Nepal Elections 2026

Southasia Weekly - 20 March 2026. Your radar on the region and the latest from Himal. Support independent Southasian journalism. Support Himal!
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🎥🛕Bollywood’s descent into Hindu nationalism – Southasia Weekly #110
By
Raisa Wickrematunge
On the "open war" between Pakistan and Afghanistan, India's ban on The Voice of Hind Rajab and more
Pakistan appears to believe that its military might, which is far greater than Afghanistan’s, will force the Taliban to bend. But rather than weakening the regime in Kabul, Pakistan’s aggression is fueling Afghan nationalist sentiment and allowing the Taliban to cast themselves as defenders of the nation, effectively granting them a level of popular legitimacy they have long struggled to secure.
Politics
Pakistan’s “open war” on Afghanistan only strengthens the Taliban
By
Hamayon Rastgar
Pakistan’s airstrikes and mass deportations do little to control the TTP, but strengthen a Taliban regime that thrives in conflict and can feed off popular Afghan and Pashtun resentment
Himal Interviews: The threat to Muslims is a crisis for India’s democracy
Politics
Himal Interviews: The threat to Muslims is a crisis for India’s democracy
By
The Editors
Mohsin Alam tells Harsh Mander that anti-democratisation of the economy has had a terrible impact on minorities and Muslims in particular
Recent Hindi films increasingly echo Hindutva politics, recasting history, glorifying militarism and normalising Islamophobia in the service of a majoritarian national project.
Culture
Hindi cinema’s appalling descent into Islamophobia and Hindu nationalism
By
Raza Rumi
From manufacturing mythic pasts to promoting muscular nationalism, militarism and Islamophobia, Hindi cinema is increasingly aligning with Hindutva politics, and ripping up Indian secularism and democ ...
Global demand for Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft increased following the jet’s involvement in the India–Pakistan conflict of May 2025. Pakistan’s military and government are trying to present a slew of JF-17 export deals as an economic success that can help turn the country’s stumbling economy around.
Politics
Are Pakistan’s booming defence exports a strategic boon but domestic bane?
By
Salman Rafi Sheikh
Pakistan’s deals to export JF-17 fighter jets can revive its international standing and boost macroeconomic stability, but they concentrate even more power and resources in the hands of the military ...
A miniature painting depicting young Brahmins studying Hindu scripture, circa 1820. Tradition, in Ravikant Kisana’s telling in ‘Meet the Savarnas’, becomes training in hierarchy, where excellence from the margins is permitted only insofar as it does not unsettle the dominant-caste hold on knowledge.
Politics
Unpacking the Savarna state of mind in a caste-ridden India
By
Shainal Verma
Ravikant Kisana’s ‘Meet the Savarnas’ dissects dominant-caste notions of merit, intimacy and power, showing how caste survives beneath India’s claims to modernity
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