Neighborhood News Digest – 25 October 2023

Afghanistan

Taliban benefiting from international aid through ‘fraudulent’ NGOs, says U.S. watchdog – The Hindu

The watchdog for U.S. assistance to Afghanistan has warned that the Taliban are benefiting from international aid through the establishment of fraudulent nongovernmental organisations. The Taliban have exerted greater control over national and international NGOs since seizing power in August 2021. They have barred Afghan women from NGO work and sought to push out foreign organisations from the education sector. Click here to read... [2]

Arrests of Afghan Migrants in Pakistan Intensifying – Tolo News

A number of Afghan migrants in Pakistan say that detentions of Afghan migrants in the country has intensified as the interim government's November 1 deadline to expel the migrants approaches. Meanwhile, the consulate of Islamic Emirate in Karachi, Pakistan says that from the start of the current month more than 120,000 Afghan migrants left Pakistan. Click here to read... [3]

Forced and underage marriages surge in Afghanistan – The Khaama Press

A recent report by the United States Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has highlighted a significant rise in forced and underage marriages in Afghanistan in recent months. After 2021, 35% of Afghan girls were married before turning 18, and 17% were married before they were 15, according to this organization’s statistics. Click here to read... [4]

Taliban appoint representative for Hindus, Sikhs in Kabul, say 'crucial role...' – India Today

The Taliban has appointed a representative for the Hindu and Sikh communities in Aghanistan's capital Kabul, the Kabul Municipality announced on X (formerly Twitter). The newly-appointed person will serve as a member of the Council of Representatives of the 22 municipality districts of Kabul and will advocate for the rights of Sikhs and Hindus. Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh

Cyclone Hamoon LIVE Updates: Cyclone lay centered over Bangladesh coast; to weaken into deep depression in next 6 hours - Live Mint

IMD said that the Cyclonic Storm Hamoon lay centered over coastal Bangladesh 0530 hours IST of 25th October about 40 km east-southeast of Chittagong (Bangladesh). Updating further, it added that Cyclonic Storm Hamoon to move northeastwards and weaken into a deep depression during next 6 hours and further into a depression during subsequent 6 hours. Click here to read... [6]

Chattogram Port: A win-win for India and Bangladesh - Financial Express

The decision taken by the taxation authority of Bangladesh to issue a Permanent Standing Order for the operationalisation of the Chittagong port for the transit of Indian goods was a momentous one. This will without doubt be instrumental in bridging the gap of connectivity between the northeastern region of India and the rest of the country. It may be noted India was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with Bangladesh in 1971 and both countries stand out for their decent partnership in terms of generational links of culture and socioeconomic realities. Click here to read... [7]

Bhutan

China, Bhutan to end boundary talks at earliest: Why this is a worry for India – Firstpost

Bhutan has told China that it was ready to conclude boundary negotiations and ramp up the process to set up diplomatic ties with Beijing. There are concerns in New Delhi that such a deal could result in Thimphu compromising Doklam, a region of great security importance for India. Click here to read... [8]

Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan celebrates its 61st raising day – The Print

The Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) in Bhutan on Monday celebrated its 61st raising day in the presence of Finance Minister of Bhutan, Lyonpo Namgay Tshering, Indian Army said. An archive exhibition, showcasing the history of Indo-Bhutan relations, was put on display for the general public for the first time. Click here to read... [9]

ECB extends postal ballot registration deadline – Kuensel

The Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) has extended the deadline for postal ballot registration by another week. Eligible voters have until October 27 to register to cast their votes in the fourth National Assembly Elections through post. The ECB also notified that the extension is to enable voters to verify their personal details in the electoral roll and postal voters list for the National Assembly Elections 2023-24, and to facilitate claims and objections. Click here to read... [10]

Maldives

Maldives to donate two million cans of tuna to Palestine - Raajje

The government of Maldives is to donate two million cans of tuna to the people of Palestine. This was announced by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Tuesday. As such, the President’s Office revealed that the government will be donating in-kind assistance to the people of Palestine, of two million cans of tuna. Click here to read... [11]

Environmental protection laws have been bypassed in Maldives, Human Rights Watch claims - Bright Green

The government of the Maldives has ignored or undermined environmental protection laws in its land reclamation projects, Human Rights Watch has claimed. The NGO has said that there is now a risk of increased flooding and other harms to island communities. According to Human Rights Watch, reclamation projects have often been rushed and lack sufficient mitigation and monitoring. The NGO has therefore called on the president of the Maldives – Mohamed Muizzu – should ensure that human rights and the protection of the environment are central to development policies. Click here to read... [12]

Told India to remove troops from Maldives: President-elect Mohamed Muizzu - Wio News

Speaking to BBC on Sunday (Oct 22), Muizzu, who won elections last month and is to be sworn in later in November, said he met Indian ambassador Munu Mahawar a few days after he won the elections and "told him very clearly that every single Indian military personnel here should be removed". Mohamed Muizzu’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) fought this year’s election on the claims that his outgoing predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih allowed India an unchecked presence in the Indian Ocean archipelago. Click here to read... [13]

Myanmar

Arms, ammo, drug, cash recovered from 2 Myanmar-based militants in Manipur - Pothashang

Manipur Police and central armed forces recovered multiple weapons, ammunitions, drugs and cash from two cadres of Myanmar-based militant group Chin Kuki Liberation Army (CKLA), on Monday. The two militants were apprehended from Churachandpur district along the Indo-Myanmar border. The seized weapons included AK47, Insas, Sniper and M16 rifles along with a huge cache of ammunition. Opium weighing about 2.5 kg, Rs 4,86,500 cash and various other items were also recovered. Click here to read... [14]

