Neighborhood News Digest- 06 February 2024

Afghanistan

Posting of UN Special Envoy for Afghanistan against UN Law: Mujahid- Tolo News

The Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that the appointment of the UN special envoy for Afghanistan—a vacancy approved in the 2721 resolution by the UNSC in December 2023—is contrary to the law of the United Nations. He argued that the situation in Afghanistan is normal and that there is no need for a special envoy. Click here to read… [2]

MoF Says Salaries Paid to 1 Million Govt Employees- Tolo News

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate wrote on X that the Ministry of Finance “regularly pays salaries to around a million government employees, of which 86,981 are female employees. Click here to read… [3]

IBHARI launches ‘Gender Apartheid’ Investigation in Afghanistan and Iran-The Khama Press

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) reports that, in coordination with several members of the British Parliament, it has launched an investigation into the situation of women in Afghanistan and Iran. The IBAHRI currently has this issue under scrutiny. Click here to read… [4]

Global Climate Change Conference to be held next week at Nangarhar University-The Khama Press

The Ministry of Higher Education and the National Environmental Protection Agency announced during a joint session that an international climate change conference will be held at Nangarhar University next week. Click here to read… [5]

Bangladesh

113 Myanmar BGP members have taken refuge in Bangladesh so far: BGB – The Daily Star

One hundred and thirteen members of Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP) have crossed the border at Tumbru and taken shelter in Bangladesh, said Border Guard Bangladesh today. Click here to read… [6]

Doval visits Dhaka amid rising concerns over Myanmar soldiers seeking refuge in India, Bangladesh – The New Indian Express

Amidst increasing numbers of soldiers who owe allegiance to the Myanmar junta seeking refuge in India and Bangladesh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval made a brief visit to Bangladesh during the just concluded weekend. Click here to read… [7]

Bangladesh welcomes Biden’s letter to Hasina- The Daily Star

Bangladesh has welcomed US President Joe Biden's letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said yesterday. The US embassy in Dhaka shared the letter with the foreign ministry on Sunday. Click here to read… [8]

Bhutan

Maiden Anti-Corruption Day calls for collective effort-Kuensel

On the occasion of His Royal Highness Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck’s eighth birth anniversary, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) announced that the National Anti-Corruption Day would henceforth be observed on February 21, aligning with the birth anniversary of His Majesty The King. Click here to read… [9]

Maldives

Supreme court accepts case seeking revocation of amendments easing impeachment – The Edition

Supreme Court has accepted the proposition by the State to annul the amendment to the Parliament Regulations that allows opposition party Maldives Democrats Party (MDP) to approve the President and Vice President’s impeachment through votes of opposition leaning MPs alone. The Constitution dictates that the President and Vice President may only be dismissed following the approval votes of two thirds of the Parliament. The Parliament guidelines amended last year allows the total number of members to be counted excluding the seats currently vacant for various reasons. Click here to read… [10]

‘Maldives will not renew agreement with India’: Mohamed Muizzu as first group of Indian troops to exit before March 10 – Mint

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu stated on February 5, that India and the Maldives have reached an agreement to repatriate the initial contingent of Indian troops stationed in the Maldives before March 10 of this year. According to local media reports, President Muizzu made this statement during his inaugural address at the commencement of the final session of the 19th Parliament, highlighting that discussions are currently underway with India regarding the withdrawal of their troops. Click here to read… [11]

Committee set up to review bill on Ramadan election ban – Sun Online

The Maldives Parliament on February 5 accepted legislature to ban national elections during the month of Ramadan, and appointed a special committee to review the bill. The bill to amend the General Elections Act was submitted by the main opposition MDP – which holds a majority in the Parliament - on January 24. The bill, sponsored by Ihavandhoo MP Mohamed Shifau, comes with the parliamentary elections set to take place on March 17 – which falls within the first week of Ramadan. Click here to read… [12]

