EDITOR'S CHOICE

EDITOR'S CHOICE

No easy refuge from death row for Kulbhushan Jadhav


The movie version of this script, we’re all familiar with: “no, your honour”, shouts the lawyer, the mother tears up, the judge bangs his gavel in approval and the hero walks off death row.... More

Network is the key


Official India has turned its back on China’s celebration of President Xi Jinping’s “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) this week in Beijing. Some in Beijing and Delhi have warned India against isolating itself amidst... More

Regional connectivity projects can support India’s ambitions


India's Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has called for an increased defense budget and insists the country should look for new allies to deal with its neighbors along the northern and western borders, according... More

Returning the award


My friends in Bangladesh are insisting that I explain why I am returning the award bestowed upon my father Professor Waris Mir in 2013 by Sheikh Hasina Wazed. There have been many comments about... More

India’s stance on forum irks China


India risks being “isolated” if it decides not to attend the Chinese Belt and Road Forum on May 14-15, a senior Chinese official said, adding that time was running out for “adequate arrangements” to... More

The Moscow-Islamabad ties: A fling or a marriage?


Of late, Russia, Pakistan, and China have shown a willingness to establish a tripartite alliance based on mutual interests. Events of tactical significance over the past few years may translate into strategic engagements. The... More

Diplomacy and India-Sri Lanka relations


Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to India this week and the expected visit of Prime Minister Narenda Modi to Sri Lanka in May signal a fresh burst of activity in India- Sri Lanka... More

Nepal can be bridge for India role in Belt, Road


To further strengthen economic ties between Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region and Nepal, China will try harder to get India to see the benefits of participating in the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, and... More

India’s moral claim to Kashmir has never seemed more fragile


India has spent the past decade lying to itself about Kashmir. The Pakistan-sponsored insurgency of the 1980s was contained. Elections were being held in the valley. People were defying militants to vote in them.... More

Three decades of mistrust


As Delhi and Colombo intensify their high-level political engagement, new opportunities for elevating the partnership are coloured by enduring suspicions in Sri Lanka. The country’s prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, is travelling to India this... More

India needs to learn that economic development comes before a naval...


"China is planning to build more aircraft carriers to bolster its maritime capabilities, which could pose a bigger threat to India," India's Economic Times reported recently. With concerns expressed by Indian media outlets about... More

Jinnah’s 2-nation theory triumphs in Kashmir


Kashmir: the jewel in the crown of India’s secularism. In 1947 when the Muslim-majority state acceded to India, it joined a brave homeland for all. India was not going to be a mirror image... More

Under the Radar: Are Sri Lanka’s ports the next Great Game...


Increased international interest in the Indian Ocean comes at a convenient time for Sri Lanka, as the country continues to recoup after the end of its decades-long civil war which ended in 2009. The... More

Relevance of Bhandari’s India visit


Nepalese president Bidya Devi Bhandari has embarked on her maiden 5-day state visit to India. Her earlier visit was cancelled abruptly last year by the KP Sharma ‘Oli’ led government on account of alleged... More

Myanmar’s ‘Great Game’ enters volatile new phase


In late March the US naval ship Fall River—a Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport vessel—arrived at Yangon’s Thilawa Port as part of a disaster preparedness training exercise. The port call, the first by a US... More

Geopolitical rivalry in South Asia


As the gap between India and China continues to widen due to several bilateral and international issues, both countries are competing to increase their influence in SAARC countries. India is struggling to retain its... More

Kashmir is sliding into disaster


The people of the Kashmir Valley have alternated between hope and despair. J&K has seen good times and bad times, but the present time seems to be the worst of times. (Representational) I have written... More

MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used by the US military,...


The US military has just dropped a big bomb in Afghanistan. The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, also called the “mother of all bombs” or MOAB for short, is the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used... More

The new great game


The aggressive posturing of Russia and the US against each other on Afghan soil is a matter of grave concern – particularly for Pakistan and Afghanistan. If not managed in an appropriate manner, it could... More

Why is China-Russia-India strategic triangle not viable now?


According to Indian media, China has turned down a Russian proposal to bring defense ministers of India, Russia and China together on one platform which was scheduled to take place later this month. Media reports... More

The Upward Trajectory of India-Israel Relations


Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Israel this summer will mark 25 years of full diplomatic relations between the two countries. Following the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2014... More

COLUMN

Make-believe democracy

Such is the terror of possible retribution by those in governance that even a man of AD Khawaja’s conscience and inherent integrity finds it impossible as IG Police Sindh to function unless he “unscrupulously” implements “Zardari’s law” in Sindh. Khawaja having neglected to adhere to some of... More

The lady and the generals are learning...

In the last few weeks there has been growing speculation that Myanmar’s military leaders are planning a possible coup if the country’s new democratic government, led by the charismatic democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, continues to falter. Many Myanmar analysts and commentators are finding fault with... More

Punish the real culprit(s)!

Facing the storm unleashed by the leaking of the Cyril Almeida story, “Act Against Militants or Face International Isolation, Civilians Tell Military,” the Nawaz Sharif government labelled it as being ‘fabricated and planted.” The PM Office’s initial statement about DawnLeaks that “evidence available so far points to... More

Economic migration: Why flee from an emerging...

Bangladesh has been a top performing economy in Asia, averaging a 6 % + growth rate largely driven by exports, particularly the garments sector, for almost a decade.  Problems do remain though and the World Economic Forum has suggested that better infrastructure, less bureaucratic hassle and less... More

Repeal AFSPA in India

The draconian Indian law, Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA, has wiped out the human face of counter-insurgency in the country’s many conflict zones. Just see the Bollywood film "Haider" and you know how AFSPA is misused in places like Kashmir. Often it leads to “use... More

EDITOR'S CHOICE

No easy refuge from death row for Kulbhushan Jadhav

The movie version of this script, we’re all familiar with: “no, your honour”, shouts the lawyer, the mother tears up, the judge bangs his gavel in approval and the hero walks off death row.... More

Network is the key

Official India has turned its back on China’s celebration of President Xi Jinping’s “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) this week in Beijing. Some in Beijing and Delhi have warned India against isolating itself amidst... More

Regional connectivity projects can support India’s ambitions

India's Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has called for an increased defense budget and insists the country should look for new allies to deal with its neighbors along the northern and western borders, according... More

Returning the award

My friends in Bangladesh are insisting that I explain why I am returning the award bestowed upon my father Professor Waris Mir in 2013 by Sheikh Hasina Wazed. There have been many comments about... More

MOST POPULAR

READER'S VIEW

Reaction to “Behind Hasina’s RAW tirade”

David Bergman, British investigative journalist based in Bangladesh, commented on a recently published column of South Asian Monitor titled "SOUTHERN EYE: Behind Hasina’s RAW tirade" in his facebook profile. "This is a fascinating and detailed article... More

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