Neighborhood News Digest - 03 February 2025

Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Trade with Central Asia Reaches $1.6 Billion in 1403-Tolo News

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has announced that during the current solar year, Afghanistan's trade with five Central Asian countries has reached a value of $1.696 billion. According to Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, the ministry’s spokesperson, $112 million of this amount consists of exports, while $1.584 billion accounts for imports. Click here to read... [2]

Norwegian People’s Aid Suspends Operations in Afghanistan-Tolo News

Following the 85-day suspension of US foreign aid, the Norwegian People's Aid organization has now announced the cessation of its activities in 12 countries, including Afghanistan. In a statement, the organization said that the US State Department has instructed them to immediately halt all activities related to US financial aid. Click here to read... [3]

SIGAR: US Aid Suspension Will Deepen Afghanistan’s Economic Crisis-Tolo News

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), in its 66th report to the US Congress, highlighted President Trump’s directive to suspend US aid for 90 days. According to the report, the “Taliban’s” interference in humanitarian aid distribution and the ban on women working in aid organizations have further deepened Afghanistan’s economic crisis. SIGAR also said that the US government might want to consider reviewing the possibility of returning the $4 billion to Afghanistan. Click here to read... [4]

Construction of Wakhan Corridor Road linking Afghanistan to China halted for 7 months: Washington Post-The Khaama Press

According to a report by The Washington Post, construction of the Wakhan Corridor road in Badakhshan, linking Afghanistan to China, has been halted by the Taliban for the past seven months. The newspaper, on Monday, February 3, reported that satellite images show no progress has been made on the Wakhan road, also known as the “Wakhan Corridor.” The satellite images were taken by a commercial company called “Maxar.” Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh

US fund freeze hits development projects in Bangladesh – The Daily Star

Thousands of Bangladeshi development professionals face uncertainty as US government-funded projects have been halted following an executive order by the Trump administration on January 20. Though the order mandates a 90-day review, many employees have already been terminated, and all project activities have come to a standstill. The USAID website has also gone offline. Click here to read... [6]

Remittance crosses $2b for sixth month – The Daily Star

Bangladesh received over $2 billion in remittances in January for the sixth consecutive month, thanks to a disruption in the flow of money through informal channels following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government last August amidst a student uprising. Click here to read... [7]

Injured July uprising protesters rally at Shahbagh after March blocked – Dhaka Tribune

Protesters injured in the July uprising on Sunday staged a demonstration in front of the InterContinental Dhaka in the Shahbagh area after being prevented from marching towards the chief adviser’s residence, State Guest House Jamuna, to press home their various demands. The injured protesters have been demonstrating to demand proper medical treatment, rehabilitation, and official recognition from the state. On Sunday, they blocked Mirpur Road at the Shishu Mela intersection throughout the day. Click here to read... [8]

Japan reaffirms support for Bangladesh interim govt – Prothom Alo

Chhatra Sangbad, a publication of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, Wednesday cordially regretted a controversial article on the liberation war and took down it from its online page and withdrew all the printed copies of December-2024 volume that contained the article. “Chhatra Sangbad regrets publishing an unwarranted article that created controversy about the Liberation War, and removes this controversial article from online. At the same time, it is withdrawing all the printed copies of December-2024 volume,” Chhatra Sangbad announced in a Facebook post on Wednesday. Click here to read... [9]

Bhutan

Top Bhutanese Army commander begins 6-day visit to India – The Economic Times

Lieutenant General Batoo Tshering, the Chief Operations Officer of the Royal Bhutan Army, commenced a six-day visit to India. The visit aims to enhance military cooperation between India and Bhutan and includes discussions with top Indian defense and national security officials. Lt Gen. Tshering's trip also involves visiting key military institutes and cultural sites. Click here to read... [10]

Bhutan again bags lion’s share of India’s external aid portfolio – The Hindustan Times

India’s close partner Bhutan again garnered the largest share of the government’s external aid portfolio, with an outlay of ₹2,150 crore in the budget for 2025-26, which retained an allocation of ₹100 crore for developing Iran’s Chabahar port. The external affairs ministry was allocated ₹20,516.61 crore, lower than its revised budget of ₹25,277 crore and its allocation of ₹22,154 crore in 2024-25, according to the budget documents. In keeping with the government’s “Neighborhood First” policy, Bhutan was allocated ₹2,150 crore from the total external aid outlay of ₹6,750 crore, including soft loans and grants, for foreign countries, cultural and heritage projects and support for international training programmes. Click here to read... [11]

Freeze on USAID to affect Bhutanese agencies – Kuensel

The US President Donald Trump’s recent executive order suspending USAID funding for three months has sent shockwaves across nations and organisations dependent on U.S. assistance. The move, part of Trump’s ‘America First’ policy, is also expected to disrupt some development programmes in the country in sectors such as health, energy, disaster management, and education. The US government has been supporting Bhutan through USAID since 1980, in areas of capacity building, infrastructure development, and cross-border cooperation. According to USAID, Bhutanese professionals participate in U.S. sponsored programmes such as the International Visitors Leadership Programme, Humphrey Fellowships, and Fulbright Scholarships. Click here to read... [12]

