The problems which South Asia is facing are decades long, and still, they are not solved due to the main causes which we are going to discuss below. The main problems in South Asia are:
1) Kashmir Issue: the Kashmir issue is one of the sensitive problems of South Asia. Kashmir is the bone of contention. India and Pakistan are head to head with this issue, fought wars, and still killing innocent people. This is one of the unfinished agendas of the partition. Because of the Kashmir issue, the whole of South Asia is disturbed, and unstable.
2) Mass poverty: poverty is also one of the main problems in South Asia. South Asia has a huge number of poor people in the whole world almost 135 million to 190 million. India’s 44% of the population lives below the poverty line. Nevertheless, India become the most populous country in 2023 with a population of 177 million. The Gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to slow down sharply to an average of 5.8 percent in 2022 and 2023. Among South Asian countries, there are divergent paths. The more service-led economies (India, Nepal, and Maldives) are expected to maintain a reasonable recovery trend despite headwinds, while Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan are in more precarious shape and will see poverty increase in 2022 as they deal with the aftermath of severe domestic crises.
3) Health issue: the South Asia region facing many challenges in health care. We know South Asia have a lot of health issue i.e. Polio, Malaria, TB, AIDS, etc. many people died due to these health problems. Further, we also have a high rate of death of newborn babies (infant mortality) due to inadequate health care facilities. Moreover, if human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is not treated, it can lead to AIDS and a 2021 report released by the United Nations (UN) programme UNAIDS estimates that between 200,000 and 220,000 people in Pakistan live with HIV.
4) Economic interdependence: the whole South Asia region has low economic growth. Because these are under-developed and poor regions, so they suffered more in hard times. Due to low economic growth, these countries are often indebted to international financial institutions like International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), etc. Hence they become economically dependent on developed countries.
5) Indian hegemonic attitude: it is a major issue because India wants to control all the South Asia. India wants to become a regional power, and because of this hegemonic attitude, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) organization could not function properly. It is a problem that is faced by the South Asia region.
6) Afghanistan: Pakistan did not like that India is making good relations with Afghanistan because then India controls the water through Afghanistan and according to Pakistan, India is interfering with Pakistan through Afghanistan, so it is a problem. However, the International community is now not happy with the de-facto Government of Taliban. Nevertheless, the international community still has not recognized the De-facto Government in Afghanistan because the United Nations (UN) said that women’s Rights Along with Human Rights are being violated in Afghanistan.
7) Education: The education is majority issue that South Asia is facing. This is a basic right of every person. In South Asia, 11.3 million children from the primary level are not in school. In terms of lower secondary level 20.6 million children are out of school. Illiteracy is also a big problem in the socioeconomic development of South Asia. Moreover after the flood in Pakistan and other regions of South Asia. The Education system effect by natural disasters. At least 25,993 schools have been damaged or destroyed in the region of Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, and KP due to the floods with data collection still ongoing. In addition, more than 7,062 schools that were not damaged have turned into relief camps to provide shelter to the flood-affected population. Further, in the refugee villages, 61 schools (26 in KPK & 35 in Balochistan) have been affected and the learning process of 27,148 (58.7% girls) children have been affected.
8) Climate change: climate change is not only a problem in South Asia, it is the problem of the whole world. Global warming is increasing day by day. In 2021, the global sea level set a new record high of 97 mm (3.8 inches) above 1993 levels. All glaciers of Karakorum, Hindu Kush, and Himalaya are melting due to that floods are increased. The South Asian Region is already in 3rd position in the world which is affected by climate change. In the future, it would be a disastrous problem for South Asia. Nevertheless, COP27 Countries are more serious about the climate issue and we will hope that all countries contribute to fighting against climate change.
9) Trade: the South Asian region does not have too much trade among each other. Although there is huge potential. Because every country wants to boost its economy. In South Asia, the trade between India and Pakistan is 37 billion but the actual figure is 2.3 billion, due to Kashmir and other conflicts.
10) Terrorism: Terrorism is also a big problem in South Asia, in which the countries do not invest in South Asia and economic collaboration is badly affected due to terrorism because they are under threat.
11) Women empowerment: Women empowerment is not at a satisfactory level, their socio-economic contribution in any field of work is low. Nor they are getting full education neither they got their due rights. Only a few women contribute to the South Asian region.
12) Unemployment: There is limited employment provided by the government, and the majority of youth are unemployed due to the crime rates getting i.e. robbery, street crime, and also terrorism.
These all are the main problem of South Asia while the major actor i.e. India and Pakistan should need to support each other in this 21st century. Further, both countries need to solve Kashmir which is the main problem of South Asia, if the Kashmir issue will be solved then it is possible for South Asia to become a more stable region. As far as climate change is concerned the whole world needs to fight for the lives of the earth, as Maldives is a country in South Asia and it will be in trouble in the future as become the sea level rises day by day. The major actors of South Asia now took a Step ahead for the betterment of their own counties and for the whole South Asia region.
