The uneven development and flawed policies in Pakistan have widened the social and digital inequalities between the urban and rural areas. The current Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the inequalities affecting the poor and the low-paid jobs the most.

By Sher Zaman It was a chilly morning of March 2021 at the busy Gahkuch Bazaar. The bazaar here opens early at dawn and closes at dusk. Young Hidayatullah* has opened his general store in the heart of the bazaar. He was looking forward to a usual day before he would retire to his shared room with several other traders …

by Zameer Abbas In the spring of 2009, Syed Yahya Shah came to see me, a budding government official, in Gilgit. We were working on his citation for a certain award. Our first meeting panned out to much more than the award recommendation. He talked about sectarianism and the narrow interpretation of Islam for nominal gains by the clergy. Gilgit …

by Aasim Sajjad Akhtar When Mashal Khan was brutally lynched four years ago, the Tehrik-e-Labbaik-Pakistan (TLP) was still a relatively new and unknown force. As we remember Mashal today, the TLP has dramatically become Pakistan’s most powerful Islamist group, with unmatched mobilizational capacity. TLP activists block roads in various cities of Punjab, Sindh and KP to protest the detention of …

Raza Naeem’s tribute to Pakistan’s best-known Marxist, scholar, author and activist on his birth centenary marked on April 10. Stop all the clocks … let the mourners come.— W.H. Auden by Raza Naeem While the world-renowned Marxist sociologist does not need an introduction here in South Asia, my reflections here will chiefly consist of my memories of my lone meeting …

F. Ali Syed Yahya Shah Al-Hussaini, a noted religious scholar, political leader, social reformer, nature conservationist, folklorist and award-winning writer passed away in Gilgit on Sunday, (April 11, 2021) at the age of 85 after a brief illness. He was elected a member of the Gilgit–Baltistan Advisory Council after the abolition of Nagar State in 1975. He was re-elected a …

News Desk UNESCO Director Azoulay stressed that this fundamental human right must be protected every day, especially in the face of new forms of digital exclusion. The United Nations Organization for Education, Science, and Culture (UNESCO) on Friday urged all countries to ratify the Convention Against Discrimination in Education, a multilateral instrument that turns 60 next Monday. The international agency …

Modern audio recording studio and other facilities established in a record two-month time. Songs of legendary artist and singer Jan Ali will be recorded first. High Asia Herald Report Artist and singer Jan ali along with PNCA Director-General inaugurate culture Centre at Sports and Culture Complex, Jutial in Gilgit on Thursday, April 8, 2021. Photo HAH/PNCA Pakistan National Council of …

Imran Mukhtar In a fresh bid to halt illegal logging in the scenic Gilgit-Baltistan region, Pakistan has brought in a paramilitary force to stop organised groups from cutting down trees and transporting them to other parts of the country. The Frontier Constabulary (FC), a civil armed force working under the federal government, was deployed in January to support the GB …

AAM dismayed at a Peshawar court order News Desk Islamabad: The organisers of the Aurat Azadi March (women liberation march) Islamabad chapter has expressed dismay at the order issued by a Peshawar session court. The sessions court judge on Friday directed the Peshawar Cantonment police to file an FIR under Section 22A of the CrPC against organisers and participants of …

High Asia Herald Report Journalists, politicians, academics, intellectuals and rights activists have expressed solidarity with the organisers of the Aurat Azadi March (AAM) and have condemned the smear campaign by obscurantist rightwing groups and trolls. The Aurat March was held in several cities of Pakistan to commemorate International Women’s Day on 8th March. A joint statement signed by over 1,000 …

News Desk A Pakistani climbers team are in Nepal to make mountaineering history by attempting Annapurna to pay tribute to the late Muhammad Ali Sadpara, who died on K2 on February 5, 2021, along with two Western mountaineers. The four-climber team will attempt the 10th highest mountain peak of the world as a tribute to the high-altitude porters of Gilgit-Baltistan. …

News Desk Manizha’s family came to Russia after fleeing civil war in Tajikistan, and now she will represent her adopted country at the Eurovision Song Contest in May. Also see: https://www.rferl.org/embed/player/0/31144071.html?type=video Manizha’s unlikely journey to the finals in Rotterdam has also included social activism and a role as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. RFE/RL’s Tajik Service

By Rozina Ahmed Marriage is a social contract between an adult man and woman with their free will to live a life together. The success of this relationship depends on shared ideals, mutual respect, dignity and equal distribution of economic and social responsibilities. However, historically, women have always been disadvantaged and exploited in the name of customs and traditions associated …

News Desk When I cycled to Shimshal last year to document the stories of high altitude porters, little did I know where this journey would take me? If there is one thing I learnt from this visit, it was how to nurture your dreams despite adverse circumstances, writes blogger, climber Kamran Munawar on Bike on his Facebook page. “Passion, positivity, …