India and Australia have come strategically closer through forums such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) and Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI), writes Rahul Nath Choudhury for South Asia Monitor
The Illusion of Strategic Mastery: How India’s Tactical "Smartness" Created a Diplomatic Opening for Pakistan
A significant factor in this "strongman" narrative is the influence of the Indian diaspora. Many unusually wealthy Indians living in the U.S. or U.K. cheer when India stands up to Western leaders. Their focus is emotional—seeking the pride of a "strong India" from the comfort of their adopted homes. However, these elites are dangerously out of touch with the majority of the Indian population.
From Ecological Decline to Food Insecurity: Pollinator Loss has Long-Term Consequences for Pakistan Agriculture
The decline of pollinators in Pakistan is not an isolated environmental issue. It is a structural signal of imbalance within agricultural ecosystems. It reflects how modern farming practices, if not carefully managed, can inadvertently weaken the very systems upon which they depend. The danger lies not in sudden collapse but in gradual erosion that goes unnoticed until productivity begins to decline in visible and irreversible ways.
Gulf Crisis: Pakistan Hosts the Table; India Influences the Room (Part V)
India’s role in the Middle East crisis is defined not by presence at negotiation tables but by its ability to sustain stability around them.While Pakistan facilitates talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad, India underwrites the broader security architecture through its maritime presence, economic weight, and multi-aligned diplomacy.
Water Security and Regional Peace: Future of the Indus Waters Treaty in a Changing Climate
The Indus Waters Treaty has lasted more than 60 years, illustrating diplomacy's ability to handle one of South Asia's most sensitive resources. However, climate change and geopolitical tensions have called into question its significance. To guarantee that the treaty continues to prevent war and promote shared prosperity, Indian and Pakistani governments must update its provisions, invest in joint institutions, and view water as a shared strategic asset rather than a source of friction.
More on Spotlight
Closer Bangladesh-Myanmar ties have great economic potential - but Rohingya issue must be resolved
Enhanced bilateral ties between Bangladesh and Myanmar could contribute to the growth of trade and investment relations with ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries, writes MD Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
World Bank proposal to integrate Rohingyas into Bangladesh unsustainable for both host nation, refugees
The country expects the world communities to consider all relevant issues including the socio-economic conditions in Bangladesh before making any recommendations to resolve the protracted Rohingya refugee crisis, writes Kazi Mohammad Jamshed for South Asia Monitor
The Terror Guardians: How Pakistan tripped the US in Afghanistan
The ISI’s guardianship of terror groups led to the inevitable Talibanisation of Pakistan at the cost of the secular space in politics, writes M R Narayan Swamy for South Asia Monitor
India should revisit FTA with ASEAN; have new economic partnerships with emerging Asian nations
Notwithstanding India not joining the RCEP, it is likely to become the potential gateway for accelerating China’s backdoor entry into India, writes S. Majumder for South Asia Monitor
The Taliban must develop Afghanistan, protect women’s rights to get world recognition
But getting global recognition could be far from easy for the Taliban because the Western countries have a negative perception about them, with many people in these nations still considering them terrorists, writes MD Ishtiak Hossain for South Asia Monitor
Pakistan needs multidimensional and intersectoral policy approaches for energy-water-food security integration
A key facet of the water-energy-food nexus in Pakistan is the heavy dependence of agriculture on groundwater irrigation, write Haris Mushtaq and Taimoor Akhtar for South Asia Monitor
Flawed US AfPak policy a boost for Taliban, a boon to China
America’s expectations that Afghanistan would not become a haven for terrorists (which it already was) and that the US will remain sheltered from terrorism emanating from that soil, are both misplaced, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
After PTA, Bangladesh and Bhutan can cooperate to solve regional issues, tackle Covid
Once the PTA comes into force, more people in Bangladesh will get access to good apples and oranges from Bhutan, while the fashion-conscious Bhutanese can choose from more varieties of quality apparel from Bangladesh, writes Md Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
A new street battle by Afghan women that Taliban may not be prepared to fight
The sense of losing everything - after a quarter-century of modernization and social progress - seems to have broken the Afghan women's fear of confronting the Taliban, writes Shraddha Nand Bhatnagar for South Asia Monitor
South Asia's cricket rivalry: Is the Indian pace battery a notch-up on Pakistan's feared pace attack of the last century?
The difficulty level the current Indian pacers had to overcome to achieve consistency and success in top-flight international cricket is substantially higher than what their counterparts from Pakistan had to surmount decades back, writes Sirshendu Panth for South Asia Monitor
Augury of a 'failed' Afghanistan: Global sympathy should be with the Afghan people
So, what the future looks like for Afghanistan? In one word: hopeless, writes Anondeeta Chakraborty for South Asia Monitor
India must shed its diffidence on a full-fledged FTA with UK
If India seeks greater market access, it must also allow the UK to sell more of its goods and services, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
With Europe caught in divisive politics, Afghan refugee women face a bleak future
The existing Afghan population in Europe is already facing a compassion deficit in Europe due to the rise in anti-immigrant parties threatening to fracture the bloc further, write Dr. Manasi Sinha, Pratyush Bibhakar and Vishal Rajput for South Asia Monitor
Nutrition literacy, greater market infrastructure investments must for ensuring healthy, sustainable diets in South Asia
To design sustainable food systems for healthy diets within the South Asian region, one needs to take local realities and contexts into account and develop a strong collaboration among all stakeholders at the grassroots, national, regional and global level, write George Cheriyan and Simi T.B. for South Asian Monitor
