Pakistan

Terror returns with the TTP

When the Taliban swept back to power in Afghanistan just under two years ago, analysts warned that their return would also mean a return of the threat posed to neighbouring Pakistan by offshoot Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). By Mohammad Luqman

The need to prove you're Indian

Nearly 2 million people in India's Assam state – over 5% of the region's population – are staring at a future where they could be stripped of their citizenship if they are unable to prove they are Indian. Sheikh Saaliq and Shonal Ganguly report

How should we rate Humza Yousaf's appointment?

The first Muslim to lead a major political party in Scotland; Humza Yousaf is also the first Muslim to head a government in Western Europe. But the picture is not all rosy, and what happens at the level of the political elite does not necessarily reflect realities on the ground. Commentary by Shady Lewis Botros

Digital learning for more opportunity

Pakistan's struggle with underinvestment in education and digitisation has resulted in high illiteracy rates and systemic discrimination. While some positive examples can be found in institutions catering for persons with disabilities, the overall picture remains bleak. By Marva Khan

The (familiar) stranger in the mirror

In his latest novel, award-winning Pakistani-British author Mohsin Hamid asks what would happen if a white man woke up one morning to find he was dark-skinned. A masterfully written Kafkaesque parable about everyday racism and discrimination. Volker Kaminski read the book

The cross-border fight for water

The land of the Sufis

No country in the Islamic world is influenced as strongly by the traditions of Sufi culture as Pakistan. Yet the Sufis there have been under attack from Islamic hardliners for years. By Marian Brehmer

Muslims face everyday hate

Last Friday – 15 March – was the UN's International Day to Combat Islamophobia. In Germany, many of the 5.5 million-strong Muslim community say they experience discrimination every day. By Christoph Strack

Ali Akbar Khan – sound of the soul

Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya's latest release pays tribute to late virtuoso of the sarod, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. With both men having been instrumental in bridging the gap between classical Indian and European music, it is fitting Bhattacharya should put together this album. Richard Marcus had a listen

Pakistani women defy forced marriage abroad

Is Sufism under threat?

Sufis today are under attack from fundamentalists and modernists alike. At the same time, a new form of Sufism is emerging in the West. By Marian Brehmer

Crumbling Pakistan economy puts children's futures on hold

Pakistan’s government, struggling to tackle a mounting debt crisis, recently raised taxes on luxury imports and services, saying only the rich elite would be affected. However, it also slashed fuel subsidies and increased a general sales tax, both of which will hit low-income families