Published by Seth Oldmixon on June 6, 2022

Pakistani Politics and the Rhetoric of Sacred Violence

Following his removal from office by way of a no-confidence vote by Pakistan’s National Assembly in April, former Prime Minister Imran Khan has described his effort to return to power as “jihad.” In response, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz told her party’s supporters that stopping Khan’s effort was tantamount to jihad. To many onlookers, especially…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on June 5, 2022

BJP Action Against Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal a Welcome First Step

In its 2022 Country Reports, Freedom House, a non-profit, U.S. government-funded organization in Washington, D.C., that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights, noted that the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “has presided over discriminatory policies and a rise in…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on January 7, 2020

FACT CHECK: No incident of minority repression during BNP rule?

Addressing a press conference at BNP headquarters, party leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed that no repression of minorities took place when BNP was in power, and that, in fact, “minority’s interests were protected during BNP’s tenure.” However, the International Religious Freedom Report 2005, published by the U.S. Department of State, tells a different story….

Published by Liberty South Asia on November 24, 2019

“Reimagining Pakistan: A Global Perspective”

Remarks delivered by Seth Oldmixon on November 23, 2019 London Pakistan finds itself in a tough spot right now. But it has a choice: It can either approach this situation defensively, as a threat, or positively, as an opportunity. Allow me to explain: Last June, Pakistan was added to a what is commonly known the…

Published by Liberty South Asia on November 14, 2019

Remarks Delivered by Seth Oldmixon on November 13, 2019 Washington, DC

9/11 made al Qaeda a household name; and with it, an introduction for most Americans to radical Islamism – a totalitarian, theocratic ideology that demands global subservience to a cabal of religious clerics. With the rise of ISIS, most people began to understand that al Qaeda is not the only violent extremist group in operation….

Published by Liberty South Asia on November 7, 2019

[Event] Jamaat-e-Islami: A Threat at Home and Abroad?

Wednesday, November 13, 201911:30am to 12:30pmWashington, D.C. (Capitol Hill)Room information will be provided to registered guests. Click here to RSVP In India, authorities blame it for terrorism in Kashmir. In Bangladesh, a war crimes tribunal found its leaders guilty of committing mass-murder. And in Pakistan, its regular rallies and fervent rhetoric receive national attention. Given…

Published by Liberty South Asia on November 4, 2019

SADF: Do Not Underestimate the threat of Jamaat-e-Islami

The South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF) is a Brussels-based think tank devoted to South Asia and its relationship with the European Union (EU). In 2015, SADF published a policy brief titled, Democracy Stalemate in Bangladesh – What Role for the International Community? In this brief, SADF argues that “the international community – and in particular the…

Published by Saghir Shaikh on October 29, 2019

Will Pakistan’s Renewed “Grey List” Status with FATF Result In Meaningful Change?

Earlier this month, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) formally announced that Pakistan will remain on its Grey List, noting it still had “serious concerns with the overall lack of progress” the government had made in addressing issues of money laundering and terror financing. In the same vein of concern that other international bodies have…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on October 1, 2019

Rohingya refugees pose a global humanitarian crisis. They may become a global security one.

The fifth largest city in Bangladesh is home to a million people – but no Bangladeshis live there. Spread out over almost 5 miles on the Southeast coast, the Kutupalong refugee camp is home to a growing population of Rohingya who fled a systematic campaign of genocide in neighboring Myanmar. While the plight of the…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on September 23, 2019

Peace in Kashmir Requires a Return to Pluralism

Prior to partition, Kashmir was a princely state, ruled by the Maharaja Hari Singh. While a majority of the population was Muslim, Singh was Hindu. Because Kashmir had a majority Muslim population, the leadership of the newly created state of Pakistan believed it should rightly accede to them. But Maharaja Singh was a hold out,…