In this episode, we talk about recent events in the Doklam border dispute in Bhutan, with India and China both involved; an escalation in attacks on journalists in Bangladesh, Kashmir and the Maldives, and the tragic drowning of an Afghan journalist; and the Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as an MP in India, following a recent court conviction for defamation.

For “Around Southasia in 5 minutes”, we’re talking about the search for the Sikh radical Amritpal Singh in India, a High Court case on sedition law and legislative amendments curbing the Chief Justice’s powers in Pakistan, attempts to criminalise predatory lending in Nepal, Sri Lanka receiving the Extended Fund Facility from the IMF and developments in the 2019 Jamia violence case in India.

For “Bookmarked”, we talk about Hami kunako manche, a classic Nepali documentary, featured in the first edition of Screen Southasia, our monthly documentary screening in collaboration with Film Southasia. To catch future screenings, please register here.

Episode Notes:

Yameen’s conviction, the Taliban ban on women’s education, Kite Tales and more: https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-yameen-conviction-taliban-womens-education-rohingya-crisis-2023/

Embers of a Sikh fire: https://www.himalmag.com/embers-of-a-sikh-fire/

Tamil Sikh: https://www.himalmag.com/tamil-sikh-fragments-of-memory-2022/

Southasia’s déjà vu: https://www.himalmag.com/southasias-deja-vu/

Delayed elections in Sri Lanka, tax raids on BBC in India, PTM leader Ali Wazir’s release and more: https://www.himalmag.com/tax-raid-bbc-india-delayed-local-government-elections-sri-lanka-ptm-ali-wazir-release/

Sri Lanka’s great IMF lie: https://www.himalmag.com/sri-lanka-imf-development-food-insecurity-debt-economic-crisis/

How the IMF bailout is changing Sri Lanka’s foreign policy: https://www.himalmag.com/imf-bailout-sri-lanka-china-india-us-foreign-policy/

Hami kunako manche: https://www.shunyatafilm.com/we-corner-people-hami-kunako-manche/

Listen to this episode on Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/WcQQm

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4353shB

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3nPysBW

Or Youtube: https://youtu.be/XhCmF-ox3zE