This week in Himal
This week, read about the inroads that Islamic movement Tablighi Jamaat has made in Khyber Paktunkhwah, and how its orthodox preaching is reshaping Pashtun culture, opening the door to radicalisation and militant recruitment.
Educationist, writer and women rights activist Syeda Hameed talks about memories of Partition and the slow erosion of pluralism in India in episode 10 of ‘Partitions of the Heart: Conversations with Harsh Mander.’
For the upcoming episode of the Southasia Review of Books podcast, host Shwetha Srikanthan speaks to Ipsita Chakravarty, journalist and author of ‘Dapaan’,which uses rumours and folklore to illustrate how residents of Kashmir live with conflict.
Also read: Searching for Swadesh Deepak in Hindi literature
Also read: Syeda Hameed & Harsh Mander on Partition, pluralism and poetry
Also read: Maximillian Morch on the disquiet behind Bhutan’s Geluphu Mindfulness City: State of Southasia #29
Also read: How the Tablighi Jamaat is reshaping Khyber Pakhtunkhwah and opening doors for radicalisation
This week in Southasia
Simmering anger in Bangladesh as Sheikh Hasina’s trial begins
On 3 August, the trial of Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and two of her associates began, with the first witness a 23-year-old who was shot in the face during the state-led crackdown on student-led protests in July 2024. Hasina faces multiple charges including crimes against humanity, abetment of murder and torture, and her case is being heard before the International Crimes Tribunal, a court she set up while in power. Hasina is being tried in absentia as she remains in India, where she fled after her resignation. Hasina’s team said she did not receive formal legal notice of the trial and has denied the charges, describing the protests as a “violent interruption” of Bangladesh’s democracy. Key witnesses and family members of those who were killed, said they wanted justice, and for Hasina to stand trial in person. Multiple extradition requests to India have been ignored.
On 9 July, audio leaked of Hasina authorising security forces to use lethal weapons against protesters. There is simmering anger against Hasina for her role in the violence against protesters, but also against India for providing her a safe house in Delhi, and for decades of grievances that were leveraged by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party even in the run up to the January 2024 general elections. Despite this, there was scant coverage of the trial in Indian mainstream media this week.
India-Bangladesh ties have been impacted by Hasina’s continued presence in India, a reminder of New Delhi’s support of the Hasina regime. In light of this, Kamal Ahmed’s article from August 2024 is worth a re-read this week, as is Cyrus Naji’s article from September 2024 and Anupam Debashis Roy’s article from June 2024.
From the archive
Also read: Why New Delhi backed Sheikh Hasina – and botched its Bangladesh policy
Elsewhere in Southasia
- President Trump to increase Indian tariff to 50 percent over its purchases of Russian oil, a day after the Indian ambassador and Russian Chief Deputy Defense Minister meet to reaffirm BRICS defense collaboration
- Over 500 supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan arrested at protests across Pakistan as demonstrators call for the release of the PTI leader
- Flash flood along Kheer Ganga in Uttarakhand, India kills four and displaces others with more than 100 reported missing.
- Arakan Rohingya National Council condemns May 2024 massacre of 600 people by the anti-junta armed group Arakan Army in Myanmar; calls on the International Criminal Court and regional bodies to open investigation
- Maharashtra opposition leaders criticise appointment of BJP spokesperson as Bombay High Court judge, call for her removal
- Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan leaders agree to ceasefire, end extortion and use of civilians as human shields in agreement with tribal elders in Khyber Paktunkhwah after jirga
- Myanmar’s military government declares end to state of emergency in parts of the country ahead of planned elections, suspends key privacy laws shortly after allowing authorities to raid property, arbitrarily arrest citizens
- Nepal’s media law amended, decentralising media registry responsibility to the district level. The act was altered without informing the Minister of Communication and Information Technology leading to suspension of online media registration
- Indian authorities ban 25 books including works from novelist Arundhati Roy, political scientist Sumantra Bose and lawyer and constitutional expert A G Noorani in Kashmir for encouraging secessionism
- Acting president of Myanmar since 2021, Myint Swe dies after being on medical leave for over a year due to declining health
- Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Division summons Tamil journalist Kanapathipillai Kumanan for questioning, rights groups raise concerns. Kumanan has been covering the excavation of a mass grave site in Chemmani, Jaffna
Revisit some of our archival stories adding more context to some of this week's news updates from Pakistan and Myanmar
Also read: To deal with Imran Khan, Pakistan descends into autocracy
Also read: Shining light on the Rohingya
Snap Southasia
Where in Southasia was this photo taken? Click on your guess below!
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Malabe, Sri Lanka
Sunamganj, Bangladesh
