An estimated 40% of the blasphemy cases are against religious minorities. They form only 3% of the population. ibid.
In 2010 Asia Bibi was the first Christian woman to be sentenced to death for blasphemy. ibid.
It’s a region that’s been at war for more than 70 years: Kashmir, a place rich in culture and tradition, home to Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. A state which has for decades fomented hate and fanaticism, driving apart two countries who were once one. Each nation secretly seeks to assert its control over the region. But with every clandestine confrontation the stakes get higher. ibid.
In 2019 Indian prime minister Narendra Modi revoked Kashmir’s special status in India’s constitution, taking away its autonomy. ibid.
What dark deals have been done by world leaders to prolong the conflict in Kashmir? ibid.
‘The conflict between India and Pakistan goes back to 1947: Partition was a sudden and fairly brutal process, and the problem was that Kashmir which is both Muslim and Hindu was made into a special territory.’ ibid. Michael Clarke, military specialist
Bigger battles were yet to come between these fierce and ultimately nuclear rivals. ibid.
Pakistan launched a series of air strikes against Indian airbases in Kashmir. India responded with force. Its army [December 1971] captured some 90,000 Pakistani troops in Eastern Pakistan … On 16th December 1971 Eastern Pakistan became the new sovereign state of Bangladesh. ibid.
Pakistan became the third largest recipient of American aid. ibid.
In Kashmir, the Islamic insurgency ramped up the pressure on India. ibid.
After decades of conflict, Kashmir still remains an open sore between these two nuclear giants … A wound that doesn’t look like it will be healing any time soon. ibid.
Far from covering himself in glory, Mountbatten’s actions in extracting Britain from India were to leave a devastating legacy. Lord Mountbatten: Hero or Villain? Channel 5 2020
Partition: two days later when the borders were revealed, panic set in. And the full horror of partition was unleashed. In the ensuing weeks, one million people lost their lives, and fifteen million were displaced as people fled across the borders. ibid.
The CIA concluded that America’s closest ally in the region could no longer be trusted. Pakistan’s Intelligence Service the ISI was playing a double game. Afghanistan: War Without End? BBC 2004
[Heroin] is smuggled into India through the 553 kilometre long international borders shared with Pakistan. Glut, The Untold Story of Punjab, 2010
‘Getting into the drone program was weird; the introduction was like – this is what we do, we kill people and break things, that is what our job is.’ Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars, Brandon Bryant, 2013
‘October 28th 2011, Pakistan: Thousands of Pakistanis came to support a giant rally on Sunday. The protest against the United States’ drone attacks in Pakistan.’ ibid. report
‘The car was completely destroyed and the bodies of Tariq and his cousin were badly burned.’ ibid. Muhib Ullah, Tariq’s cousin
They’ve killed maybe 3,000-4,000 people in targeted killings and they’ve captured a handful. ibid. Scott Shane, The New York Times
Tariq Aziz was one of almost 300 children killed. Why are these children being killed? ibid. Professor Mary Ellen O’Connell, Notre Dame International Law
A Pakistani court has declared US drone attacks in the country a war crime. ibid. news report
We don’t feel that our government should be killing people without trial, without conviction. ibid. British protest
Drones have killed, according to the Pakistani authorities ... seven hundred civilians since the inauguration of Obama. John Pilger, interview July 2009, Democracy Now!
August 1947: A nation is about to be born. Its founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, lands at the new capital Karachi … Even more than Gandhi, Jinnah shaped the turbulent events that unfolded fifty years ago. Secret History: Bloody Partition, Channel 4 1997
We present compelling evidence that until the end he didn’t want partition and that he never foresaw the full price of Pakistan. ibid.
‘One million people died. One million Hindus and Muslims across the border. And ten million people were uprooted. The biggest price that any country ever paid for such kind of operation.’ ibid. Rafiq Zakaria