Myanmar

Thailand to intensify efforts to resolve Myanmar crisis - Nikkei Asia

Thailand is intensifying efforts to resolve the Myanmar crisis and will expand engagement with relevant parties, a key official told Nikkei Asia, citing meetings with stakeholders such as regional officials, ethnic resistance groups and countries like China, India and the U.S. Click here to read… [13]

Ajit Doval discusses Myanmar with Hasina in Dhaka - Times of India

NSA Ajit Doval called on Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina during an unannounced visit to Dhaka, last week, govt sources confirmed. This was teh first high level visit from India to Bangladesh since Hasina turned to power in the last elections. Click here to read… [14]

Arakan rebels in Myanmar’s Rakhine seize outpost on Bangladesh border - RFA

The anti-junta Arakan Army seized an outpost manned by the military-affiliated Border Guard Force along western Myanmar’s border with Bangladesh on Sunday, confiscating arms and equipment, according to residents and an alliance of ethnic rebels. The attack marked the latest blow to Myanmar’s military in Rakhine state, where the ethnic Arakan Army, or AA, ended a ceasefire in November that had been in place since the junta assumed power in a Feb. 1, 2021, coup d’etat. Click here to read… [15]

Nepal

EC asks all eligible Nepali citizens to register their names in electoral roll- My Republica

The Election Commission (EC) has urged all eligible Nepali citizens, who are yet to register their name in voters' name list due to various reasons, to register their names before announcement of the date for the by-election. The EC has started internal preparation for determining the date for by-election as per the law on appropriate time by holding consultations with the government to fill up the vacant posts through by-election. Click here to read… [16]

The Sita-Ram corridor - Nepal Times

News of the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya swept India last week, and also sent ripples across the border here in Janakpur where Lord Ram’s consort Sita was born. The inauguration of the shrine by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was controversial because the temple was built on the space where the 16th century Babri Masjid once stood, and which was razed by a Hindu mob in 1992. But last week’s temple inauguration was celebrated in Janakpur as well because it is the birthplace of Sita, 500km away from Ayodhya. Indeed, the Janaki Temple dedicated to Sita here is itself a holy site for Hindus from Nepal, India and across the world. Click here to read… [17]

Pakistan

Undeterred by fatwa, Kohistan’s women candidates make history- Dawn

In the face of threats and an overbearingly patriarchal society, Tehmina Faheem, Shakeela Rabbani, Sannaya Sabeel and Momina Basit are among the first women to enter the electoral battlefield in the conservative constituencies of the Kohistan and Torghar region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hazara district. Click here to read… [18]

10 personnel martyred as militants storm D.I. Khan police station- Dawn

At least 10 police officials were martyred and six others injured in a pre-dawn attack on Monday by dozens of militants equipped with sophisticated weapons, on a police station in Dera Ismail Khan, as violence escalated ahead of general elections this week. Click here to read… [19]

IMF tepid to interim govt proposals- The Express Tribune

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday did not immediately endorse the interim government’s proposals to reduce industrial electricity prices, settle over one-fifth of the circular debt and make the Rs268 billion debt of the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) part of the public debt. Click here to read… [20]

Sri Lanka

Government rushed to amend Online Safety Act amidst pressure - Daily Mirror Online

Amidst concerns by the industry stakeholders about the possible impact on digital economy, the government has already worked out fresh amendments to be incorporated into the recently introduced Online Safety Act. Click here to read… [21]

Sri Lanka tourism booms in January – Daily Mirror Online

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry marked a resounding start to the New Year by receiving more than 200,000 international visitors throughout the month of January. Click here to read… [22]

Sri Lankan Opposition JVP leader meets Jaishankar, Doval – The Hindu

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of Sri Lanka’s leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP or People’s Liberation Front), who is currently visiting India on New Delhi’s invitation, on Monday met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, in an indication of the Union government’s high-level engagement with the 55-year-old opposition politician. Click here to read… [23]