Neighborhood News Digest – 24 February 2023

Afghanistan

Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing shut after brief reopening – The Times of India

akistan shut down a key border crossing with Afghanistan just hours after it was reopened on Thursday, officials said, the latest twist in the controversial closure of the Torkham junction that started earlier this week. The issue of the crossing, a key trade route for both Afghanistan and Pakistan, has added to increasing tensions between the two countries, which share a troubled and volatile boundary. Click here to read... [2]

Taliban gives major relief to Pakistan, promises action against TTP bases in Afghanistan – Firstpost

The Pakistan government informed in a statement that a delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif had discussed the threat posed by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State (ISIS-K) during their dialogue with Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers in Kabul. Click here to read... [3]

Two mysterious killings in Afghanistan, Pakistan bring a major setback to terrorism in Kashmir – Daiji World

The tottering ecosystem of anti-India militants and separatists in Kashmir has suffered two major setbacks, one after another, in the current week. Two of the most notable Kashmiri terrorists have been gunned down-one each in Afghanistan and Pakistan, raising speculations of group clashes and, as usual, whispers of an "Indian hand" by some politicians. Click here to read... [4]

Bangladesh

Adani Power promised to supply power in reduced price to Bangladesh: Report - TBS

India's Adani Power on Thursday promised to supply electricity to Bangladesh at a reduced price keeping consistent with the generation cost in the country's existing coal-fired plants. The Adani will import the coal for its plants at the same price the Bangladeshi coal-run plants do for themselves, the mass-circulation Prothom Alo newspaper reported quoting an Adani official. Click here to read... [5]

Both AL, BNP wooing Islami Andolon – The Daily Star

Both the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP are out to get one religion-based party as an electoral ally, a gain which may help boost the vote bank ahead of the next general polls. For its performance in the recent elections, Islami Andolon Bangladesh (IAB), founded by "Charmonair Pir" Fazlul Karim, has become a factor in the country's politics. And it led the two major parties to make one request to IAB: if it can't join their electoral coalition, it should go it alone, said sources. Click here to read... [6]

Pranay reaffirms India’s commitment to development partnership with Bangladesh – New Age

Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma on Thursday reaffirmed India.s commitment to development partnership and cooperation with Bangladesh to scale up bilateral trade and investment, and promote people-to-people exchanges. He underlined sustained ongoing efforts on both sides to strengthen connectivity and trade infrastructures at our land ports and to gradually decongest and facilitate smoother movement of goods and people across the border. Click here to read... [7]

Bhutan

Bhutan FM talks about geopolitical tensions in Asia Economic Dialogue – Business Standard

Bhutan Finance Minister Lyonpo Namgay Tshering on Thursday said that three important aspects that linger around his mind are geopolitical tensions around the world, climate change and the widening trade aspect. In his remarks at the inaugural session of the Asia Economic Dialogue 2023 in Pune, he said that growth in India will directly or indirectly translate or have a cascading effect on a small country like Bhutan. Click here to read... [8]

Bhutan launches self-sovereign biometric digital ID, crown prince first to enroll – Biometric update

Bhutan’s seven-year-old crown prince His Royal Highness Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck led the way as the first Bhutanese to be enrolled into the country’s new national digital ID system (NDI) in a recent ceremony that took place on his father’s birthday. According to reporting by the state-run Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS), the NDI is a digital wallet that uses state-of-the-art technologies to provide citizens with secure and verifiable ID credentials. Click here to read... [9]

Maldives

Maldives designs and tests its first satellite "Azum" - Edition

A team of Maldivian engineers has designed and tested the country's first satellite, as part of the "Azum" space mission. According to the Institute for Global Success (IGS), the CubeSat-level satellite was created without any foreign assistance and can be easily modified to fit different missions. Click here to read... [10]

Maldives FM lauds Indian assistance in developmental projects at Asia Economic Dialogue – The Print

Maldivian Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer on Thursday lauded Indian assistance in developmental projects carried out in Maldives. In his remarks at the inaugural session of the Asia Economic Dialogue 2023 here, he said that developmental projects in Maldives carried out by Indian assistance is geared towards future growth. “India and Maldives share a unique bond based on mutual respect, trust and understanding that goes beyond simple geographical, historical and cultural ties. And as the honourable minister Dr Jaishankar mentioned that there is a fundamental difference between the developmental projects that we are carrying with the Indian assistance. Click here to read... [11]

