The Indian foreign minister’s statement still does not convey the strength that a bully like China would appreciate, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Music, Peace Building and a Shared South Asian Moment
“The presence of the Sri Lankan singers “made this not just a local gathering, but a shared South Asian moment,” Nirupama Menon Rao said after the show. “Music does that so effortlessly. It crosses borders without asking for permission”.
AI, Energy, Health, and Integrity: South Asia’s New Frontline Against Procurement Corruption
South Asia’s future depends on reliable infrastructure and trustworthy public services. Artificial intelligence—especially advanced technologies such as Graph Attention Networks—offers governments a powerful tool to reduce corruption in procurement, improve healthcare delivery, strengthen energy security and enhance public trust.
How to Lose a Country in Four Years: Will the Taliban be Architects of Their Own Demise?
Yet ordinary Afghans refuse to stay silent. In Balkh province, people are turning public walls into canvases of defiance, spray-painting graffiti demanding education, rights, and freedom. These acts of artistic resistance, risking arrest and worse, echo the courage of exiled artists like Shamsia Hassani and Fatima Wojohat, whose work continues to amplify the cry for justice. Such quiet rebellion signals a population no longer cowed.
Trincomalee Energy Hub Development Will be a Strategic Milestone in India-Sri Lanka Ties
If one location matters most to India in Sri Lanka, it is Trincomalee. With one of the finest natural harbours in the world, Trincomalee has immense commercial, naval, and energy value. For decades, strategists in New Delhi have viewed it as critical to the security architecture of the Bay of Bengal.
More on Spotlight
Pilgrim movement, wheat to Afghanistan and hockey diplomacy: A new thaw in frosty India-Pakistan ties?
Imran Khan’s move, like the Kartarpur Corridor, is bound to have the blessings of the powerful Pakistan Army, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
Sri Lanka’s fertilizer travails and China’s looming shadow
Colombo’s biggest source of China-dependence is to service its external debt; it already owes China over $5 billion in past loans, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
Fulfilling its COP26 pledge: Can India become carbon-neutral by 2070?
Becoming carbon-neutral by 2070 will not only help the world but will also make India a new industrial power, writes Anil K. Rajvanshi for South Aisa Monitor
Pakistan's PM: Mixed messaging and a prisoner of political compulsions
As Islamabad embraces hardline Islamists, life for minorities in Pakistan is becoming tough, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
Mega infrastructure projects are set to transform Bangladesh's economy
From extending aid to Sri Lanka to building mega projects, Bangladesh is transforming its image to emerge as a South Asian miracle, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
Politically expedient histories: When fringe threatens to become mainstream in India
Kangana Ranaut is just one offshoot of an ecology where fact and truth have been systematically torn away from the national discourse to be replaced by ideologically tailored half-truths and lies, writes Mayank Chhaya for South Asia Monitor
Pakistani film attempts cinematic catharsis: Will it impress Bangladesh?
A Pakistani film looks at the 1971 war anew and wants Islamabad and Dhaka to bond, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
Dolls as conduits of cultural expression: India’s autumn festivals and their enchanting celebration through dolls
In India, festivals have an interesting blend of representation through dolls, especially during the agricultural season of autumn, writes Dr. Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai for South Asia Monitor
Can Afghanistan reduce its economic dependence on Pakistan?
With Pakistan's built-in political dominance of Afghanistan, the economic control can only get stronger, writes Hamayun Khan for South Asia Monitor
SAARC must be revived as an intra-regional cooperation platform
Pakistan and India should work together to revive SAARC to maximize regional interests, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
Pakistan in extremism's growing grip: Mishandling of TLP could lead to radical consolidation
Having adopted hardcore Islam over the years, and using it to enact terrorism as a state policy, the Pakistan government can hardly afford all-out confrontation with the TLP, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd.) for South Asia Monitor
India, Bangladesh must cooperate to manage water resources to mitigate climate change effects
Conclusion of bilateral arrangements on sharing common water resources will banish a constant source of misunderstanding and mutual suspicion between India and Bangladesh, writes Amb Sarvajit Chakravarti (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Amid the Afghanistan crisis, Bangladesh's Rohingya refugee crisis should not be forgotten
The Rohingya crisis is the result of a long-smoldering problem that may become the catalyst for new sources of conflict in the region, writes Kazi Mohammad Jamshed for South Asia Monitor
Why Bhutan quit the BBIN motor vehicle pact
Prime Minister Dasho Lotay Tshering has said that if Bhutan’s infrastructure, economy and trade improves, the country will undoubtedly want to be part of BBIN-MVA, writes Rinchen Kinznag for South Asia Monitor
