Neighborhood News Digest – 09 March 2023

Afghanistan

India to send 20,000 MT of wheat to Afghanistan via Chabahar – The Hindu

India will send its next consignment of wheat as aid to Afghanistan under the Taliban regime via Chabahar, the MEA announced on Tuesday. The decision, that was announced at the first meeting of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group (JWG) on Afghanistan in Delhi, came after the agreement with Pakistan to extend for sending the wheat over the land route expired, and talks on extending the time have failed to proceed. Click here to read... [2]

Afghanistan is world's most repressive country for women, says UN on Women’s Day – The New Indian Express

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the country has become the most repressive in the world for women and girls, deprived of many of their basic rights, the United Nations said Wednesday. In a statement released on the International Women’s Day, the U.N. mission said that Afghanistan's new rulers have shown an almost “singular focus on imposing rules that leave most women and girls effectively trapped in their homes.” Click here to read... [3]

EU Delivers 100 Tonnes of Medical Aid to Afghanistan – The Khaama Press

The European Union delivered close to 100 tonnes of life-saving medical supplies and equipment to Afghanistan through the EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flight on Wednesday. The medical supplies and equipment are delivered to help the most vulnerable segments of the people in Afghanistan, as the country already feels a shortage of medical supplies, doctors, healthcare employees, and decent healthcare services. Click here to read... [4]

Pakistan, six other nations urge Western states to unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets – Dawn

Russia and six nations bordering Afghanistan have set up a club to discuss ways to achieve long-term peace in the war-torn nation, with diplomats at the inaugural meeting on Tuesday calling for a freeze on Afghan central bank assets to be lifted. Special representatives from Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan convened in Tashkent and plan to meet regularly to discuss issues facing Afghanistan, Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry said. Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh

Why Bangladesh is achieving 'new heights' amidst economic collapse of Pakistan - Counter View

Pakistan's economy is on the brink of bankruptcy like Sri Lanka's. Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have fallen below $3 billion. They have asked the IMF for a 'bailout loan' a long time ago, but the IMF is trying to impose strict conditions that Pakistan's current ruling coalition has no capacity to meet. Even China and Saudi Arabia, Pakistan's long-standing loyal friends, are now reluctant to shoulder Pakistan's burden. Click here to read... [6]

Global figures urge Bangladesh to stop harassing Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus - Benar News

From Ban Ki-Moon to Bono, 40 global public figures have jointly urged Bangladesh to stop harassing Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is often openly vilified by the Sheikh Hasina government. In an open letter, these global figures said they are worried about the 82-year-old Grameen Bank founder who is known worldwide for pioneering microcredit as a method of lifting millions out of poverty. Click here to read... [7]

Bhutan

Bhutan pledges to continue environment conservation - Kuensel

Bhutan committed that the country will not compromise on the environment and traditional values as it seeks economic pursuit to become a high-income country during the fifth United Nations conference on the LDC5 general debate, yesterday in Doha. Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering said that the country wants to make sure that as it works towards becoming a high-income country it will adhere to the development philosophy of Gross National Happiness. Click here to read... [8]

UNDP hands over 16 new EVs to govt – Kuensel

The UNDP office in Thimphu handed over 16 of the 19 electric vehicles funded through a USD 1.1 million project supported by the Government of Japan and UNDP. The project is a partnership between the Government of Japan and UNDP’s next phase of the Climate Promise: From Pledge to Impact. It aims to help countries turn their NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) carbon reduction targets into concrete results, according to a press release. Click here to read... [9]

Maldives

Hanging in the balance: Maldives Presidential race & big-ticket infrastructure - ORF Online

As the Maldives enters into a complicated and heated presidential election in September this year, a lot more than the top job hangs in the balance. Over the past decade, India and China have been engaged in a tug-of-war to consolidate influence in these isles. Big-ticket civilian infrastructure and developmental assistance, that are critical requirements for the Maldives, have become the arena where these powers are trying to outdo each other. The election outcome will decide in whose favour the scales tip and is, therefore, vital for the larger geopolitics of the Indian Ocean. Click here to read... [10]

