Democracy and National Reconciliation in Sri Lanka: Towards a Peaceful Equation?
Sri Lanka not only symbolizes the oldest and longest democratic tradition among post-colonial societies but also an authoritarian shift and one of Asia’s most traumatic civil wars. The armed conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), that mainly comprised of members of the Buddhist Sinhalese majority, and the...
Pakistan: Between Coup and Constitutional Engineering
Pakistan started the New Year 2015 with another unfortunate episode in its truncated political history.
One could once again hear the momentous military rhetoric of the “doctrine of necessity” in order to justify direct intervention into the country’s politics, to establish formal prerogatives and an institutionally ensured role for the...
What prompted Pakistan to ban the Haqqani network?
Pakistan has finally decided to outlaw the militant Haqqani network, which has been responsible for attacks on foreign forces in Afghanistan. Experts, however, say that Islamabad's move is unlikely to be implemented.
Pakistan no longer believed in separating the "good" and "bad" Taliban, a senior government official said on Friday,...
Presidential elections in Sri Lanka
SADF congratulates Sri Lankans and President-elect Maithripala Sirisena and promotes a post-electoral briefing in the European Parliament
Sri Lankans went yesterday to the polls to elect their President. There were no reports of major violence or civil unrest and turnout in several regions is estimated to have surpassed 70 %....
SADF condemns another terrorist attack in Peshawar
On the 16th of December 2014 Pakistan and the World saw another violent attack, this time perpetrated by the extremist group Tehrik-i-Taliban. More than 130 people were killed in this attack to a military school, most of them were innocent children. For people to achieve peace, Pakistan and the...
Can Afghan President Ghani mend ties with Pakistan?
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is in Pakistan to improve ties with the neighboring Islamic country. But analyst Siegfried O. Wolf tells DW that Islamabad's regional interests will continue to be a stumbling block.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani arrived in Islamabad on Friday, November 14, on his first official visit after...
Conference: The New Government in India: a Global View
14th of November, 2013, Brussels
South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF) organised a conference hosted by Geoffrey Van Orden MEP, Chairman of the Delegation for Relations with India. The event took place in the European Parliament and focused in the regarding the new Indian Government six months after the election of Prime...
Hasina Jalal Wins 2014 N-Peace Award
Hasina Jalal, a founding member of the National Association of Afghanistan Civil Society and board member of Freedom Message Newspaper is one of the five young women in Asia who recently won the 2014 N-Peace Award. She was awarded recognitin in the category of Public Vote for Untold Stories-Women...
Pakistan must not allow extremists to act as a ‘Sunni Wall’ against Iran
By Dr. Siegfried O. Wolf
Pakistani-Iranian ties are gradually turning into a hostile affair as the two neighbors continue to engage in border clashes. Analyst Siegfried O. Wolf tells DW why Islamabad needs to re-evaluate its regional policies.
Border tensions between Pakistan and Iran have flared over the past few months,...
Asia Bibi’s death penalty: A test case for human rights in Pakistan
Latest article by our fellow Shamil Shams
The lawyers of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman convicted of blasphemy, are set to appeal against her death penalty in the Supreme Court. Activists say the case will serve as a test for human rights in Pakistan.
Asia Bibi has been languishing in...