Neighborhood News Digest – 27 March 2023

Afghanistan

Kabul rejects Washington’s claim over IS strength in Afghanistan – The Statesman

The Taliban-led caretaker government in Afghanistan has dismissed Washington’s claim over the alleged stronger presence of Daesh or Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan as utterly fabricated. “The statements of US officials about the number of IS militants in Afghanistan are not true. Daesh militants have already been reduced in ranks and suppressed,” chief spokesman of the Afghan caretaker administration Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted. Click here to read... [2]

Afghanistan: Taliban Takes Over 14 Diplomatic Missions, Wants To Control More Missions – Outlook

Amid international isolation, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan has so far taken control of 14 diplomatic missions abroad. While no country has so far recognised the Taliban regime, there are countries working with it and which have supported it since inception, such as Pakistan, China, and Russia, and these three feature among the 14 countries where Afghan diplomatic missions have been taken over by the Taliban regime. Click here to read... [3]

Uzbekistan pursues dialogue with Afghanistan on fraught canal project – Eurasianet

Officials from Uzbekistan traveled to Afghanistan this week for talks on ongoing efforts undertaken by the Taliban government to build a colossal canal that could end up diverting vast amounts of water needed by Uzbek farmers. Tashkent has been circumspect about the outcome of its coordination with Kabul, but Taliban officials on March 22 cited the visiting Uzbek delegation as saying their government was prepared to cooperate on completing the Qosh Tepa Canal project “in accordance with international norms and fully considering the privileges and rights of Afghanistan.” Click here to read... [4]

India’s Taliban dilemma: Diplomatic engagement and moral disquietness – ORF

A leaked internal memo of Afghanistan’s Institute of Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) garnered significant attention last week. The memo, which was circulated internally within the offices of the Interim Taliban Administration, asks the MoFA staff familiar with English to enrol on a ‘short-term online training programme’ to be organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India’s capacity building initiative, Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC). Click here to read... [5]

Afghanistan to Allow Women, Girls Back In Schools After Formalising New Curriculum, Says Official – English Jagran

Girls will be allowed back into schools in Afghanistan once work on a new curriculum that is being developed is finished, the head of the security department in Parwan, Azizullah Omar, told TOLOnews. "There is no problem with the start of schooling. There is only a problem with the curriculum. And therefore a committee has been formed for its reform. After confirmation of the clerics, the schools will begin," he said. Click here to read... [6]

Bangladesh

Independence Day observed across Bangladesh – New Age

Bangladesh celebrated its 53rd Independence Day and National Day with festivity across Bangladesh on Sunday, with different programmes paying tribute to the martyrs of the War on Independence. Different political, socio-cultural and professional organisations as well as educational institutions held different programmes to mark the day. The programmes included placing wreaths at the memorials and Shaheed Minars, discussions and cultural programmes across Bangladesh. Click here to read... [7]

Bangladesh urges UN to declare March 25 as World Genocide Day – Hindustan Times

"On this day (March 25) in 1971, Pakistan army attacked unarmed people in the middle of the night and killed 1000s of people and within the next nine months, they killed nine million people in Bangladesh. This is one of the most brutal genocides ever," the Bangladeshi Deputy High Commissioner said. Click here to read... [8]

In which direction is Bangladesh heading? – Daily Star

Based on my conversations with hundreds of people over the past few weeks, I can see three possible scenarios unfolding in the coming months. The first and best scenario is of a free, fair and credible parliamentary election, which will be not only participatory, but also competitive and credible. In the election, people will be able to cast their votes and our next government will be based on their consent. In other words, our democracy will be back on track through the next election. Click here to read... [9]

Bhutan

Court freezes Nu 2.4M crowdfunding – Kuensel

Gelephu drungkhag court ordered freezing of Nu 2.43 million (M) in a suspected illegal online crowdfunding case involving Drungtsho Tshering Penjor and three other defendants. The court convicted Drungtsho Tshering Penjor to three months and the other three parties to 45 days in prison depending on the degree of their involvement in the fraud. Click here to read... [10]

Assam: Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary Seeks Bhutan’s Cooperation for Water Supply Schemes – The Sentinel

Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary was recently in Bhutan with a proposal to use Bhutan’s water for supplying to resisdents of Assam living in the Indo- Bhutan border areas. The proposal is to use naturally flowing water from Bhutan’s rivers for setting up water supply plants to provide water to Assam residents without the use of electrically- operated machinery. Click here to read... [11]

Maldives

Russia continues to top Maldives tourist arrival markets - Raajje

As such, the statistics revealed that Russia continues to top the source markets for the archipelago nation’s tourism, contributing 12.4 percent of the market share with 59,987 arrivals recorded from the country by March 23. Although the country ranked third since the beginning of the year, India has climbed up to the second position contributing 10.8 percent with 52,276 arrivals. 2022 ended with the neighboring country as the top source market for Maldives tourism. Coming in third is the United Kingdom contributing 9.3 percent with 44,839 arrivals. Click here to read... [12]

Hajj quota is likely to be increased: Minister - Raajje

Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Ahmed Zahir Ali has stated that there is great certainty that the Hajj quota of Maldives will be increased. The Islamic Minister made the statement while speaking on RaajjeTV's 'Falasurukhee' program. Speaking regarding the Hajj quota for this year, the Minister noted that work is already underway to increase the quota. He noted that the administration is working hard to increase the Hajj quota. As such, the Minister highlighted that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has been working hard to increase the number of quotas available to Maldivians. Click here to read... [13]

Myanmar

Rohingya campaigners condemn Myanmar’s ‘opaque’ repatriation plan – Al Jazeera

The Myanmar military’s “pilot project” to repatriate about 1,000 Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh has been met with scepticism, with rights campaigners calling it a “PR campaign”. Last week, a delegation from Myanmar visited the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district – home to more than 1 million Rohingya – to interview potential candidates for their return as early as next month. Click here to read... [14]

Beijing attempts to emerge as peacemaker between Myanmar junta and rebels – Economic Times

USA-China rivalry is steadily picking up along India’s Eastern flank in Myanmar with Beijing stepping up its engagement through its special envoy Deng Xijun following America’s outreach to the democratic forces and insurgent groups…The ethnic rebel groups have issued a statement recently welcoming China’s mediation role in Myanmar’s internal conflict” and promising to work with it. Click here to read... [15]

It’s Time to Rethink Myanmar’s Ethnic Armed Organizations – The Diplomat

As Myanmar’s armed resistance against the February 2021 coup enters its second year, calls for ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), sometimes known as ethnic revolutionary organizations, to unite and bolster ties with the resistance movement are growing louder. Click here to read... [16]

Chaos in Myanmar moving closer to Indian border, aerial bombings around 4 km from Manipur – The Print

With reports of aerial bombings at the People’s Defence Force (PDF) camp in Kauntong village under Tamu township of Sagaing region Thursday, the fighting in Myanmar is inching closer to the Indian border. The location is about 4 km from Manipur, and opposite to Border Pillar 81 along the Indo-Myanmar border. Sources in India and Myanmar said fighter jets dropped four bombs at the PDF camp around 9.40 am Thursday, resulting in three fatalities. Reportedly, at 10.15 am, two MI-35 helicopters hovered over the PDF camp, but no rounds were fired. Click here to read... [17]

Nepal

After collecting prelim data, Nepal 'omits' Kalapani villages from final census report – The Times of India

The recently-released final report of the Nepalese census does not have data of the Kalapani area that Nepal had included in the preliminary census report that was released in January 2022. The data pertains to the Kuti, Gunji and Nabi villages of Kalapani, which lie in Indian territory but which Nepal has been claiming as its own. In the final report released on Friday, data of the three Kalapani villages is missing. Click here to read... [18]

Nepal, US Armies To Discuss Defence Cooperation At 3-day Kathmandu Meet – Republic World

Nepal and the United States military are getting ready to hold three-day bilateral talks in Nepal's capital Kathmandu, Nepal Army spokesperson Brigadier General Krishna Prasad Bhandari was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post. Officials from the two ally countries, who established diplomatic relations in 1948, meet at the highest diplomatic levels to discuss issues pertaining to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) assistance, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) coordination and implementation; trade, security and defence cooperation. Click here to read... [19]

