There is a new controversy brewing in Pakistan about the local governments. Musharraf government had introduced a system under which local body elections were held and Nazims (a Nazim is like a mayor) were directly elected. However, the problem is that Nazims had very little authority to begin with and now that the current government, […]
-AP has published more on the Indonesia Hotel Bombing suspect, Malaysian born, Noordin Mohammad Top. The U.S. State Department believes he aided in financing the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings. After becoming radicalized in an Islamic boarding school ran by the Indonesian Muslim cleric, Abdullah Sungkar, he underwent training in the Southern Philippines and joined […]
According to a report in Dawn, Pakistan government has lost billions in revenue because of the chaos that was caused by rain in Karachi. This is not good news. There is no question that this rain in Karachi broke all records, at least for the last 30 years, but the response from those who were […]
A lot is being said in the Indian media about the inclusion of Balochistan in the India-Pakistan joint statement at Sharm el-Sheikh. [ link, link] Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is accused of giving Pakistan the upper hand by making Balochistan a bilateral problem, instead of the internal problem that it is. The Pakistani Prime Minister’s […]
In an excellent piece in Daily Times, the writer deplored the conspiracy theorists in Pakistan claiming that the US is working on re-drawing the map of Asia, and there is no room for Pakistan in this ‘new map’. The writer correctly pointed out that this type of hysterical notions have been claiming that Pakistan is […]
The United States maybe in the initial stages of a Southeast Asian foreign policy overhaul; the Obama Administration is not only reconsidering its sanctions against Myanmar, but also reevaluating America’s policy toward the entire Southeast Asian region. Brian McCartan has an informative article on the recent removal of Cambodia and Laos from the United States’ […]
CNN is reporting that Malaysian-born Noordin M. Top is believed to have been involved in the recent bombings at the Jakarta Marriott and Ritz Carlton, in the Mega Kuningan business district: Top is reportedly an officer, recruiter, bombmaker, and trainer for the JI group that was involved in a previous attack on the Marriott — […]
I am not a fan of Asif Zardari, but I have to give him credit for swallowing his ego, yet again, and going to meet Nawaz Sharif at Sharif’s residence. Given Pakistan’s awful economical and political situation, I do admire Zardari’s commitment to finding common ground with as many political parties as possible to keep […]
India will send 500 specially trained troops to Sri Lanka to help with the demining process in the northern parts of the country. Demining is the process of removal of landmines. According to the United Nation Sri Lanka had 459 known minefields yet to be cleared as of October 2008. Many more were reportedly added […]
At approximately 8AM in Kuningan, Jakarta, simultaneous bombs detonated at the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels. At least 8 people have been killed in the blasts and over 100 wounded. At least a dozen foreigners were injured, including citizens of Australia, Norway, South Korea, and India. During a press conference, recently re-elected Indonesian President Susilo Bambang […]
Speaking at the NAM Summit’s plenary session, Indian Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh called upon member countries to fight terrorism and ensure their territories are not used as safe havens by terrorists. Singh is scheduled to meet his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of the Summit and push for greater Pakistani action against the perpetrators […]
A recent series of mysterious bombings in the Philippines have led some to wonder if it is just a more severe case of the usual-suspects, Muslims separatist groups based in Mindanao, or a possible conspiracy led by the Filipino army, the Arroyo opposition, or the Macapagal-Arroyo government itself. The Philippines has seen more than 60 […]
