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The Pulse
South Asia is a story of promise and peril where Asia’s conflicting forces of modernity and reaction meet head on. Home to a multitude of different cultures, ethnicities, and religions, The Diplomat's regional correspondents and experts will provide the insight you need to navigate one of the world's most consequential regions.
It Is No Longer ‘Incredible India’ But ‘Intolerant India’
By Kavita Chowdhury
Hindutva activists are seeking to enforce rigid codes of normative Hindu culture and Islamophobia by forcing the withdrawal of progressive advertisements.
Will It Be Curtains for Kabul’s Ariana Cinema Under Taliban Rule?
By Lee Keath and Bram Jannsen
The cinema, which entertained thousands of Afghans, is now silent as it waits for the Taliban to decide its fate.
India Commits to Net-Zero Emissions by 2070
By Santosh Sharma Poudel
At the Glasgow meeting, New Delhi led the charge against rich nations which haven’t fulfilled their pledges on climate finance.
Bangladesh-France Relations: PM Hasina’s Visit and Future Prospects
By MD Mufassir Rashid
Can Bangladesh and France take ties to the next level?
In India, Muslim Claims to Public Spaces Meet Protests and Disruption
By Tarushi Aswani
Hindu right-wing outfits have been disrupting the Friday prayers of Muslims at sites in Gurugram allotted to them by the local administration.
Awami League Set to Win Vote Boycotted by Rivals
By Julhas Alam
This will enable Bangladesh’s ruling party to consolidate its position ahead of the next general elections slated for 2023.
Pakistan Announces 1-Month Ceasefire With Pakistani Taliban
By Munir Ahmed
Many Pakistanis are criticizing the government's decision to make peace with a group that has killed thousands of people.
Will Imran Khan Grant the US Access to Pakistani Airspace Again?
By Niha Dagia
Should the prime minister do so, he would be contradicting his years-long anti-war, anti-U.S. political rhetoric.
The BRI in Bangladesh: ‘Win-Win’ or a ‘Debt Trap’?
By Shaikh Abdur Rahman
Bangladesh's prudent, selective engagement with China's Belt and Road has helped Dhaka avoid the debt problems that plague other South Asian participants.
Emaciated Children in Kabul Hospital Underscore Rising Hunger in Afghanistan
By Lee Keath
Hunger is increasing dramatically in Afghanistan, fueled by an economic crisis that has only gotten worse since the Taliban seized power in the country.
Sardar Udham Singh, the Oscars, and Colonial Amnesia
By Ryan Mitra
Why is it unacceptable for an acclaimed Indian director to capture the violence of British colonial rule and the anger Indians felt toward colonial repression?
A Tale of 2 Afghan Women
By Samya Kullab
One is a rebel and the other a bureaucrat. Both are serving the Afghan people but in different ways.