Pak-Uzbek cooperation is setting new directions that hold the promise of ‘Silk Route Reconnect’. Regional connectivity has long been compromised due to instability and war in Afghanistan. With peace returning, bilateral transit trade offers endless opportunities for regional re-connect.
Karnataka’s Hijab controversy is not over yet. Instead, it takes new forms and spreads to other communities as well, as demonstrated by the news of a Sikh girl student who was asked to remove turban to enter her college. All the new developments from Karnataka hint at the potential of this conflict to spread all across India and fuel to unprecedented levels.
Balakot airstrikes and the retaliating Operation Swift Retort by Pakistan’s Air Force provide a bigger foreground for understanding the potential of escalation in the South Asian Region and offer important insights into the deterrence paradox.
The implications of the ongoing crisis are not only limited to Europe. The Russian intervention will produce indispensable ramifications for South Asia as well. As gas and oil prices will face a surge amid the crisis in Europe, this will likely cause a severe recession for South Asian economies and will hamper the manufacturing capacities.
![Muslim female students wearing hijabs are denied entry to classrooms in Udupi, reflecting rights violations in India's Karnataka [Image Credits: AP]](https://southasiatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/202202asia_india_udupi_hijab.webp "Rights violations in India’s Karnataka")
Female Muslim students barred from entering their classrooms for wearing a hijab walk outside their college in Udupi, Karnataka, India, violating their basic right.
The recent wave of Saffron Vigilantism becomes a burning issue, as Muslims and Hindu Extremists face-off over Hijab Row. The largest ‘Democracy’ is witnessing an ever-growing religious intolerance against the Muslims under the Modi Regime.
India with its leverage lost in Afghanistan is reportedly considering reopening its embassy in Kabul. This comes at a time when India is seeking its role in Afghanistan; either through ‘Asia-Pacific’ group – 18th Russia-India-China (RIC) foreign ministers’ meeting, or through United States-led initiatives, such as Quad.
![Sherman from United States met with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Qureshi in Islamabad [Image by Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP].](https://southasiatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/AP21281255820748.webp "Sherman from United States met with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Qureshi in Islamabad [Image by Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP].")
US Deputy Secretary of State visit to South Asia, particularly regarding Afghanistan, marks a shift towards civilian diplomatic engagement.
On 6th September 2021, the Taliban claimed to take over the Panjshir in Afghanistan. Similar to their narrative which has stayed persistent since the fall of the Kabul Government, the Taliban have assured security to the locals of Panjshir and that they too will be included in the upcoming new Afghanistan Government.
South Asian countries attain diversities and similarities in their cultural, economic, and political patterns. However, their relations with China have developed differently which shows the distinct regional patterns of international relations.