The implications are straightforward: With rising levels of carbon dioxide in the future, there will be stronger rains with potentially destructive outcomes in the South Asian region, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
Will A Rightwing Victory Transform Bangladesh? Jamaat's Rise Raises Uncomfortable Questions
If Jamaat comes to power it will likely begin with populist moves such as anti-corruption drives, predicts Ahmedur Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi writer and editor who has been living in Norway since surviving a 2015 attack. He says he fears mobilisation of religious groups to push for declaring Bangladesh an Islamic republic and enforce Sharia law. The result would be shrinking freedoms for women, curbs on cultural life, and serious threats to freedom of expression, religious minorities, and secular political and cultural spaces.
Pakistan Mosque Blast: ISIS' Growing Shadow In The Subcontinent
The threat from ISIS-K is real and growing. A resurgence in Pakistan would have serious implications for the broader region, including India. The danger is compounded if Pakistan once again attempts to clandestinely redirect ISIS-K towards Kashmir. What may appear as an isolated terror incident is, in fact, part of a wider pattern that demands sustained vigilance. Pakistan’s internal security instability risks creating openings for cross-border terror movements, potentially hardening new militant modules aimed at India and beyond.
After the Begums: Battle For The Soul Of Bangladesh Has Just Begun
The optimistic view is that the “Twin Election” will force a compromise. The referendum provides a mandate for reform that even a BNP government cannot ignore. The “July Charter”, if ratified, creates checks on executive power that did not exist before. The students, even if they end up on the opposition benches, will form a moral pressure group that cannot be easily crushed. The cynical view is that Bangladesh is merely swapping a monopoly for a duopoly, or worse, a monopoly of a different colour.
Bangladesh Heads to Crucial Elections Amid Political Exclusion: A Divided Nation Needs Democratic Renewal
All signs point to a BNP victory. In a competitive contest without the Awami League, the BNP’s organisational depth and electoral reach make it the frontrunner. Yet victory alone may not translate into authority. The absence of the Awami League, the continued influence of Sheikh Hasina from exile, the rise of Islamist alternatives, and the central role of unelected institutions mean that any new government will inherit a fractured polity. The 2026 election may revive the BNP’s fortunes, but it will not by itself heal Bangladesh’s democratic wounds.
More on Spotlight
A year after Galwan clash: India's stress on military modernization, strategic partnerships to counter China
India needs to deter China through a combination of its military prowess, discerning diplomatic action, and devising ways to become economically self-reliant with investment partnerships and collaborations with like-minded nations, writes Indu Saxena for South Asia Monitor
Multiple state actors' clashing interests may throw Afghanistan's future into uncertainty
China is also keen to extend the coverage of CPEC and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to Afghanistan. This expansion of China’s footprint would be a matter of huge concern for both the US and India, writes Amb Ashok Sajjanhar (retd) for South Asia Monitor
South Asian nations must formulate holistic strategies to deal with remittance fall
In 2021, there could thus actually be a drop in remittances - more so after the second wave of Covid 19, and the recent travel restrictions imposed by many countries including those in the Gulf on travelers from South Asia, write Tridivesh Singh Maini and Karan Bidani for South Asia Monitor
As SAARC falters, BIMSTEC's seamless transport connectivity project a big step in regional economic integration
BIMSTEC gained importance and traction after progress in SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) got stalled following heightened frosty ties between India and Pakistan, writes Ranjana Narayan for South Asia Monitor
Latest on India, Pakistan – a battle over Basmati
Although India controls two-thirds of the global Basmati market, competition between the nations has grown in recent years as Pakistan increases sales to Europe, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
Beyond oil and gas: India must look to West Asia with a new vision and mission
India must augment science and technology transfer and research cooperation in space with nations like Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE, Bahrain and Qatar, writes Aneek Chatterjee for South Asia Monitor
Growth, jobs and IMF conditionalities: Pakistan’s daunting budgetary challenges
As there are 110 million youth in the country, there is a need for generating two million jobs every year to absorb them, the finance minister said, adding that “if we do not go into growth mode, we will have a major crisis on the streets”, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
Multi-track cooperation a must to tackle non-traditional security issues in Himalayan region
Although current Sino-Indian relations are still in a state of relative tension, Beijing is encouraging Chinese companies to meet India’s procurement demands for oxygen concentrators and other anti-pandemic supplies, writes Siwei Liu for South Asia Monitor
G7 meeting: Unique opportunity for Indian PM Modi to remind the developed world of climate finance
The invitation to Narendra Modi for G7, where China is not invited, also reaffirms a stark reality that there is no alternative on the horizon to Modi’s bold and decisive role in the global play and India's strategic geopolitical position that hedges against China’s hegemony, writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor
World Environment Day: Concerted effort crucial for restoring ecosystem in South Asia
The inherently low EPI scores of the South Asian countries underline the need for more sustainable efforts within the region to address concerns relating to air and water quality, climate change and biodiversity, write George Cheriyan and Simi T.B for South Asia Monitor
China’s strategic foothold in Sri Lanka: tough choices for India
As Sri Lanka has clasped China’s strategic hands a la Pakistan, India will have to carefully calibrate its moves, writes M.R. Narayan Swamy for South Asia Monitor
How the Israel-Palestine conflict polarised society in India's Communist-ruled Kerala state
Unfortunately, the developments surrounding Soumya's tragic death in Israel brought out starkly the social and religious faultlines in a politically-conscious Kerala where Hindu, Christian and Muslim communities had previously always coexisted, writes Dr. Vineeth Mathoor for South Asia Monitor
India should enlist services of Indian American physicians in its fight against COVID-19
New Delhi should relax some of the regulations to enable Indian American physicians to get involved in Covid treatment on a larger scale, writes Frank F. Islam for South Asia Monitor
A scary future awaits Pakistan post foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
But Pakistan runs the risk of its Pashtun-dominated areas joining up with the Afghan Taliban, especially since the overbearing Punjabi domination is disliked in Pakistan and Pakistan can’t possibly control the Afghan Taliban completely after foreign troops exit Afghanistan, writes Lt. Gen. Prakash Katoch (Retd) for South Asia Monitor
