The hidden message of Kashmiri protests over Iran – Southasia Weekly #112

I’m writing with a sense of déjà-vu, having followed updates from Nepal over the past week as they swore in a new prime minister. News of the string of arrests and ambitious action plans bear more than a passing resemblance to Sri Lanka after the 2022 protests brought about political change (as did Oli’s eleventh hour hospital check-in – Sri Lankans being well acquainted with the delicate health of our policymakers, especially when faced with an arrest warrant.) Like in Sri Lanka, there’s already questions being raised about whether Balendra Shah, a relatively new face in Nepal’s politics, can really deliver the change expected by young protesters.

Read on for more about Shah’s first days as prime minister, analysis on the recently passed transgender amendment bill in India (which you all shared widely on X) and on Kashmir’s protests in solidarity with Iran and Palestine. We always seek to go beyond surface level in the stories we bring you, and that takes time and effort. So help power our reporting by becoming a paying supporter, so we can keep bringing you an insider’s view of Southasia. 

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This week in Himal

Anuradha Bhasin writes that while recent (and rare) protests in India-administered Kashmir over Gaza and the Iran war express international solidarity, they also reveal resistance to the Indian state amid its repression and growing ties to Israel.

Coming up on 7 April at 7 pm IST, we’ll be hosting a Q and A with Anam Abbas, director of This Stained Dawn, a documentary about the organising of the 2020 Aurat March in Pakistan, as part of Screen Southasia, our monthly documentary screening in collaboration with Film Southasia. Click here to register!