It is now almost a certainty that the AAP will replace the Congress as the BJP’s main challenger in Gujarat later this year, marking its emergence as a major alternative to the BJP at the national level, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor

The US and its allies will never lose sight of Afghanistan's strategic importance in a vital region, writes Saed Mansoor Sadat for South Asia Monitor 

Criminal justice has its own logic at present and its discrepancies are not matching with the democratic ethos of India's secular constitution, writes Ram Puniyani for South Asia Monitor 

Aurat March in Pakistan has proved to be a phenomenal success, forcing society to acknowledge women’s efforts, writes Nadra Huma Quraishi for South Asia Monitor

The ‘unforeseen’ would become a frightening reality, recalling what the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had whispered piteously: "The living will envy the dead", writes Cmde C. Uday Bhaskar (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Bangladesh can neither ignore the US and India nor China in the light of the changing global geopolitical situation, writes Emilia Fernandez for South Asia Monitor

For India, an aggressive Russia does not cause concern; many here believe it to be a more reliable and effective check on China than the United States, writes Amb Dilip Sinha (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Bangladesh is being depicted unfairly - and without evidence - as a country that discriminates against its minorities, particularly Hindus, writes Anup Sinha for South Asia Monitor

Bangladesh settled for a humanistic approach, focusing on people and their wellbeing, taking steps to minimize infection and death rates, besides ensuring the availability of food, writes Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Karim for the South Asia Monitor

With the ban on kite flying in force, Basant, a celebration of nature and culture, may soon become a matter of the past in Pakistan, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor

With the help of pliant media, saffron powers have discredited Muslims as an obstacle to the country's development and an enemy of equality, secularism and women's rights, writes Sohail Ahmad for South Asia Monitor

There was also a proposal for a plebiscite in Goa; Nehru stood the ground that Goa’s merger with India is non-negotiable, writes Ram Puniyani for South Asia Monitor 

The upcoming meeting of Indian and Pakistani Rotary Club members and others at Kartarpur this week highlights Rotarian efforts to develop an Indus Peace Park near the Kartarpur entrance writes Beena Sarwar for South Asia Monitor 

International communities should criminalize the intentional propagation of hatred towards a particular faith, write Monira Nazmi Jahan and Nusrat Jahan Nishat for South Asia Monitor

The CEPA’s larger significance is that it serves as a template for an FTA with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) whose members include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor