Going South

Ayushi Kar and Special Intensive Revision in West Bengal

In this episode, we speak with journalist Ayushi Kar. We discuss the special intensive revision process in West Bengal, where 9 million voters were deleted from the voter rolls. We delve into the Election Commission of India’s changing goalposts, the message this exercise has sent to India’s Muslims, and what this exercise says about the future of Indian elections. Ayushi brings her extensive experience as one of the first reporters to go to West Bengal to report on this process to provide her insights on this complicated development and how it is affecting West Bengal’s voters just days before legislative assembly elections in the state.  Reading List 1. Reporters’ Collective work on elections and SIR: “The Electoral Roll Project [https://www.reporters-collective.in/the-electoral-roll-project]” - Ayushi Kar, Nitin Sethi, Harshita Manwani, Vishnu Narayan, Gayatri Sapru 2. Documentaries and short episodes on Bengal elections and election fraud by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta [https://www.youtube.com/@paranjoyonline/videos]

Salim Moheb Hakik and Life During the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict

In this second part of our miniseries on the Afghanistan Pakistan conflict, we speak with Salim Moheb Hakik of Abaad: Afghan Women Forward. We discuss what life is like during bombardment by the Pakistan military. We talk at length about how Abaad empowers Afghan women and girls despite all the restrictions they face in the country. Finally, we talk about the hopes and aspirations that Afghan women have and why that hope continues, despite war and despite government restrictions.

Niala Mohammad and Afghanistan-Pakistan Conflict

In this short episode, we speak with Niala Mohmmad of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate. We discuss why Afghanistan-Pakistan relations have broken down since the return of the Taliban. We explore the geopolitical dynamics of the war between these two countries, including how India’s close ties with the Taliban may be making Pakistan more nervous about its neighborhood. Finally, we discuss the humanitarian crisis unfolding during this war, and particularly, how Afghan refugees are being used as a political pawn in this conflict. Reading List 1. Taliban government blames Pakistan for drone strikes on Afghanistan [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/taliban-government-blames-pakistan-for-drone-strikes-on-afghanistan#:~:text=The%20U.N.,that%20have%20increased%20since%202021.]: PBS News 2. IOM warns of mass returns to Afghanistan, urges immediate funding to scale up response [https://www.iom.int/news/iom-warns-mass-returns-afghanistan-urges-immediate-funding-scale-response]: International Organization on Migration  3. Tehreek-i-Taliban [https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/entity/tehrik-e-taliban-pakistan-%28ttp%29]: UN Security Council

Hina Jilani and Human Rights in Pakistan

In this episode, we speak with celebrated Pakistani human rights activist Hina Jilani. We discuss how Pakistani society has evolved amid the country’s turbulent history since partition. We delve into the geopolitical influences on Pakistan’s politics, the relationship between the military and civilian governments, and the tensions between institutions and political inertia in safeguarding Pakistani human rights. Hina brings her extensive experiences as a Supreme Court lawyer, co-founder of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and an international legal observer to help us understand the push and pull between Pakistan’s government and its people as Pakistanis fight for their human rights.

Anuradha Bhasin and Kashmir Today

In this episode, we speak with Anuradha Bhasin, Executive Editor of the Kashmir Times, about the history of Indian-administered Kashmir. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, the Government of India has cracked down on dissent in Kashmir. We discuss the history of Kashmir’s relationship with India and Pakistan, the syncretic nature of Kashmiri society, and how the current human rights crisis came to be. Anuradha brings her extensive experience reporting on issues in Kashmir to give us a glimpse into how Kashmiris navigate living in one of the world's most contested regions. Reading List 1. “A Dismantled State: The Untold Story of Kashmir After Article 370 [https://harpercollins.co.in/product/a-dismantled-state/]” - Anuradha Bhasin. 2. “Sheikh Abdullah: The Caged Lion of Kashmir [https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300270778/sheikh-abdullah/]” - Chitralekha Zutshi 3. Haider (2014). Vishal Bhardwaj.  4. Maagh (2022). Aamir Bashir. 5. Harud (2023). Aamir Bashir 6. You can find all 25 banned books mentioned in this episode in this ⁠Al Jazeera article⁠ [https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/8/9/attack-on-peoples-memory-kashmirs-book-ban-sparks-new-censorship-fears]