The MDP cadre did not seem to suffer from poll fatigue even months after the presidential elections as a high number of them voted in the party primaries, to select candidates, for the party ticket last month. N Sathiya Moorthy 26 February 2019 The arrest of former President Abdulla Yameen in the run-up to the
READ MOREAs New Delhi and Islamabad trade nuclear threats and deadly attacks, a brewing war over shared water resources threatens to turn up the violence. By Michael Kugelman | September 30, 2016 Early on the morning of Sept. 29, according to India’s Defense Ministry and military, Indian forces staged a “surgical strike” in Pakistan-administered Kashmir that
READ MOREby Ali Riaz 24 February 2019 There seems to be an ongoing campaign to have the electoral exercise devoid of the spirit of politics. PHOTO: ANISUR RAHMAN Politics have gone missing from Bangladesh. This may sound naïve, considering that the country had a national election less than two months ago and several elections are upcoming.
READ MOREby Bilal Majid 23 February 2019 The death of more than 40 CRPF personals in the Pulwama attack on 14 February would have undeniably vexed every conscious being who despises violence and war. For Kashmir and its people, this bloodshed wasn’t a new occurrence; it was recurring feature in the last three decades. In these
READ MOREUnlike other great Island nations like the United Kingdom and Japan, Sri Lanka occupies a unique position as a super connector in fast developing Asia. In the ancient world known as Taprobane, under the name of the “land of the Antichthones,” was long looked upon as another world. The name was entirely unknown in Europe
READ MOREby William MilamFebruary 22, 2019 About two years ago, when a friend and I were discussing Bangladesh politics and history over dinner, he mentioned to me a puzzling historical factoid: the last act of the effort to save a United Pakistan took place in Dhaka in March 1971. It involved tense and difficult negotiations between
READ MOREAijaz Ahmad Turrey 20 February 2019 On Thursday14 February 2019, a CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) convoy was moving from Jammu to Srinagar was for the first time attacked by a suicide bomber with an explosive laden vehicle near Awantipora, Pulwama Kashmir. The attack resulted in the death of 49 CRPF personnel. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the
READ MOREBangladeshi men who surrendered to authorities and admitted involvement in the drug trade sit in front of police in Teknaf, a border town next to Myanmar’s Rakhine state, on February 16, 2019. Photo: AFP The surrender of dozens of drug dealers has failed to fully stem the flow of ‘yaba’ into Bangladesh By BERTIL LINTNER, CHIANG
READ MORENJ Thakuria 18 February 2019 As if the people of the northeast (NE) India became more conscious about India’s constitution, rule of law and its secular image abroad. So groups of people, including politicians, civil society group representatives, media personnel etc came to hit the streets raising strong voices against the Union government’s proposed citizenship
READ MOREby P. Avinash Reddy 6 February 2019 India is currently hosting more than 2 lakh refugees, including a large number of Tibetan, Sri Lankan and Rohingya refugees even though it is not a party to the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951 (The Refugee Convention, 1951). One of the most frequently used arguments
READ MOREby Obaid Chowdhury * 5 February 2019 Little is known about the 1971 jail life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Pakistan. It remained shrouded in mystery amidst various rumors and narratives. Recently, I had an opportunity to watch an episode of Naqta-e-Nazar, first aired in December 2015 by a Pakistani television channel. My interest was evoked as it contained
READ MOREDhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Photo: iStockASIA UNHEDGED REAL-TIME INTEL ON WHAT MOVES MARKETS As much as US$81.74 billion was siphoned off the country in 2006-2015, according to a study by research organization Global Financial Integrity By BERTIL LINTNER CHIANG MAI, JANUARY 30, 2019 Illicit capital outflows from Bangladesh go unabated and as much as US$81.74 billion was siphoned
READ MOREBy Natasha Fernando 29 January 2019 The Indian Ocean Region has gained traction in regional multilateral cooperation with policy dialogues centering on economic cooperation, trade and investments, the Belt Road Initiative and security centered discussion spanning non-traditional security challenges, maritime territorial disputes, and regional stability. The development of the ASEAN Regional Forum, the Shangri-La dialogue of Defence Ministers,
READ MOREJanuary 27, 2019 Nauman Sadiq Originally, there were four parties involved in the Afghan conflict which are mainly responsible for the debacle in the Af-Pak region. Firstly, the former Soviet Union which invaded Afghanistan in December 1979. Secondly, Pakistan’s security agencies which nurtured the Afghan so-called “mujahideen” (freedom fighters) on the behest of Washington. Thirdly, Saudi
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