Blog
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’s Rapidly-Growing EV Market
By Sibi Arasu
A $1.3 billion federal plan to encourage EV manufacturing and provide discounts for customers along with rising fuel costs is driving up sales.
176 World Leaders and Nobel Laureates Urge Bangladesh to Halt Legal Cases Against Peace Prize Winner
By Julhas Alam
Muhammad Yunus, who pioneered the use of microcredit to help the poor, is being tried on charges of corruption and violating labor laws.
How Did Pakistan Become Geopolitically Irrelevant?
By Akhilesh Pillalamarri
Shifting geopolitical currents, internal instability, India’s rise and China’s indifference underlie its declining stature on the world stage.
India’s Proposed New Penal Code Fails to Protect LGBTQ+ Rights
By Kanav Narayan Sahgal
The proposed replacement for the IPC misses an opportunity to shed colonial vestiges of oppression against sexual minorities.
India Protests New Chinese Map That Claims Indian Territory
By Ashok Sharma
The map has been published ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi which President Xi Jinping is expected to attend.
Pakistani Court Suspends Corruption Conviction and Sentence of Former Prime Minister Imran Khan
By Munir Ahmed
The ruling clears the way for Khan to participate in the next general elections – unless he is convicted in a retrial or any of the many other legal cases against him.
The Taliban’s Afghanistan: Retribution, Refugees, and Violent Extremism
By Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
An overwhelming element of vengeance continues to drive the Taliban’s policies, as illustrated by continued reports of killings and broken promises.
Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami Thrives Amid Persecution
By Mubashar Hasan
The party is banned. Its leaders and activists have been arrested or killed. Yet it has the capacity to organize massive rallies.
Turmoil in India’s Ashoka University Over Academic Freedom
By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
A faculty member wrote a paper about electoral manipulations in the 2019 general election, which prompted intelligence officials to visit the university to uncover his “motives.”
India’s Influence in BRICS Is Waning
By Mohamed Zeeshan
If New Delhi did indeed resist expansion efforts that could turn the bloc into a club of nations aligned against the West, it was unsuccessful.
Himalayan Risks and Ethical Choices Dog Mountaineering Efforts
By Santosh Sharma Poudel
People are crowding Sagarmatha and other Himalayan peaks, risking their own lives and those of Sherpas, porters and rescue teams.
Pakistan Condemns Mob Violence Against Christians
By Umair Jamal
That the government is condemning the extremist violence in Jaranwala rather than condoning it marks an important step forward.