Latest Stories from Haneen
Understanding India’s Maoist insurgency
The Maoist insurgency began in the 1960s and is one of India’s biggest internal security issues. These rebels fight against the neglect of tribal people and the rural poor, aiming to eventually establish communist rule using force. Over the last couple of years, they have seized control over certain parts of the country, and the armed forces follow a strategy of severe crackdown in these areas. India’s Maoist movement began...
Understanding the history of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws
Pakistan is one of the very few countries in the world to offer the death penalty for blasphemy. Being a highly controversial issue, will the state be able to curb the misuse or amend the provisions of the law? You’d be forgiven for thinking blasphemy laws are archaic, forgotten technicalities of the past, but the reality is rather different in Pakistan. But what is more astonishing is the mob culture...
Sri Lankan protesters force President to flee during economic crisis
Sri Lanka is going through its worst ever economic crisis, which has led to spiralling prices and power cuts that last several hours. With President Rajapaksa refusing to step down, protestors stormed his residence, causing him to flee and later announce his plans to resign. In the past week, Sri Lanka has witnessed the following: thousands of protestors storming President Rajapaksa’s house as well as PM Wikremesinghe’s office, the President...
Is India’s Uniform Civil Code a fair system?
In India, different religious communities are governed by their own laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, etc. Yet, the ruling party has promised to bring into force a uniform civil code, whereby all these communities would be governed by a single law. Article 44 of the Indian Constitution says: ‘The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India’. Since the ruling...
How climate change is causing floods in North East India
Every year, the state of Assam in India witnesses floods. But this year, things are much worse as more than 120 people have died. So, what is causing these floods and what is being done to save the people of Assam? It probably wouldn’t come as a surprise to you but climate change is causing water bodies across the world to overflow. So if you’re interested in climate action, here’s a...
Why the Kashmiri pandits are fleeing after being reinstated
The Kashmiri pandits were expelled from the disputed territory of Kashmir in the 1990s. Years later, the Indian government launched an employment programme and provided secluded accommodation for them. But in light of increased militancy and targeted attacks, they have been forced to flee once again. Due to the rise of militancy and calls for killings against the pandits in Kashmir in the 1990s, several families had to migrate...
Why are a growing number of Baloch students going missing?
The number of enforced disappearances of Baloch students across Pakistan has been rising, leading to concerns among the Baloch student community of profiling by the state’s security agencies. The province of Balochistan in Pakistan has been home to an insurgent movement for the past two decades; to counter this, the Pakistani military has an overwhelming presence in the province- so much so that they are even present in educational institutions. Here,...
Ferdinand Marcos Jr wins Philippines’ presidential elections
With over 98% of the votes counted, Ferdinand Marcos Jr is on track to win the Philippines Presidential elections, having secured more than double the votes of his opponent Leni Robredo. Securing over 31 million votes in this year’s elections, Ferdinand Marcos has defeated his liberal rival Leni Robredo and is on track to become Philippine’s next President. An official result is likely to release by the end of this...
Here’s why Sri Lanka’s economy is in crisis
At present, Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. They have defaulted on all foreign debt and are facing a severe shortage of essential food items and fuel. This coupled with frequent power blackouts has caused mass public unrest. In the past couple of months, Sri Lanka has witnessed everything from rapid inflation to 12-hour-long power cuts to even people dying whilst...
Why did Imran Khan’s Pakistani government fall?
On 9th April, Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote after several attempts to retain power such as dissolving the parliament. Despite these desperate attempts to stay in power, why did he lose - and what’s going to happen next? If you’ve been following the news recently, you’ll have come across headlines such as ‘Pakistan’s PM loses no-confidence vote’ or ‘Pakistan’s PM ousted from power’. It may come as...
