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The University of Edinburgh holds a substantial collection of manuscripts in Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and South Asian languages, formerly known as the “Oriental Manuscript Collection”. This article reports recent steps taken to make this collection, which consists largely of manuscripts collected by Scottish East India Company officials between the late 18th and mid 19th centuries C.E, relevant to the present day global audience, and to widen access to it. This includes its renaming as "Manuscripts of the Islamicate World and South Asia", and the creation of a digitally searchable catalogue on the ArchivesSpace platform, largely through the use of “legacy data” from a 1925 printed catalogue, yet with a focus on making provenance information readily available. We discuss the challenges involved in renaming, and indeed reinterpreting, a historical collection whilst adhering to the principles of archival and library science. We share the methodology used to create our digitally searchable catalogue, a relatively simple model that may well prove useful for those curating similar collections.

The Indian subcontinent is highly susceptible to natural disasters. To abate the effect of the disasters, the government emanates institutional mechanisms and strategies for disaster preparedness, mitigation and response. Although there is well-established institutional framework in India for disaster management, there is no study that proposes a disaster supply chain structure under the institutional framework and integrates information and digital technologies (IDT) of industry 4.0 within it. The present study overcomes this research gap. It introduces an IDT structure within the institutional framework of India for multi-agency information sharing, coordination and decision making. It formulates a mathematical model and analyses the impact of IDT on the total response time through three scenarios. The results of scenario analysis reveal the significance of IDT on the disaster supply chains and its capability to handle information delays and IDT failure. The present study can be adopted by disaster management institutions to construct and implement better response practices at the operational, planning and strategic levels. Furthermore, the proposed model in the study can be used for vaccination planning, which includes vaccine distribution, monitoring, regulation and effective implmentation as a response against the current pandemic situation caused due to SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Addressing Reproductive Coercion in Health Settings (ARCHES) intervention trains existing providers to address reproductive coercion (RC) and intimate partner violence (IPV) within routine family planning counseling. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a single ARCHES counseling session as adapted for use with abortion clients in Bangladesh. Methods: In this cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted between January 2019 and January 2021, health facilities with an abortion clinic with infrastructure for private counseling and onsite violence support services were eligible. Six facilities in Bangladesh met inclusion criteria, and matched pairs randomization with parallel assignment and a 1:1 allocation ratio was used to randomize three facilities to ARCHES and three facilities to control, which implemented standard counseling. Blinding was not possible as providers in intervention facilities participated in a three-day ARCHES training. Participants were abortion clients aged 18–49 years who could provide safe recontact information and be interviewed privately. The primary outcome was past three-month modern contraceptive use without interruption or interference. The trial was registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03539315) on 29 May 2018. Findings: A total of 1492 intervention participants and 1237 control participants were enrolled. Available data were analyzed at each follow-up period: 1331 intervention and 1069 control participants at the three-month follow-up, and 1269 intervention and 1050 control participants at the twelve-month follow-up. ARCHES was associated with higher likelihood of modern contraceptive use at the three-month follow-up (adjusted RR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.06–1.10) and the twelve-month follow-up (adjusted RR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02–1.10). ARCHES was also associated with decreased incident pregnancy, decreased IPV, and increased knowledge of IPV support services. Interpretation: The ARCHES intervention is effective in increasing post-abortion modern contraceptive use and decreasing incident pregnancy and IPV among abortion clients in Bangladesh. Implementation of ARCHES should be considered in facilities with sufficient privacy for counseling. Funding: Society of Family Planning (#SFPRF11-07) and Ipas.

The South Asia region is facing a high burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with limited health resources and low expenditure on health care. In addition to the burden of CKD and kidney failure from traditional risk factors, CKD of unknown etiologies from India and Sri Lanka compounds the challenges of optimal management of CKD in the region. From the third edition of the International Society of Nephrology Global Kidney Health Atlas (ISN-GKHA), we present the status of CKD burden, infrastructure, funding, resources, and health care personnel using the World Health Organizations building blocks for health systems in the ISN South Asia region. The poor status of the public health care system and low health care expenditure resulted in high out-of-pocket expenditures for people with kidney disease, which further compounded the situation. There is insufficient country capacity across the region to provide kidney replacement therapies to cover the burden. The infrastructure was also not uniformly distributed among the countries in the region. There were no chronic hemodialysis centers in Afghanistan, and peritoneal dialysis services were only available in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Kidney transplantation was not available in Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Maldives. Conservative kidney management was reported as available in 63% (n = 5) of the countries, yet no country reported availability of the core CKM care components. There was a high hospitalization rate and early mortality because of inadequate kidney care. The lack of national registries and actual disease burden estimates reported in the region prevent policymakers attention to CKD as an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Data from the 2023 ISN-GKHA, although with some limitations, may be used for advocacy and improving CKD care in the region.

In healthcare professions, soft skills contribute to critical thinking, decision-making, and patient-centered care. While important to the delivery of high-quality medical care, soft skills are often underemphasized during healthcare training in low-and-middle-income countries. Despite South Asias large population, the efficacy and viability of a digital soft skills curriculum for South Asian healthcare practitioners has not been studied to date. We hypothesized that a web-based, multilingual, soft skills course could aid the understanding and application of soft skills to improve healthcare practitioner knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and intent-to-change clinical practice.In September 2019 a needs assessment observing soft skills practices was conducted in several Indian states. We developed a communication-focused soft skills curriculum that comprised seven 10-minute video lectures, recorded in spoken English and Hindi. Participants consisted of any practicing healthcare professionals and trainees in select South Asian countries age 18 and over. Participant knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and intent-to-change clinical practice were evaluated using pre- and post-course tests and surveys. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA and SPSS.From July 26, 2021 to September 26, 2021, 5750 registered and attempted the course, 2628 unique participants completed the pre-test, and 1566 unique participants completed the post-test. Participants demonstrated small but statistically significant gains in confidence (?

