VIF Neighborhood News Digest: 18th January, 2019

PAKISTAN

Justice Asif Saeed Khosa sworn in as 26th Chief Justice of Pakistan: Dawn
January 18, 2019

Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa took oath as the 26th Chief Justice of Pakistan at a ceremony at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad on Friday. Chief justice Khosa will serve as top judge for approximately 337 days and is scheduled to retire on Dec 21, 2019. President Arif Alvi administered oath to Justice Khosa before an audience of top government and military officials, Supreme Court judges, senior lawyers and dignitaries. Click here to read... [2]

Pakistan rules out India’s role in Afghan peace process: Dawn
January 18, 2019

Pakistan on Thursday ruled out any role for India in the Afghan peace process. “India has no role in Afghanistan,” Foreign Office spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said at the weekly media briefing while responding to a query about Pakistan’s position on India’s part in the reconciliation process. This was in sharp contrast to what Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had told the National Assembly last month. Click here to read... [3]

AFGHANISTAN

Trump Will Withdraw From Afghanistan, Syria: US Senator: Tolo
January 18, 2019

US Senator Rand Paul suggested that President Donald Trump would not only deliver on his pledge to withdraw all American troops from Syria but would also end America’s 17-year involvement in Afghanistan. Paul, a Kentucky Republican and one of Trump’s staunch supporters in the Senate, told reporters Wednesday that the president would deliver on his pledge to bring American troops home, Politico reported. Paul took a conference call with journalists after meeting with Trump privately to discuss his plans to end US involvement in Syria, where some 2,000 troops are currently deployed. Click here to read... [4]

NEPAL

Nepal trims projects under BRI from 35 to 9 at Chinese call: Kathmandu Post
January 18, 2019

After Nepal signed up to China’s Belt and Road Initiative in May 2017, the government had formed two committees—led by foreign and finance secretaries—to identify projects for negotiations with the Chinese side. When the finance secretary-led committee listed 35 projects to develop under the initiative, it had brought interest in China’s funding in Nepal to a pitch fever. But with sluggish progress in negotiations in the following months, the Chinese side insisted that Nepal bring down the number of projects under Beijing’s flagship foreign policy initiative to the single digit. Click here to read... [5]

CHINA

China pans US bills to ban chip sales: China Daily
January 18, 2019

The Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it resolutely opposed the United States' abuse of export control measures after a bipartisan group of US lawmakers introduced bills to ban the sale of US chips or other components to some Chinese telecommunications companies including Huawei and ZTE. Click here to read... [6]