Territorial disputes between India and Pakistan got a new dimension with the release of a new political map by the latter on 4 August 2020, apparently in response to India’s move to administratively reorganize the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Widely described as ‘cartographic aggression’ against India, the new map lays claim over many parts of India. The article traces the historicity of map-making as a nation-building project for Pakistan and seeks to decipher the strategic objectives behind this move.

• Swati Sucharita Nanda , Sarfaraz Alam |
• January 2022 |
• Strategic Analysis

Any history of the Bengalis’ fight for their linguistic heritage and cultural rights cannot be told without a reference to Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta, who played a pioneering role in the formative phase of the Bengali Language Movement. On 25 February 1948 for the first time he demanded recognition of Bengali as one of the state languages of the new nation of Pakistan. He had remained an ardent defender of the Bengali language, both in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan (CAP) and in the East Bengal Legislative Assembly (EBLA).

• Aroma Dutta |
• November 2021 |
• Strategic Analysis

The year 1971’s geostrategic significance for the Indian subcontinent rivals that of 1947 when British India was divided into India and Pakistan. While the roots of Bangladesh's secession from Pakistan lay firmly within the Pakistani polity, India's political support for the Bangladesh freedom movement and its military intervention were crucial for the liberation of Bangladesh. The Indian campaign for the liberation of Bangladesh was brilliantly conceived and deftly executed.

• Mohammed Ayoob |
• November 2021 |
• Strategic Analysis

At the turn of the 21st century, the world entered a new period of development. The customary bipolar system that prevailed after World War II had collapsed following the self-destruction of one of its poles. Russia’s refusal to follow the Western course is only the first poignant sign of confrontation between the West’s united world project and the emerging multipolar world.

• Alexander Lukin |
• November 2021 |
• Strategic Analysis

“My heart overflows as I come to your beautiful country and to this historic ground. For many years, we had all heard of the beauty of Bangladesh. For many years, we had known about the agony you have suffered, and especially the fierce atrocities of last year. The story of your journey through darkness has moved the hearts of people and brought tears to the eyes wherever people value the human spirit.

• Indira Gandhi |
• November 2021 |
• Strategic Analysis

In a fast-emerging multipolar Asia, and in the fast-shifting geopolitics of the area where ostensive national interests are being pursued with growing military-driven intensity, enhancing strategic ties between close and historic neighbours like Bangladesh and India has assumed greater urgency. The region also faces major socio-economic challenges, which were exposed brutally by the Coronavirus pandemic and its effects on lives and livelihood.

• Shamsher M. Chowdhury , Bir Bikram |
• November 2021 |
• Strategic Analysis

This year, Bangladesh is celebrating 50 years of the War of Liberation. The struggle for freedom, which started soon after the creation of Pakistan in 1947, culminated in signing the Instrument of Surrender on 16 December 1971. On that fateful day, Pakistan’s Gen. A.A.K. Niazi, along with 93,000 Pakistani forces, publicly surrendered to the joint forces or the Mitra Bahini that comprised the Indian Army and the Mukti Bahini. It was the largest military surrender after World War II. Bangladesh was born as an independent nation-state and reclaimed its identity.

• Amb. Sujan R. Chinoy |
• November 2021 |
• Strategic Analysis

“At first, I remember the students, the labourers, the peasants, the intellectuals, the soldiers, the police, the people, the Hindus and the Muslims of my Bangladesh who were killed. I, wishing for their souls and paying tribute to them, would like to say a few words to you.

• Sheikh Mujibur Rahman |
• November 2021 |
• Strategic Analysis

Bangladesh’s emergence, as a new nation at the height of the Cold War, in 1971, re-drew political borders in the Indian subcontinent. It was one of the most significant geopolitical events of the latter half of the 20th century. India’s ties with Bangladesh have taken great strides in the last decade in comparison to the first 40 years, expanding and strengthening across a wide template of sectors.

• Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty |
• November 2021 |
• Strategic Analysis

The Indian subcontinent marked 50 years of the 1971 Indo-Pak War or the Bangladesh liberation war: on 16 December 2021. While this event was commemorated in India and Bangladesh, it is a time for introspection for Pakistan.

• Vivek Chadha |
• November 2021 |
• Strategic Analysis