2 cadres of Myanmar militant group held in Manipur - Nagaland Post

The two cadres of Chin Kuki Liberation Army (CKLA) , which Manipur chief minister claimed to be a Myanmar based militant group, were arrested during a joint operation by state police and Central security forces at Chaljang, a village in Manipur’s Churachandpur district bordering Myanmar on Monday. The police said they seized 2.5 kg of opium and a large quantity of arms including sniper gun and ammunition and Rs 4,86,500 in cash from the cadres. Click here to read... [15]

Myanmar Regime Discusses Deeper Chinese Investment - The Irrawaddy

China’s Ambassador to Myanmar, Chen Hai, has met the junta’s foreign minister, Than Swe, to discuss Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects. Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing was not invited to the BRI’s 10th anniversary event last week in Beijing, despite heavy junta lobbying. Chen proposed cooperation on “eight major steps” announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRI forum to enable both countries to prosper, according to the embassy’s Facebook page. Click here to read... [16]

Nepal

PM Dahal’s China Visit: Strategic Autonomy Facing Uncertainty - Khabar Hub

In the ‘World System theory’, Nepal falls under ‘Periphery’ countries, relating to its dependence and exploitation by developed countries due to weak state institutions, which align with the ‘dependent theory’, despite state leaders boasting about the ‘modernization theory’. There can be no denial that Nepal functions as a buffer state, amidst potential power competition between China and India. Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal Prachanda visited China from 23rd to 30th September, following the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) summit and chairing the Least Developed Countries (LDC) conference in New York. Additionally, Nepal is a member of the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC). Click here to read... [17]

Why is Nepal lagging Behind the BRI Connectivity despite High-Level Participation - Modern Diplomacy

The third International Belt and Road Forum will be held in Beijing on October 17-18. This year’s BRF will have the theme “High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Common Development and Prosperity,” and officials from more than 130 nations and 30 international organizations are anticipated to attend, according to Chinese officials. Click here to read... [18]

Nepal and India re-designing Koshi High Dam project to allay fears of downstream flooding - Indian Narrative

By agreeing to reduce the height of the proposed Sapta Koshi High Dam, Nepal and India may of have allayed local fears about inundation from the project. Locals in eastern Nepal have been long protesting against the proposed project as they fear large scale flooding of human settlement as well as arable lands by the project. During the 17th meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Team of Experts established to study the Saptakoshi High Dam Multipurpose Project held in eastern Biratnagar town of Nepal on October 9-11, the two countries agreed to reduce the height of the dam and change the location of the re-regulating dam, said the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation in a statement. Click here to read... [19]

Pakistan

COAS Munir meets Palestinian envoy, expresses concern over Israel’s ‘unabated violence’ in Gaza – Dawn

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the “indiscriminate killing” of Palestinians in Gaza and called on the international community to put an end to the “unlawful use of force” by the Israeli military. He passed these remarks during a meeting with Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan Ahmed Jawad Rabei at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, the military’s media wing. Click here to read... [20]

Imran Khan, Qureshi indicted in cipher case; may face death sentence if convicted – The Print

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan and his close ally ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were on Monday indicted by a special court on charges of leaking state secrets and violating the laws of the country, in another blow to the jailed leaders who could now face a possible death sentence. Click here to read... [21]

May 9 violence: Pak Supreme Court orders to hear cases of Imran Khan's supporters – India Today

Declaring the trial of civilians in military courts as "null and void", Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered authorities to conduct the hearing of the cases of former premier Imran Khan's supporters arrested for their involvement in the May 9 violent protests. Click here to read... [22]

Pakistan's Punjab government suspends Nawaz Sharif's sentence in Al-Azizia case; courts grant him bail in 3 corruption cases – The Telegraph Online

Pakistan's Punjab provincial government on Tuesday suspended Nawaz Sharif’s seven-year sentence in the Al-Azizia case while two separate courts confirmed his bail in three different corruption cases, in a major legal relief to the former premier after his return from London following four years of self-exile. Click here to read... [23]

Nawaz Sharif has many hoops to jump, takes leap with signal to India in first speech – The Indian Express

Nawaz Sharif may have several legal and electoral hoops to jump through before he gets to be Pakistan’s Prime Minister again. And he has no magic wand to pull his nation out of its polycrisis. Yet, in his address to a large gathering in Lahore Saturday night, he sought to reorient Pakistan’s domestic discourse on India. Click here to read... [24]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka assures China of continued active participation in Belt and Road Initiative – Telangana Times

Debt-ridden Sri Lanka has assured China of its continued active participation in the controversial Belt and Road Initiative during the recent visit of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to Beijing. Wickremesinghe visited China from October 16 to 20 to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Click here to read... [25]

Sri Lanka approves free visa scheme for India, China, Russia; US not on list – Hindustan Times

According to the tourism ministry of Sri Lanka, the purpose of this move is to attract more tourists to the country. The Sri Lanka cabinet has approved a proposal to grant free visas to travellers from seven countries - India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand for five months, Sri Lanka's minister of foreign affairs Ali Sabry announced on Tuesday. According to Sabry, the free visa travel has begun with immediate effect as a pilot project and will continue till March 31. Click here to read... [26]

Refrain from commenting on SL’s internal affairs – Daily Mirror

The Parliament's Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security has recommended informing US Ambassador Julie Chung, urging her to refrain from making statements regarding the internal affairs of Sri Lanka in the future. This recommendation comes in response to the ambassador's remarks following the incidents that occurred on May 9, 2022. Click here to read... [27]