Objective To assess the availability of information on indicators of the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund primary health-care measurement framework in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and to outline the opportunities for and challenges to using the framework in these countries. Methods We reviewed global and national data repositories for quantitative indicators of the framework and conducted a desk review of country documents for qualitative indicators in February-April 2023. We assessed data sources and cross-sectional survey tools to suggest possible sources of information on framework indicators that were not currently reported in the countries. We also identified specific indicators outside the framework on which information is collected in the countries and which could be used to measure primary healthcare performance. Findings Data on 54% (32/59) of the quantitative indicators were partially or completely available for the countries, ranging from 41% (24/59) in Pakistan to 64% (38/59) in Nepal. Information on 41% (66/163) of the qualitative subindicators could be acquired through desk reviews of country-specific documents. Information on input indicators was more readily available than on process and output indicators. The feasibility of acquiring information on the unreported indicators was moderate to high through adaptation of data collection instruments. Conclusion The primary health-care measurement framework provides a platform to readily assess and track the performance of primary health care. Countries should improve the completeness, quality and use of existing data for strengthening of primary health care. [phrase omitted] [phrase omitted] Objectif Etudier la disponibilite des informations concernant les indicateurs du cadre devaluation des soins de sante primaires de l'Organisation mondiale de la Sante et du Fonds des Nations Unies pour l'enfance au Bangladesh, en Inde, au Nepal, au Pakistan et au Sri Lanka, mais aussi presenter les opportunites et enjeux de l'application d'un tel cadre dans ces pays. Methodes Nous avons explore les referentiels de donnees nationaux et internationaux a la recherche d'indicateurs lies au cadre, puis nous avons effectue un examen preliminaire des documents de chaque pays pour y trouver des indicateurs qualitatifs entre fevrier et avril 2023. Nous avons evalue la provenance des donnees et les outils d'enquete transversale en vue de suggerer des sources potentielles d'informations sur certains indicateurs relatifs au cadre qui n'apparaissaient pas encore dans les pays susmentionnes. Nous avons par ailleurs identifie des indicateurs specifiques en dehors du cadre, sur lesquels les pays collectent des informations et qui pourraient servir a mesurer les performances des soins de sante primaires. Resultats Des donnees sur 54% (32/59) des indicateurs quantitatifs etaient partiellement ou entierement disponibles dans les differents pays, allant de 41% (24/59) au Pakistan a 64% (38/59) au Nepal. Des examens preliminaires de documents propres a chaque pays ont permis de recueillir des informations sur 41% (66/163) des sous-indicateurs qualitatifs. Il etait plus facile d'obtenir des precisions sur les indicateurs de moyens que sur les indicateurs de processus et de resultats. Enfin, le degre de faisabilite de l'acquisition d'informations sur les indicateurs non mentionnes etait modere a eleve, a condition d'adapter les instruments de collecte de donnees. Conclusion Le cadre d'evaluation des soins de sante primaires offre une plateforme permettant d'evaluer et de suivre aisement les performances en la matiere. Les pays devraient ameliorer l'exhaustivite, la qualite et l'utilisation des donnees existantes pour renforcer les soins de sante primaires. [phrase omitted] Objetivo Evaluar la disponibilidad de informacion sobre los indicadores del marco de medicion de la atencion primaria de salud de la Organizacion Mundial de la Salud y el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia en Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan y Sri Lanka, y exponer las oportunidades y los desafios que plantea la aplicacion del marco en estos paises. Metodos Se revisaron los repositorios de datos mundiales y nacionales para los indicadores cuantitativos del marco y se realizo una revision preliminar de los documentos de los paises para los indicadores cualitativos entre febrero y abril de 2023. Se evaluaron las fuentes de datos y las herramientas de encuestas transversales para sugerir posibles fuentes de informacion sobre los indicadores del marco que actualmente no se comunican en los paises. Tambien se identificaron indicadores especificos ajenos al marco sobre los que se recopila informacion en los paises y que se podrian aplicar para medir los resultados de la atencion primaria. Resultados Los datos sobre el 54% (32/59) de los indicadores cuantitativos estaban parcial o totalmente disponibles para los paises, oscilando entre el 41% (24/59) de Pakistan y el 64% (38/59) de Nepal. La informacion sobre el 41% (66/163) de los subindicadores cualitativos se pudo obtener mediante revisiones preliminares de documentos especificos de cada pais. La informacion sobre los indicadores de insumos fue mas facil de obtener que sobre los indicadores de procesos y productos. La viabilidad de adquirir informacion sobre los indicadores no declarados fue de moderada a alta mediante la adaptacion de los instrumentos de recopilacion de datos. Conclusion El marco de medicion de la atencion primaria proporciona una plataforma para evaluar y seguir facilmente el rendimiento de la atencion primaria. Los paises deben mejorar la exhaustividad, la calidad y el uso de los datos existentes para reforzar la atencion primaria., Introduction Health is central to the 2030 agenda of the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDG), and primary health care is a strategy to achieve most of the SDG [...]

As states like Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, and many others embark on recent mandates to include Asian American and Pacific Islander content in K-12 classrooms, we consider what it means [...]

This study investigates the burden of COPD attributable to air pollution in South Asia using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study from 1990 to 2019. Method Data for this study were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The burden was measured in terms of death, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and Years of life lost (YLLs). Results Since 1990, several countries in South Asia registered substantial declines in mortality rates attributed to COPD, ranging from −37.47% in Pakistan to −66.25% in Bangladesh. Similar trends were observed for DALYs and YLLs as well, which have potentially contributed to a considerable decrease in mortality rates at the regional level (−43.13%) compared to a 32.59% decline in Low SDI and 56.87% decline globally. Conclusion Despite significant declines since 1990, the burden of COPD attributable to air pollution reductions in the South Asian region’s rates remains alarmingly high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This quasi-experimental study aimed to describe the outcome of a social skills intervention for adolescents with depression followed up at an outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit. Twenty adolescents with depression attending a tertiary care facility in Colombo, Sri Lanka were recruited, who participated in two social skills training programmes (6 months apart), in addition to pharmacological treatment. Outcome of the programme was measured by a self-administered questionnaire that assessed perceived changes in social skills, before and after the intervention. Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was used to determine the statistical significance of improvement in social skills. Results: The sample consisted of 80% (n = 16) female adolescents. Median scores (inter-quartile range) for social skills before and after the first social skills programme were 31.5 (21.0–36.0) and 33.0 (28.25–40.25) respectively, indicating a significant improvement in social skills following intervention (p = 0.011, r = 0.57). A similar improvement was observed after the second programme (n = 10), reporting higher median scores for social skills after intervention (29.5 vs. 37.5, p = 0.005, r = 0.89). A significant improvement was also observed in perceived ability to cope with depressive thoughts after intervention (p = 0.032), indicating that social skills training can be a useful adjunct to pharmacological interventions, in the management of depression in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "love jihad" conspiracy theory in India purports that Muslim men are deceptively seducing or kidnapping non-Muslim women in large numbers to convert and marry them. State laws in India have moved to control conversions—resulting in legislation as disinformation—and sparked violent attacks against Muslims. We identify this as the third wave of state-level anti-conversion laws in India and study how the conspiracy theory is embedded into the text of the law and its relation to the current period of Hindu nationalist ascendancy. Combining narrative analysis of the 2021 Gujarat amendment and interrogating the everyday experiences of interfaith couples who face administrative, police, and vigilante violence we analyze the infrastructure and frameworks of Hindu nationalist ideological dominance in India today. Our study questions the presumptions that underlie the characterization of India as a "democracy" considering the current political, ideological, and legal configurations in the country under the BJP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may experience emotional, social, and psychological difficulties, heightened due to the interpersonal nature of harm. Despite the demonstrated effectiveness of trauma-focused treatments in the West, a culturally specific understanding of the needs of and treatments for survivors in South Asia is still in its infancy. The study aimed to systematically review research findings on the mental health impacts of CSA on adult survivors and current treatment approaches and their efficacy and acceptability in South Asia. Seven databases (Scopus, Ovid, CINAHL, ProQuest, EThOS, Google Scholar, and Dogpile) and five peer-reviewed South Asian journals were searched from inception until March 30, 2023. Searches included participants who were adult survivors of CSA of South Asian origin residing in South Asia. Studies on their mental health, different treatments, and the efficacy and acceptability of these treatments were included. Quality assessment tools were used to appraise the quality of included studies. The results were synthesized narratively. A total of 3,362 records were retrieved, and 24 articles were included in the final review. Twenty studies reported mental health impacts of CSA on adult survivors, four studies reported current treatments offered, and two studies were on recovery. However, no study focused on the efficacy or acceptability of the treatments being delivered. Even though the needs of adult CSA survivors in South Asia have been partly identified, there is very little research into the treatments for them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the involvement of members of South Asian communities in cricket (in Bradford and Leeds, UK). The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) identified that despite the high level of interest in cricket within these communities, relatively few were participating in opportunities provided through ECB structures; instead, they were engaged in various forms of 'informal' cricket. Using data from a small-scale survey and group interviews, this paper speaks to issues of diversity and equality utilizing Rowe's theory of sporting capital framed with insights from Critical Race Theory (CRT). We argue that Rowe's model should be refined by incorporating the concepts of cultural competence and cultural wealth. Doing this can safeguard against deficit models of capital that stress what people lack rather than what they possess. This provides the sporting establishment with better insight to how their sport is perceived and engaged with by those outside the mainstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light‐absorbing carbonaceous aerosols that dominate atmospheric aerosol warming over India remain poorly characterized. Here, we delve into UV‐visible‐IR spectral aerosol absorption properties at nine PAN‐India COALESCE network sites (Venkataraman et al., 2020, https://doi.org/10.1175/bams‐d‐19‐0030.1). Absorption properties were estimated from aerosol‐laden polytetrafluoroethylene filters using a well‐constrained technique incorporating filter‐to‐particle correction factors. The measurements revealed spatiotemporal heterogeneity in spectral intrinsic and extrinsic absorption properties. Absorption analysis at near‐UV wavelengths from carbonaceous aerosols at these regional sites revealed large near‐ultraviolet brown carbon absorption contributions from 21% to 68%—emphasizing the need to include these particles in climate models. Further, satellite‐retrieved column‐integrated absorption was dominated by surface absorption, which opens possibilities of using satellite measurements to model surface‐layer optical properties (limited to specific sites) at a higher spatial resolution. Both the satellite‐modeled and direct in‐situ absorption measurements can aid in validating and constraining climate modeling efforts that suffer from absorption underestimations and high uncertainties in radiative forcing estimates. Plain Language Summary: Particulate pollution in the atmosphere scatter and absorb incoming solar energy, thus cooling or warming Earth's atmosphere. In developing countries and especially in India, one of the most polluted regions of the world, the extent to which particles can absorb solar energy and warm the atmosphere is not well understood. Here, for the first time, we measure particle absorption simultaneously at nine ground sites across India, in diverse geographical regions with different levels and types of particulate pollution. We find that organic carbon particles exert large absorption at near‐ultraviolet wavelengths, which contain significant solar energy. These light absorbing organic carbon particles, called brown carbon, are emitted in large quantities from biomass burning (e.g., burning crop residue and cooking on wood‐fired stoves). Comparing ground measurements of absorption with satellite‐retrieved measurements that are representative of the entire atmospheric column, we find that near‐surface atmospheric particles can exert significant warming. This study highlights the need to improve climate model simulations of particulate pollution's impact on the climate by incorporating spatiotemporal surface‐level absorption measurements, including absorption by brown carbon particles. Key Points: Measurements at nine regional PAN‐India sites reveal several regions with large aerosol absorption strengthBrown carbon contributes significantly (21%–68%) to near‐ultraviolet absorption, indicating its importance in shortwave light absorptionStrong correlations observed between satellite data and surface absorption indicate future potential in modeling surface absorption [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immunomodulators are important for management of autoimmune diseases and hematological malignancies. Significant inter-individual variation in drug response/reactions exists due to genetic polymorphisms. We describe frequency of identified genetic polymorphisms among Sri Lankans. Methods: Sri Lankan data were obtained from an anonymized database of 670 participants. Data on variants and global distribution of Minor Allele frequency (MAF) of other populations (South Asian, Ashkenazi-Jewish, East-Asian, European-Finnish, European-non-Finnish, Latino-American, African/African-American) were obtained from pharmGKB online database. Results: SLC19A1 (rs1051266) variant had a MAF (95% CI) of 63.3% (60.7–65.9). Other common variants included FCGR3A (rs396991), MTHFR (rs1801133), ITPA (rs1127354), CYP2C9*3 (rs1057910) and NUD15*3 (rs116855232), with MAFs of 35.3% (32.7–37.9), 12.2% (10.4–13.9), 10.9% (9.2–12.6), 9.8% (8.2–11.4), 8.3% (6.8–9.8) respectively. Less commonly present variants included CYP2C9*2 (rs1799853) (2.5%[1.7–3.4]), TPMT*3C (rs1142345) (1.9%[1.1–2.6]), TPMT*3B (rs1800460) (0.2%[0–0.5]), CYP3A5*6 (rs10264272) (0.2%[0–0.4]) and CYP3A4*18 (rs28371759) (0.1%[0–0.2]). The SLC19A1 (rs1051266), NUD15*3 (rs116855232), CYP2C9*3 (rs1057910), FCGR3A (rs396991), and ITPA (rs1127354) showed significantly higher frequencies in Sri Lankans compared to many other populations, exceptions include FCGR3A in Ashkenazi-Jewish and ITPA in East-Asians. Conversely, MTHFR (rs1801133), TPMT*3B (rs1800460), and CYP2C9*2 (rs1799853) were significantly less prevalent among Sri Lankans than in many other populations. Sri Lankans exhibited lower prevalence of TPMT*3C (rs1142345) compared to European-non-Finnish, Latino-Americans, and African/African-Americans; CYP3A4*18 (rs28371759) compared to East-Asians; and CYP3A5*6 (rs10264272) compared to African/African-Americans and Latino-Americans. Conclusion: Sri Lankans exhibit higher frequencies in variants reducing methotrexate efficacy (SLC19A1), increasing azathioprine myelotoxicity (NUDT15), and lower frequencies in variants linked to increased azathioprine toxicity (TPMT*3B, TPMT*3C), reduced tacrolimus efficacy (CYP3A4*18), and methotrexate toxicity risk (MTHFR). Beneficial variants enhancing rituximab efficacy (FCGR3A) are more prevalent, while those reducing tacrolimus dosage (CYP3A5*6) are less common. This highlights need for targeted medication strategies to improve treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in clinical trials is increasingly recognized as vital for ensuring research relevance and accessibility. Despite its