South Asia

Guwahati, India (AFP) – India on Monday effectively stripped four million people in Assam of citizenship, sparking fears of mass deportations of Muslims from the northeastern state. A new draft register of citizens includes only those able to prove they were in Assam before 1971, when millions fled Bangladesh’s war of independence into the state, […]

Pakistan

Anti-Corruption Sentiment Propels Sports Star Imran Khan to Victory in Pakistan

David Stout

Islamabad (AFP) – Pakistan cricket hero turned politician Imran Khan claimed victory Thursday in the country’s tense general election marred by allegations of “blatant” rigging by rival parties. A visibly tired Khan cut a conciliatory tone in a wide-ranging address to the nation following a controversial contest hit with by accusations from major political parties […]

Pakistan

Unease as Imran Khan invokes Blasphemy in Pakistan Election

Gohar Abbas

Islamabad (AFP) – Pakistan’s politicians, including PM hopeful Imran Khan, are mainstreaming extremism by invoking hardline issues like blasphemy to get votes, analysts say, warning the tactic could deepen sectarian fractures and potentially spill into violence. The warnings come as Pakistan confronts anger over a new wave of militant attacks which have killed 175 people […]

art and photography

Haider Ali, Pakistan’s Truck Art, and Islam’s Message of Peace

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – We have been honored to have with us in Ann Arbor the past few days the celebrated Pakistani truck artist, Haider Ali of Karachi. As his art has become celebrated, he has become a little itinerant, going off around the world to fulfill commissions or grace gallery and museum exhibitions […]

Afghanistan

Raising Questions about Trump Policies, Civilian Deaths in Afghanistan Highest in Decade

Allison Jackson

Kabul (AFP) – The number of Afghan civilians killed in the country’s long-running conflict hit a record high in the first six months of 2018, UN figures showed Sunday, with militant attacks and suicide bombs the leading causes of death. The toll of 1,692 fatalities was one percent more than a year earlier and the […]

Pakistan

Pakistanis Mourn as Extremists attack Democratic Elections, killing 128

AFP

by Maaz KHAN – Mastung (Pakistan) (AFP) – Pakistan was in shock Saturday after a suicide blast killed 128 people, shaking confidence in security just as the dramatic arrest of ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif ratcheted political tensions higher ahead of nationwide polls. Sharif’s highly-anticipated return from London and subsequent arrest for corruption was overshadowed as […]

Pakistan

Pakistan ex-PM Sharif sentenced to 10 years for corruption

AFP

Islamabad (AFP) – Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison by a corruption court in Islamabad Friday, lawyers said, dealing a serious blow to his party’s troubled campaign ahead of July 25 elections. Sharif was ousted from his third term as prime minister by the Supreme Court […]

China

Is China Stealing a March on Trump in Pakistan amid New Trade War?

Neil Thompson

London (Informed Comment) – The escalating American trade war with China has sent third-party nations scrambling for cover as the two largest global economies trade tariffs worth billions. The Trump administration has also levied global tariffs on metal imports from Mexico, Canada and Europe, and threatened to exit the North American Free Trade Agreement; but […]

Afghanistan

Did You Hear about the Great Afghan Peace March? MSM Ignores Nonviolent Activists

Mushtaq Mojaddidi

Kabul (AFP) – Dozens of peace protesters arrived in Kabul on Monday after walking hundreds of kilometres across war-battered Afghanistan, as the Taliban ended an unprecedented ceasefire and resumed attacks in several parts of the country. AFP / WAKIL KOHSAR. Afghan peace activists shout slogans demanding an end to fighting as they arrive in Kabul. […]