seen as an obvious manifestation of the desire among members of the Quad to keep trade routes open, military confrontations in check and keep the Indo-Pacific Region open for legitimate rules-based economic activity, writes Raghbendra Jha for South Asia Monitor
COVID-19 has brought into focus supply chain issues and with it a fundamental change in the way food availability and access is viewed, one that goes beyond the conventional focus on weather, area, production, and yield (APY) paradigm of crops, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
These are challenging times with rising majoritarianism and nationalism and, with a large Muslim population, India must watch events in Europe closely, and ensure its secular fabric remains intact, writes Lt Gen P R Kumar (retd) for South Asia Monitor
The number of ceasefire violations by Pakistan troops from January till November along the J & K border has broken all records of the past 17 years, writes Col Anil Bhat (retd) for South Asia Monitor
The police in Bangladesh have taken the role of judge, jury, and executioner, writes Aashish Kiphayet for South Asia Monitor