proven benefits, PPIE remains limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and more examples of effective strategies for involvement are needed. This commentary outlines the establishment of a PPIE group for clinical trials in a lower-middle-income country setting with limited research infrastructure. Main Body: We established Pakistan's first ever PPIE group for clinical trials within a new clinical trials unit at Ziauddin University in Karachi. The objectives of our project were focused on group formation, redesign of informed consent documents for trials, and dissemination of trial results to the public. Recruitment strategies involved referrals from clinicians and existing collaborators as well as engagement at public events, distribution of advertising leaflets and social media posts. Ten potential members were selected based on motivation, commitment and ability to contribute critically, with six members continuing their involvement long-term. An existing tool designed to establish the access needs of public partners was adapted to our project to help us document and account for members' expectations and support requirements. The process of using the tool enabled deep engagement, clarified roles, and fostered trust between coordinators and group members. Patient and public members gained confidence about the legitimacy of the project and felt more comfortable participating in the first group meeting. Lessons learned emphasize the importance of wide-ranging engagement efforts and transparent discussions about expectations to build effective collaborative relationships. Conclusion: Our experience demonstrates the feasibility of establishing a PPIE group for clinical trials in Pakistan and highlights strong public interest for research involvement. The use of a formal tool to document needs, prior experiences and expectations encouraged relationship-building and helped coordinators make relevant accommodations for members. This account contributes to the growing body of literature on effective PPIE practices, emphasizing the value of tailored support and transparent communication in facilitating meaningful public involvement in clinical trials. Plain English summary: Working together with patients and members of the public has the potential of making clinical trials better, more person-centered and relevant. Unfortunately, partnerships between trial researchers and the public are still uncommon. It is not known what the best ways are to involve the public in clinical trials, especially when it comes to non-Western populations. We set up the first-ever patient and public involvement and engagement group to support clinical trials in Pakistan. In this commentary, we share our initial experiences of successfully establishing the group and the two main lessons we learned. Ten group members were identified by widely advertising our project to doctors, community organizations, patients and their carers at our hospital. Before the first group meeting, two coordinators met with each potential member to discuss and document their interests, expectations and needs. Both researchers and group members felt that these discussions were a good use of their time and helped make the project a success. The first main lesson learned from our experience was that enough time, funding, staff and resources are needed to identify members and build meaningful collaborative partnerships. The second main lesson learned was that honest discussions are needed at the very beginning of a collaboration about expectations. Our experience shows that involving patients and members of the public in clinical trials in Pakistan is possible and we hope it inspires and helps other researchers in their patient and public engagement efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and context: Providing care to the elderly is an emerging area of interest due to the increase in elderly population not only in the developed world but also in low and middle income countries. In Pakistan a country with an overall population of over 200 million, the elderly population amounts to 11.3 million. Caregiving of the elderly tends to occur within the kinship motivated by sociocultural norms as well as absence of government support facilities. While quantitative literature exists in Pakistan describing the "caregiver's burden," an in-depth analysis into the experiences of familial caregivers is missing. Methods: The research used qualitative methods with the aim to explore the lived experiences of 7 daughters and 3 daughters-in-law, living in Karachi, Pakistan providing care to the elderly requiring assistance in at least two tasks of daily living. Results: Five themes were developed inductively through the phenomenological method. All participants were Muslim and belonged to the upper economic strata of the society. Findings reveal that obligations to care are dominant in kinship circles particularly among women. Participants highlighted the importance of elderly in the Pakistani society, especially due to the religious lens that considers them as blessings. Daughter caregivers spoke about caregiving of their parents as a form of role reversal, emphasizing also upon the life-long emotional bond that served as a strong motivator. On the other hand, for daughter-in-law caregivers, motivations to care also stemmed from social expectations and kinship obligations. All participants reported multiple difficulties during the caregiving experience, despite existence of paid formal help, with respect to balancing multiple role demands and the nature of caregiving that requires constant effort. Results also illustrate that despite the desire to care for the elderly within a collectivist and patrilocal society, participants experienced multiple physical and emotional effects. However, a few also reported an increase in self-mastery and self-worth. Conclusion: This study reveals that despite increasing urbanization and more women working outside the home, providing care to the elderly appears to be centered within the kinship circle. The research makes important contributions to the ageing literature in Pakistan with relevance to other South Asian contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Asia contributes the most to stroke mortality worldwide. This study aimed to determine the long-term trends in stroke mortality across four South Asian countries and its associations with age, period, and birth cohort. In 2019, nearly one million stroke deaths occurred across South Asia, and the associated age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) was 80.2 per 100,000. Between 1990 and 2019, India had the largest decrease in the ASMR (−35.8%) across the four South Asian countries. While Pakistan had the smallest decrease in the ASMR (−7.6%), an increase was detected among males aged 15 to 34 years and females aged 15 to 19 years. Despite a 22.8% decrease in the ASMR, Bangladesh had the highest ASMR across the four South Asian countries. Nepal reported a witness increase in the stroke ASMR after 2006. Improved period and cohort effects on stroke mortality were generally indicated across the analyzed countries, except for recent-period effects in males from Nepal and cohort effects from those born after the 1970s in Pakistan. Stroke mortality has decreased in the four South Asian countries over the past 30 years, but potentially unfavorable period and cohort effects have emerged in males in Nepal and both sexes in Pakistan. Governmental and societal efforts are needed to maintain decreasing trends in stroke mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ancient water harvesting systems, such as those from the Indus Valley Civilization (~3500 BCE), have been vital for irrigation and climate resilience, especially in arid regions. One such prominent system in South Asia, called tank irrigation, initially thrived through community management but declined post-independence due to colonial policies and neglect in Sri Lanka and India. This study evaluates current policy frameworks and rehabilitation programs to enhance the resilience of these systems in India, develop strategies for their protection and adaptation to climate change, and integrate global lessons for sustainable development. Methods: A systematic meta-analysis of grey literature was conducted to aggregate data on policy constraints. Policy analysis involved detailed investigations of relevant documents, regulations, and comparative analyses of frameworks at regional and national levels. Pilot projects on tank rehabilitation were assessed through reported case studies and field surveys to gauge impact. Thematic analysis was used to explore the global potential of these systems in climate resilience and overall environmental sustainability. Results: The analysis showed that pilot projects for tank rehabilitation had limited success in achieving sustainability under current climate conditions. Tank irrigation systems are crucial for adapting to extreme weather, including floods, droughts, and