Venu Naturopathy

 

Ishaq Dar and Muhammad Yunus

Strange Bedfellows: Why Pakistan’s Munir and Bangladesh’s Yunus Are Rekindling Ties

From a realistic perspective, the prospect of a Pakistan-Bangladesh axis does not herald a serious economic or strategic bloc. Instead, it signals the re-emergence of revisionist politics in South Asia. In seeking to rewrite history and align against India, both countries risk ignoring their own domestic crises. 

An Assault on Democracy in Bangladesh: Need to Have an Inclusive Electoral Process

Bangladesh now stands at a perilous crossroads. Either the nation allows this unelected regime to continue dismantling democratic institutions, silencing dissent, and rewriting history—or its citizens rise to reclaim their rights. Democracy cannot endure without inclusivity

Sri Lanka Needs to Find a ‘Political Common Ground’ in Its Foreign Policy

Championing a rules-based maritime order in the Indian Ocean, which Sri Lanka has long called for since its 1971 ‘Indian Ocean Peace Zone’ (IOPZ) proposal and ensuring strict adherence to the provisions of the ‘UN Convention on the Law of the Sea’ (UNCLOS), will reinforce Sri Lanka’s credibility and also encourage cooperative stability in the Indian Ocean.

Trump's Tariffs and India's Strategic Dilemma: Acid Test for Modi Government

For Modi, the political cost of appearing to bow to American pressure may be almost as high as the economic cost of resisting it. In the end, the tariffs are not just about commerce. They are a test of whether India can still straddle the fault lines of great-power rivalry—whether the world’s most populous democracy is being forced into the uncomfortable role of choosing sides.

More on Spotlight

A territorial dispute with an actress caught in its midst!

The row between the two nations heated up when Nepal’s Communist Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli  on May 20 vowed before the country’s Parliament to reclaim the three “disputed areas” from New Delhi., writes Kavita Bajeli-Datt for South Asia Monitor

Job loss, hunger stalk South Asia in COVID-19 times

South Asia is home to over 1.8 billion people and houses half of the world’s impoverished communities, writes Aashish Kiphayet for South Asia Monitor

Honour killings continue in Pakistan: Feudal-patriarchal mindset still rules

Honour killing has been part of social traditions in Pakistan’s deeply conservative tribal society, but not confined to it. Killings have been reported in Lahore, Karachi and other places as well, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor

In post-COVID-19, Kerala needs innovation in governance

There is a need for a radical attitudinal change in governance and also among Malayalees.  Skilling graduates, who are mostly unemployable, should be top priority, writes K S Nayar for South Asia Monitor

India needs to keep up its assertive stance against terrorism

The shift in the approach towards terrorism is mildly indicative of India's assertive and uncompromising stance in dealing with terrorism, writes Jay Maniyar for South Asia Monitor

Whither self-reliance in defence hardware? Need for complete revamp of India's DTIB

India’s political establishment seems to have utterly failed to appreciate the need for self-sufficiency in military hardware. Consequently, no roadmap or grand strategy has ever been drawn up, for attaining autonomy in defence-production, writes Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Has BJP lost touch with India's masses?

The pandemic has revealed the Jana Sangh-BJP’s basic faultline which marks the breach between the affluent and the non-trader lower castes and the lower middle and working classes, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor 

Universal Basic Income is answer to the migrant labour crisis

With livelihoods suddenly coming to an end due to the lockdown, the option left for the migrant workers was to make a hasty retreat to their home towns. The presence of some form of Universal Basic Income (UBI) could have mitigated their uncertainties to a certain extent, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor

Its Modi’s moment to transform rural India with reverse migration

This is Modi’s moment to transform India. He has the ability to not waste this opportunity to make the migrants stay in their safe homes and not allow them back to the cities., writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor

Kerala model: Praise abroad, concerns at home

Kerala certainly has reasons to be proud of its record so far and the praise showered on it is well deserved. But the real test is yet to come, writes Amb T. P. Sreenivasan (retd) for South Asia Monitor

No permanent friend or enemies: Need for India’s deeper and bolder engagement in Afghanistan

India is one of the key actors to have contributed to the post-war redevelopment of Afghanistan. So far, India has contributed USD 3 billion to it, which makes Delhi the largest donor to Afghanistan in South Asia and the fifth largest in the world, writes Chayanika Saxena for South Asia Monitor

A success story: Good leadership, timely responses help Bhutan contain COVID-19

Bhutan’s energetic and collective response under the personal leadership of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck helped to deal with the crisis. Bhutan has the advantage of both the Prime Minister Lotay Tshering and Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji being medical doctors with a background of public health,  writes Shubha Singh for South Asia Monitor

Is India planning an operation in POK?

The Modi government is methodically trying to resolve the Kashmir issue, which is lingering since the partition of the Subcontinent in 1947. India and Pakistan have already fought three wars, including the Kargil conflict of 1999, on Kashmir, writes Jai Kumar Verma for South Asia Monitor 

Visakhapatnam gas leak: Need for stricter enforcement of labour laws

While in these difficult times when there is a need for more workers' protection,  relaxation of labour laws may not be in the overall interest of workers and there is a need for a rethink on the entire issue, particularly after incidents such as the Visakhapatnam gas leak,  writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor

Sri Lanka's rise in strategic importance in Chinese geopolitical calculus

Major power interest in Sri Lanka despite the COVID-19 pandemic was noticed  earlier  this year when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Alice G Wells, and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi,  all visited Sri Lanka in January to hold bilateral talks with the Sri Lankan government, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor