Bangladesh, Aug. 5 -- On 5 August, Bangladesh marks the second anniversary of the student-led uprising that toppled the Sheikh Hasina government-one of the most consequential turning points in its recent history.

The anniversary invites more than national reflection. It raises a regional question: are South Asia's student movements isolated national events, or symptoms of a deeper transformation in the region's politics and society? The answer carries consequences well beyond Dhaka.

The question matters because Bangladesh is not an outlier. Across South Asia, one of the world's youngest and fastest-urbanizing regions, young people have moved from the margins of politics to its centre.

Bangladesh's July Uprising was part of a broader r...