heat waves, replenishing groundwater, reducing soil erosion, and ensuring reliable water supplies. Traditional water harvesting technologies support 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including clean water access, hunger reduction, gender equality, and climate action. Integrating AI and machine learning in water management benefits disaster response, while eco-tourism aids system maintenance and cultural awareness. Discussion: The study underscores the need for policy reforms to enhance tank rehabilitation and institutional arrangements. It calls for increased beneficiary participation and constitutional recognition of current practices. Strategic, national-scale assessments and resilience targets are recommended to improve the effectiveness of such water harvesting systems in mitigating natural hazards and enhancing environmental services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the utilization and advancements of constructed wetlands (CWs) in South Asia (SA), focusing on their roles, costs, and efficacy enhancements through pre- and post-treatment units for various pollutants. Notable findings include Phragmites and Canna species as commonly used macrophytes, achieving high removal rates for various pollutants. CWs consistently remove total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, emerging contaminants, and antimicrobial resistant bacteria at substantial rates. Anaerobic baffled reactors are effective pretreatment devices for high-strength wastewater. Moreover, CWs exhibit lower operational and maintenance costs compared to conventional treatment methods. However, the bibliometric analysis reveals limited regional cooperation in SA. Key challenges identified include the absence of guidelines for media, vegetation, and maintenance. The review underscores the necessity for further research in optimizing CWs’ efficiency through land area management, plant selection, and enhanced design and operation and maintenance protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a global epidemic challenging global public health authorities while imposing a heavy burden on healthcare systems and economies. Aim: To explore and compare the prevalence of NCDs in South Asia, the Caribbean, and non-sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to identify both commonalities and differences contributing to the NCD epidemic in these areas while investigating potential recommendations addressing the NCD epidemic. Method: A comprehensive search of relevant literature was carried out to identify and appraise published articles systematically using the Cochrane Library, Ovid, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science search engines between 2010 and 2023. A total of 50 articles fell within the inclusion criteria. Results: Numerous geographical variables, such as lifestyle factors, socio-economic issues, social awareness, and the calibre of the local healthcare system, influence both the prevalence and treatment of NCDs. The NCDs contributors in the Caribbean include physical inactivity, poor fruit and vegetable intake, a sedentary lifestyle, and smoking, among others. While for South Asia, these were: insufficient societal awareness of NCDs, poverty, urbanization, industrialization, and inadequate regulation implementation in South Asia. Malnutrition, inactivity, alcohol misuse, lack of medical care, and low budgets are responsible for increasing NCD cases in Africa. Conclusion: Premature mortality from NCDs can be avoided using efficient treatments that reduce risk factor exposure for individuals and populations. Proper planning, implementation, monitoring, training, and research on risk factors and challenges of NCDs would significantly combat the situation in these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Objective Methods Results Conclusion Assess longer‐term changes in food habits and anthropometry among Grades 1–2 primary school students from four public schools in Colombo, Sri Lanka, following a 3‐week programme including a classroom‐based motivational storybook discussion and self‐monitoring food diary (FD).This follow‐up study assessed changes from baseline (pre‐intervention) BMI z‐scores and food habits (increased healthy food‐item consumption/decreased unhealthy food‐item consumption reflected by an increase in FD score) and parental perceptions (anonymous questionnaires) among 863 students (aged 6–8 years), between 9 and 12 months after completing the programme (November 2019–February 2020).Food habits showed sustained improvement from baseline mean FD score (baseline vs. follow‐up: 51 ± 23% vs. 67 ± 22%, p < 0.001), with children from all BMI subgroups (underweight [UW], normal weight [NW], overweight [OW] and obesity [OB]) showing a significant increase in FD scores (ranging from 14.1% to 17.2%, p < 0.001). BMI z‐scores increased in children living with UW (−2.85 to −2.21, p < 0.00) and NW (−0.70 to −0.57, p < 0.001), but did not change in children with OW (+1.5 to +1.49, p = 0.83) and OB (+2.85 to +2.21, p = 0.19). Most parents (n = 497, 97.8%) reported satisfaction with programme outcomes.This programme led to sustained improvement in food habits among young primary school children from all BMI categories, increase in BMI towards the median among children living with UW and NW, and stabilization of BMI in children with OW and OB, suggesting it as a useful tool for improving nutritional status of young children in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC) facing the double burden of under‐ and overnutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terrestrial ecosystem stores a huge amount of carbon in biomass and acts as a major carbon sink. Gross primary productivity (GPP) measures the carbon assimilation rate in terrestrial ecosystems. Accurate quantification and spatiotemporal analysis of GPP have become the essential indicators of various management, policy developments, and restoration activities in recent decades with the installation of new ground stations, development of robust models, and use of Earth Observation satellite data. The model-estimated and satellite data-derived GPP values greatly differ from ground observations due to model structure and approach, input driving data, coefficients and parameters, and various assumptions. Consequently, considerable ambiguity prevails among datasets and their benchmarking. Moreover, the productivity of ecosystems is regulated by physiological traits coupled with the local environmental conditions. This review provides an overview of the environmental and anthropogenic variables that regulate productivity and pose challenges in GPP estimation and evaluation of the available GPP products. It also evaluates the various available GPP datasets/ products and estimation methods/ models and compares the ecosystem productivity in broad natural and human-modified ecosystems in South Asia. Moreover, this study includes a case study on evaluating five globally available GPP products with variable spatiotemporal resolutions, such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM), the Global Land Surface Satellite (GLASS), Global OCO-2-based SIF product (GOSIF), and the Penman-Monteith-Leuning (PML) in three major land cover type of South Asia (forest, cropland, and grassland) comparing with eddy covariance (EC) flux tower data. Results showed a better performance of GOSIF and GLASS data than other GPP products. The study aims to provide an overview of the prevailing environmental conditions and carbon sequestration in different ecosystems and assist in developing sustainable landscape management strategies to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate change impact. Article highlights: • A critical review of the methods employed for GPP estimation and their limitations. • Impact of various management practices, extreme events, and climate change on GPP. • Comparison among available GPP datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Commonwealth Prime Ministers' (subsequently Heads of Government) Meetings or Conferences were the flagship events of the New Commonwealth in the two decades after the Second World War and the beginning of formal independence and decolonisation in South Asia. The post-war Commonwealth leadership sought to maintain unity on key international issues, which served British strategic interests, at least in the view of British leaders, officials, and influential commentators. The collision of interests between the expansion of Commonwealth membership to include South Asian and, later, African states and the managed decolonisation of the British Empire produced conflicts and compromises that often shaped the progress of the Prime Ministers' Meetings. The New Commonwealth's functioning as an international forum can be better understood by developing insights gained from interdisciplinary methodologies to explore the central role of Jawaharlal Nehru's uses of space at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Meetings