Bangladesh’s FY2026–27 Budget: Navigating Macroeconomic Rebalancing, Fiscal Consolidation, and Financial Sector Reforms — A...
Bangladesh’s FY2026–27 national budget is being formulated at a pivotal juncture, marked by heightened macroeconomic imbalances, constrained fiscal space, external sector pressures, and structural weaknesses across revenue administration and financial intermediation. In this context, the upcoming budget is expected to function not merely as an expenditure framework but as...
War, Captivity and Return in Sri Lanka – An “emic view” into the life...
Source: Forum Yarl Ajith Boyagoda in Killinocchi in 2005
“A Long Watch” is the memoir of Commodore Ajith Boyagoda, who spent eight years in captivity by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the war-ravaged northern region of Sri Lanka from 1994 until his release in 2002. The book,...
US–Bangladesh New Trade Agreement: Impacts of Ending Subsidies in Agriculture and Industry, and Future...
On February 9, 2026, Bangladesh’s interim government signed a bilateral trade agreement with the United States. This agreement has sparked widespread debate regarding Bangladesh’s autonomy in economic policymaking and its sovereignty (CPD April 19, 2026). As an apparent concession, the United States reduced reciprocal tariffs on Bangladeshi goods from...
Iran, Israel, and US War: South Asian Migrant Workers and the Need for a...
Introduction:
“It was nothing like any sound I have heard before in my life,” said Vikrant, a 28-year-old Dubai-based Indian delivery worker, recalling the thunder of explosions when Iranian drones struck the United Arab Emirates (Kumar, 2026). Fearing for his safety, he shared only his first name. Today, Vikrant’s anxiety...
SADF NEWSLETTER South Asia Weekly – On the Afghan-Pakistani Border
The Most Consequential Developments Are the Least Reported
In South Asia, the developments most likely to shape the region’s future are often the ones receiving the least international attention. While global media focuses on crises elsewhere, a volatile situation is unfolding between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with implications for regional security,...
Bridging Borders: The SAARC Solution for Migration Governance – C277
As a development and humanitarian worker, I have observed countless migrant workers working in the middle east whose stories remain unheard. Their luck and overseas life decisions are often determined by their Kafeel (single sponsor who decides the residency and employment status of migrant workers in Middle East countries)....
SADF NEWSLETTER: SADF WEEKLY | Pakistan’s Three War Fronts
Afghanistan
The fall of Kabul at the hands of the Taliban was euphorically celebrated by Pakistan. The Prime Minister of the time announced stridently that Afghans had “broken the shackles of slavery,” while the normally circumspect chief of the Pakistani military secret services went public in Kabul celebrating...
South Asian solidarity facing cyclone Ditwah – C276
On 30 November 2025, Cyclone Ditwah hit Sri Lanka, causing heavy flooding, landslides, and devastating losses, impacting more than 1,5 million people. According to reports, around 474 were dead, 356 missing, and 201,875 displaced in 1,385 shelters. The situation was grave enough for President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to declare...
The Taliban’s Gender Politics: Repression at Home, Performance on the World Stage – C275
Since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, Afghan women and girls have been systematically eliminated from public life; they have been banned from secondary and higher education, including online learning platforms in some provinces, and limitations have been imposed on them in most formal employment. They are...
A Review of ‘Neelan: Unsilenced’ (Documentary on Sri Lankan Politics) – C274
“Neelan: Unsilenced” is a documentary film that was directed by documentary filmmaker Pitasanna Shanmugathas and released on the 26th death anniversary of prominent lawyer and politician Neelan Tiruchelvam. This documentary records the life, advocacy and achievements of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam with accounts narrated by his friends, family and those...