Safina Nabi

I
t was a sweltering summer day in Haryana in northern India, yet the scorching heat did not deter 13-year-old Nandini Jaglan and her 10-year-old sister Yachika from marching with determined steps toward their school.
Both clutched charts and placards, but these weren’t meant for a show-and-tell session. Rather, the sisters were on a mission to promote vital changes within their school, chief among them installing informative posters in girls’ washrooms about menstrual health – covering what ...

This story highlights the relentless work of four women from South Asia. These are women who have faced intimidation, character assassination, and countless obstacles, yet refuse to be silenced – Safina Nabi reports
South Asia: From Afghanistan to Iran, Pakistan to Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, South Asia has teetered on the edge—grappling with war, economic crises, and the rise of authoritarian regimes. Yet, amid this turbulence, one constant has emerged the unwavering strength of women. Across...

Politics
The decades-long conflict between India and Pakistan has forced children into conditions of chronic stress, anxiety and malnutrition, with high levels of PTSD reported in Indian-administered Kashmir
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This reporting was supported by the Dart Center for Trauma and Journalism’s Global Early Childhood Reporting Fellowship.
Late one night in 2020, a mortar shell struck a house in Balkote village, in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. A seven-year-old girl living...

Women make up just 3% of the candidates who are contesting in the ongoing three-phase assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. This is despite the fact that there is heightened electoral participation in the Valley: the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year reported a record turnout (60%) as did the first phase of the state polls held last Wednesday (61%).
Women form a significant portion of this voter surge but they are barely visible as candidates. Only 15 of the 459 candidates in the asse...

A New Legal Challenge Emerges for Journalism Digital Refuge
Following the government's crackdown on media and free press in India, journalists sought refuge in platforms like YouTube and social media to uphold the principles of independent journalism. The emergence of a new generation of tech-savvy journalists turned these digital spaces into their primary arenas for disseminating news and analysis.
However, the optimism surrounding these alternative platforms is now facing a formidable chall...

Fisherfolk in India and Pakistan are the victims of a turbulent mix of politics, economic crises, and climate change.

It was a windy but warm September morning, and crowds were gathered outside the outpatient department (OPD) of the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar, Kashmir. Navigating past the lengthy queues, this writer entered the government-established drug rehabilitation centre. There were long lines of young men clutching prescriptions, awaiting their weekly medications. They were all patients grappling with drug addiction, primarily intravenous heroin use.
Going past the corridor and up a...

Governmental policies in India are increasingly being digitised, making large amounts of personal data available to the ruling party, in particular. Such access potentially allows them to develop targeted campaigns before the 2024 elections. This article examines a few of these data collection systems, including the Aadhaar card, examining their original purpose, their creeping scope and their potential impact on democratic elections.
In the past decade, increasing Internet penetration, the s...

In India’s agricultural economy, the harvesting seasons are traditionally marked with festivities. But the December cotton harvest in central India’s Maharashtra State has become a somber time in recent years.
Around 50 miles from the city of Nagpur, near the center of the subcontinent, the village of Wabgaon looked like a ghost town during a visit at the peak of last year’s reaping. Houses appeared deserted, their doors and windows closed. The only signs of life were in the fields outside th...

Have a story to tell, nuanced insights or expert analysis to share with a regional (i.e. Asia), even global, audience? Want to weigh in on specific issues afflicting humanity while the deadly virus rages on and wreaks havoc on our old ‘normal’? We’d love to hear from you.
We run features, op-eds, analyses, and other original contents that probe issues around human rights and civil liberties, and illuminate the challenges of democratic governance in Asia as states and societies cope with the C...

India’s hosting of the G20 Summit in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir brings both anticipation and concern, particularly regarding the region’s environment. This event will serve as the third G20 working group meeting on tourism held in Kashmir and will bring dignitaries from across the globe. While tourism promises substantial economic benefits and a needed boost to the region’s economy, there are legitimate concerns about its potential impact on the local environment.
India current...

I met a group of young women acid attack survivors who live together in Delhi’s Noida area. These women have not only endured pain but have faced rejection and humiliation from the public and their own families after they were attacked with acid. Their determination and efforts to rebuild their lives are impressive.
Together these girls support each other in their tough times and run a small cafe. This cafe is not only a business but a ray of hope for those acid attack survivors who have lost...

bout three hours of arduous driving and hiking from Nepal’s capital is a village nearly bereft of men. In Bethan Chowk, which is part of the municipality of Bethanchowk southeast of Kathmandu (see interactive map below), Madan Parihar is the only male resident who is no longer a teenager and who is always around. In truth, if he hadn’t suffered a stroke three years ago, chances are the 63-year-old, whose wife had died while he was in India, would be working far from the village, like the rest...