to highlight continuities that, ironically, facilitated the profound changes of this era. Taking seriously the multivalent meanings and historical complexity of the Britain and the World analytical framework, we show how British space increasingly came to be used to advance South Asian political goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why did America's twenty-year war in Afghanistan fail to establish a self-sustaining non-Taliban government? Analysts have cited cultural obstacles in Afghanistan, bureaucratic inertia in Washington, and a lack of strategic commitment, in part because Iraq dominated national security policy. Such claims tend to draw evidence from Germany, Japan, and Iraq, places where the U.S. military achieved some measure of success establishing pro-American governments. The present article broadens the comparison to consider Afghanistan alongside Germany, Japan, Iraq, and two examples of post-Cold War regime-change success: Panama (1989–1990) and Haiti (1994–1995). The cases indicate that U.S. influence in the postwar environment has depended on the prospects for integrating old regime elites into the new government and on the strength of indigenous opposition forces. Both variables were unfavorable in Afghanistan, and they shaped the boundaries of political order—no matter how hard U.S. forces fought or how long they stayed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change represents the state of knowledge of anthropogenic disruption to the climate system, its diverse ecosystem and societal impacts, and the imperative for and challenges of mitigation and adaptation responses. It is foundational for global climate policymaking. This paper examines the place of tourism in AR6 and reviews its key findings for tourism's future. Overall, tourism related content declined relative to previous assessments. While notable improvements in content occurred for Africa, visible knowledge gaps remain in the tourism growth regions of South America, Middle East, and South Asia. There remains limited discussion of many impacts, and very limited understanding of integrated impacts and the effectiveness of adaptation strategies at the destination scale. The contribution of tourism to global emissions was omitted, however tourism was discussed in the context of luxury emissions and just transitions. Tourism is repeatedly identified in solution space discussions, particularly for ecosystem protection, but without consideration of the future of tourism in a rapidly decarbonizing and climate disrupted economy. With only 21% of published climate change and tourism literature in the AR6 review period cited, tourism academics should elevate tourism content and engagement in future assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study of the implications of Asian tourism for climate change is critical to fulfilling the terms of the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) and reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. Research has only recently begun to cover these topics. This paper examines climate risks, adaptation response, carbon emission, and mitigation in Asian tourism by reviewing the state-of-the-art and identifying gaps in previous research and future directions. More work has been done on East, Southeast, and South Asia than on Central, West, and North Asia, but great differences exist among needed research topics in these subregions. While some progress has been made on impact assessments of climate change and carbon emissions estimations, analysis and action remain mismatched. Often, one tourism sector is analyzed in isolation and only general suggestions are given for climate change adaptation and mitigation. This therefore highlights research that can facilitate the integrated analysis of climate change to inform policymakers and the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, healthcare professionals around the world were driven by universal values of solidarity and duty to provide care. However, local societal norms and existing healthcare systems influenced interactions among physicians, and with patients and their families. An exploratory qualitative study design using in‐depth interviews was undertaken with physicians working at two public sector hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Using the constant comparison method of data analysis, several key themes were identified highlighting norms of kinship and interdependencies characteristic of collectivistic societies that influenced professional interactions. The role of seniors in the hierarchical society of Pakistan played a major role in provision of care. Physicians reported numerous challenges in dealing with patients and their families amidst public denial fueled due to ill‐formed government policies. This included interruption of funeral rites which undermined public trust. The study provides insights into the local moral world of two healthcare institutions in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the role of humor in obfuscating social hierarchy? This article describes how caste prejudices among male taxi drivers in Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayas are enacted through the humor of calling each other "funny" names. Such humor is directed toward Dalit drivers whose proper first names are replaced by "funny" names that caricature their personal attributes as an index of their "lower‐caste" identity without addressing it directly. Given the conditions of social change in the practice of caste across India, calling such names provides the "upper‐caste" drivers grounds for the disavowability of addressing caste. Calling Dalit drivers funny first names at the taxi stand eschews addressing directly the collective lower‐caste identity indexed in their last names even as the humor so enacted becomes the premise for identifying their caste identity. It exceeds and bypasses legalized notions of caste atrocity by distorting personal attributes into humorous name‐calling that is indexically removed from the denigration of collective caste identity that can be disavowed. This article offers an ethnography of humor to understand how humorous sociability becomes the means for addressing lower‐caste identity while simultaneously providing the grounds for its obfuscation and disavowal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed and forecasted potato production in eight major South Asian countries from 1961 to 2028 using advanced time series and machine learning approaches. Annual potato production data was modelled with autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), state space, and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) models. The models were trained on 1961–2009 data and evaluated on a 2010–2021 validation set. On the training set, XGBoost showed the best performance. However, on the validation set, ARIMA and state space models significantly outperformed XGBoost, indicating issues with overfitting. The ARIMA models produced the lowest forecast errors for Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, and Myanmar. Meanwhile, state space models were optimal for India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, demonstrating that no one approach was uniformly best. The top performing models forecast potato production up to 2028, Afghanistan's production is expected to remain stable at around 860–862 thousand metric tons. Bangladesh's output is forecasted to stay constant at 9887 thousand metric tons. In contrast, China is predicted to see a steady increase from 94,625 to 96,193 thousand metric tons. India's production is anticipated to grow significantly from 54,704 to 62,396 thousand metric tons. Conversely, Myanmar's production is projected to decline from 460 to 426 thousand metric tons. Nepal's output is expected to steadily increase from 3395 to 4011 thousand metric tons. Pakistan's production is forecasted to rise substantially from 5573 to 7045 thousand metric tons. Lastly, Sri Lanka's potato production is projected to experience a modest increase from 77 to 84 thousand metric tons. These forecasts reflect the different levels of potato demand, consumption, and trade in each country, as well as the effects of climate change, pests, and diseases on potato yields. The rigorous comparative application of advanced time series and machine learning techniques provides valuable data-driven insights into future South Asian potato supply. The forecasts can assist food security planning and agricultural policymaking in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Domestic violence manifests in unique ways in South Asian immigrant communities. Given the need to uphold family honor, formal help-seeking remains minimal within this community. Individuals experiencing victimization rely on friends and family members as informal sources of support. These friends and family members may also be bystanders who witness victimization. