Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the 131 km-long India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline on 18 March via video conference

India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline is a major milestone in bilateral cooperation, will help regional energy integration

Bhutan and Nepal would also benefit from the pipeline project. The two nations will have the chance to take part in the regional energy market and have access to a reliable energy source. The BBIN region’s economy will grow as the pipeline project fits in with the region’s overarching goal of enhancing integration and connectivity in South Asia. 

Has Myanmar had a change of heart on Rohingya repatriation?

Acting under international pressure, Myanmar has apparently made the decision to reintegrate persecuted Rohingya based on nationality verification - with the repatriated Rohingya being referred to as "Bengali foreigners" - under the active supervision of international organizations and China, the United States, and EU countries.

A funding crisis will hit Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh; India and China need to do more

However, India, China, and other regional actors have yet to establish a firm position on the Rohingya repatriation process and peace talks to end the crisis in Myanmar. While the US is strongly supporting Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue, China and India’s geopolitical and geoeconomic interests in Myanmar have left Bangladesh to manage the Rohingya crisis alone.

Why can't South Asia remove barriers to love?

Kolkata-based Bangladeshi environmental activist Natasha Ahmed spoke about her cross-border marriage and the challenges she faces living in India with her husband and children. Her sister is married to a man of Pakistani origin. They face many complications meeting each other’s families due to the visa restrictions between India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

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Jammu & Kashmir: A landmark decision, but a work in progress

Internationally, the impact has been positive across the international community and, even China, although initially negatively disposed, has chosen not to be too vociferous in its protestations, writes  Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retd)  for South Asia Monitor

The pivotal role of Haj in transforming Saudi-India ties

Haj will continue to be the harbinger of cultural and economic cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia, writes Dr H A Nazmi for South Asia Monitor

Modi's ‘high-risk’ coup could yield rich dividends in Jammu & Kashmir

Those who have closely watched Modi believe that the prime minister wanted to give a clear signal that his government would be in a pro-active mode to handle long pending issues, writes Arun Anand for South Asia Monitor

Why Pakistan got trapped in its Kashmir plebiscite demand

The reason Pakistan was afraid of the plebiscite was that the raiders and troops it had sent in “had indulged in loot, arson, rape, and murder in the State. Scores of villages and towns were destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people uprooted, writes Arul Louis for South Asia Monitor

India's move will bring investments into Jammu & Kashmir, create employment

Pakistan can be expected to up the ante on terror, but any misadventure by Pakistan will be suitably responded to by India, writes  Lt Gen Prakash Chand Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor

In Kashmiri psyche, Hindu majoritarianism will replace a multicultural democratic India as national symbol

If, in the name of security, the BJP can, with one stroke, undo the federal asymmetry which was a product of the unique circumstances pertaining to the accession of J&K state to India, with a complex set of legal and constitutional mechanisms, the same can be done to the Northeast special powers, but with greater ease, writes Reeta Tremblay for South Asia Monitor

The course of three South Asian democracies - Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives

After a decade, these three countries - Nepal, a Hindu majority country, Bhutan, a Buddhist country and Maldives, an Islamic country - make a compelling study in the journey of democracy, writes Rishija Singh for South Asia Monitor

India's nuclear policy has destablised South Asia: A Pakistani view

Despite dramatization of Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities, it is quite clear that South Asia has remained safe from any major conflict due to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, writes Rabia Javed for South Asia Monitor

The dichotomy in Bangladesh: Democracy or development

By narrowing the space for dissent and dichotomizing values, the ruling Awami League has effectively defanged the opposition, media as well as ordinary people writes Rishija Singh for South Asia Monitor

India's hyper-nationalist narratives helped Pakistan Army stay relevant

The warmongering narrative, primarily driven by the ruling party and the media at large, may fetch some electoral gains to the BJP  but it has proved to be welcome fodder for the Army in Pakistan as it tries to reinvent itself to remain relevant, writes Mayank Mishra for South Asia Monitor

India and Pakistan: Will there be a spring in ties?

As those who follow the India-Pakistan dynamic would know, there are two aspects to this relationship, often diametrically at odds with each other. A neutral observer would not know where the truth lies - perhaps, in between

India-ASEAN partnership: New Delhi must provide a balance to Beijing

Some foreign policy analysts from Southeast Asia have questioned the lack of performance by India, hinting at a subtle resistance to the concept of “Indo-Pacific” as a replacement to the old “Asia-Pacific,” writes Tunchinmang Langel for South Asia Monitor

Afghan refugees in India: The nowhere people

Given their situation, the only reason most Afghan refugees are staying on in India is to get a chance to go to any European country, writes Khatima Emami for South Asia Monitor

History tells us Pakistan Army will play spoiler

In a tumultuous fortnight, during which many an illusion was shattered at the turn of the year, some home truths emerged in the chronically accident-prone ties between India and Pakistan

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