For the first time in half a decade, Michael Chakma saw the sun. He had escaped, but he could barely remember where to go or who to call. Five years prior, Chakma was abducted by Bangladeshi intelligence, and from that day on, he was subjected to torture, stuck in the darkness, and only able to […]
Tag: Pakistan
Dishonorable Killings: The Role of Police Brutality in Pakistan
Honor killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and political violence are just some of the words used to describe the police in Pakistan. These murders were not executed by some enraged mob but by the police—those responsible with enforcing the law and protecting the citizens of their country. The case is part of a broader pattern […]
From Cricket to Corruption: How Imran Khan Won an Election from Prison
In the tumultuous landscape of Pakistani politics, Imran Khan’s journey from a cricket star to a prominent political figure has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. In the 1980s and 1990s, Khan served as an all-rounder on the Pakistan cricket team and was regarded as one of cricket’s best. However, in 2018, Khan was elected […]
Pakistan Moves Forward with Mass Deportation of Afghan Migrants
Over 450,000 migrants have fled Pakistan for Afghanistan amid a worsening rift between the two governments. This wave of migration comes after the passing of the Pakistani government’s November 1st deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country or face deportation. Pakistan’s policy has sparked significant humanitarian concerns, as well as an increase in tensions […]
The Mahatma & The Politics of Pakistan
Clinging onto hope is a core tenet of the Quranic scripture, a book that Ulemas (Islamic Jurists)—who, as everybody knows, represent 100% of Pakistan’s population— believe form the basis of all institutional & civilian structures in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. But latching onto false hope for the coming of a Mahatma (Great Soul) like […]
Promising Progress, Never Peace: The Weapons Crisis in Kashmir
On Monday, January 2, 2023, six people, among them two children, lost their lives in a blast attack on the Kashmiri village of Dangri, which is in India-controlled Kashmir. The attack occurred mere hours after two gunmen shot at three houses in the same village, where five were injured and four died. Later known as […]
Rise in Terrorist Attacks Sparks Tensions on the Afghanistan-Pakistan Border
A recent bombing of a Peshawar mosque by a faction of the Pakistani Taliban or Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has prompted fears that Pakistan’s terrorism problem is growing. The attack killed over 100 people, many of them police officers. The TTP initially claimed responsibility, although TTP leadership later denied involvement and blamed a breakaway faction. January […]
The New Switzerland: India on Russo-Ukrainian War
The international political community, a victim of increasing globalization, has grown to be an intertwined, tangled web of complex alliances. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spent his years in office with an intense focus on foreign affairs and international relations, engaging actively with nations across the globe. While Modi works his way around the […]
Years in the Making: How Hindu Nationalism Has Shaped Indian Policy Towards Kashmir
A phone blackout. Military troops deployed to enforce a statewide curfew. Foreign journalists banned from entering a region the size of Idaho. Thousands arrested — including protesters, activists and politicians. In the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir, this has been the reality since August of 2019. And it could get worse. Jammu & Kashmir […]
Is the Kashmir Lockdown a Ticking Time Bomb?
On August 5th, 35,000 paramilitary Indian troops mobilized to join the 700,000 already stationed in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian-controlled state in the Kashmir region. Soon after the move, the entire state was put under intense lockdown, which the Indian parliament claimed was in response to a new and violence-prone political movement that had emerged […]