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine differences in participant responses to an online interactive bystander intervention developed for South Asians. Methods: To get community response to the intervention, B.R.A.K.E. The Cycle, a Qualtrics link with all the intervention scenarios was posted on 21 sub-Reddit pages. Screeners to ensure that participants were of South Asian origin, 18 or older and currently residing in the United States (US) were added. True to the study purpose, to examine differences across gender and generational position, we conducted descriptive analysis and chi-square tests. Results: There were differences in scenarios by gender and immigration position. Some of the main findings point to the need to report domestic violence, seek help (formal or informal) as well as surprisingly some responses justified the use of force by a male partner. We discuss these in-depth by scenarios. Discussion: This is the first study to examine differences in bystander preference and response to using an intervention that was developed specifically for the South Asian community. Social workers can utilize this intervention to create dialogue around domestic violence prevention and the role of bystander within the South Asian and potentially other immigrant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores change and continuity in the institutional objectives and actions of the British Geological Survey across independent South Asian countries, namely India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Ceylon/Sri Lanka, and Burma/Myanmar. By focusing on this geographical space from the 1960s, the article tells a political tale of adjustment, in which the colonial background of the British presence in the region was overlain by the Cold War foreground of international competition. The Geological Survey had the required pedigree to prolong the British presence in important technical arenas of these emerging nation-states, albeit within the redefined parameters of development, overlapping interests, and competing benefits. The article sketches the Survey's history of exchange and collaboration across South Asian countries (except Bhutan), as its projects adapted to national preferences and global pressures. It traces how and why its proposals prioritised certain interactions over others and tracks the ways-and-means through which it pursued geological and attendant commercial aims. The article also attempts to situate these interplays within regional and ideological frames, within which politically conscious technocrats sought capital and influence to reorient earth science objectives so that these could simultaneously accrue national products and generate neo-colonial prestige. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Highly cited papers (HCPs) can influence both research and clinical practice. They help to identify core literature and important advances in a field. This study aimed to assess the current status and prospects of South Asia COVID-19 research from the HCPs using bibliometric indicators. Methodology: COVID-19 literature from South Asia published between December 2019 and 29 November 2023 in the Scopus database was analysed. The top HCPs, having more than 200 citations, were evaluated. Information about citation counts, authors and organisations and their affiliations, year of publication, source journal, geographical origin, subject, article type, funding details, etc. were retrieved and analysed. Data and visualisation analysis was undertaken using Microsoft Excel and other bibliometric software. Results: The 298 South Asia HCPs were published from 2020 to 2023 and were cited 200–3,596 times, with a mean average of 413.9 citations per paper (CPP). Around 24.5% and 51.3% of HCPs received external funding support and were involved in international collaboration, respectively. The most productive organisations were the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, and the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, while the most impactful organisations were Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children, Mumbai, and Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital & Medical Research Institute, Mumbai. The most productive journals were Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews. Conclusions: This study has identified core and significant authors, organisations, journals, subject fields and significant keywords, collaborators and funding agencies involved in South Asia's COVID-19 research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nepal has a long history of labour migration over the years. Migrants can experience a range of problems in their destination countries, and women are more at risk than men. This paper is the first to explore the problems faced by Nepalese women migrants while working abroad. Methods: This study was conducted among 1,889 women who were registered as migrant returnees at an organisation called Pourakhi Nepal. The study extracted and analysed data from a non-governmental organisation that supports returning female migrant workers in Nepal. Results: Around half (43.1%) of the women were 35 or older, 30.9% were illiterate, and 63.6% were in their first overseas job. More than one-third (38.5%) had self-reported workplace harassment. Physical violence was the most prevalent (68%), followed by verbal abuse (37.5%), mental stress (29.7%), and sexual abuse (14.1%). Women who were illiterate (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]1.25, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01 to 1.55), unmarried (AOR 1.27, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.56), worked abroad twice or more (AOR 1.35, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.66), changed their place of work (AOR 2.38, 95% CI: 1.42 to 4.01), lived without documents (AOR 1.24, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.50), worked as domestics (AOR 3.56, 95% CI: 2.03 to 6.23), worked in other than Gulf Cooperation Council countries (AOR 1.45, 95% CI: 1.06 to 1.99), women who did not have a fixed salary (AOR 1.64, 95% CI: 1.28 to 2.10) and did not receive salary (AOR 3.71, 95% CI: 2.88 to 4.77) were more likely to be harassed at work. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the host governments should introduce and enforce policies protecting women in the workplace. Migrant women should be provided with better information about health risks and hazards as well as how to improve preventive measures in destination countries to reduce workplace harassment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Access to health care remains suboptimal in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and continues to hinder survival in early childhood. We systematically assessed the association between problems accessing health care (PAHC) and under-five mortality (U5M). Methods Child mortality data on 724 335 livebirths came from the latest Demographic and Health Surveys of 50 LMICs (2013–2021). Reasons for PAHC were classified into three domains: 'money needed for treatment' (economic), 'distance to health facility' (physical), 'getting permission' or 'not wanting to go alone' (socio-cultural). Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between PAHC (any and by each type) and U5M. Results In our pooled sample, 47.3 children per 1000 livebirths died before age of 5, and 57.1% reported having experienced PAHC (ranging from 45.3% in Europe & Central Asia to 72.7% in Latin America & Caribbean). Children with any PAHC had higher odds of U5M (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.09), and this association was especially significant in sub-Saharan Africa. Of different domains of PAHC, socio-cultural PAHC was found to be most significant. Conclusions Access to health care in LMICs needs to be improved by expanding health care coverage, building health facilities, and focusing more on context-specific socio-cultural barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article underscores the role of the localized socio-economic hierarchies and power asymmetries in mediating advantages and disadvantages associated with the provision of new road infrastructure development. The localized socio-institutional structures, such as the control over the land-use and informality of the postcolonial state, are central in mediating socioeconomic impacts of the road infrastructure. Therefore, the article argues that wider societal impact of infrastructure development can be best analyzed through the localized socio-institutional lens of original institutional economics. The article analyzes the localized socio-economic impact of a mega road infrastructure project on land-use in Sheikhupura district of Punjab, Pakistan. It illustrates that the provision of new roads has incentivized large landowners to extract super rents by transforming erstwhile farmland into commercial real estate housing projects. In this process, landless sharecroppers and small peasants have been evicted/dispossessed from the farmland. In