South Asia Archives | Page 5 of 7 | Deshweek

India

India and Pakistan are fighting the wrong war

May 11, 2025

By any measure, war is a catastrophe. But for two nations where the average citizen earns less than $3,000 a year — India’s per capita income stands at $2,610, and Pakistan’s at $1,568 (World Bank, 2024 figures) — a full-scale military conflict is not just tragic, it is reckless self-harm. The 2025 India–Pakistan conflict, ignited […]

India

Trump deserves credit for helping to halt a dangerous war between India and Pakistan

May 11, 2025

In a world where diplomacy is often mired in delay and indecision, former President Donald Trump has once again demonstrated his ability to intervene effectively in global crises, this time playing a key role in brokering a cease-fire between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan. Announced Saturday, the cease-fire followed four days of escalating drone strikes […]

India

Kashmir violence underscores need for policy shift amid repression and unrest

April 24, 2025

The deadly attack near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday, in which militants killed 26 people after segregating men from women and children, highlights a broader pattern of worsening violence and deep-rooted discontent in the region. While the attack is widely condemned, the incident also raises questions about the effectiveness of the Indian government’s current […]

Bangladesh

India’s decision to halt Bangladesh rail projects could backfire strategically

April 22, 2025

India’s abrupt decision to suspend multiple cross-border railway projects in Bangladesh, citing political unrest and worker safety concerns, risks undermining its own long-term strategic and economic interests in the region. With nearly $600 million in infrastructure now on pause, New Delhi is walking away from a corridor that has never been more critical for connecting […]

Afghanistan

Time for Kabul to take responsibility and welcome back its citizens

April 10, 2025

Pakistan has every right to expect Afghanistan to take responsibility for its own citizens. Over the past week alone, more than 8,900 Afghans have been deported from Pakistan as part of an intensified campaign to repatriate illegal migrants, according to the UN Refugee Agency. This is not a surprise. Pakistan has been signaling its intent […]

Bangladesh

High tariffs on China create opportunity for Bangladesh’s garment sector

April 10, 2025

A recent U.S. tariff hike of 104 percent on Chinese textile and clothing imports has opened a significant opportunity for emerging manufacturing nations—especially Bangladesh—to capture a larger share of the American market. As trade policy increasingly reshapes global supply chains, Bangladesh’s competitive labor costs, advanced textile infrastructure, and high-quality output place it in a strong […]

Bangladesh

India’s ‘well-wishing’ for Bangladesh rings hollow after transshipment reversal

April 10, 2025

India’s top diplomat made headlines this week by declaring that no other nation “wishes Bangladesh well” more than India does. Yet, within days of that heartfelt sentiment, New Delhi pulled the plug on a critical transshipment facility — one that supported Bangladesh’s struggling export economy. At the Rising Bharat Summit, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar […]

Bangladesh

Modi, Yunus signal cautious cooperation amid regional uncertainties

April 5, 2025

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus met Thursday on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit, offering a rare moment of diplomacy between the two neighbors at a time of regional flux and mutual anxieties about U.S. stability. It marked Modi’s first meeting with Yunus since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August […]

South Asia

India, Bangladesh call out New York Times for fake news

April 4, 2025

India and Bangladesh have sharply criticized recent reports by The New York Times, describing them as “misleading” and “factually incorrect,” reigniting global scrutiny of the publication’s journalistic practices — a concern that echoes past controversies involving the paper. This week, Bangladesh rejected a New York Times article that alleged a resurgence of Islamist extremism in […]