Neighbourhood News Digest - 01 February 2024

Afghanistan

China quietly expanding influence in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan – The Hindu

While most of the world treats Afghanistan's Taliban government as a pariah, China is growing diplomatic and economic links — and Kabul is happy for the attention. Top-level meetings between officials, new mineral deals, and the upgrading of transport routes between the two countries are regularly championed by Taliban government officials. Click here to read... [2]

US Reacts to China’s Relations with Islamic Emirate – Tolo News

A day after the Chinese President Xi Jinping accepted the credentials of Bilal Karimi as the Islamic Emirate’s ambassador to Beijing, a US State Department spokesperson fielded questions about the significance of Beijing's move. Addressing a press briefing, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the relationship of the “Taliban” with the international community depends entirely on their actions. Click here to read... [3]

At Taliban-organised meet, India highlights its active role in Afghanistan outreach – India Today

India participated in a regional conference organised by the Taliban in Kabul on Monday, where it emphasised that New Delhi actively took part in international and regional initiatives regarding Afghanistan. Click here to read... [4]

UNSC: Al-Qaeda sets up training camps in Afghanistan provinces – The Khaama Press

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has expressed concern about the continued expansion of terrorist group activities, particularly al-Qaeda, in Afghanistan. The council’s findings indicate that al-Qaeda maintains an active presence in Afghanistan and has established training camps, religious schools, and weapon storage facilities in several provinces of the country. Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh

New Bangladesh foreign minister Hasan Mahmud to visit India from Feb 6 – Hindustan Times

Bangladesh’s new foreign minister Hasan Mahmud will make his first bilateral visit to India next week to take forward relations between the two countries and to frame plans for future cooperation, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Click here to read... [6]

Government plans to bring all graduate colleges under public universities - Dhaka Tribune

The government plans to bring graduate-level colleges under the academic monitoring of public universities to improve the quality of education. As part of the initiative, the government wants newly established public universities to monitor the academic activities of colleges, including the improved curriculum, teacher recruitment, and research of government colleges, without initially conducting undergraduate (honours) courses. Click here to read... [7]

Bhutan

Bhutan to participate in high-level international UNFAO conference – Kuensel

In a multilateral effort to reform agrifood systems across the Asia-Pacific region, Bhutan is leading a high-level delegation to participate in the Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC) in Colombo, Sri Lanka hosted by the government of Sri Lanka. Click here to read... [8]

Maldives

Maldives ex-president Nasheed temporarily relocates to Ghana without informing Parliament – The Week

Former president of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed has temporarily relocated to Ghana in West Africa after announcing his hiatus from "active politics" without informing Parliament, it emerged on Wednesday. In a post on X on Tuesday night, Nasheed, an MP and a prominent and controversial figure in Maldivian politics, said he has arrived in Ghana's capital Accra to start work as the Secretary-General of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF). Click here to read... [9]

Amid row with India, Maldives turns to Sri Lanka for medical evacuation support – The Hindu

Maldivian Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen met his Sri Lankan counterpart Nimal Siripala de Silva in Colombo on Tuesday, and said on social media platform ‘X’, that Sri Lanka has agreed to help the Maldives with medical evacuation. Click here to read... [10]

Myanmar

US marks anniversary of Myanmar coup with further sanctions – The Print

The United States on Wednesday slapped further sanctions on Myanmar, marking the three-year anniversary of the coup as Washington targeted two entities and several people it said were closely associated with the junta. Click here to read... [11]

Myanmar Extends State Of Emergency By 6 Months, Elections Delayed Again – NDTV

Myanmar's National Defence and Security Council agreed on Wednesday to extend a state of emergency by six months, the junta said, again delaying elections the military has promised to hold. "U Myint Swe, the acting president announced the extension of the state of emergency for another six months... as the situation is not normal and to be able to continue the process of combatting terrorists," the junta said in a statement. Click here to read... [12]

Myanmar Junta Chief Says Will Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Crush Opposition – The Irrawaddy

Myanmar’s military will do “whatever it takes” to crush opposition to its rule, its top general said on Wednesday, after the junta extended a state of emergency and further delayed elections. The Southeast Asian nation has been in turmoil since the February 2021 coup, which ended a 10-year experiment with democracy and sparked mass protests and a crackdown on dissent. Click here to read... [13]

Nepal

Nepal, China to sign implementation plan of Beijing-backed BRI projects – The Hindu

Nepal and China will sign the implementation plan of the Belt and Road Initiative “very soon”, Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha said on January 27, nearly seven years after the two neighbours inked an agreement to undertake ambitious Beijing-backed infrastructure projects in the Himalayan nation. Click here to read... [14]

Nepal urges UK to address ex-British Gurkha soldiers' concerns – Deccan Herald

Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Purna Khadka on Tuesday called for a positive response from the UK for the Gurkha soldiers who retired from the British Army before 1997 and are demanding perks and pensions on par with their British counterparts. Click here to read... [15]

Now, Nepal Army wants to operate a textile factory – The Kathmandu Post

The country’s defence force has been in business for a long time. The Nepal Army sells petroleum products, is involved in road construction business, operates emulsion plants, and runs schools and medical colleges. It even sells bottled water. In its new venture, the army will revive a long-shuttered textile factory. It has conducted an inventory to rerun the Hetauda Kapada Udyog, whose operation was suspended some 25 years ago. It was closed four years later. Click here to read... [16]

Pakistan

Challenges of inflation persist: MoF – Business Recorder

The Finance Ministry has said the challenges of inflation persist in the forms of supply chain disruptions, increased utility prices and significant pressure on expenditure due to higher markup payment. Click here to read... [17]

TTP backed by Al Qaeda, Afghan Taliban: UN – Dawn

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been receiving “significant backing” from Al Qaeda and other militant factions for executing attacks in Pakistan in addition to support from the Afghan Taliban. Click here to read... [18]

The elusive mirage of level playing field – The Express Tribune

As Pakistan gears up for its 12th general elections, the dream of a "level playing field" remains an elusive mirage. The historical pendulum of victimisation and strategic manoeuvring continues to shape electoral outcomes, leaving voters to grapple with the complexities of a political landscape where fairness is often sacrificed at the altar of power dynamics. Click here to read... [19]

Police ‘take over’ PTI office in Islamabad before key meeting – Dawn

Just before a PTI’s general body meeting on Wednesday, police and security officials in plainclothes allegedly raided and took control of PTI’s central secretariat in Islamabad’s Sector G-8, stopped members from entering the premises, warning them that they would have to face consequences, party sources said. Click here to read... [20]

Sri Lanka

Pulling Sri Lanka out of the abyss – The Hindu

On January 9, 2024, the United National Party (UNP) proposed incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe as the national presidential candidate for the elections. This move may garner support from some political parties. In July 2022, six-time Prime Minister Wickremasinghe was chosen for his economic credentials by a parliamentary majority to replace Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who resigned following mass protests over economic mismanagement and rent-seeking. Click here to read... [21]

Foundation stone laid for construction of Ashoka Pillar at Sri Lanka’s Rajaguru Sri Subuthi Temple – The Print

India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the construction of the King Ashoka’s Pillar of Dharma at the Rajaguru Sri Subuthi Temple in Sri Lanka’s Wadduwa. Click here to read... [22]