Bangladesh press freedom

Two Years After the July Uprising, Bangladesh's Press Freedom Remains Under Question

Another defining feature of Bangladesh's current media environment is the emergence of "mob culture." The attack on The Daily Star and Prothom Alo offices is a serious example of mob attack. Media owners often hesitate to invite commentators associated with the previous government or opposing political viewpoints because they fear public backlash, protests, or attacks 

India Loves Political Scandals, But Don't Care How They End Up

For decades, Bofors was treated as a national scandal of almost Biblical proportions, with international ramifications. All guns ablaze. Yet when its judicial afterlife finally reaches a dead end, the story seems to have lost its political ammunition. Not even a recall that the much-maligned gun, which was accused of backfiring at those who fired, not at the target, had vindicated its purchase during the 1999 Kargil conflict.  

From Hashtags to Handcuffs: When Digital Democracy Becomes Digital Surveillance

India therefore needs a serious conversation on algorithmic accountability. If AI increasingly informs policing, citizens deserve clarity on its legal basis, safeguards against misuse, limits on data retention, independent oversight and effective judicial remedies. 

Changing Architecture of the Indian State: Public Trust can Neither be Legislated nor Certified

The recurring examination scandals were failures of governance. Likewise, concerns regarding foreign influence should not preclude critical examination of how regulatory institutions themselves function.

More on Public Policy and Governance

No travel ban; instead India offers vaccines, life-saving drugs to Africa

Even as most countries began slapping travel bans on African countries, India has offered support for Africa to combat the newly-emerged Omicron variant of the Covid-19 pandemic, including through supply of vaccines, life-saving drugs, PPE kits, gloves and ventilators

Cross red lines at your own peril in Pakistan: Message to opposition and media

The Asma Jahangir Conference in Pakistan last week sparked a somewhat balanced and much-needed discussion on the issues concerning the country

Rising above hate, a Hindu businessman and a Sikh gurdwara offer prayer space to Muslims

In a country known for its traditional inter-faith tolerance and harmony, one of the headline news for the last few months has been how groups of right-wing Hindus, supported by local leaders of India's ruling BJP of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have been obstructing and protesting against the offering of namaz in public places by Muslim citizens in Gurugram, a satellite city of capital New Delhi

Decoding Pakistan NSA Moeed Yusuf's refusal to attend India-hosted regional conference on Afghanistan

On 15 August 2021, the day the Taliban seized power militarily in Kabul, the world watched with trepidation the scenes of an ignominious end to the twenty-year-long efforts of the US to prop up a democratic government there

A Middle East Quad? Scope for synergies, but divergences over Iran

Within the new Middle East/West Asia Quad, there is space for trilateral economic cooperation between India, the UAE and Israel

Fake tea issue: Solution to Indian tea industry's problems lies in cooperation with Nepal and Bangladesh

India should assist Nepal and Bangladesh to obtain GI certification for their teas

The spirit of sport: When hate took a back seat

Will this demonstrable assertion of sportsmanship lead to a revival of bilateral sporting ties, particularly cricket, in the near future?

Making sense of New Delhi’s restrained response to Bangladesh’s anti-Hindu violence

The recent widespread anti-Hindu violence will not make any difference to the bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh, said Dinesh K Patnaik, Director General, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), calling the recent events “small incidents”

Anti-Hindu violence does not symbolise Bangladesh; it is terrorism in the name of religion

‘Bangladesh Finalizes Agreement to Build Buddhist Monastery in Lumbini, Nepal’ was the headline of the Hong Kong-based Global Buddhist Door’s news headline on October 11

US extrajudicial killings and ‘Western Immorality’

Since the last decade, the US drone strike has caused numerous casualties worldwide, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia 

Will Pakistan’s terror exports ever stop?

Senior Indian Army sources asserted that the Pakistani youth's plea for surrender, as soon as his mate was killed, was a definite indication that he was not so convinced about the 'jihad' narrative but had taken on the cross-border 'task' out of financial compulsion

Women step up for peace in South Asia

The SAU aims to bring together peacebuilders and particularly women from the region to work towards a political and economic South Asian Union, along the lines of the European Union, by 2030

Which has a 'better behaved' media - US or India?

Trump also gave the Indian media backhanded compliments when he met with Modi in 2019

Taliban’s IPL ban shows media and entertainment industry won’t be able to survive for long in Afghanistan

The Taliban, the new rulers of Afghanistan, earlier this week announced a ban on the broadcast of the Indian Premium League (IPL), the hugely popular and monetarily lucrative Indian cricket league, which is widely watched in Afghanistan as their star player, Rashid Khan, is part of it

'Infiltrators' who get royal treatment on both sides of India-Pakistan LoC

They “violate” the otherwise volatile Line of Control (LoC) at their own sweet will, but far from being challenged for their “infiltration”, they are treated as guests of honor on both sides of a disputed frontier – India and Pakistan