Dr Syeda Hameed found herself in a lot of trouble recently after her comments on illegal immigrants in Assam. She had said there was nothing if Bangladeshis were living illegally in the state. In 2007, the UPA Government had awarded her the Padma Shri for her contribution to society. She was also a member of the Planning Commission between 2004-14, when Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister.
Syeda Hameed had said, “And what is the crime in being a Bangladeshi? Bangladeshis are also humans. The world is so big, Bangladeshis can also live here. They are not depriving anyone of their rights. Saying that they are doing so is troublesome, mischievous and detrimental to humanity… The world was created by Allah for humans and not for monsters, if a person is standing on this land, why uproot him this way?”
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma criticised her heavily and said that she was attempting to turn Assam into a part of Pakistan. He said, “Today Assamese identity is on the brink of extinction because of the tacit support of people like her.”
People like Syeda Hameed, a close confidant of the Gandhi family legitimise illegal infiltrators, as they seek of realise Jinnah's dream of making Assam a part of Pakistan.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 25, 2025
Today Assamese identity is on the brink of extinction because of the tacit support of people like her.… pic.twitter.com/KTMdrNP38P
Our investigation into Hameed’s background has revealed that her comments on Assam was reflective of her larger activism. She dreams of a South Asia where national borders are made largely irrelevant. While her pursuit of a peaceful South Asia might be noble on the surface, she has allied herself with individuals who are deeply problematic.
The Southasia Peace Action Network (SAPAN)
The Southasia Peace Action Network (SAPAN) is an organisation that advocates for peace between India and Pakistan and in the region at large. It was established in 2021. According to its Founding Charter, SAPAN wants ‘soft borders’ in the region, ideally a Visa-free travel or Visa-on-Arrival. If not that, then ease of Visas and economic cooperation.
SAPAN also wants “collaboration and cooperation in all areas”. Most significantly, it wants “disarmament, de-militarisation and de-nuclearisation.” All of this appears to be standard liberal utopian fantasies. What is dangerous here are some of the people involved.
Syeda Hameed sits on the Advisory Council of SAPAN. Apart from some people of Pakistani origin, there is one other name in the Council that raises significant concern. Kavita Srivastava is described as one of the founding members of SAPAN on its website.
She is the President of the People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) that has deep ties with Naxals. A convicted Naxalite is a Vice President at PUCL. The organisation has also been involved in several major controversies in the country.
According to SAPAN, Kavita Srivastava is “deeply invested in music and cultural initiatives that promote regional cooperation.” It is perplexing that a highly problematic individual like her is legitimised by influential people from such diverse fields.
Kavita Srivastava delivered introductory remarks at a session emphasising the role of art in giving voice to the people.
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Many organisations have signed the Founding Charter of SAPAN. The prominent names among them are Sagarika Ghose, the Rajya Sabha MP from the Trinamool Congress. Her term as MP started in Aoril, 2024. So it is likely that she signed the Founding Charter a long time before she became MP. Her husband Rajdeep Sardesai is also one of the signatories to the charter.
Apart from them, eminent Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi is a signatory. Social media sensation Gurmehar Kaur is also among the names.
SAPAN and its activism
The organisation has engaged in a lot of activism that has often led to embarrassment for itself and others. Rajdeep Sardesai in an interview with SAPAN on April 17, 2025 advocated for dialogues between politicians of India and Pakistan. Five days later, Pakistan-sponsored terrorists committed the Pahalgam Terror Attack, where they targeted tourists on the basis of religion.
Rajdeep Sardesai said in an interview in April that he has always dreamt of a South Asia that "simply melts the boundaries and the borders". He advocated dialogue between politicians.
— Sensei Kraken Zero (@YearOfTheKraken) September 3, 2025
This interview is from April 17, 2025.
The Pahalgam Terror Attack occurred on April 22, 2025. pic.twitter.com/5gIIVz5e6c
In an interview with SAPAN in June 2022, senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar advocated for dialogues between India and Pakistan. During the interview, Aiyar made some extraordinarily callous remarks, something that he has developed a reputation for.
"There is no similar problem between Pakistan and Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka or even Pakistan and Bangladesh. It's India that is the problem and India that is the solution."
— Sensei Kraken Zero (@YearOfTheKraken) September 3, 2025
-Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar in an interview in June 2022 pic.twitter.com/yYumQOV97O
These interviews emphasise a vision of South Asia that refuses to acknowledge the reality of Pakistan sponsored terrorism. It also attempts to place India on the same pedestal as Pakistan. They paint a picture where radicalism in India is as terrible as in Pakistan, which is simply not true.
More about Syeda Hameed and her activism
SAPAN also interviewed Syeda Hameed in June 2022. During the interview, she demonstrated an idealistic vision of India-Pakistan relations that simply didn’t ever exist.
She said, “What gives me hope is that the younger generation and the kind of spirit that they have shown, specially the movement that we had, about anti-CAA and NRC. Thousands of youth came out and there was this whole mobilisation of Muslim women at Shaheen Bagh, defeating the whole stereotypical image of how Muslim women act.”
Syeda Hameed also complained that the “Iron Hand of the State” crushed these developments. She also grumbled about domestic Indian political developments.
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She was very quick in demanding deescalation and diplomacy right after India hit terrorists in Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. According to her, the “hyping of military strikes” post-Pulwama was an attempt by “ruling regimes” to deflect attention from their own failures.
She went so far as to say, “The mobilisation of public sentiments for creating a rhetoric of nationalistic grief is the public posture of ruling parties to score political points.”
Syeda Hameed represents the sort of activism that is naive at best and deceptively dangerous at worst. Her ideology represents the dreams of an addled brain that are crushed under the feet of cold hearted reality. Having said that, the fact that she provides legitimacy to individuals such as Kavita Srivastava is a cause for grave concern.
