Programme Officer, Police Reforms Programme (South Asia), Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), New Delhi is currently recruiting a Programme Officer (South Asia) to spearhead its growing work on Police Reforms. The programme focuses on promoting police accountability and reform in the Commonwealth countries of South Asia. Read more

Since the assassination of Osama bin Laden there has been a great deal of media and intelligence chatter on who would replace bin Laden as the leader of Al Qaida. One name, that of Ilyas Kashmiri, generated a certain amount of interest in South Asia, not least because it seemingly establishes the interconnectedness of the networks from Kashmir through Pakistan, Afghanistan and all the way to the Al Qaida’s Western collaborators including in Europe and the United States. His death, after a drone strike on June 3, 2011, gives us a chance to examine the details of the life of one of the most dangerous militants to arise out of South Asia. Read more

Over twenty civilians have lost their lives since June 2010 in a series of clashes with the paramilitary and police deployed in the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. Situated at the core of the conflict between India and Pakistan, the state has seen a violent insurgency over the last twenty years costing tens of thousands of casualties, as well as destroyed the economy and institutions of self-governance in the state. The current protests show that although the armed insurgency might be over a highly securitised state structure finds it difficult to deal with the demands of a civilian population. Read more

Amidst all the cultural, geographical, historical, linguistic heterogeneity that define democratic India, balancing competing interests has always proved to be a formidable challenge. One particular issue has been of determining state boundaries. India’s fourth largest state of Andhra Pradesh has been the battleground for demands of separation of its sub-region Telangana since the 1940s. Read more