Bangladesh has launched a major security operation following violent protests triggered by a speech from exiled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Addressing her supporters via Facebook from India, Hasina called the current transitional government “illegal” and urged protests. Dubbed “Operation Devil Hunt,” the crackdown has led ...
NEW DELHI (AA) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has regained power in Delhi assembly elections, for the first time in nearly three decades, beating the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in the capital. The voting for the elections was held on Wednesday when millions cast ballots in the legislative assembly ...
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan requires an annual investment of $40 billion to $50 billion until 2050 to meet its looming climate change challenges, a former head of the country’s central bank says. Former State Bank of Pakistan Governor Shamshad Akhtar said at a two-day international climate change conference, “Breathe Pa...
ISLAMABAD (AA) – Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement to defer a $1.2 billion payment on oil imports by one year, according to an official statement. The deal was signed on Monday at the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad by Pakistan’s secretary of economic affairs, Kazim Niaz, and Saudi Fund for Development chief [...
India has twice denied a visa to Indian-American activist Kshama Sawant, preventing her from visiting her ailing mother in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru. Her 82-year-old mother has been unwell for the past two years. The former Seattle City Council member alleges that the move is political retaliation by India’s Hindu nationalist gover...
Tens of thousands of Muslims gathered near Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka for the annual Biswa Ijtema, one of the largest Islamic congregations in the world. The three-day event takes place on the banks of the Turag River in Tongi. Devotees from across Bangladesh and 72 other countries are attending the congregation with scholars from India, Pakis...
ISLAMABAD (AA) – With at least 685 fatalities, 2024 was a deadly year for Pakistani security forces, the Center for Research and Security Studies said in a report. Security forces killed 934 suspected militants. The violence took the heaviest toll on the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, followed by southwestern Balochistan provi...
Bangladesh is ramping up trade with Pakistan in apparent retaliation to India, signaling a shift in regional dynamics. The government is encouraging importers to source goods from Pakistan, as seen with the arrival of a Panama-flagged cargo ship at Chittagong port on Sunday. The ship carried 811 containers of industrial materials, garment raw ...
ISLAMABAD (AA) – Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for improved relations with Afghanistan and urged Kabul to take action against violent elements living on their soil. Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Premier Sharif said the Afghan interim government should take practical actions to eliminate militant hideouts on its s...
Bangladesh has asked India to extradite ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She fled to India on Aug. 5 after a student-led uprising against her 15-year rule. The uprising left more than 700 people dead and led to a transitional government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain confirmed a formal request for Hasina’s ...