State generates MVR 100.8 million as green tax in January - Raajje

Ministry of Finance has disclosed that the state has generated MVR 100.8 million as green tax in January 2023. Statistics released by the Finance Ministry shows that most of the green tax was generated from tourists visiting the resorts, with a total of MVR 92.7 million generated during the month. MVR 4.4 million was generated from tourists visiting guest houses and 1.8 million was generated from tourists visiting tourist hotels. Click here to read... [11]

Myanmar

Myanmar not willing to take Rohingyas back - The Daily Star

The prime minister, in an interview with Al Jazeera, said that Myanmar is not showing any intent in taking their nationals back to their country despite Dhaka's repeated attempts to resolve the issue through dialogue. The premier spoke to the Qatar-based media outlet on a number of issues that include the situation in the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar and the future of the Rohingyas living there on the sidelines of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Doha, Qatar. Click here to read... [12]

Atrocity Alert No. 337: Myanmar (Burma) - Global R2P

Throughout the two years since Myanmar’s (Burma) military launched a coup in February 2021, they have perpetrated a scorched earth campaign around the country in an effort to quash the opposition, according to a new report from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). One of the most frequently utilized tactics by the military is the systematic and widespread burning of villages and dwellings. Nearly 39,000 houses around Myanmar have been burnt or destroyed in military operations since February 2022, marking a more than 1,000-fold increase compared to 2021. Sagaing Region – a resistance stronghold in the northwest – was the most impacted, accounting for more than 25,500 homes. Click here to read... [13]

IOM launches $125m appeal for Rohingyas; US pledges $26m in new aid - TBS News

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is asking for $125 million to support 1.4 million Rohingya refugees and host communities in need in Cox's Bazar as the response to the Rohingya refugee crisis drags on for a sixth year in 2023. Over 900,000 Rohingya refugees have temporarily sought shelter in Cox's Bazar since the 2017 influx, and the Bangladeshi government and the wider international community have supported them throughout. Click here to read... [14]

Nepal

China Loses Ground in Nepal – The Diplomat

Since the formation of a new government following elections in November, Nepal has witnessed an escalated Chinese engagement on the political front. China seemed confident about renewing its political space in Nepal, winning back the advantage Beijing enjoyed during the rule of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), formed by the merger of the CPN-UML and the Maoists, under the leadership of Oli until 2021. New Chinese envoy Chen Song, since his arrival in January of this year, has been aggressively engaging with Nepal’s political leaders, following in the footsteps of former Ambassador Hou Yanqi. Click here to read... [15]

Nepal presidential polls today; all eyes on hearing for pleas seeking PM’s trial – Indian Express

Nepal gears up for the third presidential polls on Thursday amid growing fears of another political uncertainty in the Himalayan nation. Around 880 members – 332 from two houses of Federal Parliament and 550 from State Legislature – will be casting their votes from two booths set up in the Parliament House in Kathmandu in a five-hour exercise beginning 10 am Thursday. Click here to read... [16]

Writ petition against Nepal PM Prachanda for admitting to 5,000 killings during Maoist insurgency – The Hindu

A writ petition was on March 7 registered against Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” at the Supreme Court of Nepal, seeking an order to investigate and arrest him for admitting to being responsible for the killing of 5,000 people during the decade-long Maoist insurgency. Advocates Gyanendra Aaran and Kalyan Budhathoki, who are also conflict victims, filed separate writ petitions at the Supreme Court demanding that Mr. Prachanda be investigated and prosecuted for admitting to being responsible for the killing of at least 5,000 people during the decade-long Maoist insurgency. Click here to read... [17]

Nepal’s eight-party alliance meets ahead of Presidential poll – The Print

A meeting of the representatives from Nepal’s eight-party alliance met here on Tuesday to discuss the preparations for the Presidential elections on March 9 and also deliberate on a raft of key political issues. The task force chaired by Nepali Congress vice-president Purna Bahadur Khadka has representatives from CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party Nepal, Nagarik Unmukti Party, Janamat Party and Rastriya Jana Morcha. Click here to read... [18]

Pakistan

India slams Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal for raking up Kashmir at UNSC debate – The Telegraph

India tore into Pakistan after its foreign minister raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at a Security Council debate on women, peace and security, saying it is “unworthy” to even respond to such “malicious and false propaganda”. Responding to Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj on Tuesday termed his statement as “baseless and politically motivated”. Click here to read... [19]

US intel community fears increased India-Pak, India-China tension: Report – Hindustan Times

The American intelligence community on Wednesday told lawmakers that it apprehends increased tension between India and Pakistan and India and China with the possibility of a conflict between them. It also noted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to Pakistani provocations. This assessment forms part of the annual threat assessment of the US intelligence community that was submitted to the US Congress by the Office of Director of National Intelligence during a Congressional hearing. Click here to read... [20]

Election moon not sighted in KP as Punjab inches forward – Dawn

The Election Commission of Pakistan announced the schedule for elections in Punjab to be held on April 30, whereas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the election watchdog’s meeting with KP Governor Ghulam Ali to develop a consensus on the polls date remained an exercise in futility. With the Punjab polls to be held next month, the commission announced a plan for meetings with relevant authorities to give a final shape to arrangements for the electoral exercise, covering the availability of necessary funds and security personnel. Click here to read... [21]

Cash-Strapped Pakistan's Debt Jumped By PKR 4 Trillion In January 2023 – Zee News

The Pakistan government`s debt jumped by PKR 4 trillion or around 7.7 per cent in January 2023 to reach close to PKR 55 trillion, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data showed, Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper reported.The figure was PKR 42.39 trillion in January 2022, which means it has increased by 30 per cent over the past year. Meanwhile, domestic debt rose to PKR 34.3 trillion by January end, 3.4 per cent higher than a month ago and around 25 per cent higher than the year-ago figure. Click here to read... [22]

Pakistan's ex-PM Imran Khan again evades court hearing in Toshakhana case, avoids arrest – The Hindu

Pakistan's ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan on March 7, 2023 failed to appear before an Islamabad court for the fourth time in the Toshakhana case even as the court refused to cancel the arrest warrant against him. The Former Premier’s Counsel Sher Afzal Marwat, who appeared before the court, said 70-year-old Khan was unwell and “disabled” after being injured in the Wazirabad attack. Click here to read... [23]

Pakistan in more trouble as IMF imposes new condition for financial bailout – Firstpost

The already crisis-hit Pakistan economy is in for more problems as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has imposed yet another condition for a crucial financial bailout. News agency Reuters quoted the IMF’s resident representative as saying that the global financial body has told Pakistan to give an assurance that its balance of payments deficit is fully financed for the financial year ending in June. According to the IMF, this condition must be fulfilled if Pakistan is to restart the stalled IMF programme and unlock the next tranche of much-needed funding. Click here to read... [24]

Sri Lanka

Analysis: China paves Sri Lanka's way to IMF funds, but debt talks remain uncertain - Reuters

China's pledge to support Sri Lanka's debt reorganization, a major step for the island nation in securing an IMF lifeline, provides little clarity on how negotiations will unfold or whether this could herald progress for other heavily indebted nations. Analysts remain cautious on how significant China's new commitment will be for the country, whose 22 million people urgently need funds from the $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund programme amid shortages of food, fuel and medicines. Click here to read... [25]

India helped Sri Lanka more than any other country during economic crisis: Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry - IndiatvNews

Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has praised India saying that New Delhi helped them more than any other country especially when they were going through its worst economic crisis. Speaking during Raisina Dialogue 'Ideas Pod', Sabry said that not just the Indian government came forward with bold decisions but even the Indian people came forward to support Sri Lanka. Click here to read... [26]