South Asia in July 2026: the most important developments in politics
Politics in South Asia in July 2026 centered on Bangladesh and the planned return of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. An exclusive report on July 10 said she planned to come back in December with party colleagues to surrender. On July 15 Bangladesh said death row sentences can be revised and welcomed the plan, while a minister repeated that she will have to go to jail. On July 24 President Mohammed Shahabuddin, described as a Hasina ally, resigned citing ill health. On July 29 Hasina said she would return despite fearing she could be killed or imprisoned, without giving a date. On July 30 India's government told a parliamentary panel that an extradition request for her is being examined. Separately, Myanmar was to take back 300,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh, according to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The ASEAN foreign ministers' meetings in Manila from July 21 brought together US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Rubio told ASEAN countries the US seeks a diplomatic solution with Iran and held talks with Lavrov on July 23. The Philippines and China summoned each other's envoys over a South China Sea incident on July 21. Manila had protested a video from Chinese state media that shows Filipinos as monkeys, which it called racist. ASEAN ministers hoped to conclude a code of conduct for the South China Sea this year, and the bloc granted Turkey dialogue partner status. In Manila, the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte began on July 6.
In Indonesia, an anti-graft prosecutor resigned on July 11 after police seized gold and cash from his home, and officials reported the country's biggest corruption raids on July 13. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a state visit and received Indonesia's highest honor. Central bank governor Perry Warjiyo resigned on July 27. In Malaysia's Johor state election on July 11, the ruling coalition's key partner was routed. Singapore Minister Tan Chuan-Jin resigned on July 20. Thailand and Malaysia resolved a fisheries dispute, and Xi Jinping urged Thailand and Cambodia to settle their border dispute through dialogue. In Sri Lanka, former minister Jagath Pushpakumara was arrested on July 8, and a court ordered the arrest of Deputy Minister Eranga Gunasekara and MP Jagath Manuwarna on July 17.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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