Myanmar

NUG Rights Minister Demands Justice for Rohingya - Irrawaddy

Myanmar’s civilian National Unity Government’s (NUG) human rights minister U Aung Myo Min says the crimes of genocide against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar committed six years ago must be acknowledged and justice sought for the victims. The minister attended an event to mark the second anniversary of the launch of the Spring Revolution against the regime and the sixth anniversary of the Rohingya massacres, held at the United States Embassy in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday. Click here to read... [12]

Winds of Change: Changing Narratives for Rohingya Community in Myanmar - Geopolitics

Myanmar’s longest-running civil disobedience campaign against its military, the Tatmadaw, has created something that was never seen before: a unified Myanmar in the “burning state.” Not only that, but this solidarity has also changed Myanmar’s Rohingya ethnic politics. After the coup, most parties have attempted to reconcile with the ethnic minority population, which has been living a life of indefinite banishment in Rohingya camps in Bangladesh since 2017 after being denied citizenship in Myanmar. Therefore, the question is: why are the winds of change now blowing for the Rohingya community? Click here to read... [13]

Nepal

Ex-Army Chiefs call for strong ties with Nepal – The Tribune

Military bond between India and Nepal remains the bedrock of ties between the two nations and there is a need to further strengthen the bond to enhance the bilateral relations. This was brought out at a conclave of chiefs of the two armies to mark 260 years of the Nepali Army. Click here to read... [14]

Timing not suitable: Nepal barred visit by CIA chief William J Burns last week – Indian Express

In a rare move, the Nepal government last week withheld permission for a visit to the country by CIA Director William J Burns, ostensibly on the grounds that the timing of the trip was “not so conducive”. It is learnt Burns returned home from Sri Lanka, the first leg of his South Asia trip, after the Nepal government conveyed to the US Embassy in Kathmandu that given the political developments, including the impending Presidential election, permission for the visit was being withheld. Click here to read... [15]

Pakistan

Pakistan’s FX reserves rise by $66m to $3.26bn, says central bank – Arab News

Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves held by the central bank rose by $66 million to $3.258 billion in the week ending Feb. 17, it said on Thursday, while its total liquid foreign reserves stood at $8.726 billion. Pakistan, which is a $350 billion economy, is facing economic turmoil, with a balance of payment crisis and only enough foreign exchange reserves to cover three weeks of imports. Click here to read... [16]

Will look at local public sentiment before taking call on helping crisis-hit Pakistan: Jaishankar – Times of India

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that the Modi government will look at the local public sentiment before taking a call on whether to help crisis-hit Pakistan. Click here to read... [17]

India slams Pakistan after it rakes up J&K during UNGA session on Ukraine – Indian Express

India slammed Pakistan after it referred to Jammu and Kashmir during a special session on Ukraine in the UN General Assembly, terming the provocation as “regrettable and misplaced” and calling out Islamabad’s track record of harbouring and providing safe havens to terrorists with impunity. Click here to read... [18]

PTI leaders in KP ‘free to court arrest another day’ – Dawn

A day after at least 81 supporters in Lahore went to prison as part of the party’s ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’, PTI workers and leaders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa did not appear too keen to give up their freedom for the sake of ‘real freedom’, as the day ended without any arrests. Click here to read... [19]

Sri Lanka

LG polls not legally declared: President – Daily Mirror

Local government election has not been declared legally and therefore, there is no question of a postponement, President Ranil Wickremesinghe stated today. “An election has not been declared legally as there has not been a quorum when the election commission members decided on the date. “There has been only two members present when the decision has been made on the date while the two members present had decided on the date and then inquired the view of the remaining members who were not present. The quorum of the election commission meeting is three legally therefore no official declaration of the local government elections legally,” the President said. “Also the funds for the local polls has not been requested from the election commission. Click here to read... [20]

Sri Lanka gives nod to $442-million wind project of Adani Group – The Hindu

Crisis-hit Sri Lanka has approved a $442-million wind power project of Adani Green Energy, barely a month since the Indian multinational conglomerate’s stocks plummeted following U.S.-based short-seller Hindenburg’s damaging report on the Group. “Adani, a leading Indian company” received the project approval “to start two wind power plants in Mannar and Pooneryn areas of [northern] Sri Lanka,” the Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka said on Wednesday. The project would likely create 2,000 jobs, and in two years, generate about 350 MW of power, the Board said in a statement. Click here to read... [21]