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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.
The Curious Case of Masood Azhar’s Disappearance
By Abdul Basit
Pakistan says that the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief is in Afghanistan. But the Taliban may not be keen to shelter him at this point.
Military Helps With Rescue and Relief Efforts in Flood-Ravaged Pakistan
By Umair Jamal
As the country’s most efficient and well-resourced institution, the Pakistan Army is best positioned to carry out relief work on the scale warranted by the recent disaster.
Top Pakistan Diplomat Urges Flood Aid, Patience with Taliban
By Ellen Knickmeyer
Economic isolation and privation such as Afghanistan has experienced since the Taliban takeover only feed authoritarianism and extremism, Pakistan’s foreign minister said.
Is India Squandering its Social Capital in Sri Lanka?
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Only a few months ago, Sri Lankans were grateful to India for its help during the economic crisis. Now the mood is changing.
The Real Lesson From India’s Farm Laws Debacle
By Aditya Srinivasan
Government officials must bring interpretivism to policymaking: qualitative research methods that take into accounts the perspectives and preferences of the governed.
What’s Next for the India-France-UAE Trilateral?
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
India, France and the UAE, which share strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific, met for a ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly last week.
SAARC Is Dead. Long Live Subregional Cooperation
By Santosh Sharma Poudel
India-Pakistan rivalry and India’s isolation of Pakistan contributed to the death of the South Asian regional organization. But India is keen on working with its other neighbors.
Pakistan Floods Raise Fears of Hunger After Crops Wrecked
By Munir Ahmed and Muhammad Farooq
Nearly 15 percent of its rice crop and 40 percent of its cotton crop were lost due to the floods.
Dogma Continues to Plague the Indian Left
By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
A communist party leader, Shailaja, was made to turn down the Magsaysay award on the ground that her success was the outcome of collective effort. But communists do sometimes promote individuals over the collective.
India and Turkey Still Searching for a Breakthrough
By Niranjan Marjani
The Modi-Erdogan meeting raised expectations for the improvement of India-Turkey ties, but those hopes were short-lived.
Pakistan Deploys More Doctors to Fight Diseases After Floods
By Munir Ahmed
Waterborne and other diseases in the past two months have killed 334 flood victims.
Inflation, Unrest Challenge Bangladesh’s ‘Miracle Economy’
By Julhas Alam
Although Bangladesh’s situation is nowhere nearly as severe as Sri Lanka's, it faces similar troubles: excessive spending, corruption and cronyism, and a weakening trade balance.