VIF Information Alerts - 11 February 2019

Imran Khan Pledges `Deep' Pakistan Reforms as IMF Vows Support
Published: Bloomberg

10 Feb 2019

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan pledged to carry out deep structural reforms of an economy that’s staring at a balance-of-payment crisis, after the International Monetary Fund offered to avert it. There was a convergence of views on structural reforms in a meeting with Managing Director Christine Lagarde in Dubai on Feb. 10, Khan said in a twitter post. Pakistan is currently negotiating its 13th IMF bailout since the late 1980s.Click here to read... [2]

Taliban says no agreement reached on ending hostilities
Published: The Hindu

10 Feb 2019

The Afghan Taliban has said that despite the ongoing talks with the U.S. and other regional powers, it had “not yet reached” any conclusion that would entail an immediate end to hostilities, according to a media report. Speaking to Pakistan’s Dawn News channel, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said that, even in Moscow talks, nothing concrete was achieved that would compel the militants to end the war. He insisted that the Taliban is holding talks with the U.S. “on its own initiative“.Click here to read... [3]

After years of silence, Turkey rebukes China for mass detention of Muslim Uighurs
Published: The Washington Post

10 Feb 2019

The Turkish government has called on China to close its indoctrination centers holding ethnic Uighurs, marking a rare instance of a major Muslim country joining a mounting international chorus condemning the detention of up to 1 million Muslims in the far western region of Xinjiang. The statement marks a turnaround for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, which has been notably silent about China’s treatment of Uighurs despite growing inter­national media coverage and pressure from Turkish opposition parties since 2017.Click here to read... [4]

US in talks with India over missile defence collaboration: Pentagon
Published: The Economic Times

08 Feb 2019

The US has discussed a potential missile defence collaboration with India, a top Pentagon official has said, underlining that America wants to build a "much deeper and broader relationship" with the country. Under Secretary of Defence for Policy John Rood, however, said that it is early to determine how far India, which already has substantial domestic missile defence capabilities, will go regarding the defence collaboration.Click here to read... [5]

Blasts in India-assisted hydropower project site in Nepal
Published: The Indian Express

08 Feb 2019

An unidentified group has exploded three improvised explosive devices near the powerhouse of under construction Arun III Hydropower project, which is being developed with India’s assistance in the eastern part of the Himalayan nation, according to a media report. The incident happened on Thursday near the power house of the hydro project that led to the damage of a generator and a boomer, the Himalayan Times reported.Click here to read... [6]