· April, 2012

Stories about South Asia from April, 2012

Pakistan: Time is up, Mr Gilani

  30 April 2012

The contempt of court proceedings against Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is taking new twists and he may lose his premiership. Aamir Saeed has more on the story.

Sri Lanka: Tackling Agricultural Surpluses

  30 April 2012

The Sri Lankan Government is facing a new kind of challenge, tackling surplus production of rice. However a Sri Lankan farmer sheds a light into the plights of the rice farmers in Sri Lanka, who are not obtaining a fair price for their produce.

Pakistan: Imran Khan's Popularity Is Visible

  29 April 2012

“When people start putting up your face and logo on their mud guards, it’s a sign that you are here to stay,” comments Tazeen on the growing popularity of Pakistani celebrity sportsman turned politician Imran Khan.

India: Protests Against the New IT Rules

  28 April 2012

In April 2011 the Indian government quietly issued amendments to the IT rules restricting web content that are designated as “disparaging,” “harassing,” “blasphemous” or “hateful.” The Indian netizens are campaigning against it online and are organizing street protests.

Nepal: Asia Pacific Photo-Story Contest 2012

  27 April 2012

Nepal Youth Task Force On Rio +20 informs about a photo contest titled “Asia Pacific Photo-Story Contest 2012″ to mark the Voices of Youth globally in RIO+20, The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (June 20-22, 2012) in Brazil. This contest is open to anybody aged 15-35 from the Asia Pacific...

India: The Hand Drawn Rickshaws in Kolkata

  26 April 2012

Debolina Raja Gupta notes that although the West Bengal Government In India had decided to take the hand drawn rickshaws off by 2005-2006 they are still plying in Kolkata roads.

Bangladesh: Voices from the Korail slum

  26 April 2012

Michelle Chaplin at BRAC Blog posts a video (with subtitles), which shares the initial reactions of some of the people who lost their homes in the recent Korail slum eviction in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka: Monks Demand Demolition of a Mosque

  24 April 2012

Last Friday around 2,000 Buddhist monks and local residents staged a violent protest in Dambulla town in Sri Lanka demanding that a mosque along with a Hindu temple situated in an area designated as a Buddhist sacred zone be demolished.

Sri Lanka: Death Of Witness In Police Custody

  24 April 2012

Serendipity reports that Chandraisiri Dassanayake (42), a main witness in a human rights violation case against the Wadduwa Police, was arrested for possession of Ganja on April 15th 2012 and later died in a cell in the Wadduwa police station in the western coast of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: Abductions And Media

  23 April 2012

“The growing number of abductions and disappearances in Sri Lanka is not getting the amount of publicity the issue deserves,” comments Sanjana Hattotuwa.

Video: Better Aid and Development Discussions Through Islam Crash Course

  20 April 2012

An ongoing discussion over at the Uncultured Project has been the relationship between the lack of knowledge on what Islam is about and how aid and development organizations relate to the Muslim community. Shawn Ahmed shares a simple and short video explaining what Islam is in an attempt to pave the road to better understanding of a large group of people who could be Aid recipients.

Video Highlights: Syrian Activism, Children's Issues and Dolphin Deaths

  18 April 2012

A selection of Global Voices' most recent and interesting stories like the Syrian protests in Middle East and North Africa, China and India's female gendercide phenomenon in South Asia and East Asia and viral video campaigns with Children in Mexico and the massive dolphin die-off in Peru for Latin America.

Pakistan: Hazara Community Targeted for Killings

  17 April 2012

In the recent past, targeted violence against the Hazara community in Balochistan has increased. Last year sectarian militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi distributed pamphlets threatening Hazaras to leave Pakistan by 2012.

India: The Supreme Court Upholds Right to Education

  16 April 2012

Soumalya Ray at Medica-India explains the recent Supreme Court judgement which upheld the Right to Education and mandated 25% reservation in private as well as government-aided minority schools for children from the weaker sections of society.

India: Administration Backlash over a Political Cartoon and it's Aftermath

  16 April 2012

The recent arrest of an university professor in West Bengal, India, over a humorous political cartoon has been met by stiff resistance and protest both online and offline. On his blog Pabitraspeaks, blogger Pabitra Mukhopadhyay discusses how the incident is another in a slew of recent incidents that have negatively...

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Rezwan
Rezwan is the South Asia editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.