THE report of the Committee on Fata Reforms, that has rightly been made public via the website of the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (Safron), needs to be studied with great care because bold strokes of policy sometimes…
From different news reports, it appears that the very fundamental reforms in Federally Administered Tribal Area are coming soon. The Fata Reforms Commission’s final report has been presented to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for onward approval by the Cabinet…
South Asian States must criminalize enforced disappearances and give justice to thousands of victims
Tens of thousands of enforced disappearances in South Asia can only be addressed if all the region’s governments immediately criminalize this serious human rights violation, said today lawyers and activists from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The…
Press note: 24 August 2016 The Southasia Trust regrets to announce the suspension of publication of Himal Southasian, the pioneering magazine promoting ‘cross-border journalism’ in the region. A decision to this effect was taken by the Trust’s Executive Board on…
Journalist Zeeshan Khan’s book Right to Passage: Travels through India, Pakistan and Iran is interesting, informative in many ways. It is not a mere travelogue. It is more than that. The author tries exploring historical, spiritual places on the…
Obsession with the geostrategic has been deeply rooted in the ethos of the Pakistani state since its very inception. The survival instincts of a fragile new state probably necessitated it. But the geostrategic theories of the colonial ideologues also…
Equality for all: 50 organisations launch Haji Ali Sabke liye movement More than 50 organisations and prominent personalities on Wednesday launched a movement, Haji Ali sabke liye, demanding women be allowed in the dargah located at Worli.They came under…
The nation embraces 2016 with a degree of scepticism and anxiety. With the experiences of disenfranchisement and violations of fundamental rights including those of right to life and liberties experienced in 2015, people at large are eager for a…
Much recrimination has roiled the waters of the Sirsiya stream dividing Raxaul and Birganj between September-December 2015, punctuated by three statements from New Delhi’s Ministry of External Affairs. The latest note of 21 December indicates that, at…
SAHR has initiated its first peace mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The delegation represents Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and will meet MPs, government officials and dignitaries and civil society on 5 – 6 December 2015. The objective…