In the larger South Asia context, air pollution does not follow national boundaries and therefore the solutions for all the airsheds cannot come from any one city or a country. The countries in South Asia – India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan - that share a common airshed are impacted by the transboundary pollution. More than half of the air pollution across major cities in South Asia is not local but transboundary in nature.
Regional bodies like the SAARC, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, have the potential to foster cooperation on climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and trans-border pollution control. However, geopolitical tensions, particularly between India and Pakistan, hinder progress.
In the years gone by, India was defined by its religious and cultural strengths, but it has now taken Prime Minister Modi, with a new initiative, to give a boost to India-Caribbean ties through a purely development agenda. It is hoped that CARICOM would set up the mechanisms to get this agenda going. Is it that India is now showing its readiness to take on American and Chinese frontiers aimed at becoming a leader of the Global South if not a world power?
While the South Asian states securitize, local politics has often scapegoated refugee populations, turning majority insecurities into electoral capital – a fear that refugees’ encroachment on physical and political spaces, jobs, land, corner welfare resources meted out by the state and place undue pressures on infrastructure; acase in point the rhetoric against Bangladeshi migrants in India.
The arrest of four Sri Lanka nationals last month in Ahmedabad, India by Gujarat's Anti-Terrorism Squad caught the attention of Sri Lankan authorities. During interrogation, the four admitted to being closely involved with the banned NTJ and confessed they joined IS through Pakistani handler Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.
Nearly 20 years Modi’s junior, Gandhi now has the opportunity to directly counterbalance a prime minister who for ten years since 2014 lorded over legislative actions because no opposition party had managed to win the required 10 per cent of the 543 parliamentary seats.
The judiciary in Pakistan is at a crossroads. The current trend, characterised by politicisation and inefficiency, jeopardises the basic foundations of justice and the rule of law.
The Act does not sufficiently address the root causes of paper leaks, such as systemic corruption and the involvement of organized networks. Without tackling these underlying issues, the Act risks becoming a reactive tool rather than a proactive solution.
If the world is not to waste this opportunity to declare an all-out war on the looming climate crisis, climate negotiators need to ‘huddle together’ with urgency to save ourselves from the scorching temperatures, devastating wildfires, deadly floods and other climate extremes of the future.
Despite Pakistan’s repeated deniability of its proxy wars it conducts against India, it is a known fact that the State’s idea of counter terrorism is to selectively crack down on some terror outfits while overlooking the actions of the ones it nurtures and aligns with on similar strategic objectives. In an effort to mollify its "iron brother" China, Pakistan has carried out heavy-handed operations against its citizens who are not supportive of China and its growing presence in Pakistani affairs.
It would be helpful to understand the context and background behind support to the Khalistanis by five western governments that particularly stand out i.e. the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, and Australia.
The inclusion of merchants with evident vested interests in the EAC exemplifies the ethical quandary at the heart of Pakistan's economic administration. Their close financial links to the industries they are supposed to supervise and advise on are a typical example of putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.
India may in principle approve the supply of electricity from Bhutan to Bangladesh using its power grid. Bangladesh will seek smooth supply of essentials like wheat, sugar and onions from India.
As the situation in Rakhine state remains severe, with recurrent clashes between the Arakan Army and the Tatmadaw providing no apparent resolution, sustaining the lives of over 1.3 million Rohingya is a massive challenge for Bangladesh.
By combining Bangladesh's strong readymade garment industry with the Netherlands’ circular economy knowledge, one can create a win-win situation.
A temporary lull in militancy in Jammu and Kashmir a few months back was followed by spikes in killings with a sudden spurt last week as the ISI and the terror masterminds in Pakistan had been intending to thwart any attempts at peacemaking. They wanted to dispel any myth that the J&K situation had been resolved in favor of India.
The military is trained to give advice based on professional considerations. This is for the good of the nation and should be appreciated, even if not in consonance with the thinking of higher-ups. A ‘Yes Minister' type of general/admiral/air marshal, who may become a favourite of the government in power, will be a danger to the nation, as happened in 1962.
According to information available from the Embassy of India, Beijing more than 100 Chinese companies have established offices/operations in India. Many large Chinese state-owned companies in the field of machinery and infrastructure construction have won projects in India and have opened project offices in India.
The last ten years of BJP rule in the country have exacerbated social tensions. All sections of Indian society need reassurance not for the enjoyment of special privileges, except that which is provided in the Constitution, but in each citizen being assured of freedom from economic, social, or political discrimination on whatever ground. Otherwise, Indian society is faced with fractures which cannot bode well for the lasting unity that the country was born to. This is a challenge for the incoming government.
