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
Argumentative Indian: Aiyar-Tharoor Debate Should Provoke Conversation Rather Than Separation
The Aiyar-Tharoor exchange has at least offered something rare in contemporary Indian politics: disagreement expressed in elegant prose rather than television shouting, screaming and even fistfights. In an age dominated by hashtags, studio debates and instant outrage, two politicians exchanging carefully argued letters feels almost like a throwback to a more civilised era. If Indian politics produced more such literary duels, readers/viewers might even begin to look forward to disagreements.
Will Bangladesh's New Government Shelve the July Charter?
Bangladesh stands at a decisive moment. The July Charter challenges the entrenched dominance that has defined its post-1991 political order. Whether it is implemented, diluted, or quietly sidelined will determine not only the balance of power among parties, but also the credibility of reformist politics in the country’s democratic future. If the BNP continues to delay or dilute implementation, and if tacit understandings emerge between the country’s two dominant parties, the reformist aspirations of the July movement may gradually lose momentum.
Witch-Hunting Persists in South Asia Targeting Vulnerable Women: Needed Stronger Protection Mechanisms
Social scientists argue that witch-hunting is a complex social phenomenon rooted not merely in superstition but in structural inequalities. Scholars studying rural India, including Surinder Jodhka, note that accusations of witchcraft often intersect with caste conflict, gender discrimination, and disputes over property or land. Elderly women, widows, and socially marginalized individuals frequently become easy targets because they lack protection within local power structures.
Cultural Diplomacy and Reviving Bangladesh–India Ties Beyond Political Divisions
At the iftar gathering, attended by civil society members, ministers, bureaucrats and other distinguished guests, High Commissioner Verma emphasised the shared aspirations of Bangladesh and India. He stated that both nations stand at the threshold of a promising future as two vibrant and forward-looking societies. The event served as a platform to strengthen people-to-people connections and diplomatic goodwill between the two neighbours. By bringing together influential members of Bangladeshi society, the gathering reflected a clear intention to foster deeper engagement
More on Spotlight
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
Can Colombo Port City become South Asia’s new offshore financial center?
Port City project itself is looking more like a calculated gamble in a country where gambling/ betting are frowned upon publicly, but practiced commonly, writes Indika Hettiarachchi for South Asia Monitor
Online victimization and changing landscape of violence against women and girls in India
It might be prudent to pass the amendment to the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act 1986 (IRWA), to include virtual spaces, that has been pending before the Indian parliament for nine years, writes Aaliya Waziri for South Asia Monitor
Why China wants its own Dalai Lama
One thing is clear: a Dalai Lama picked by atheist China will lack legitimacy in the eyes of the world. And if two Dalai Lamas emerge, it will be a test for India: who will it recognize as the temporal head of the Tibetan Buddhists, writes M.R. Narayan Swamy for South Asia Monitor
India has to resist attempts to change its pluralist identity
But if India fails to adhere to this main tenet of a modern society, it risks being labeled as an “electoral autocracy”, as Sweden’s V-Dem Institute has done, or “partly free”, as America’s Freedom House has done, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor
