A wall poster in the premises of Patan Durbar Square, Lalitpur, tributing to those who died during the Gen Z protest. Photo by Pragyan Srivastava

As Nepal Goes to the Polls, Deepfakes and AI Manipulation Undermine Democracy

The smartphone that freed a generation is now being used against it. The platforms that carried the protest are now carrying the smears. The digital spaces where young Nepalis found their political voice are today flooded with manipulated images, fake audio, and AI-generated lies targeting the very candidates their movement made possible. The weapon and the wound are the same object.

Nepal’s Gen Z Seeks Alternative Politics, But Fragmentation a Concern

Politicians, who were silent, complicit, or even instigative during last September’s tragedy, are trying to rebrand themselves on social media to be palatable to “Gen Z” - Nepal’s youth population that was instrumental in overthrowing the last government, leading to comparisons with Bangladesh’s ‘Monsoon Revolution’ of 2024 and Sri Lanka’s Aragayala of 2022. 

'Honour’ Still Tries to Silence Women With Community-Sanctioned Enforcement

What links these cases — Pakistan, Britain, India, the Netherlands — is not geography or faith, but backlash. ‘Honour’ is used as a pretext to kill not because women are obedient, but because they are not. It is activated when women seek education, choose partners, leave abusive homes, testify in public, or simply insist on being treated as full human beings.

 

Challenges Facing an AI-Geared World: A Robot Called Out the Failings in India’s Higher Education System

How do our regulators allow a university to function with almost every leadership position, academic and administrative, occupied by a member of the promoter family? How does patent filing become a game, as alleged in this case, or how does a paper authored under the university on banging vessels to kill the coronavirus get written? The incident brought to sharp light how India has slipped into an education system run on high fees by private institutions with questionable credentials.

More on Perspective

After The Ceasefire: India Has More At Stake To Keep The Peace

So high military spending is inevitable. But it is clear that peace is not possible without economic prosperity at home. It is also clear that projecting power abroad is not possible without high, sustained and inclusive economic growth.  It is clear that a conflict free, relatively peaceful India will attract the maximum foreign capital in the world.  For this to happen, we have to invest in building peace, and reiterate to the world, that this is not an era of war.

Baying for blood cannot be the way to peace: Case for restraint in a time of conflict in South Asia

Gender politics pervades security decisions. The war-mongering media chorus was mostly male; the decision-makers at the televised but closed-door meetings were mostly male; those who will go into battle and therefore, those killed or injured will be mostly male; and those whose words about security get read and quoted are mostly male. Women still play a minor role in all these areas but are largely the majority of those bereaved, displaced, assaulted sexually, left supporting families and without assets.

Vizhinjam Port Project: A Turning Point in India's Communist Movement?

The commissioning of the Vizhinjam Port under a public-private model reflects a progressive shift in the Indian communist movement without compromising its core values. It demonstrates that modern communism in India can adapt pragmatically while upholding its commitment to equity.Can one then say that the Vizhinjam Port is a symbol of ideological transformation and a turning point for the communist movement in India?

Can Indus waters issue be de-linked from historic grievances? (Reproduction of a 2010 piece by late Harvard professor and water resources expert John Briscoe)

If Baglihar was the only dam being built by India on the Chenab and Jhelum, this would be a limited problem. But following Baglihar is a veritable caravan of Indian projects – Kishanganga, Sawalkot, Pakuldul, Bursar, Dal Huste, Gyspa. The cumulative live storage will be large, giving India an unquestioned capacity to have a major impact on the timing of flows into Pakistan

IPKF denied official battle honours for 35 years for Sri Lankan operation

In 2019 the National War Memorial was at long last constructed in Delhi and from 2021 IPKF veterans and their family members began getting together there in March every year to commemorate the sacrifices of their comrades.  This year, marking the fifth get-together since 2021, the response for the get-together was well over hundred Veterans, Veer Naris (widows of personnel killed in action) and various family members, including some grandchildren of the IPKF personnel.

'Terrorists enjoying safe havens today can easily turn against their hosts tomorrow'

Islam is a great religion, and its followers have a responsibility to ensure that extremists do not continue to tarnish its image. While the global community must persist in its fight against terrorism, the voice of the Muslim community carries special weight in this context. It is imperative that Muslims around the world help reclaim their faith from those who misuse it to justify violence.

Will the lament of a crash-killed fighter pilot’s mother move the nation to act?

IAF is also the only major air force that operates seven different fighters – Su-30MKIs, upgraded MiG-29 Ms, retrofitted Mirage 2000Hs, Jaguars, MiG-21s and Rafales, making their maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) an ordeal.

Ambedkar had warned of potent dangers to India's democracy

Thanks to Ambedkar, India adopted modernity via an extremely enlightened constitution which is a living, throbbing document, open to amendments. But constitutional morality is not in our genes. It has to be cultivated as a habit. In our actions and administration; the spirit of the constitution must not be forgotten. This is but one of innumerable exhortations of one of the tallest leaders of modern India

Reaching healthcare to a rural, remote world: Doctor sensitisation is the key

Doctors from India, Australia, America, New Zealand, Norway, Nepal and Sri Lanka discussed rural healthcare challenges at the three-day World Rural Health Summit in Bengaluru

Dilemma of dealing with a fractured America in a disrupted world order

This is not the new world order that was envisaged when the WTO was formed, or indeed when the series of multilateral institutions took shape in the aftermath of the chaos of the World Wars, or indeed the world in which countries like India agreed to go with frameworks like the new intellectual property rights regime 

A New Era of Regional Unity under Yunus’s Leadership in BIMSTEC?

At the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, Dr. Muhammad Yunus assumes leadership, signaling a transformative era for regional cooperation. His four-point proposal emphasizes people-centric growth, climate action, digital equality, and youth leadership—offering a visionary path for South and Southeast Asia.

Modi’s visit to RSS headquarters: Reinforcing political commitment to an ideological agenda

The RSS’s infiltration into civil society and political institutions has long been underway, but this influence has intensified since the BJP came to power in several states and at the Centre. Beyond shakhas, the RSS now organizes community groups for women, children, and the elderly to keep them ideologically aligned. Recently, a picnic was organized in my area; when a Muslim woman expressed interest in joining, she was bluntly told she would feel uncomfortable due to the nature of the discussions and activities

Trump’s tariff blitz: Cutting the nose to spite one's face?

When the dust settles, Trump may find that most imports continue unabated—only now, U.S. consumers are paying more. Yes, the higher tariffs could marginally boost government revenues, but the burden will ultimately fall on the American public. And there’s more: once other countries respond with reciprocal tariffs on U.S. exports, American producers will struggle in overseas markets. Competing against countries like China—who often leverage non-transparent pricing and generous credit terms—will become even tougher.

For battle readiness need to keep morale of Indian soldier high

The apathy of the authorities and civil society in a recent incident when drunk policemen in the Indian state of Punjab assaulted a serving colonel of the Indian Army  at an eatery is appalling to say the least. Such public apathy, surely, does not enhance the morale of a soldier.

US policy shifts signal end of globalisation? India as outsourcing destination might be nearing expiry date

The first is that India can no longer hope to build or become a manufacturing hub by copying the Chinese model, getting companies like Foxconn to bring their factories to Indian sites and manufacture for American giants. The game of building that kind of a manufacturing base is past its expiry date.