This week, Auqib Javeed writes about how Jammu and Kashmir’s assembly election results present a headache for New Delhi, particularly given new chief minister Omar Abdullah’s support for renewed statehood, even as he reckons with curtailed powers and growing polarisation between Jammu and Kashmir.
We’re also excited to announce that we’ll be participating in the ‘Festival of Ideas’ organised by the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies! We’ll be hosting a panel discussion on 29 November (which you can register for here), and will be sharing more details soon!
For the November edition of Screen Southasia, we’ll be screening ‘Taala Te Kunjee’ (Lock and Key) directed by Shilpi Gulati, from 1 - 8 November. Sign up here to receive the film straight to your inbox!
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Pakistan passes controversial 26th constitutional amendment
Early on 21 October, Pakistan pushed through constitutional amendments which gave parliament more power to appoint the country’s top judge. A parliamentary committee will now select the Supreme Court’s chief justice, who will have a fixed term of three years. The ruling coalition government lobbied for and attempted to pass the 26th constitutional amendment bill last month, but fell short of the numbers required as the opposition refused to back the bill. There has been criticism about the hurried passage and secrecy around the proposed amendments, with the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and lawyers claiming that the new constitutional package will weaken the Supreme Court and fragment its jurisdiction.
The new constitutional package is being seen as an attempt to sideline key judges who have issued rulings seen as favourable to former prime minister Imran Khan and the PTI. Analysts pointed out that the amendment was pushed through days before the retirement of Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Under the previous law, Isa would have been replaced with senior judge Mansoor Ali Shah. Instead, a parliamentary panel has recommended Yahya Afridi, who is set to take oath to head Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Saturday (26 October). The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government has cracked down on the PTI and its supporters after being elected into power, including through detaining PTI leaders such as Imran Khan.
Hundreds of protesters in Bangladesh storm presidential palace, demanding President Mohammed Shahabuddin resign after he said he didn’t receive ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation letter, contradicting earlier televised address; government says decision to be taken after political census
Heavy rainfall, strong wind in Odisha, West Bengal with hundreds of thousands of people evacuated ahead of
cyclone Dana
Israel, United States issue security alert warning of threats to Israeli tourists in eastern Sri Lanka after receiving ‘credible’ information about potential attack amidst escalating tensions due to Israel-Hamas war, three arrested
India and China have agreed on military patrolling arrangements along their disputed border in the Himalayas, de-escalating a region where both countries have stationed tens of thousands of troops and have seen deadly clashes in recent years
Maldivian Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan says the government is close to implementing the death penalty and ending moratorium introduced in the 1950s, despite criticism from rights groups
Chinese consulate in Myanmar’s Mandalay attacked with an explosive device ahead of a potential visit to China by junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. No casualties were reported, but China urges Myanmar to thoroughly investigate the attack
3 killed, including a civilian, in Afghanistan’s central Ghor province in clash during Taliban’s operation to arrest a commander of the Khorasan branch of the Islamic State militant group near Firozkoh
Nepal, the top troop-contributing nation to the United Nations peacekeeping missions, mulls over emergency rescue plan of Nepali UN peacekeepers in Lebanon if ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah escalates
Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church rejects Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader and former MP Udaya Gammanpila’s Easter attacks report that was previously unreleased, saying it is not ‘impartial or independent’, promises fresh probe
India showcases green hydrogen technology to Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, underscoring regional cooperation in addressing global environmental challenges during meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
This week, a techie from Bengaluru shared a brilliant new app idea - an app for rating potholes. He said that he was inspired by seeing a “7 star pothole” and felt sad that it would not receive the plaudits it deserved. The flippant tweet drew amused reactions and some creative suggestions, including a ‘Pothole of the Month’ feature and adding a star rating based on “tyre damage ability”. Netizens mused on how the potholes would best be rated and some even drew up mock designs of the app.
Got a meme or satirical post you'd like to share? Send us a meme that made you laugh from the past week here.
As India and China recently signed a pact on military patrolling arrangements along the disputed border areas, Shaheen Ahmed’s article from August 2020 is worth revisiting. Ahmed’s article was written in the aftermath of India-China skirmishes in the Ladakhi valley in 2020, reviving conversation on how borders and their memories are constructed. Ahmed writes that readers can learn much about conflict, trade, culture and human engagement through revisiting these memories.