The South Asia Section of IR Insider publishes breaking news reports and analysis from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other South Asian nations. Topics covered in the South Asia section may range from Sino-Indian Relations to the political crisis in the Maldives and beyond. Our section editor is Alisha Meghani.
Nepal registered the nation’s first legal same-sex marriage between citizens of different countries on Oct. 6, 2024.
Three years following the Taliban’s siege of Kabul, a new European Union ruling passed on October 4th, 2024 states that countries only require the gender and nationality of female Afghan refugees to grant asylum.
On Sept. 25, the IMF reached a deal with Pakistan, securing the nation the seven billion dollars needed to pay its debts and stay afloat. The news was uplifting to the country that has an external debt of $130 billion, with $90 billion due over the next three years. The International Monetary Fund, the financial wing of the United Nations, has continuously lent out money over recent years to Pakistan as the nation struggles to pay back interest on decades-old debt. Pakistan has requested a staggering twenty-three bailouts. This request comes as the nation teetered on being unable to pay back its interest obligations, in effect defaulting.
On August 29th, India unveiled a new missile submarine with possible nuclear capabilities in an effort to compete and assert power against China in light of their ongoing dispute.
This past Thursday, September 19th, in Pakistan two individuals were killed over accusations of Blasphemy. The first, Dr. Kanbhar, was shot dead by police after a mob moved to attack him.
Women’s rights in Afghanistan are in a state of deterioration, amplified by tensions from the Taliban who regained control of the state in August 2021. Throughout November, four prominent women’s rights activists were arbitrarily detained by the Taliban.
Women’s rights in Afghanistan are in a state of deterioration, amplified by tensions from the Taliban who regained control of the state in August 2021. Throughout November, four prominent women’s rights activists were arbitrarily detained by the Taliban. Hundreds of women’s rights activists, fighting for the right to allow girls to receive an education, are now in the Taliban’s custody.
The Indian delegation to the The United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) pledged to redouble efforts moving away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, among many other commitments, led by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The conference, the only multilateral decision-making body on climate change, is taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from November 30 to December 12, 2023.
In late November, Forbes Magazine used satellite imagery to uncover four previously undisclosed state-run Bitcoin mining facilities in Bhutan. The locations include Dochula Pass, a sacred region home to 108 shrines for fallen Bhutanese soldiers, the town of Trongsa, the Dagana district, and Education City – a failed megaproject designed to create an educational hub in the region.
On Tuesday, rescuers freed 41 construction workers trapped under a collapsed tunnel in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, after spending 17 days under rubble. The laborers, all migrant workers from poorer states in India, quickly reunited with their families after their release.
On Nov 11, the Pakistan Navy and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) launched the third edition of their “Sea Guardian” maritime drills. The exercise comes as a move to strengthen Sino-Pakistani ties and enhance strategic capabilities in jointly safeguarding the oceans.
On Tuesday, the state legislature elections within the Indian states of Mizoram and Chhattisgarh began. Elections in the states of Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan are set to begin later this week.
On Oct.25, an advanced Chinese research vessel, Shin Yan 6, docked on the port of Colombo amidst India’s fears of China extending its influence over to the Indian subcontinent on an unprecedented scale.
On Oct. 31, suspected insurgents ambushed a group of police commandos sent to the Indian state of Manipur, resulting in a shootout. The situation ended when the Assam Rifles successfully rescued the police from the situation.
On Oct. 3, the Pakistani government announced that all unregistered Afghan refugees will be forced to leave the country by November 2023. Specifically, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti announced the crackdown order on “illegal immigrants.”
The Indian Embassy in Ottawa, Canada announced the resumption of visa services on Oct. 25 in Canada, after a diplomatic fallout between the two countries over the last couple of months.
On Oct. 3, at around 6:30 AM, Indian police staged several raids on the office and private homes of employees at NewsClick – an English-language independent news outlet focusing on “progressive movements.”
On October 17, 2023 in New Delhi, the Indian Supreme Court reached the verdict of denying the recognition of same-sex marriages. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) administration previously opposed petitions to the court because they view the ideology of same-sex marriage as incompatible with the “Indian family unit concept” of a husband, wife, and children.
The Indian government is showcasing a diplomatic leaning towards Israel, considering the strong ties between the two countries and the strategic partnerships between them. A key factor is also the close friendship that the two prime ministers share. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi refrained from taking an absolute neutral position in the Israel-Palestine conflict, unlike his predecessors.
The Indian government drastically increased its infrastructure spending on public goods, such as roads, railways and bridges, for the foreseeable future.
Bangladesh and Russia agreed to conduct an ongoing nuclear power plant deal entirely in Chinese Yuan.
India is about to surpass China’s population given UN projections analyzed using fertility levels.
The Supreme Court of India is currently hearing a petition to legalize same-sex marriages.
Recent spikes of inflation and damaged crops have resulted in soaring food prices in Pakistan during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan
India’s primary opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, labels Modi’s dealings with the Adani Group a “symbol of corruption” during an election rally.
A Bangladeshi journalist was picked up from his residence by a group of individuals who identified themselves as the Criminal Investigations Department.
Sri Lanka’s fuel market was a state monopoly under Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) until 2003, when the Indian Oil Corporation became the only other company allowed to operate.
Saudi Arabia greenlighted a $2 billion payout to Pakistan on Thursday, April 6, which will be a crucial step toward Pakistan securing IMF aid.
India reported a total of 3,823 new COVID-19 infections on April 1, a jump of 27% from the previous day - the highest single-day spike in COVID-19 infections in over 6 months. The surge is representative of a wider spread of COVID-19 in India, with a 437% increase in cases and a 114% rise in deaths.
A district court in Gujarat sentenced Rahul Gandhi, the face of the Indian National Congress, India’s most prominent opposition party, to a two-year jail sentence under defamation charges.
