Nepal Elections 2026

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.
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
Himal Interviews: Tariq Ali on a life in writing and dissent
In a conversation on his latest memoir, the Pakistani-British writer and activist reflects on decades of political upheaval, from neoliberalism in the West to turmoil in Southasia, and offers sharp cr ...
Since January 2026, the Taliban’s morality police has stepped up hijab enforcement across Afghanistan. Women found not to be complying are stopped, interrogated and sometimes detained.
As the Taliban enforces more severe moral policing and hijab standards in Herat and other provinces, women in Afghanistan speak of escalating public terror and coercion
Sri Lankans top the tally of deaths among Southasians killed fighting for Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian war, with at least 275 citizens killed in action according to new data provided by Ukraine. Suranjith Karunanayake (left) served in the Russian military for a year before his disappearance in mid 2025 after alleging theft by his commander.
New data from Ukraine shows Sri Lankans top Southasian death toll, accounting for 275 of 455 killed, while Southasian fighters and their families report human trafficking and coercion in recruitment
Podcast: Parties, power and the promise of change in Nepal
By
The Editors
Journalist Pranaya Rana and law student Anjali Sah talk to Himal editors about the persistence of Nepal's political old guard and whether a new generation of politics is genuinely possible after the 2 ...
Southasia Weekly  - 27 February 2026. We've got Southasia covered. Support independent journalism. Support Himal!
Nepal’s election, Modi’s visit to Israel, crossborder strikes between Pakistan and Afghanistan and more
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