In South Asia, the state has often existed in tension with society, asserting control not only over governance but also over history, memory, and legitimacy, while society is forced to negotiate or submit to official narratives. Rather than reinforcing one another, the political and social spheres frequently become antagonistic, with the imperatives of postcolonial state-building overriding justice, dissent, and collective memory. It is against this backdrop that Satluj, inspired by the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, assumes significance beyond cinema as an effort to reclaim a contested history. Its removal from ZEE5 only two days after its July 2026 release in India highlights the persistent struggle over who has the authority to narrate the past and whether censorship can erase, or merely delay, historical memory. Originally produced as Punjab 95, Honey Trehan’s film traces Khalra’s investigation into enforced disappearances and illegal cremations during Punjab...
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Sunday issued a glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) alert for Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the first week of August. Meanwhile, commuters were stranded in various parts of GB as road access to several areas remained cut off for the fifth consecutive day due to flash floods and Glofs . In continuation of the alert issued on July 17, the combined effect of warm thermal regime and ongoing intermittent precipitation was likely to continue across GB and KP till the first week of August, the PMD said. “This significant warming with intermittent rain will substantially accelerate snow and ice melt in the glaciated valleys of these regions,” it added. Consequently, the Met Office said that water levels in river streams of these valleys were likely to remain high, the existing glacial lakes might rapidly expand with an increase in their water levels, and new glacial lakes were likely to form due to a high volume of melted water...