Maldives

FTAs may plunge Maldives into financial crisis: India’s MEA – Raajje

The Ministry of External Affairs of India (MEA) has expressed concern that the recent Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) signed by the Maldives could have negative economic impacts on the island nation. The neighboring country on January 31 expressed its concerns about the agreements without specifically naming China or Turkey. Experts earlier highlighted that due to the free trade agreement between China and the Maldives, which came into effect on 1 January 2025, the Maldives' debt to China, one of its main import partners, could increase. They also warned that customs duty revenue could decrease, and there could be a risk of supply chain disruptions. In addition to this, the Maldives signed a trade agreement with Turkey last year. The incumbent administration of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has revealed that this agreement includes reducing or eliminating duties from both sides. The neighboring country’s Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters that the recent agreements are concerning as they are expected to reduce the Maldivian government's revenue. This is not good for the country's long-term fiscal stability. Click here to read... [13]

India increases aid to Maldives for 2025 – Raajje

Minister of Corporate Affairs of India Nirmala Sitharaman has allocated 6,000 million India Rupees (INR) as development aid to the Maldives in the 2025 Union Budget proposal. Indian media notes that this is the largest increase in percentage terms among South Asian countries in the budget allocation for neighboring countries. On the other hand, this is a significant increase compared to the 4,700 million rupees allocated for the 2024-25 fiscal year. After reducing aid due to strained relations between the two countries in 2024, the newly allocated aid represents an increase of approximately 28 percent compared to the previous year. The aid was reduced following diplomatic tensions that arose after some senior officials in the Muizzu government made disrespectful comments about the Prime Minister in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Malé in January 2024. Click here to read... [14]

Myanmar

Myanmar Refugees Stranded in Delhi After US Bans Refugees – Burma News International

Chin refugees from Myanmar in New Delhi, India, who were already approved for relocation to the United States (US) cannot now go because the US is currently not accepting any asylum seekers. Chin refugee families, who had been granted asylum and permission to move to the US after years of living in New Delhi, had their dreams of resettling in the US dashed when Donald Trump issued an executive order on 20 January 2025 that immediately suspended all entry to the US for refugees under the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Sayar Twan Pi who is a pastor at the Zion Zomi Baptist Church in New Delhi and also from Myanmar’s Chin State has been living as a refugee in New Delhi for 14 years and was due to go to the US for resettlement with his family, but they have had their travel plans cancelled. Click here to read... [15]

Myanmar junta extends state of emergency by six months – The Hindu

Myanmar's junta extended a state of emergency by six months on Friday (January 31, 2025), four years after it seized power triggering a civil war that has claimed thousands of lives. The country is mired in a bloody, multi-sided conflict stemming from the February 1, 2021 putsch that ended a 10-year experiment with democracy. The military is struggling to contain armed resistance to its rule, suffering a series of damaging battlefield losses over the past year to an alliance of ethnic minority armed groups in the north and west of the country. The ruling military council headed by Army chief Min Aung Hlaing unanimously approved the extension, the junta's information team said in a statement. Click here to read... [16]

Pakistan

Terror attacks, security operations surged in January-Dawn

The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42 per cent compared to the previous month. According to a data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank, at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians and 36 militants. Click here to read... [17]

President Zardari to embark on four-day state visit to China on Feb 4: FO-Dawn

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday confirmed that President Asif Ali Zardari will embark on a four-day state visit to China, starting on February 4 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. In November, the president had been unable to proceed to China on a scheduled official visit due to a foot fracture as the doctors had advised him to rest for four weeks. Click here to read... [18]

PM advised to dissolve PTI dialogue committee-Dawn

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday after Mr Sadiq’s meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and discussed the scenario following the collapse of government negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). A source in the government told Dawn that the prime minister was advised to dissolve the dialogue committee formed to negotiate with PTI. Click here to read... [19]

Govt moves to slash electricity prices by Rs2 per unit-The Express Tribune

The federal government has decided to reduce electricity prices, with a proposed cut of Rs2 per unit for the second quarter of fiscal 2024-25. Power distribution companies have already submitted their adjustment requests to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) for approval. If approved, the revised rates will come into effect from March 2025, providing consumers with a relief exceeding Rs52 billion. Click here to read... [20]

Sri Lanka

Import growth picks up as economy normalises – Daily Mirror

Sri Lanka’s imports raced in December last year to US$ 1,924.5 million, up 29.3 percent from the same month in 2023, reaching the highest monthly outflow for imports during 2024. This reflects the heightened year-end demand which met with the general recovery in imports as the overall economy is on a solid recovery. Contrary, the merchandise exports recorded earnings of US$ 1,101.8 million, up 10.0 percent, supported by both industrial and agricultural exports. Higher volumes of bunkering and aviation fuel exports sent the earnings from petroleum products up while higher tea prices and the better performance from spices and coconut related products exports sent agricultural products exports higher in December 2024. Click here to read... [21]

India allocates Rs 300 Crore to Sri Lanka in Union Budget – Daily Mirror

In the Union Budget 2025, Sri Lanka's allocation for developmental aid remained unchanged at Rs 300 crore, continuing the same level as the previous fiscal year. Despite facing its worst economic crisis in 2019, Sri Lanka is now in the process of recovery, and India’s consistent support through aid reflects the importance of maintaining stable ties with its neighboring island nation. Click here to read... [22]

Sri Lanka: National People’s Power and the path back to democracy – Scroll

Sri Lanka has a tradition of strong and independent civil society organisations and of professional (and organisational) autonomy within many branches of the state apparatus. By the turn of the century, it seemed increasingly obvious that this institutional basis for pluralism had been seriously eroded by politicians at every level. Click here to read... [23]