April 2022 marked the end of Imran Khan’s rule as Prime Minister of Pakistan. The discourse surrounding his four-year reign continues even a year after his removal from office. With Khan out on bail and the Pakistani mob mobilised against what they deem to be an unstable civilian government under the control of an authoritarian […]
Red Wolf and the Surveillance State: Investigating the Human Rights Implications of AI-Powered Facial Recognition Technology in Palestine
Facial recognition risks being weaponized by law enforcement against marginalised communities around the world. From New Delhi to New York, this invasive technology turns our identities against us and undermines human rights. Matt Mahmoudi, AI and Human Rights Researcher at Amnesty International. Introduction Facial surveillance systems are sophisticated technological applications that facilitate the identification and […]
Explaining the question of hijab as a mandate or a choice? The anti-hijab protests in Iran
Over the years, the female body and the contentions around gender have been idealised, politicised, theologized, and used as a mechanism for social control. The capacity to govern one’s body is equivalent to being able to control one’s life. Over the years, political regimes have created contested meaning around women’s bodies and used it as […]
Hagia Sophia hara-kiri: The Royal Turkish mess!
The world is going through extremely difficult and different times due to the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19. Almost the entire world is currently under lockdown, while all of us are getting used to the streaming platforms and binge watching. As our favourite pastime. On the other day, I was having a conversation with my mother […]
Can we re-define the political identity in Indian politics along the communal lines without sensationalising it?
The context … Nations are more than just geographical boundaries. Gyanendra Pandey begins his paper ‘Can a Muslim Be an Indian?’ by pointing out that for nations to be established, a core, or the soul of the nation, should be constructed. In his opinion, nationalists frequently suggest that this core is established naturally (Pandey, 608). […]
Digital Security Act 2018: Stamping out journalistic freedom and voice of dissent in Bangladesh?
Digital Security Act (DSA) 2018 was passed in Bangladesh on Oct 1, 2018, to address cybercrime and related issues. The law was introduced to update and replace the previous Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act, which had been criticized for its overly broad provisions and potential for misuse. DSA criminalizes a wide range of online […]
To Speak or Not To Speak: The Modi question that we must answer
It is obvious that the barometer of any piece of media being ‘controversial’ or ‘infamous’ can be directly gauged as and when it trends on social media. By that, I do not necessarily mean the media, but what it creates, recreates, and so on. As someone with a social media account right now, you can […]
Anti-Sikh Riots (1984): Another Chapter of Injustice in Indian History!
Contextual background of the riots The 1984 Sikh massacre, also known as the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom, refers to a series of violent attacks against the Sikh community in India. Removal of Sikh militants from the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar through Operation Blue Star caused substantial tension between the Sikhs and the government earlier that […]
Abdul Rahman Makki is now a global terrorist: Analysing India’s success at UN Security Council
On January 16, 2023, United Nations Security Council’s(UNSC) 1267 Sanctions Committee, designated Abdul Rahman Makki as a global terrorist after China lifted its “technical hold” on the India-US proposal to designate Makki as a global terrorist. The designation of Makki as a global terrorist is an important step, in India’s fight against terrorism. This zero-tolerance […]
“Still broken”: The appalling practice of caste system in India
Caste is not a physical object like a wall of bricks or a line of barbed wire which prevents the Hindus from co-mingling and which has, therefore, to be pulled down. Caste is a notion; it is a state of the mind. […]
