The Taliban will soon face internal strife; the Haqqani network and extremist and fanatical factions will revolt against the moderates, splitting the Afghan nationalist struggle, writes Dr Ruhollah Eslami for South Asia Monitor
Dying Rivers, Disappearing Species: Zoological Cost of Pollution in Pakistan and India
The Indus and the Ganges are dying slowly, and with them disappear species that evolved over thousands of years within these waters. If current patterns continue, future generations may inherit rivers that exist geographically but are biologically empty. South Asia still has an opportunity to reverse this trajectory, but only if environmental protection becomes a shared regional priority rather than an afterthought.
Two Visits and Strategic Signalling: Sri Lanka at Focal Point of Indian Ocean diplomacy
Nearly 80% of Asia’s energy imports and a large portion of global container traffic move through the Indian Ocean. With conflicts in the Middle East, disruptions in the Red Sea, and increasing great-power competition, freight security has become a strategic economic issue. Sri Lanka is positioning itself not merely as a recipient of investment, but as a regional connector between South Asia, Southeast Asia, and island maritime states.
One Year of Operation Sindoor: India’s Message of Strength and a New Normal
Military analyst Cooper argued that beyond battlefield outcomes, the operation exposed Pakistan’s inability to deter Indian strikes or mount a damaging counter‑response. He suggested the psychological impact of India’s operations triggered panic within Pakistan’s leadership, eventually driving Islamabad to seek international intervention.
Pakistan Needs Integrated Maritime Strategy: Fragmentation Carries Strategic Costs
Pakistan’s maritime domain offers multiple avenues for economic and strategic expansion. However, these remain underdeveloped. Coastal tourism has potential but lacks infrastructure and regulation. Offshore energy, including wind and tidal sources, remains largely unexplored. Marine biotechnology is another emerging sector with minimal investment. These gaps reflect a broader issue: the absence of long-term strategic planning
More on Spotlight
Western Australia should renew protagonist role in Australia-India bilateral
A stronger relationship with India is undeniably in Australia’s – and Western Australia’s – interest, writes Andrew Hunter for South Asia Monitor
Bhutan must be rewarded for battling climate change
Bhutan contributes little or zero to the climate crisis. Yet, it has not been justly rewarded for its noble and invaluable sacrifices, writes Rinchen Kinzang for South Asia Monitor
India-Bangladesh ties: A role model for neighbouring countries
India and Bangladesh can show the world how neighbouring countries can become all-weather friends, writes Jubeda Chowdhury for South Asia Monitor
Indian farm bill repeal: Setback to reforms, betrayal of poor farmers
The repeal of the farm bill stretches the plight of poor farmers and hurts the potential growth of food processing in the country, writes S. Majumder for South Asia Monitor
Pakistan needs to apologize for the 1971 genocide
The 1971 massacre of innocents in to be Bangladesh by Pakistan was one of the most heinous and barbaric genocides in world history, writes Farabi Bin Zahir for South Asia Monitor
Bangladesh and Bhutan can build on their PTA to diversify cooperation
Sheikh Hasina and Lotay Tshering have agreed on building the necessary infrastructure to avail the maximum benefits of the PTA signed between Bangladesh and Bhutan, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
Glasgow and South Asia: Questions on transition towards net-zero economy
Carbon finance is expected to play a critical role in leveraging private sector finance for flourishing regional power trade between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
Don’t trust Pakistan on wheat to Afghanistan; Iran option can be explored
As Pakistan may play dirty with Indian aid to Afghanistan transiting its territory, India could consider the Iran route, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (Retd) for South Asia Monitor
The unprecedented rise of the Indian-American CEO in corporate America
There’s no doubt we will see a growing number of Indians leading companies in America and around the world. And we hope that more of these leaders will be women, writes Raj L Gupta for South Asia Monitor
CPEC: A harbinger of utopia or misery for the people of Gwadar?
The success of the CPEC project, which is dubbed as a “game-changer” for the region, will be in question if the concerns of the people of Gwadar are not dealt with practically by the Pakistani establishment, writes Nizam Hassan for South Asia Monitor
Pakistan exploiting Gwadar in the garb of CPEC
Disregarding Gwadar in particular and forsaking Balochistan in general is causing a sense of alienation among the people, writes Mannan Samad for South Asia Monitor
Why Ghani failed Afghanistan: Culture of corruption, mismanagement and disrespect
Many competent and high qualified individuals refused to work in Ghani's administration and quit their jobs in frustration, writes Qudratullah Karimi for South Asia Monitor
Work-life conflict in Covid era: Is ICT a boon or a curse?
Technological domination by developed nations emerges as a new form of colonization as developing countries are the markets, writes Dr Mohammad Rezaul Karim for South Asia Monitor
Omicron and vaccine inequity: How to fix a broken system
Covid-19 led to disconnected efforts of governments, severely damaging global supply chain linkages, now leading to Omicron strain, writes Akshat Singh for South Asia Monitor
