With a narrow focus on security and a desire to perpetuate Afghanistan’s dependence on Pakistan, Islamabad has failed to recognise the Taliban’s new regional ambitions and geopolitical strategy
This week in Himal
This week, Salman Rafi Sheikh looks at recent discussions on amending Pakistan’s National Finance Commission award, which has revived fears that Pakistan’s provinces will
As Pakistan’s government restarts a debate on resource sharing between the country’s centre and the provinces, concerns emerge on fiscal recentralisation
The writer discusses the project’s ambitions to revive Bhutan’s ailing economy and how it ignores the displacement of the Lhotshampa people from the Geluphu region
‘The Belt and Road City’ argues China is wielding the BRI to reshape the global cities around its own ideals – but good luck pinning down what those are
After Pakistan’s military “win” in the May 2025 confrontation with India, the army under Asim Munir as field marshal has even greater power over the state, the civilian government and the judiciary
The economist discusses the impact of proposed US tariffs on exports, balance of payments and debt in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and other Southasian countries
While trying to secure their competing interests, India and China will both help bring investment into Afghanistan and legitimacy to the Taliban government
Young people at the pro-monarchy rally did not profess a desire for the monarchy but complained against Nepal’s main political parties, says the journalist
The Trump administration’s foreign-aid freeze, tariffs and deportations threaten the United States’ established position and popular goodwill across Southasia, and China stands ready to step further in
Bhutan’s Nepali-speaking diaspora, created by the expulsion of the Lhotshampa in the 1990s, can help the country’s tottering economy, the researcher says – if the Bhutan government were ready to reach out
