South Asia Citizens Web

The Times of India
Living in Pakistan and reading about it in the Indian press can sometimes be quite a disorienting experience: one wonders what place on earth they’re talking about? I wouldn’t be surprised if an Indian reader going through Pakistani papers has asked the same question in recent days. Here are some common assumptions about Pakistan and its citizens that I have come across in the Indian media...
Pakistan controls the jihadis: Or Pakistan’s government controls the jihadis. (…)

Magazine Section / The Hindu
Woman of steel
Using her pen to fight for displaced tribals and to expose corruption, Dayamani Barla could teach even Mahendra Singh Dhoni a lesson or two about how to fight back…
Different possibilities: Dayamani Barla with the Chingari Award for Women Against Corporate Crime, 2008.
The State of Jharkhand, that mineral rich southern part of the former State of Bihar, which was hived off into a separate State in 2000, has become famous recently for the (…)

Inter Press Service
KARACHI, Dec 31 (IPS) - As the New Year dawns, the repatriation by India of 66 Pakistan nationals brings hope for hundreds of Pakistanis and Indians incarcerated in prisons across each other’s countries — and for peace between the South Asian neighbours.
Before the bloody attacks of Nov. 26 in the port city of Mumbai — that led to tensions escalating between the nuclear-armed neighbours — it was decided that the prisoner release would take place in January. (…)

The Island
The headline in a website this week read "Sri Lanka defeat spirited Tigers". The reference was of course to the victory that the Sri Lanka cricket team secured over Bangladesh in the First Test concluded on Wednesday. Bangladesh is the minnow among the test-playing nations and Sri Lanka were expected to have an easy win. Early on the fourth day, it appeared so when Bangladesh, chasing 521 to win in the fourth innings, were reduced to 180 for 5. But the Bangladeshi skipper (…)

[The Guardian, 30 December 2008 >http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/30/bangladesh]
The outcome of the Bangladeshi election is a resounding vote for progress and secularism
Two miracles happened in Bangladesh yesterday. Firstly, 80% of the Bangladeshi electorate – a record number – voted in one of the most peaceful elections in the country’s history. Secondly, they voted for a party that believes in secularism and by a majority big enough for it to control 85% of the (…)