The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) held a Conference on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances in South Asia on the eve of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances (30 August). Lawyers and activists who attended the conference called on South Asian States to immediately criminalize […]
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA)’s Council of Complaints Saturday recommended Rs 5 Lakhs (Pakistan currency) fine each on as many as 13 television channels for running a report on wedding of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan without evidence. The council has also recommended that these channels would air apology and also recommended […]
To defeat ISIS, South Asian countries must look beyond their selfish and myopic interests The so-called Islamic State (IS) in appeared around 2014. Since then, policymakers and the strategic community in South Asia remain divided on whether the terrorist group poses a threat to the region or not. These differences can be attributed to two […]
Is the rise of Political Islam destroying South Asia’s pluralism? A couple of Pakistani historians indicate so. Read on: Feminists and the liberals are divided on whether the burqa, a garment that covers the entire body, or the niqab, the facial veil, represent personal freedom or suppression. While most experts agree that women, like men, […]
Khyentse Norbu is an iconic figure in Bhutan. Bhutanese Lama and internationally acclaimed film director’s latest film ‘Hema Hema: Sing me a song while I wait, premiered in Switzerland recently. It is Norbu’s fourth feature. The monk’s association with film began during the Bhutan shoot for Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1993 film “Little Buddha.” Norbu at the […]
Patna: Come September, and the fifth annual Washington DC South Asian Film Festival will kick off. Indo-Canadian director-scriptwriter Deepa Mehta is expected to inaugurate the event. Other eminent film personalities expected to attend are director Jeffrey Brown, actress Seema Biswas, actor Rajit Kapur, Rati Agnihotri, Palomi Ghosh, and Pakistani actress Amna Ilyas and Pakistani director […]
The recent bout of terrorist attacks in Pakistan reminds us once again that it is one of the worst victims of terrorism perpetrated by religious extremist groups claiming their adherence to what they call the puritan Islam. According to Global Terrorism Index the top 5 countries affected by terrorism include Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and […]
Pakistan’s first Metro rail, to be built in Lahore, has received a setback. The Lahore High Court on Friday (Aug 19) banned construction of the country’s first rapid mass transit system within 61 metres of historic buildings in the city of Lahore. Heritage campaigners had argued that the Chinese-funded metro project, most of which will […]
The leader of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nepal has called for prayers amid a state clampdown on evangelistic outreach, including the distribution of religious literature and even having a Bible in a Christian orphanage. All evangelistic activity is prohibited under a new Nepalese Constitution that came into force in September 2015. Article 31(3) of […]
Facing a shortage of candidates at home, Chinese airlines are dangling lucrative pay packages at foreigners with cockpit experience. In fact, Chinese airlines are desperate to attract pilots! Are we going to see a wing-drain from India? Unlike India, it seems that aviation is booming in China. The number of airlines has increased to 55 […]
Bangladesh: People from all sections of Bangladeshi society should denounce the use of violence in the name of religion, said Bishop Sebastian Tudu of Dinajpur in a recent seminar. Bangladeshi police organized the seminar, which drew some 8,000 people including leaders from Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian communities. Bangladesh is a multi-religious and multi-cultural nation, […]
KATHMANDU – Nepal’s Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda sent one of his trusted lieutenants from the insurgency period as a special envoy to China. He seeks to clear confusion over the future of agreements signed by his predecessor. In a balancing act, officials said Prachanda would send another deputy, Bimelandra Nidhi, a member of the Madhesi […]
