South Asia

A Salute across the skies, from Air Commodore Pervez Akhtar Khan

The tragic death of 37-year-old Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, Wing Commander Namansh Syal, who lost his life on Friday, November 21 when a Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Mk-1) crashed during a demonstration at the Dubai air show, brought this moving response from Pakistani Air Commodore Pervez Akhtar Khan from across the border

After India’s ‘limited strikes’ on Pakistan, de-escalation, restraint, diplomacy needed to avoid war

In similar highly tense situations in the past, both sides have been able to avoid war and work their way back to near normal conditions, and this can happen again

Pahalgam: Voices of peace and reason in times of war

This piece written before India’s air strikes on its neighbour, Pakistan on May 7 remains relevant today

Poonch Victims: Civilians as targets of shelling

Four minors fell victim to the shelling while a hymn singer, tabla player, shopkeeper and homemaker were also killed and a gurdwara was also struck and suffered damage to its wall; hasty irresponsible reportage included slurring of an innocent civilian killed as a ‘terrorist’; preliminary reportage has counted the victims in Poonch alone to be 15 though numbers are expected to rise further

From Trenches to Trust: Reimagining South Asia’s Dividends of Peace

Generations have been raised on trauma and banality of wars and hostility; it is time to trade $72 billion defense spending for solutions to poverty, illiteracy, and healthcare deficits.

The ‘Harijans’ of Bangladesh: Victims of constitutional neglect and social isolation

From the use of the word ‘Harijan’ alone, to the absence of acknowledgement of structural discrimination within Bangladesh (and Pakistan) the Dalit movement has a long way to go in both Islamic countries

Pakistan: Farmers Protest Govt’s Corporate Farming Plan

To invite big corporate investments into the country’s agriculture sector, Pakistan has announced the building of six canals on the Indus River.

Bangladesh: Why Indian Muslims’ voice against anti-Hindu violence matters

It is reassuring to see some noted Indian Muslim intellectuals and scholars including a few Ulema come out and call spade a spade.

Indian Muslims strongly condemn attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Communalism is a sub-continental malaise and must be fought across borders

Lessons from a ‘Democratic Revolt’: Prevent the slide into majoritarianism

Images of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of...

Bangladesh Situation Tumultuous, But Does Not Signify Islamic Extremist Dominance

Longstanding Bangaldesh Observer and Senior journalist Suvojit Bagchi analyses...

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Allahabad HC slams overzealous police action, says distributing Bibles or preaching Christianity is not an offence under UP conversion law

Bench flags suspicious FIR, delayed ‘victim’ statements, and questions complainant’s conduct in alleged conversion case

Baba Adhav is no more; his Life and Work remain an inspiration for those working for Justice and Equality

Baba Adhav’s unique work was encompassed in an approach that saw dismantling of the shackles of caste, hierarchy and discrimination through meticulous and inspired organisation of the invisibilised unorganised workforce –hamals (head-loaders), rag-pickers and domestic workers—towards a combination of improved living conditions, working conditions and social conditions, a sense of dignity and pride in their work

Beware of Aadhaar: A warning on India’s biometric identity model on International Human Rights Day

On the eve of International Human Rights Day, 50 +, several organisations and individuals have launched a “Beware of Aadhaar” Campaign: The signatories have flagged the issue that Aadhaar is “not a model to emulate but it raises serious concerns about surveillance, exclusion and rights violations on the ground. This statement, “Beware of Aadhar” offers a concise critique of India’s digital ID experiment and why exporting it is dangerous

The Taj Story & Resurgence of a Myth, the ideological engineering of a Brahmanical narrative of pseudo-history

Tejo Mahalay & Mina Bazar: P. N. Oak’s Pseudohistory demeaning both Muslims & Rajputs, is both Communal and Casteist; P. N. Oak’s legacy is not one of historical revision but of ideological engineering. His “Tejo Mahalay” myth and “Mina Bazar” fantasy are not just anti-Muslim—they are anti-Rajput and fundamentally Brahminical

Gujarat High Court calls out “routine emergency”, strikes down years of Section 144 orders, demands transparency in all future restrictions

In its ruling, the Court holds that Ahmedabad Police normalised extraordinary powers, suppressed peaceful dissent, and failed to inform the public — directing that all future prohibitory orders must be published across social media and modern communication platforms

The Tamil Nadu Challenge: The Self-Respect Movement and Periyar E.V. Ramasami

Of late, in Tamil Nadu, the Communists and the Self Respecters (members of the DK) who have until now been viewing each other with disdain until two decades ago, have, through the re-discovery of Periyar by the former realised the value of a political reaffirmation of the fundamentals of the Self-Respect Movement. This is crucial in the state given the current context of the brutal march of ‘Hindutva Hegemons’.  Both movements now face a historical challenge, in theory and practice, to be able to convincingly – and through action - club the anti-caste struggle with the class struggle  

Baba Adhav the grassroots campaigner and leader of the socially oppressed passed away at 96

An intrepid and committed social reformer and organiser of the urban working class, labourers, domestic workers, waste-pickers, Baba Adhav of the “Ek Gaon Ek Panavtha” (One Village One Water Source/Well), who challenged the caste system, died in Pune on Monday December 8