At Himal Southasian, we are aficionados of the long read, but we do understand that both attention (and time) are scarce. That's the thinking behind Himal Briefs – a new initiative that will bring crisp, informed, contextual analysis from across Southasia. As the series title suggests, we aim to keep it short (if not sweet!) It is also a nod to the Briefs section from our print magazine days, which long time readers may recall. Our aim is to capture recent developments that our longer pieces might sometimes miss.
Expect an insider's view from some former contributors (and a few new faces) on important and underreported topics from across the region, ranging from politics, to social issues, legislation, economic concerns, cultural debates, the environment, and media and the public sphere. We hope Himal Briefs makes it to your reading lists.
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On 14 March, Indian authorities booked Fahad Shah, Editor of a well-known multimedia news platform, The Kashmir Walla, under the extra-judicial Public Safety Act. The act allows the government to imprison anyone for up to two years without a trial. He was arrested on 4 February on charges of uploading "anti national" content on his Facebook page and secured bail multiple times in various cases before being charged under this act. Several of his colleagues have also been imprisoned for sedition and terrorism. The abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 was a turning point in regional politics that started a fresh face-off between the two nuclear-armed nations of India and Pakistan. The move was implemented along with a months-long communication blockade and one of the world's longest internet shutdowns. Since then, the Indian government has been trying to project normalcy through investment summits, concerts and an extensive PR campaign. The Delimitation Commission, set up to redraw constituencies, is a step towards conducting elections and electing a favourable government. The arrest of journalists and a tight gag on news media portals point toward efforts to control information coming out of Kashmir, which can help justify the decision to remove its limited autonomy.