Walking out from the US-proposed intra-Afghan talks in Turkey, Taliban has cocked a snook at Capitol Hill indicating it will commence attacking foreign troops next month, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (Retd) for South Asia Monitor
After Munich, Rubio travelled to Budapest and aligned himself warmly with Orbán’s government, praising Hungary’s trajectory. For European leaders committed to participatory democracy and the rule of law, the signal must have been disquieting. It suggested that Washington’s conception of Western solidarity may prioritise cultural homogeneity over liberal pluralism.
The structural transformation of India’s export basket is no longer incremental—it is systemic. Technology-driven industries with higher value addition are steadily outpacing traditional sectors. If managed strategically, external tariff pressures could accelerate this transition. Rather than viewing tariff hikes solely as a threat, India can leverage them as a catalyst for deeper integration into global supply chains and stronger positioning in high-technology manufacturing. The reshaping of India’s export architecture is already underway. The tariff shock may simply fast-forward the process.
Considering the potential of AI in solving complex questions and generating contents in individual writing styles, institutions need to ask a few fundamental questions - what is the role of academia in ensuring that the learners are not being slaves to AI, but masters who are aware of the potential bias and hallucinations that has a huge impact on knowledge acquisition and dissemination? Should it be a social responsibility of higher educational institutions to ensure meaningful curriculum and assessment practices which make learners future ready in such a rapidly changing AI era?
Recent global adoption indices confirms that South Asia has become one of the most dynamic regions for cryptocurrency engagement, with implications for remittance use. According to the 2025 crypto adoption index by Chainalysis, India secured the top position worldwide in overall crypto adoption across retail usage, reflecting pervasive grassroots digital activity. Pakistan and Bangladesh also feature prominently, with Pakistan ranking among top three in Asia and Bangladesh within top 20
Walking out from the US-proposed intra-Afghan talks in Turkey, Taliban has cocked a snook at Capitol Hill indicating it will commence attacking foreign troops next month, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (Retd) for South Asia Monitor
The digital economy gives a strong option for all countries of South Asia to connect not only within themselves but also globally, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
The upshot is that there is only one direction that bilateral trade between India and Pakistan can now go due to politics. This entails a huge loss in potential opportunities, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
Hasina, now basking in the glory of having led Bangladesh to phenomenal economic and human development progress in the golden decade of development, has her task cut out, writes Subir Bhaumik for South Asia Monitor
Over the last year, both UK and Germany have also indicated that they propose to send their naval units to the IOR periodically for joint exercises, given the salience now accorded to the Indo-Pacific as a region, writes Cmde C Uday Bhaskar (retd) for South Asia Monitor
This is another aspect of the ‘Idea of India' on which the ruling party differs from the views of its opponents who swear by India’s multicultural society against the “one nation, one people, one culture” concept of the Hindu right, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor
It is simplistically assumed that no matter what, the overseas Indian considers himself/herself to be, first and foremost, Indian. When the person does not conform to such expectation, there is a sense of betrayal and of feeling let down, writes Amb Amit Dasgupta (retd) for South Asia Monitor
The five-year effort of Justice Rehman and two high court chief justices, and their damning indictment, seem to have made no impact either on the political class or the military in Pakistan in the long run, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
Had the Pakistan government had the moxie to act on recent thawing developments on the trade front, it could have given a golden opportunity for both nations to start discussions and dialogue, opening new doors to enhance bilateral, social, political, and economic relations, writes Asif Rameez Daudi for South Asia Monitor
The COVID-19 pandemic which has brought about a common set of challenges to all countries of the South Asia region necessitates the need for developing and strengthening a common agenda for trade and economic cooperation, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
Nepal has all the right to claim compensation from its two neighbouring countries – China and India - two of the world’s biggest polluters, write Jivesh Jha & Alok Kumar Yadav for South Asia Monitor
Pakistan is in a position not only to use nuclear energy for its national programmes for development and progress, but also can provide assistance to other countries of the region in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, writes Rabia Javed for South Asia Monitor
The PLA presence in Iran, which may rise, should be seen in conjunction with PLA presence in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and in the garb of civilians in development projects around the world, the Middle East and Oman included, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
India’s initiative in supplying vaccines to UN peacekeeping forces and also to a large number of poor countries is a masterstroke of Narendra Modi’s government in vaccine diplomacy, writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor
The Modi visit, as well as previous high-level visits on both sides, have without any shadow of doubt made these two neighbours secure a bilateral partnership that can potentially lead to a larger regional role with greater possibilities, writes Sreeradha Datta for South Asia Monitor