South Asia Citizens Web

The Citizens Justice and Peace (CJP), co-petitioner in SLP 1088/2008—Zakia Ahsan Jafri and CJP v/s state of Gujarat—welcomes the order of the Supreme Court handing over the investigation and appraisal of the evidence in this crucial criminal investigation to the amicus curaie, Shri Raju Ramachandran. We believe that the wealth of evidence available, the witnesses, including police officers and administration officials willing to depose will do so now without fear or favour .

Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and others file lawsuit demanding that the state fulfill its constitutional obligation to provide education for all. See news reports

Who let the Hawks out in India? The American SEALS, of course. They took wing after the Hollywood-like finish with which the American Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) forces rubbed out Osama bin Laden. This spectacular event also converted some of our defence experts into scriptwriters. What Indian hawks miss out in their posturing is that the Kashmir problem will not be resolved by capturing or killing some unbelievably evil people in Pakistan. Terrorists have a way of breeding rapidly if they receive political patronage. Ergo, to resolve Kashmir, or terrorism in the subcontinent, there is no alternative but a state-to-state dialogue.

The Delhi University (DU), with its 70+ constituent colleges, 400,000 students and 8000+ teachers, is in the throes of an unprecedented crisis. The DU Administration, after having adamantly refused meaningful dialogue with teachers and students regarding its unilateral drive to hurriedly and thoughtlessly semesterise undergraduate teaching, has been vandalizing all conventions and clearly laid-down procedures governing democratic and participatory functioning at the DU.

IN RECENT years the default mode for Sri Lankan diplomats has been a posture of affronted national dignity beneath a mask of outraged, sanctimonious innocence.
Though perceived foreign slights may enhance the government’s standing at home, it is there that the concealment of the truth about the war’s end will do most damage. It is not as if there were no witnesses. Some 300,000 people know first-hand parts of what happened. When the LLRC held hearings in the north, scene of the fighting, survivors told harrowing tales of loss and asked where missing loved ones were. Without answers, it is hard to see how they can be “reconciled”.