Pranay Sharma

Pranay Sharma is a commentator on political and foreign affairs-related developments. He has worked in senior editorial positions in leading media organisations.

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Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus meets US President Joe Biden at the UN General Assembly meeting, New York, on September 25.

BNP grows restless as Yunus’ reform agenda pushes Bangladesh parliamentary election to 2026

With caretaker rule extending beyond the expected three months, political parties fear an open-ended transition, demand clear timeline.

People fleeing the civil war in Myanmar on a bridge connecting the country with India at the border village of Zokhawthar in Mizoram’s Champhai district, in November 2023.

India re-evaluates Myanmar strategy following Bangladesh’s leadership change

The junta is losing control to armed ethnic groups. India must even-handedly support key players to avoid a Bangladesh-like fiasco.

In this aerial photograph, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activists gather near a poster of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, during a rally in Dhaka on August 7. Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus, who is set to lead a caretaker government after mass protests ousted the premier, called on compatriots to be “ready to build the country”, ahead of his hugely anticipated return.

Power has shifted in Bangladesh, but old habits die hard

Khaleda Zia’s party promises reform, but reports of infighting and corruption suggest a rocky road ahead.

A vandalised mural of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a day after her resignation, on August 6, 2024. Her ouster as Prime Minister was driven by widespread students’ protest demanding the scrapping of the quotas for jobs.

Hasina’s exit poses a challenge to India, which shares a long, porous border with Bangladesh

India must now carefully manage its ties with Bangladesh while dealing with possible power changes in the region.

Bangladesh’s state broadcaster building set on fire by protesters on July 18, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appeared on the network seeking to calm escalating clashes over television and radio.

Bangladesh’s student protests: A test for Sheikh Hasina’s leadership

The government was caught unawares as protests over a quota for freedom fighters in jobs turned violent and claimed over 300 lives.

Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina at UN headquarters on September 23, 2022.

India’s offer to finance Teesta barrage puts Prime Minister Hasina in a diplomatic fix

Since Bangladesh had asked China to help with the project, Hasina must now decide between India and China, balancing benefits and potential backlash.

A Bangladesh Nationalist Party demonstration seeking release of BNP activists who were arrested ahead of the 12th national election, in Dhaka in December 2023. Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League came back to power with a thumping majority but there is a perception that her government is too friendly with India.

Is India losing the goodwill of its neighbours?

The rise in anti-India sentiments may have even left the field open for China to take advantage of the situation.

Crime Scene Unit members inspect a passenger train that was set on fire during a countrywide strike called by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, ahead of the 2024 general election, in Dhaka, on December 19, 2023.

Another ‘India Out’ campaign, this time in Bangladesh

The anti-India campaign after Sheikh Hasina’s re-election now shows signs of dying out because of the ambiguity of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks to the media on January 8, a day after she won the 12th parliamentary election.

Hasina retains power, but can she hold Bangladesh together?

The challenges Sheikh Hasina faces at home and abroad, and how she handles them, will be decisive not just for Bangladesh but also for South Asia.

Security officers escort Imran Khan as he arrives in Islamabad High Court on May 12.

As Pakistan approaches its 2024 election, the army’s grip on power tightens

Imran Khan’s PTI party faces an uphill battle, with the army’s support firmly behind his rivals.

Justin Trudeau and Narendra Modi lay wreaths at Raj Ghat on September 10. The Canadian Prime Minister claimed he raised Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing directly with his Indian counterpart during the G20 summit in Delhi.

A closer look at the India-Canada diplomatic fallout over Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s charges against India threaten to undermine a key strategic partnership.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Azali Assoumani , President of the Union of the Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union, after the A U became a permanent member of the G20 during the G20 summit in New Delhi on September 9.

How the Global South seized the spotlight at G20 summit in New Delhi

The summit scored its greatest win by placing concerns of developing and poor countries front and centre, challenging the dominance of Western powers.

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