This week, Bakht Noor Nasar writes that local journalists reporting the War on Terror from the Pakistan-Afghanistan borderlands became victims and agents of geopolitical conflict and an exploitative global media. Nasar reviews two recently published books which reveal how local journalists were viewed as disposable labour - and how they pushed back through their reporting.
For our next Podcast of the Week, host of the State of Southasia podcast Nayantara Narayanan will be talking to journalist Patricia Mukhim about the resurgence of ethnic violence in India’s Manipur state.
For Screen Southasia, we’ll be streaming ‘Behind the Screen’, where director Aung Nwai Htway dissects the dissolution of his parent’s marriage, along the way revealing a glimpse into Myanmar’s film industry in the 1960s, as his parents were both iconic actors. Look out for the streaming link!
Simmering tensions, protests in Pakistan and Bangladesh
This week protests broke out in both Pakistan and Bangladesh. In Pakistan, Islamabad was placed on security lockdown as thousands of supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf marched on the capital calling for the release of ex-prime minister Imran Khan from detention. In response, police shut down roads, suspended mobile and internet services, and shot at and arrested protesters – with around 1000 protesters reportedly arrested and at least six people killed, including four security officers. The PTI has temporarily suspended protests in response to the crackdown. While in Bangladesh, police used tear gas against Hindu protesters calling for the release of Hindu religious leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, arrested this week on charges of sedition for ‘disrespecting the national flag’. At least one protester, a Muslim lawyer, was killed in the clash.
In Pakistan, rights watchdogs have called for an investigation into the police’s action on PTI supporters, part of a broader crackdown on the opposition that highlights political repression and the entrenchment of Pakistan’s military in politics. In Bangladesh, Hindu groups have reported 205 attacks on their community since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s administration, but critics say these claims are being weaponised by the Awami League government for political gain. Despite this, there has also been criticism of the charges against Das. His arrest has reignited geopolitical tensions between India and Bangladesh, with India expressing ‘deep concern’ for the safety of religious minorities in Bangladesh while Bangladesh said the arrest had been ‘misconstrued’’.
Four Muslim men killed amid clashes in India’s Uttar Pradesh state over a mosque survey ordered by the local court after Hindu groups claim that Mughal rulers destroyed a temple to build the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal. Authorities have closed schools and suspended internet services in the city.
International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor requests arrest warrant for Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing for ‘crimes against humanity’ towards the Rohingya in 2016-17 which led to at least 700,000 fleeing to Bangladesh amid reports of killings, torture, rape and arson.
Storm depression in Bay of Bengal triggered heavy rainfall and landslides across Sri Lanka, displacing over 330,000 people with 12 deaths reported
Pakistani officials announced a new 10-day truce between Sunni and Shia armed groups after days of clashes in the northwest of the country, killing more than 100 people, with over 300 families fleeing
Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake backtracks on campaign promise to renegotiate terms of the International Monetary Fund bailout program, as the global lender approves the third review and releases USD 330 million
The anti-junta armed group Ta’ang National Liberation Army based in Shan state announced that it was ready to engage in talks with the junta after pressure from China, who has closed the border and cut off fuel transport. China has extensive economic interests in Myanmar including energy pipelines and mining projects.
Both houses of parliament in India suspended within minutes of opening as opposition lawmakers disrupted proceedings for the third day this week seeking discussion on Adani group indictment in the US
A new United Nations report on Afghanistan says that the Taliban has systematically suppressed the country’s media sector and created an environment of fear through 336 documented cases of human rights violations against media personnel.
Air quality in Kathmandu plummets as dry season approaches, with the burning of waste, dust from construction and polluted air from India further contributing to the unhealthy air quality level
The Maldives plans to increase ‘exit fees’ for foreign passengers leaving the country starting on 1 December amidst the backdrop of Male facing a foreign exchange shortage
Sri Lanka Police recently launched a revamped website which allowed people to submit complaints and apply for clearance certificates online with much fanfare. Apparently, they also hired someone new to manage their social media accounts - a post on X (formerly Twitter) used the recent 'Just a Chill Guy' meme to exhort Sri Lankans not to honk while in traffic. As one reader pointed out, perhaps Sri Lankan commuters would be more 'chill' if police weren't causing the traffic in the first place (or soliciting bribes for non-existent traffic offences, or harassing passersby in the name of dispensing justice - you get the picture).
Got a meme or satirical post you'd like to share? Send us a meme that made you laugh from the past week here.
Recent news of violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh due to tensions around a survey of a 16th century mosque, ordered after claims it had been built on the site of a Hindu temple, has revived discussion on contested sites of religious worship. In light of this, Khalid Anas Ansari's piece from 2016 is worth revisiting. Ansari unpacks the demolition of two mosques - one widely known, one less known - and discusses what the two incidents reveal about the shifts in India's political landscape.