Smruti S Pattanaik

Nepal may brace for another round of political instability in the next five years.

Saarc’s inability to respond to the humanitarian crisis reflects a lack of the sense of regionalism.

Two dates – May 9 and July 9 – will remain significant for the Rajapaksa brothers in Sri Lanka.

The victory of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections held on August 5 was very much anticipated, although the extent of the victory was speculated on.

The 4th Bimstec summit is being held in Kathmandu after a lapse of four years. The last summit was held in Naypyidaw, Myanmar in 2014. For the Bimstec that celebrated 20 years in 2017, four summits in 20 years is not certainly a time for celebration and does not add to the credibility of the organisation that has the potential to transform the eastern South Asia.

The “second democratic transition” in Pakistan was marred with pre-poll suicide attacks which killed three contestants as well as scores of their supporters especially in Quetta.

Maldives has plunged into a major political crisis after the Supreme Court on February 2 in a judgement ordered the government to release 12 members of the parliament who were stripped off their posts and held by the government under different charges and order retrial of the case.

Despite the possibility of buying back the shares from China after 60 years, the question is whether Sri Lanka's economy would allow it to buy them back. The fear expressed by economists in Sri Lanka is that the country is likely to fall into a Chinese debt-trap.

Judicial decisions have become arbitrary since the last presidential election when the court interfered in the process and suspended the Election Commission and the Deputy Election Commission. Contempt of Court is used as a tool to silence those who criticise the judiciary's proactive policy and its open siding with the government. A bill criminalising defamation was passed by the parliament undermining free speech and media freedom.

It has been a year since Nepal promulgated its republican Constitution on September 20 last year. Yet, its painful transition to a stable republic is far from over. Though some factions of the Madhesi parties are part of the government, there are others who continue to remain outside the government.

The Strategic Community in India is strongly wedded to the concept of strategic autonomy in India's foreign policy. However, signing of the LEMOA and various terms and condition enshrined in it only upholds India's emphasis on strategic autonomy.

A work permit system for those who want to work in India is the need of the hour. India, in consultation with Bangladesh, needs to work out a system which allows the workers to work and remit their money through legal channels and ensure that they are not being exploited.

The recent elections to four Indian states and one union territory are being interpreted by many as the march of the BJP and the decline of the Congress party.

Sri Lanka voted overwhelmingly to elect the broad coalition led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe back to power.

The “historic Peace Accord”, signed between the National Socialist Council of Nagaland - led by Isaac Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah - popularly known as the NSCN(IM) and the Government of India in New Delhi on August 3, after 80 rounds of peace negotiations, expanding over 16 years, is expected to herald a new era of peace in the North Eastern region.

The successful conclusion of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Dhaka is important for both its content and symbolism.

Internationally, Prime Modi comes across as a leader who can take bold decisions and has the parliamentary majority to see it through.

None of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign visits drew as much attention as his three days visit to China.

THE NDA government's 'neighbour first' policy received further boost in the recent past. From taking a lead in operationalising the rescue plan in Nepal to the passage of the long pending landmark Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), the signature determination of the government's intention to boost India's neighbourhood policy is apparent.