The start of 2026 marked a pivotal moment for South Asia as Bangladesh and Nepal ushered in new governments through consequential elections. Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is nearing six months in office, while Nepal’s Prime Minister Balen Shah marked the first 100 days of his administration last month. Both leaders came to power amid widespread public frustration with the political establishment, demands for greater accountability, and concerns over the economic prospects of their countries’ rapidly growing youth populations.

Join the Asia Society Policy Institute for an expert webinar to assess the two governments’ early performance, examining progress on electoral promises, domestic reforms, economic priorities, and governance. Panelists will also evaluate the two governments’ evolving foreign policy approaches, their efforts to navigate an increasingly complex regional landscape shaped by key players like India and China, and their engagement with Washington. The discussion will explore what these early policy choices reveal about the future trajectories of Bangladesh and Nepal and their implications for regional geopolitics.

The virtual discussion will feature Anil Giri, Chief Sub Editor, The Kathmandu Post; Raheed Ejaz, Special Correspondent, Prothom Alo; and Rishi Gupta, Assistant Director, ASPI Delhi. Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives, ASPI, will moderate the discussion.

Speakers

Anil Giri is the Chief Sub Editor at The Kathmandu Post, Nepal’s largest English-language daily, where he reports on diplomacy, geopolitics, international relations, and national politics. With over two decades of journalistic experience, he is widely regarded as one of Nepal’s leading voices on foreign policy and regional affairs. Giri previously served as the Delhi Correspondent for The Annapurna Post, covering India-Nepal relations and South Asian geopolitics. His analyses and reporting have appeared in The Himalayan Times and the BBC Nepali Service, among other national and international outlets.

He has authored and co-authored chapters in several books and conducts research on geopolitics. He also engages with global media platforms such as Hindustan Times, INAS, and others, offering informed perspectives on regional and global issues.

He is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi.

Raheed Ejaz is one of the Special Correspondents at Prothom Alo, the largest Bangla-language daily in Bangladesh. Since 2009, he has been serving as the newspaper’s Diplomatic Correspondent, covering a wide range of issues including geopolitics, geo-economics, international trade and investment, human rights, migration, refugee crises, water sharing, border management etc.

With over 25 years of experience in journalism, Raheed has contributed to several leading Bangladeshi media outlets including Daily Sangbad, The New Age, Jai Jai Din, and bdnews24.com. He began his career in May 1999 with Daily Sangbad.

As media landscape evolves, Raheed’s interests have expanded to include digital media management and emerging media trends. Beyond daily reporting, he writes op-eds and analytical pieces on international affairs and frequently appears as a commentator on television talk shows.

Raheed also contributes to academic discourse, recently serving as a resource person for diploma courses on humanitarian diplomacy at North South University (NSU), one of Bangladesh’s premier academic institutions.

Raheed participated in the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on U.S. Foreign Policy in 2007. He is also the co-author of several books, including a notable work on the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

He has held leadership roles in the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB), serving as its President and General Secretary in 2007, 2008, 2011, and 2019.

Raheed earned his post-graduate degree in American Literature in 1998 and his undergraduate degree in English Literature in 1996, both from the University of Chittagong.

Rishi Gupta is Assistant Director at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New Delhi – a division of the Asia Society India Centre, Mumbai. He is a Visiting Fellow at the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA), Kathmandu, Nepal. He was previously associated with the Vivekananda International Foundation and Center for Air Power Studies, New Delhi.

He completed his PhD from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India, MPhil in Foreign Policy Studies from the Institute of Foreign Policy Studies, Kolkata, and MA in South Asian Studies from the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institute for South Asia Regional Cooperation (UMISARC) at Pondicherry University, Pondicherry. He was an Exchange Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. His areas of research interest include the Indo-Pacific, South Asian Regional Security, Himalayan Politics, and India’s National Security. His research writings regularly appear on various national and international platforms.

Farwa Aamer (moderator) is the Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) in New York and Editor of ASPI’s monthly South Asia Snapshot. In this role, she leads ASPI’s policy work, strategic engagement, and programming across South Asia.

Farwa brings extensive experience in regional diplomacy, U.S.–South Asia relations, and emerging policy challenges in the region. Prior to joining ASPI, she led research at the Stimson Center on the political, security, and socio-economic dimensions of transboundary river governance in the Himalayan region. Her work has supported high-level Track II dialogues and discussions designed to facilitate greater inter-and intra-regional cooperation on issues and opportunities concerning water, energy, and climate security and sustainable development in South Asia, MENA, and Central Asia.

From 2017 to 2021, Farwa was with the EastWest Institute (EWI) in New York where she also served as the Director of South Asia Program. At EWI, Farwa worked on promoting non-traditional channels of diplomacy and establishing multi-stakeholder platforms to advance regional cooperation on shared geopolitical, economic, and resilience priorities. In this role, she convened policy shapers, media leaders, academics, and private-sector experts from across South Asia, the United States, and the wider international community to drive dialogue and collaborative action.

Farwa received her Bachelors of Science degree in Economics from University College London (UCL) and has a Masters in Management with Finance from BPP Business School, London.