India has formally completed its diplomatic downgrading of relations with Pakistan, accusing Pakistani-based militant groups of orchestrating the deadliest attack in Kashmir in years — an assault that killed 26 people and shattered a fragile ceasefire along the Line of Control.
New Delhi suspended the 1966 Indus Waters Treaty, closed the Wagah border ceremony that once symbolised fragile peace, and expelled remaining consular staff from the Indian side. Pakistan’s foreign office called the moves “hostile and illegal” and said it reserved the right to respond.
The crisis follows the Pahalgam attack in April, which New Delhi blamed on two Pakistan-based groups — The Resistance Front and Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot Siddhu Moose. India has charged eight individuals and is seeking custody of suspected handlers operating from Pakistani soil. Islamabad denies involvement and says India has yet to provide credible evidence.
The downgrading has rattled markets. India’s BSE Sensex fell 1.3 percent in early trading before recovering, while the Pakistani rupee hit a record low against the dollar. Both governments face domestic pressure: New Delhi from hawkish MPs demanding military action, Islamabad from generals watching the military’s public silence.
Regional observers warn that any further escalation — a miscalculated firing incident, a terror strike, or an army movement — could collapse the ceasefire that has held, unevenly, since 2021. The United States has urged both sides to exercise restraint but has not offered mediation.
India Demands Bangladesh Verify Nationality of 2,860 People Ahead of Deportation
India has formally requested Bangladesh verify the nationality status of 2,860 individuals whom New Delhi claims are not Indian citizens, setting up a delicate diplomatic confrontation between the two neighbours.
The demand, submitted through diplomatic channels, asks Dhaka to confirm whether these individuals — many of whom have lived in India for decades — hold Bangladeshi citizenship or are stateless. Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said it had received the list and was “reviewing each case carefully.”
Human rights groups have raised alarms. The Statelessness Network South Asia warned that many on the list lack documentation from either country and could be rendered effectively stateless if deported. Amnesty International called on India to halt any deportation until UN难民 agency assessments are complete.
The request adds to existing tensions over the India-Bangladesh border, which has seen increased fencing and surveillance under New Delhi’s hardline border security policy.
Sri Lanka’s Economy Strains Under Weight of Regional and Global Crises
Sri Lanka, still recovering from its worst economic collapse in decades, is facing renewed pressure as overlapping global conflicts squeeze remittance flows, raise import costs, and deter the tourist arrivals the country desperately needs.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe acknowledged in a nationally televised address that the economy was “at a fragile inflection point” and called for an emergency session of parliament to debate new austerity measures. His government is seeking an extended IMF programme amid signs that the initial rescue package will not be sufficient to cover debt repayments due in 2027.
The conflict in the Middle East has hit Sri Lanka’s foreign worker remittances — a key foreign exchange source — as overseas Lankan workers in the Gulf face layoffs and reduced wages. Meanwhile, fuel and food import costs have risen sharply since the Red Sea shipping disruptions began.
Protests over electricity tariffs and food prices have reignited in Colombo and the southern district of Galle. Police say at least four protests have been dispersed with tear gas in the past two weeks. The opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya has called for early elections.
Afghanistan: Taliban Intensify Restrictions on Female Education as Regional Condemnation Grows
The Taliban’s interim government has intensified enforcement of its ban on female education beyond the sixth grade, with provincial officials in Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat ordering the closure of any school found teaching girls above primary level.
The move drew condemnation from Pakistan, whose foreign office issued a statement calling it “a betrayal of the Afghan people and a step backwards for the entire region.” Pakistan hosts more than 2 million Afghan refugees, many of them educated women who fled the Taliban’s first rule.
China, which has engaged pragmatically with the Taliban government as part of its Belt and Road investments, offered no direct criticism but said it hoped “all parties in Afghanistan would pursue policies that promote stability.” The United Nations said it was “outraged” and called for an emergency session of the Security Council.
Neighbouring countries are increasingly worried about a new wave of refugees. Iran has already reinforced its eastern border crossings, and Central Asian states have quietly updated their asylum processing protocols.
Nepal: Youth Protests Over Political Corruption Spread to Kathmandu
A wave of youth-led protests that began in Nepal’s hill districts over corruption allegations against senior politicians has spread to Kathmandu, with thousands marching through the city centre for the third consecutive weekend.
Protesters, most of them university students and young professionals, are demanding the resignation of the deputy prime minister and an independent investigation into a land scandal that allegedly funneled public assets to relatives of three senior coalition ministers.
Police have used water cannons and baton charges against crowds near Singha Durbar, the seat of government, injuring at least 18 protesters, according to the Nepal Human Rights Commission. The government has imposed a curfew in central Kathmandu but protest leaders say they will not disperse until their demands are met.
Nepal’s fragile coalition government — comprising the Nepali Congress, the Maoist Centre, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party — has seen its majority narrow to just four seats after two MPs defected in protest of the corruption allegations. Early elections are now widely considered inevitable.
Regional analysts say Nepal’s instability comes at a sensitive time, as China and India both seek stronger bilateral ties with Kathmandu and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor discussions have raised questions about Nepal’s position in regional connectivity plans.