South Asia at a Crossroads: Media, Power, and Authoritarianism
115 New Cavendish St
London W1W 6UW
UK
SOUTH ASIA AT A CROSSROADS: MEDIA, POWER, AND AUTHORITARIANISM
Border escalations teetering on the brink of war. Youth-led uprisings challenging entrenched regimes. Violent crackdowns in response. South Asia is in the throes of intense upheaval as old conflicts resurface and new crises emerge.
In this volatile landscape, several critical questions arise. As some sections of the media grow more subservient to power, what is the role of responsible journalism in the region? How are governments leveraging technology to surveil and silence dissent? And what price do young people pay for challenging repression?
These issues take centre stage at a symposium titled “South Asia at a Crossroads: Power, Media, and Authoritarianism”, organised by 20 journalists from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh — fellows of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme.
Join us at The Pavilion, University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish Street for the symposium spread across three panels. The event will examine how press freedom is shrinking, surveillance is growing, and young people are rising up against injustice, often in the face of violent and authoritarian reprisals in the region.
SCHEDULE
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Registration and Tea/Coffee
2:00 PM – 2:15 PM: Welcome Address
2:15 PM – 3:30 PM:
PANEL I: Newsrooms or War Rooms: Where is responsible journalism in South Asia?
In South Asia, journalism faces enormous challenges. Rather than asking tough questions to those in power, many mainstream media outlets now mirror the views of military establishments and ruling governments, pushing predetermined narratives at the expense of truth. This panel will explore how the media in South Asia has fuelled polarisation, and its broader impact on democracy and regional peace.
CHAIR: Andrew Whitehead
Andrew Whitehead is a historian, lecturer, author and freelance journalist. He worked for BBC News for 35 years including as BBC India correspondent, and as a presenter with and then Editor of BBC World Service News. He is an honorary professor at the University of Nottingham and also a visiting professor at the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai, India. His books include A Mission in Kashmir and The Lives of Freda: The Political, Spiritual and Personal Journeys of Freda Bedi. He is now working on an oral history of the British New Left.
SPEAKERS:
Dr Ayesha Siddiqa
Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa is a Pakistani political scientist with a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London, specialising in military affairs, national security, and defense economics. Author of Military Inc., she has more than 17 years of experience, writes internationally, consults globally, and has taught at top academic institutions.
Meenakshi Ravi
Meenakshi Ravi is a journalist and media analyst based in London. An Executive Producer with Al Jazeera English, Meenakshi works on the The Listening Post, a weekly show by the channel that examines and scrutinises the global media. Prior to joining Al Jazeera English, Meenakshi worked with CNBC in Mumbai, India.
David Loyn
David Loyn is an author, journalist, and analyst specialising in Afghanistan, South Asia, and imperial history. He currently serves on an advisory panel to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on South Asia policy. He was a BBC correspondent for over three decades, reporting from global conflict zones. His most recent posting in Afghanistan—a country he has covered since 1994. He also worked as BBC’s South Asia Correspondent based in Delhi.
3:30 PM – 4:45 PM:
PANEL II: Democracy Under Watch: Surveillance in South Asia
As governments across South Asia deploy powerful digital tools to monitor and control their citizens, a new form of tyranny is emerging—tech-enabled, opaque, and often unaccountable. Can the region build a digital rights movement strong enough to challenge these new regimes of control?
CHAIR: Adrija Bose
Adrija Bose, Senior Editor at BOOM, leads Decode, an investigative vertical on technology, society, and politics. With 13 years of experience, Adrija — a current Fellow of the Chevening SAJP cohort — has reported on disinformation, digital rights, and online extremism. Her work has won three UN Laadli Media Awards, the RedInk Award for illegal coal mining exposés, and the Polestar Award. She previously worked at News18, HuffPost India, NDTV, and Firstpost.
