Pakistan’s bid as peace mediator in US-Iran talks – Southasia Weekly #111

Just last week, we covered Pakistan’s air strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Afghanistan. This week, Pakistan has again come under the spotlight as a mediator between the US and Iran. Scroll on to read more about how this happened, and what it means for the region even as Southasians continue to grapple with price hikes and shortages. 

In case reading about war and impending fuel shortages is too stressful, strive to achieve inner peace by reading about Buddhism’s transformation from India to China, Japan and Korea in our article this week, which many of you loved over on X (and please tell me how you achieved it if you succeeded 🫠) Another bright spot in my week has been  reading about the passion and enthusiasm of all the people who have been applying for an Associate Editor and Assistant Editor position at Himal. We’re glad to see some of you talk about the stories that inspired you to send in your application to us (more details here if you want to apply!) and about your belief in the need for independent, Southasian journalism. We need fellow believers, and supporters too. So if you want to help power our journalism, make sure you sign up to our Patron programme and support our work. 

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This week in Himal

Faisal Mahmud writes that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s real test lies in righting Bangladesh’s beleaguered economic woes, with the economy now dictating political survival.