Neighborhood News Digest- 28 March 2024

Afghanistan

Hekmatyar's 'Honor and Dignity' Intact: Mujahid-Tolo News

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, said that the residence of the leader of the Hezb-e-Islami, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was a subject of dispute, and therefore, his place of residence has been changed. Mujahid called Gulbuddin Hekmatyar a jihadi personality and said that no disrespect was shown to him, and his place of residence is also secure. Click here to read... [2]

Pakistan’s defense minister: Source of terrorist incidents in Pakistan is Afghanistan-The Khama Press

Khawaja Asif, the Defense Minister of Pakistan, has said that considering the increase in terrorist incidents in the country, there is a need for fundamental changes in the situation along the western borders of Pakistan with Afghanistan. Mr. Asif, on Wednesday, March 27th, said on his social media platform X: “The source of terrorist incidents in Pakistan is in Afghanistan. Despite our efforts, Kabul, although knowing that terrorism is being launched against Pakistan from its soil, has made no progress in this regard.” Click here to read... [3]

Reactions to Pakistan's Decision to Resume Deportation of Afghan Migrants-Tolo News

The Government of Pakistan's decision to resume the deportation of Afghan migrants has sparked reactions. The Islamic Emirate has called the deportation of migrants against international agreements, stating that the Government of Pakistan should reconsider this decision. Click here to read... [4]

Bangladesh

Fate of MV Abdullah, crew still hanging in balance-Dhaka Tribune

Even more than two weeks into the hijacking of Bangladeshi flag carrier MV Abdullah by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, its 23 crew members have yet to be rescued. Nobody has the slightest idea about exactly when that will happen despite the relatives of the crew members, who have been held hostage by the pirates, regularly calling the ship’s owning company SR Shipping. Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh seeks assured supplies of five food commodities from India-Hindustan Times

Bangladesh has sought assured annual supplies of five food commodities, including rice and wheat, from India to tackle fluctuations in market prices and shortages, people familiar with the matter said. The two countries have held discussions on this issue and Dhaka has asked New Delhi to sign a memorandum of understanding on fixed quotas for these commodities, including onions, ginger, and garlic, the people said on condition of anonymity. Click here to read... [6]

Bhutan

India releases second tranche of Rs 500 crore to Bhutan-Indian Express

India has released the second tranche of Rs 500 crore to Bhutan for the development of infrastructure related to the GyalSung Project. This comes less than a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 23 concluded a fruitful two-day state visit to Bhutan during which he assured Thimphu of New Delhi’s firm support in its quest for development and agreed to provide Rs 10,000 crore to the Himalayan nation over the next five years. Click here to read... [7]

Export to third countries up, yet remains below pre-pandemic level-Kuensel

Bhutan’s exports to countries other than India increased by 8 percent last year compared to the previous year, lower than the levels before the pandemic. Although Bhutan’s export value to other countries rose to Nu 8.33 billion last year from Nu 7.7 billion in 2022, it was still lower than the Nu 9.24 billion recorded in 2018. Click here to read... [8]

Maldives

Chinese water shipment was gift, says government – Adhadhu

A water shipment pledged during the visit of a senior Chinese official late last year has now arrived in the Maldives, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement released yesterday against the normal protocol. Under the normal protocol, the government reveals pledges of grant aid from other countries when the pledge is made. However, the statement on Tuesday revealed a pledge made by the Chairman of the Xizang Autonomous Region during a visit in November last year to gift 1,500 tons of water to the Maldives. Click here to read... [9]

Maldives, Turkey to enter preferential trade agreement – Raajje

The governments of Maldives and Turkey are currently in negotiations to enter a preferential trade agreement. The Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Mohamed Saeed, stated that efforts are underway to take the bilateral relations between the two countries, to the next level. The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade announced that the first round of trade negotiations on the preferential trade agreement both governments are about to enter, was held on March 27. Senior officials from both governments engaged in discussions at the meeting. Click here to read... [10]

Myanmar

India to spend $3.7 billion to fence border with Myanmar, report says - The Hindu Business Line

India plans to spend nearly $3.7 billion to fence its 1,610-km (1,000-mile) porous border with Myanmar within about a decade, said a source with direct knowledge of the matter, to prevent smuggling and other illegal activities, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Click here to read... [11]

Myanmar’s widening war headed for junta’s heartland - Asia Times

Even before the end of a dry season that has dramatically upended the military balance in Myanmar, the broad and profoundly sobering contours of conflict over the remainder of 2024 and into 2025 are already taking shape. Recent months have seen large swathes of the nation’s borderlands fall under the control of powerful ethnic minority armies amid cascading defeats suffered by State Administration Council (SAC) military forces. Click here to read... [12]

