Top civil rights leader announces plan to lead delegation to Pakistan amidst post-war tensions

By A Representative

In a significant move, well-known academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey has announced the plan to send a 22-member delegation to Pakistan to engage in dialogue with its government and civil society. The delegation proposed to go to Pakistan under the banner of Socialist Party (India) as a fact-finding mission to help seek solution to continuing tensions between the two countries over the fallout of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Pandey, who is the party's general secretary, in a statement, criticized the Indian government for refusing to acknowledge the bilateral nature of the conflict and for excluding Pakistan and China from the diplomatic delegations sent abroad to mobilize international support. Seven Indian delegations were dispatched globally to portray Pakistan as a sponsor of terrorism, but he said, most countries were not convinced, maintaining that Pakistan itself is a victim of terrorism.

Pakistan's recent appointment as the Vice-Chair of the UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee for 2025, and its receipt of a $1 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, have further challenged India’s narrative on the global stage. Citing past events, such as the U.S. operation that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, Pandey pointed out that even the U.S. refrained from labeling Pakistan a terrorist state or launching any military action against it.

"If the issue is truly bilateral, then India must engage directly with Pakistan to resolve it," said Pandey, adding that India continues to conduct dialogue and trade with China, despite the killing of 20 Indian soldiers by Chinese forces in 2020.

The Socialist Party has formally requested a visa from the Pakistani Prime Minister and sought permission from India’s Ministry of Home Affairs to cross the Wagah border.

Kashmir Visit Reveals Gaps in Civilian Protection

Earlier, a 14-member delegation of the party visited war-affected regions of Jammu and Kashmir — including Rajouri, Poonch, and Uri — from 25 to 30 May 2025. According to the party, families of those killed in the conflict expressed that they were unaware of the impending war on 7 May, and had they been informed, they could have relocated to safer areas and saved their loved ones.

Crackdown in Srinagar over Pro-Palestine Solidarity

From 21 to 25 June, the party organized a Socialism School in Srinagar, which ended in controversy when workers were detained at Maisuma police station for displaying a banner of the India-Palestine Solidarity Forum without prior permission. Among those detained was Shahnawaz Mir, General Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who was held for nearly 24 hours. Mir was later made to provide a written statement at the office of the Naib Tehsildar.

The Socialist Party condemned the harassment of Mir and the daily oppression faced by Kashmiris, while also denouncing the ongoing atrocities committed by Israel against the Palestinian people. The party reaffirmed its commitment to democratic struggles for justice and rights across borders.

Comments

Overriding India's constitutional sovereignty? Citizens urge PM to reject WHO IHR amendments

By A Representative A group of concerned Indian citizens, including medical professionals and activists, has sent an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reject proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) before the ratification deadline of July 19, 2025.

Designing the edge, erasing the river: Sabarmati Riverfront and the dissonance between ecology and planning

By Mansee Bal Bhargava, Parth Patel Across India, old black-and-white images of the Sabarmati River are often juxtaposed with vibrant photos of the modern Sabarmati Riverfront. This visual contrast is frequently showcased as a model of development, with the Sabarmati Riverfront serving as a blueprint for over a hundred proposed riverfront projects nationwide. These images are used to forge an implicit public consensus on a singular idea of development—shifting from a messy, evolving relationship between land and water to a rigid, one-time design intervention. The notion of regulating the unregulated has been deeply embedded into public consciousness—especially among city makers, planners, and designers. Urban rivers across India are undergoing a dramatic transformation, not only in terms of their land-water composition but in the very way we understand and define them. Here, we focus on one critical aspect of that transformation: the river’s edge.

FSSAI defies Supreme Court order on food warning labels, citing 'trade secrets' for withholding vital information

By A Representative India’s food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), is facing strong criticism for deliberately delaying the implementation of crucial warning labels on High Fat, Sugar, and Salt (HFSS) food products. This comes despite a clear Supreme Court order on April 9, 2025, which mandated the completion of the "entire exercise" within three months. Adding to the controversy, the FSSAI is reportedly hiding expert reports and over 14,000 public comments under the pretext of "trade secrets."

Ecological alarm over pumped storage projects in Western Ghats: Policy analyst writes to PM

By A Representative In a detailed letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, energy and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma has raised grave concerns over the escalating approval and construction of Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs) across India’s ecologically fragile river valleys. He has warned that these projects, if pursued unchecked, could result in irreparable damage to the country’s riverine ecology, biodiversity hotspots, and forest wealth—particularly in the Western Ghats.

‘Act of war on agriculture’: Aruna Rodrigues slams GM crop expansion and regulatory apathy

By Rosamma Thomas* Expressing appreciation to the Union Agriculture Minister for inviting suggestions from farmers and concerned citizens on the sharp decline in cotton crop productivity, Aruna Rodrigues—lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case ongoing since 2005 that seeks a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops—wrote to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 14, 2025, stating that conflicts of interest have infiltrated India’s regulatory system like a spreading cancer, including within the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Gurdial Singh Paharpuri: A lifetime of revolutionary contribution and unfulfilled aspirations

By Harsh Thakor* Gurdial Singh Paharpuri, a Central Committee member of the Communist Party Re-Organisation Centre of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPRCI(ML)), passed away on July 2, marking a significant loss for the Indian Communist Revolutionary movement. For six decades, Singh championed the cause of revolution, leaving an enduring impact through his lifelong dedication to the global proletarian movement. His contributions are considered foundational, laying groundwork for future advancements in revolutionary thought. He is recognized as a key figure among Indian Communist revolutionary leaders who shaped the mass line, and his example is seen as a model for revolutionary communists to follow.

Civil rights coalition condemns alleged abduction of activist Samrat Singh by Delhi police

By A Representative The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), a collective of civil and democratic rights organisations, has strongly condemned what it describes as the illegal abduction of psychologist and social activist Samrat Singh by a team of Delhi Police officials. The incident occurred on the evening of July 12, 2025, at Singh’s residence in Yamunanagar, Haryana.

Historic Supreme Court ruling grants tribal women equal right to inherit property

By Raj Kumar Sinha* The Supreme Court of India has delivered a landmark judgment declaring that denying tribal women inheritance rights solely based on gender is unconstitutional. The court affirmed their equal right to ancestral property, stating that refusing a share in such property to a tribal woman or her legal heirs on the basis of sex is both unjust and unconstitutional.

A disconnect between data and daily life: India's inflation puzzle

By Hemantkumar Shah* In recent news, the government has announced that the inflation rate has reached a six-and-a-half-year low. According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation for June stood at just 2.1 percent, down from 2.82 percent in May. This is the lowest rate in 77 months, and the ministry even claims that food prices have fallen by 1.06 percent compared to last year.

Search This Blog