Himal Briefs

A disappeared Maldivian journalist’s family still waits for closure

Eight years after he vanished, and despite an official report pointing to his abduction and murder, Ahmed Rilwan is yet to be declared dead, and powerful officials allegedly linked to the killers evade justice

| Mar 21, 2023

Tehreek-i-Taliban is making its way back in Pakistan

Tehreek-i-Taliban’s resurgence reveals the failure of the Pakistan government’s anti-terror policy and its ambivalent, contradictory relationship with Islamist militant groups

| Mar 13, 2023

The Maldives’ ruling party is fighting itself and the opposition in the race for president

The PPM continues its protests for Abdulla Yameen’s release. The MDP’s Ibrahim Solih and Mohamed Nasheed are amid rows as China and India watch the 2023 election race closely

| Feb 10, 2023

How a human rights law became a tool of repression in Sri Lanka

The ICCPR Act, modelled on an international human rights treaty meant to prohibit national, racial and religious hatred, has been distorted in Sri Lanka to punish blasphemy and target minorities

| Feb 07, 2023

Bangladesh’s BNP fights to make a political comeback

With massive anti-government rallies by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and their repression by the ruling Awami League-led government, battle lines are being drawn for the next general election

| Feb 02, 2023

Pakistan needs to go beyond the 18th amendment to end the military’s role in politics

Reviving the 2010 reform process can be key to resolving Pakistan’s continued crises, but the reforms need to also target the military's massive business empire

| Jan 30, 2023

What’s really behind Jammu and Kashmir’s new Family ID?

Kashmiris fear the scheme is another tool for surveillance and collective punishment by the Indian state.

| Jan 23, 2023

Sri Lanka’s Easter bombing verdict is reshaping politics and power

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has ordered former president Maithripala Sirisena and top security officials to compensate victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. But Ranil Wickremesinghe, the prime minister at the time, has escaped scrutiny.

| Jan 20, 2023

A plot twist makes Pushpa Kamal Dahal prime minister of Nepal

Dahal, aka ‘Prachanda’, turned his back on an earlier alliance with the Nepali Congress to side with the CPN-UML. Now he must lead a coalition government with former foes and emergent new parties.

| Dec 28, 2022

Politics and Pakistan’s new army chief

The appointment of General Asim Munir as the COAS is of greater political than institutional significance.

| Dec 13, 2022

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Canadian-Tamil comedian Sunthar V navigates queerness and Tamil identity

Sunthar V, founder of the Tamil Comedy Club in central London, attempts to push social boundaries with his comedy in Chennai

Is an Adani port devastating Kerala’s coast?

Activists say coastal communities and marine life around Kerala’s Vizhinjam Port are paying a heavy price for the Adani Group project

Delhi’s longest-running play reflects the changing city

The shape-shifting ‘Ghalib in New Delhi’ captures 26 years of sociopolitical change in Delhi and beyond