Nepal drowning in Chinese debt trap – The Print

China has been playing a long game to establish its hegemony in the South Asia region. Inflicted by the ‘Middle Kingdom’ complex, it views the world as an arrangement of concentric circles of power with itself being at the centre. Click here to read... [20]

NC calls Central Work Execution Committee meeting – Khabarhub

The Nepali Congress (NC) has called a meeting of the party’s Central Work Execution Committee to finalize the names of the ministers to participate in the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda-led government. The meeting to be held at the party central office Sanepa on Tuesday morning will discuss issues, including the current political developments, and its role in the government, among others. Click here to read... [21]

Pakistan

Pakistan & China unlikely to participate SCO NSA meet physically & expected in virtual mode – The Economic Times

Pakistan and China are unlikely to physically attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) National Security Advisers meet hosted by NSA Ajit Doval here on March 29. Both are expected to be present virtually at the meet that will be attended by NSAs from Russia and Central Asia including Russian NSA Nikolay Patrushev in preparation for the July summit. ET was first to report that the SCO NSA meet will be held here at the end of March. Click here to read... [22]

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Accuses President Arif Alvi Of Being Partisan – Outlook

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday hit back at President Arif Alvi, accusing him of being partisan and following the dictates of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party instead of remaining neutral as the head of the state. His comments came two days after President Alvi in a letter on Friday accused the premier of using disproportionate force against politicians, political workers and journalists in recent clashes with former prime minister Imran Khan's PTI. Click here to read... [23]

Pakistan inflation skyrockets to 47%, wheat and eggs are more expensive: Report – Hindustan Times

The price of onions in Pakistan have increased by 228.28 per cent, cigarettes by 165.88 per cent, wheat flour by 120.66 per cent, gas charges for Q1 by 108.38 per cent and lipton tea by 94.60 per cent, Mint quoted a report by pkrevenue. According to the 51 items tracked, the price of diesel rose by 102.84 per cent, bananas by 89.84 per cent, petrol by 81.17 per cent and eggs by 79.56 per cent. Click here to read... [24]

Pakistan economic crisis: Army commanders’ conference sparks fears of another military coup – Financial Express

Since the fallout of Pakistan’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Pakistani army called out a meeting with its top commanders. The failed economy and volatile political crisis are posing extreme situations. Based on the information, there are indications that Pakistan is heading towards military intervention. The escalating feud between former prime minister Imran Khan’s supporters and security forces is approaching a “military-led solution”. Click here to read... [25]

Pakistan receives USD 2 billion rollover deposits from China to get IMF bailout: Report – Indian Express

Cash-strapped Pakistan has received a rollover of USD 2 billion in deposits for a period of one year from its all-weather ally China to help Islamabad get a much-required bailout from the IMF to stabilise its economy, a media report said on Friday. The rollover, which basically is not a loan but a financial deposit to be kept at Pakistan’s central bank for a period of one year, is one of the requirements of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in meeting its external financing needs in order to move towards inking the staff-level agreement, The News International reported. Click here to read... [26]

Sri Lanka

Indian delegation calls on Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe – Indian Express

A high-level Indian delegation called on Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe here on Sunday and briefed him on the developments in the jointly-identified priority areas for collaboration in the energy sector. President Wickremesinghe provided his insights on the early implementation of these initiatives, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said. Click here to read... [27]

What’s in the IMF’s New Extended Fund Facility Arrangement for Sri Lanka? – The Diplomat

It is the 17th time in its history that Sri Lanka has required an IMF financing program. What is in the IMF’s new EFF program, and what are the structural challenges that it requires the Sri Lankan government to address? Click here to read... [28]

‘An election at this moment, not a priority’ – Daily News

Conducting an election at this time is not an element that takes the lead in the priority list, Media State Minister Shantha Bandara said. There are many priority tasks to be implemented immediately at this time, rather than holding an election, he emphasised. He made these remarks while addressing a press conference at the Postal Ministry yesterday. State Minister Bandara pointed out that due to proper economic management measures, the rupee value is currently strengthening and that further steps should be taken to strengthen the economy. Bandara noted that taking proper action at this juncture is more important than holding an election in order not to go back to an economic crisis again. Click here to read... [29]