South Asian Leaders Fuel Hate to Mask Economic Insecurity
Political leaders across South Asia are increasingly promoting hatred and division to divert public attention from economic hardship and governance failures, Human Rights Watch’s Deputy Asia Director Meenakshi Ganguly has warned.
Mousiké technē: Why Chhayanaut Matters
Audity Falguni traces the long, defiant journey of Bangladesh’s most influential cultural institution ‘Chhayanaut’ as a guardian of music, secular values, and resistance through art, from the Pakistan era to the present. Audity argues that the recent attack on Chhayanaut is not mere vandalism but a continuation of extremist assaults on music, memory, and cultural freedom echoing past violence and posing a grave threat to Bangladesh’s secular cultural heritage.
Demanding for a ‘Ladyland/Republic for Women’ and ‘A Room of One’s Own’
Begum Rokeya and Virginia Woolf, writing from different worlds yet confronting the same structures of patriarchy, imagined liberating spaces where women could think, create and lead. From Rokeya’s visionary Ladyland in Sultana’s Dream to Woolf’s reflections on intellectual freedom in A Room of One’s Own, their ideas continue to shape feminist thought. A recent screening of Sultana’s Dream renews this dialogue across time, cultures and mediums. Audity Falguni writes for BD Voice readers.
Dhaka in Dire Need of Earthquake Preparedness
Dhaka has been rattled by a series of earthquake tremors in recent days, exposing the capital’s dangerous lack of preparedness. With building-code violations, dense unplanned urbanisation, and repeated seismic activity near Narsingdi and the Madhupur Fault, experts warn that even a moderately strong quake could turn the megacity into a disaster zone. Drawing parallels with the “Last Days of Pompeii,” the article examines rising geological risks and the urgent need for strict enforcement of safety standards, open spaces, and long-term urban resilience planning.
Pakistan Launches Fresh Airstrikes, Afghanistan Responds with Counterattack
Just hours after reaching a ceasefire agreement to de-escalate recent tensions, Pakistan launched fresh airstrikes in Afghanistan. According to Afghan news agency Khaama Press, the strikes took place late Friday night (October 17) in multiple areas of Paktika Province, killing at least six people and injuring seven others.
The Small Island Causing Big International Tensions
Bangladesh, located in South Asia, has emerged as a key focal point in global geopolitical competition following months of unrest and shifts in its power structure over the past year. Although the interim government has pledged to hold elections, the political climate remains tense, clouded by accusations of foreign interference. At the heart of this crisis is a controversial allegation concerning the United States' attempt to secure access to a military base on Saint Martin Island—an issue raised by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which continues to echo in Dhaka’s political and media spheres despite the passage of time.
Bangladesh Arrest Surge Threatens Democracy
After the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government last August, Bangladesh’s interim government had promised a swift return to democracy . That promise has been emphatically belied as the interim government headed by Nobel Laureate Mohammed Yunus is yet to announce a roadmap for elections. Meanwhile , the country sinks into waves of arbitrary arrests that has become a preferred state weapon to control dissent and neutralise political opposition.
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