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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.
India Confirms Omicron Variant Cases, Says Get the Shot Now
By Associated Press
Travelers from countries classified as "at risk" are being tested on arrival in India.
Pakistan’s Surging Religious Extremism
By Umair Jamal
Its political class has neither the will nor the intent to tackle religious extremism as all have benefited from it.
Bangladesh’s Nuclear Power Plant: Economic Blackhole or Energy Backbone?
By Hussain Shazzad
Bangladesh's Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has sparked intense debate, but it's hard to see a better option for the country.
Tajrobawai Girls School in Herat Shows the Way
By Lee Keath
Teachers' union officials met with local Taliban officials and Herat's governor to press their demands.
A Snapshot of India’s Population
By Sudha Ramachandran
NFHS-5, the latest survey of India’s people, shows that population growth has stabilized but misogyny remains strong.
Why Is Beijing Going Nuts for Afghan Pine Nuts?
By Ajmal Waziri and Raffaello Pantucci
The trade offers concrete and immediate benefits to both the Chinese government and the Taliban.
Taliban’s Reign of Terror Belies Promise of Amnesty
By Lee Keath
Despite the promised amnesty, Taliban commanders are executing and forcibly "disappearing" soldiers, policemen, and intelligence officials of the previous regime, says Human Rights Watch.
Equality or Fraternity? Challenges of India’s New Constituency Delimitation
By Krzysztof Iwanek
India’s constituency delimitation process will be torn between the ideals of equal representation and protecting minority groups.
A Thorn in Pakistan-Bangladesh Relations
By Asif Muztaba Hassan
Fifty years after the Bangladesh liberation war, Pakistan remains reluctant to apologize for the horrific violence it unleashed on millions of Bangladeshis.
Interfaith Love a Risk Under Modi’s Rule
By Sheikh Saaliq
Hindutva outfits unleash violence on Muslim men who marry Hindu women, alleging that they are feigning love to convert them to Islam.
Sri Lanka Bows to Chinese Pressure Again
By Sudha Ramachandran
Colombo has agreed to pay millions of dollars to a Chinese company that has reportedly supplied it with contaminated organic fertilizer.
Could the Taliban Get India and Pakistan to Cooperate?
By Umair Jamal
Pakistan’s opening of the overland trade route to Indian humanitarian aid to Afghanistan came on the Taliban’s nudging.