SPEAKERS:
Dr Chintan Chandrachud
Dr Chintan Chandrachud is a London-based barrister with a formidable reputation in commercial litigation, international arbitration and public law. With expertise in a broad spectrum of arbitral fora and commercial court work, Chintan combines rigorous scholarship with courtroom craft. He is the author of two books Balanced Constitutionalism and The Cases That India Forgot. In 2023, he was honoured with the India-UK Achievers Award, recognising his excellence across law and public service.
Aman Sethi
Aman Sethi is the editor-in-chief of openDemocracy. An award-winning journalist whose work critically examines the intersections of technology, surveillance, and state power, he has held senior editorial positions at HuffPost, BuzzFeed, and Coda Media, and served as a correspondent for The Hindu in both India and Africa. He hosts the podcast In Solidarity, where he explores topics such as the border industrial complex, the role of artificial intelligence in migration control, and the commodification of surveillance technologies.His is the author of non-fiction book A Free Man.
Ziaullah Hamdard
Ziaullah Hamdard is a journalist and academic from Pakistan, currently based in the United Kingdom. He has contributed to prominent media and advocacy platforms, including Pakistan Television, Radio Pakistan, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and UKS Research Centre in Islamabad. A lecturer in Journalism and Mass Communication at Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Pakistan, he is currently pursuing a PhD in Communication, Media, and Cultural Studies at Solent University, UK.
Dr Yung Au
Yung Au is a Visiting OTF Senior ICFP Fellow at the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford. Her work explores the surveillance industrial complex, critical mapping, and data infrastructures, with a focus on their colonial, geopolitical, and legislative entanglements. She previously led Stories in/around the Machine, a project on algorithmic systems and informal life in Asian cities. A Board Member of the Surveillance in the Majority World Network, she has also taught at Oxford and the University of the Arts London.
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM: Break
5:00 PM – 6:15 PM:
PANEL III: Youth’s role in regime change: Lessons from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
When uprisings in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh turned volatile, authoritarian regimes responded with force—cracking down on protesters, arresting leaders, and tightening media censorship. Yet, it was the youth who stood at the forefront, playing a decisive role in toppling governments and reshaping the political landscape of the region. What can such movements teach us about change of power?
CHAIR: Professor Naomi Hossain
Naomi Hossain is a Global Research Professor at SOAS, University of London. Her work centres on two distinct but occasionally converging areas: the politics of Bangladesh’s development, and the contentious politics of public services and disasters (beyond Bangladesh). In both themes, she focuses on issues of state accountability and responsiveness, protest and civic agency, and the role of aid.
SPEAKERS:
TU Senan
TU Senan is the International Coordinator of Tamil Solidarity in Britain. He is a long-time campaigner for Tamil rights in Sri Lanka and has worked extensively among the Tamil diaspora and in Europe. Senan has also travelled to Sri Lanka and India to build international solidarity and advocate for justice for Sri Lankan Tamils.
Ikhtisad Ahmed
Ikhtisad Ahmed is the Managing Editor of Netra News, Bangladesh’s first independent media outlet. Under his leadership, Netra News has won multiple international awards, including the 2025 Shorenstein Journalism Award and the 2024 Human Rights Press Award, for fearless investigative journalism and reporting on human rights violations in Bangladesh.
Kamal Ahmed
Kamal Ahmed is the Head of the Media Reform Commission and a senior journalist with decades of experience in Bangladeshi and international media. Formerly with BBC Bangla and Prothom Alo, he contributes to leading publications and advises human rights organizations. Kamal holds degrees in law and history from Dhaka and Rajshahi universities.
Rashad Ahamad
Rashad Ahamad is an investigative journalist and Staff Correspondent at New Age, Dhaka, and a current Fellow of the Chevening SAJP cohort. With over 15 years of experience, he reports on labour rights, climate change, disasters, and public health. His award-winning work includes coverage of Rana Plaza, July movement and Covid-19, earning fellowships and national journalism honours for impactful reporting.
6:15 PM – 6:30 PM: Closing Remarks
6:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Evening Drinks
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