A Hundred Years of Manto

Great post by the Indian journalist and blogger Shivam Vij in Kafila.org, compiling information from several articles, interviews and videos:  ’A Hundred Years of Manto‘. Excerpt: Where would we be without Manto? He died in 1955 but lives on in the hearts of millions of people in both Pakistan in India because his work has by now helped generations [...]

Acid survivors fight back: a story of hope amidst despair

My report for IPS, featuring an interview with Dr Mohammad Jawad, published before ‘Saving Face’ premiered on HBO on March 8, International Womens Day Acid survivors fight back: a story of hope amidst despair Beena Sarwar BOSTON, March 8:  When the Oscar-nominated film ‘Saving Face’ won an Academy Award in Hollywood Best Documentary (Short Subject), [...]

Pakistani-Americans Await Changes to India’s Discriminatory Visa Rules

My report for IPS published on Feb 16, 2012; it’s not on the website anymore due to technical changes so I’m posting the unedited piece below: Pakistani-Americans await changes to India’s discriminatory visa rules By Beena Sarwar BOSTON: India and Pakistan have agreed to ease visa restrictions on each other’s citizens – but until that [...]

No to vigil-aunties: thousands protest media’s moral policing in Pakistan

A morning show broadcast in Pakistan on Jan 17, 2012, on Samaa, a Pakistani television channel, has catalysed what could well be the beginning of a media consumer rights movement. In the show, Subah Saverey Maya kay Sath (Early Morning with Maya), the host Maya Khan, charges through a public park looking for dating couples [...]

India-Pakistan prisoners – fishermen, POWs, and more

Below, my article on the India-Pakistan prisoners issue published in Aman ki Asha on Jan 11, 2012, followed by a correction from Sen. Iqbal Haider and further clarification from B.M. Kutty. Also please do read Shivam Vij’s thought-provoking and thorough report ‘Why is Gopal Das free and not Dr Chishty?‘, published in Aman ki Asha, and Anahita Mukherji’s report [...]

Khudai Khidmatgars: India launch Jan 20, 2012

The Khudai Khidmatgar (Red Shirts) movement will be launched in India on Jan 20, 2012, marking the 24th death anniversary of the ‘Sarhadi Gandhi’ Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, with a membership drive, and addresses by distinguished peace activists, writers and poets Date: January 20, 2012 Time: 3.30-5.30 pm, Place: 5 Tees January Marg New Delhi Contact: +91-9911292235 and [...]

People for peace: 8th PIPFPD Joint Convention, Allahabad

My curtain raiser on the Eighth Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) Joint Convention being held in Allahabad, India, Dec 29, 2011-Jan 1, 2012 (slightly shorter version published as an op-ed in The News). When the name was being decided, the Indians insisted that Pakistan should

“Focus, and spread the message of peace to all” – Nandita Das | Thousands worldwide to Pray for Peace between India and Pakistan on Dec 18

By Beena Sarwar From Indian actor Nandita Das in Mumbai, to peace groups and individuals all over India and Pakistan, and in countries as far away as Korea, Australia, Canada and America, thousands are supporting Pray for Peace Between India and Pakistan Day on Sunday, Dec 18, 2011. Inspired by the idea of the power [...]

Aman ki Asha pages featuring Mumbai journalists’ Pakistan visit

Here are PDFs of two recent Aman ki Asha pages that I tried to email to the Mumbai journalists who visited Pakistan recently, as the pages feature their responses. Since the second PDF file was for some reason too large to email, I’m posting both of them here. Click these links for the PDFs: Aman [...]

Mumbai and more

On the third anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks of Nov 26, 2008, a NATO air strike in Pakistan killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. NATO says its helicopters were providing air cover to troops on the ground chasing insurgents; Pakistan says that the strike was a deliberate violation of its sovereignty (the question is, why?). The [...]