An increase in kidnappings of Hindu girls who are then coerced to embrace Islam and forced to marry has raised concerns in Pakistan, Zofeen Ebrahim writes
CATEGORY: Asia and Pacific
Pakistani journalists plea for protection
Three men working for a TV station were last week killed by the Taliban in Karachi. Now Pakistani journalists are calling on the government to appoint special public prosecutors to investigate the murders of media workers. Zofeen Ebrahim reports
Pakistani media finds itself in Taliban’s crosshairs
Condemning the cold blooded assassination of three media workers belonging to a private television channel, the Pakistani media has united against the culture of impunity that has gripped the country. Zofeen Ebrahim reports
Future looks fraught in polarised Bangladesh
Dhaka’s rival political matriarchs must talk to each other for the good of their country, says Samira Shackle
South Koreans clash over history books
How children are taught about the birth of the nation is a contentious issue for many Koreans, writes Steven Borowiec
Cambodia: Human rights defender threatened for opposing hate speech
Cambodia has come a long way since the brutal Pol Pot regime, but the recent flood of hate-mail and death-threats sent to the president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights points to a society still dangerously divided over ethnic and racial issues. Tom Fawthrop reports
Did the Uttar Pradesh government ban two channels for being too critical?
It is almost impossible to believe, but the government of India’s largest and most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, seems to have taken the most popular English news channel, Times Now, off the air for criticizing it, Mahima Kaul reports
Social media changing the protest landscape in China
Despite state censorship and political repression, social media is changing the protest landscape in China, Stephen Junor writes
Four places where social media could land you in jail
Facebook has nearly 1.2 billion monthly active users –that’s nearly 20% of the total global population. Yet, in some countries harsh sanctions and time in jail can be imposed on those who comment on social media, in the majority of cases for speaking out against their government.
Pakistan: Karachi murders highlight Taliban penetration
The Taliban allegedly killing six young people for visiting a Sufi shrine has reinforced the long-standing fear among Karachi citizens that the group has not only consolidated itself, but is also imposing their belief system, writes Zofeen Ebrahim