Min Aung Hlaing talks tough as Myanmar’s armed forces face growing pressure - Aljazeera

Myanmar’s army chief Min Aung Hlaing has claimed young people are being tricked into supporting the resistance against the military, as anti-coup forces chalk up unprecedented advances. Three years after seizing power in a coup, the military regime has suffered a series of major losses to an alliance of ethnic minority armed groups and anti-coup forces that launched a surprise offensive at the end of October last year. Click here to read... [13]

Nepal

Instability only constant in Nepali politics - Kathmandu Post

Plot twister events are synonymous with Nepali politics. In a surprising turn, the 15-month-long partnership between the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and the Nepali Congress (NC) headed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal collapsed. A new coalition government was formed, yet again, under his premiership. Prachanda has also expanded the Council of Ministers to 20 members, including three Home Ministers. However, the government will have to test the floor within a month, which looks challenging. Click here to read... [14]

Nepal, India discuss border security - the Annapurna Express

India’s Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava on Tuesday discussed with Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane security mechanisms between the two countries and the need for strengthening border management to check small crimes as well as human trafficking. Srivastava paid a courtesy call on Lamichhane at the Home Ministry in Singhadurbar here and the two sides during the meeting discussed the “efforts needed to further consolidate deep, wide and diversified people to people relations between the two countries based on historical ties and geographical proximity,” according to the Home Minister’s secretariat. Click here to read... [15]

Nepal-China agree to conclude Implementation Plan 'soon' as Beijing presses for swift implementation of BRI projects - my Republica

Nepal and China have reached an agreement to promptly finalize the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Implementation Plan, as Beijing pushes for Kathmandu to accelerate the implementation of BRI projects. In a delegation-level meeting held between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Tuesday, the two countries have renewed their commitment to expediting BRI projects by expeditiously signing the BRI Implementation Plan. Click here to read... [16]

Pakistan

Trade gap with nine regional states widens-Dawn

Pakistan’s trade deficit with the nine regional countries widened by 10.98 percent to $5.415 billion in the first eight months of the current fiscal year from $4.879bn over the corresponding period of last year. The trade deficit is mainly driven by an increase in imports from China and India during the period under review. Exports to regional countries, particularly China increased over the review period but exports to other regional countries remained negative, according to data compiled by the State Bank. Click here to read... [17]

China urges tightened security for nationals-The Express Tribune

Stressing the significance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for Pakistan's socioeconomic progress, the Chinese spokesperson condemned Tuesday’s terrorist attack in Pakistan that claimed the lives of five Chinese citizens. Expressing condolences and solidarity with the victims' families, China urged Pakistan to enhance security measures to safeguard Chinese nationals, projects, and institutions. China reiterated its staunch opposition to terrorism and pledged continued support for Pakistan in combating this global menace. Click here to read... [18]

Judiciary’s SOS-Dawn

A day later, the public learned that six of the IHC’s eight sitting judges had forwarded a complaint to the chief justice of Pakistan to seek the Supreme Judicial Council’s guidance on what judges ought to do when they are subjected to blackmail, harassment, and coercion by “members of the executive, including operatives of intelligence agencies”. The judges made it clear that they expected some action from the judiciary to reclaim its independence and improve their institution’s deteriorating image in the eyes of the public. Click here to read... [19]

Sri Lanka

Xi meets Sri Lanka PM as China eyes main Colombo airport development - Economy Next

Chinese President Xi Jinping met Sri Lanka Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on Wednesday while Beijing expressed its intertest in developing the island nation’s main Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) where Japan has pledged the second terminal while Indian firm is to be given management. Click here to read... [20]

India, Sri Lanka going ahead with Modi-Ranil ‘vision document’ - Island LK

Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha has said that India is working with Sri Lanka to roll out the Unique Digital Identity (UDI) Project based on modular micro service based architecture aka MOSIP architecture. He has said they strongly believe that as in the case of India this UDI will be the beginning of digital magic for Sri Lanka. Click here to read... [21]

Govt-IMF Reach Agreement But Basic Question Remains - Eurasia Review

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on March 21, 2024, that it has reached a staff-level agreement with Sri Lanka regarding the next phase of financial assistance, granting access to $337 million from the previously approved $3 billion bailout allocated in 2023 for the financially strained nation. A staff-level agreement represents an initial consensus achieved between the personnel of the IMF and the governing authorities of a member nation concerning economic policies and reforms. Click here to read... [22]