other words, the existing socio-institutional structures have allowed large landholders to use the provision of infrastructure development in their own private interests at the expense of local agriculture and livelihoods of historically marginalized groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, no country, including the United States (US), has yet recognised the former. The US has consistently urged the regime to comply with the Doha agreement that emphasised an inclusive government. Moreover, the Biden administration has repeatedly asked the regime to respect human rights and allow girls education and employment, but in vain. What explains the divergences in US–Afghanistan relations post-withdrawal? What is the trajectory of the US–Taliban ties in the current context? Above all, is there any possibility of the US recognition of the Taliban regime in the foreseeable future? Based on primary data, it is posited that the relations between the US and the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are divergent and currently antagonistic due to the Taliban's non-compliance with the Doha agreement. Futuristically, the study explores three scenarios to predict US–Afghanistan relations. First, there is a likelihood of US–Afghanistan rapprochement if the Taliban do the US bidding. Second, in cases of non-compliance, the US would get tough on the regime in terms of further sanctions. However, the Taliban would consolidate (informal) ties with China, Russia and other regional countries, including Pakistan. Third, the US has the military capabilities to do regime change in Afghanistan in case of another 9/11-type incident in the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transboundary rivers raise critical concerns for state security amidst contemporary ecological strain and regional geopolitics in South Asia. The challenge of 'water security' is underscored by the substantial reliance on transboundary rivers, compounded by the multifaceted impacts of climate change and the simmering geopolitical tensions among riparian nations, especially in the complex dynamics between India–China and India–Pakistan. This study endeavours to illuminate distinctive characteristics of the South Asian transboundary governance framework, wherein rivers are subjected to intensive damming aimed at (a) harnessing hydroelectric potential and (b) leveraging water resources as geopolitical bargaining chips, thereby exerting pressure; however, order is not specified, particularly. In this intricate milieu, international conventions often fail to reconcile internal contradictions inherent within the transboundary governance paradigm. Consequently, transboundary water resources have metamorphosed into an extension of geopolitical realities, embodying intricate interplay between hydrology, geopolitics and state security within the region, especially between China, India and Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South Asian region has faced multiple challenges in the last few decades. This region is susceptible to climate change due to the presence of both drought-prone and coastal areas. It also faces the problem of increasing food-insecurity due to the recent events of crop failure consequent to natural calamities. This study examines the nexus between agricultural production and food security amidst climate change for the South Asian nations from 2000 to 2019. From the empirical investigation, using Driscoll-Kraay and Panel-Corrected Standard Error estimators, we get robust results in the presence of cross-sectional dependence and heteroskedasticity. The simultaneous equation model using 3SLS is also used for the robustness check, considering the probable endogeneity issue in the model. The findings of the study reveal that agricultural production, fertilizer consumption, and land under cereal production play a substantial and positive role in determining food security in the South Asian nations. Furthermore, the varying rainfall patterns coupled with rising temperature, as well as the increasing level of CO2 emissions are found to impede food security in these nations. Additionally, non-climatic factors related to agriculture and land-use are also found to induce CO2 emissions, which is a major cause of climate change. Therefore, from a policy perspective, this study suggests that to ensure long-term food security in the South Asian nations, the government should implement effective policy measures, which include the decarbonization of the agricultural sector by encouraging the use of renewable energy sources and promoting climate-resilient agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Anees Jung's Night of the New Moon: Encounters with Muslim Women in India (1993) and Nighat Gandhi's Alternative Realities: Love in the Lives of Muslim Women (2013), two contemporary anglophone travel narratives documenting the lives of Muslim women, the article explores the cartography of feminine Islam in the Indian subcontinent and argues that both authors, in mapping the geography of Muslim women, take inspiration from Rihla narratives, the medieval Islamic genre of travel literature. It explores how the generic esthetics of Adab-al-Rihla (travel literature) resonate with the esthetics employed by the authors in their "eye-witness" accounts of Muslim societies: how journeys in search of Muslim women bring the traveler close to Talib-e-'ilm (knowledge-seeker) of Rihla, how, through their discoveries, the authors reclaim the domain of knowledge production, how the narratives, by incorporating everyday and commonplace, along with 'aa'jaib and nawadir (strange and rare), remediate sublimity of the genre, and how do the authors map secular and sacred in Muslim geographies raising questions about the spaces that women inhabit. Furthermore, it investigates how, by revealing the feminine, both texts contest the inherent masculinity of Rihla tradition and challenge the hegemonic narratives about women and lived Islam in the subcontinent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amitav Ghosh's The Hungry Tide operates in the archipelago of the Sunderbans and explores characters who reside in different quadrants of the socio-political map, navigating the difficult nexus between the survival of humans and conservation of the non-human. The key to this navigation is an important, and often ignored, historical event in his fiction—the Marichjhapi massacre of 1979. The massacre was enabled by West Bengal government's primacy on ecology and disregard for the fundamental rights of the people. This massacre and its impact on subsequent generations of that locality have been brushed aside in Indian mainstream history. Events of Marichjhapi have been deemed problematic for both nationalist sentiment and environmental conservation—two things that were of growing popularity during that time. In his narrative of deltas and dolphins, Ghosh manages to carve out the space for such a difficult event regarding people through a literary device that is often personal—a diary. Ghosh's narrativization of the events in Marichjhapi through Nirmal's diary, along with his characterization of local representatives such as Fokir, gives new understandings of the sufferings faced by the marginalized communities and the narrative challenges of relaying their voices—while showing the interconnectivity of people and their environment at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do India and Pakistan always quarrel over terrorism? The prevailing arguments more often implicate intriguing South Asian geopolitics surrounding the unresolved Kashmir dispute or pathological partition of British India in 1947 to explain this puzzle. Surprisingly, why and how the two countries verbalise terrorism has hardly been investigated in a comparative framework as a potential underpinning of this historical syndrome. This void has deprived South Asia's existing literature and public and policy debates of an understanding of the underlying determinants of the terrorism discourse. Namely, how has the discourse originated, what are its distinct metaphysics, and how it has shaped and normalised discursive practices at significant moments in the history of these two countries, and with what consequences? This article responds to these broader questions. It argues that among other vital underpinnings, the Indo-Pakistan terrorism discourse, with its origins in colonialism, functions to institute and enable rival practices of exclusionary politics, doublespeak and propaganda. More importantly, it nurtures self-fulfilling concepts of statehood deriving from a constructed "real" reality characterising an imagined geopolitical pathology that, in turn, perpetuates Indo-Pakistan imperialism. In addressing this argument, the paper makes multiple original contributions, including identifying research avenues and indicating various intersecting causes of friction that afford reconciliation possibilities to the stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]