Kabul Bank Case Results in Jail; PM Modi in Myanmar for Regional Summits; No ISIS in Pakistan According to Interior Minister

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Afghanistan

Kabul Bank case results in jail

On Tuesday the Afghan appellate court hearing the Kabul Bank case sentenced former chairman of Kabul Bank, Sherkhan Farnood, and former CEO, Khalilullah Ferozi, each to ten years in jail for their involvement in the $900 million embezzlement scandal that collapsed the bank in 2010 (TOLO News). The court also fined Farnood over $237 million and froze the properties of Mahmood Karzai, brother of former President Hamid Karzai, and Hasin Fahim.

U.S. Army lost $420 million in equipment

A report released by the U.S. Defense Department Inspector General found: "Since 2010, 309 forward operating bases (in Afghanistan) have closed and only a fraction of lost items from previous (inventory loss investigations) have been located" (Pajhwok). The report estimated that "between 2006 and 2010, there were 174,247 pieces of equipment listed as unaccounted for —valued at $429.5 million." The report, dated Oct. 30, has not been released to the public yet.

Asian Development Bank to give $56.6 million in aid

On Tuesday the Asian Development Bank (ADB) pledged $56.6 million in emergency assistance to Afghanistan for reconstructing irrigation and rural roads in 15 northern provinces affected by severe flooding in April and May of this year (Pajhwok). The agreement was signed in Kabul by Afghan Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal and ADB Officer-in-Charge in Afghansitan Hans Woldring. The Ministry of Finance will oversee the development projects associated with the aid. The ADB estimated that the damage caused by the flooding in four provinces alone cost around $240 million, with 70 percent of the cost due to damage to house, agricultural infrastructure, crops, and livestock.

— Courtney Schuster

India

PM Modi in Myanmar for regional summits

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Myanmar on Tuesday starting his 10-day tour to Myanmar, Australia, and Fiji (WSJ, BBC, NDTV). On his arrival, Modi — @narendramodi — tweeted: "Landed in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar to a very warm welcome! Great being in this beautiful country." In Myanmar, Modi will attend the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit, an annual meeting held in relation to economic and cultural development of Southeast Asian countries, and the East Asia Summit, an annual forum held by 18 countries.

Prior to his departure, Modi said: "Asean is at the core of our Act East Policy and at the centre of our dream of an Asian century, characterised by cooperation and integration" (Times of India). Modi also said: "At the East Asia Summit, I look forward to discussing with Asean and seven global leaders how we can strengthen regional institutions, international norms and regional cooperation in pursuit of peace, stability and prosperity" (Indian Express).

In Myanmar, Modi met President Thein Sein, and tweeted: "Had a very good meeting with President Thein Sein. We had extensive discussions covering various aspects of our bilateral relations." (Zee News). In Australia, Modi will attend G-20 (Group of 20) meeting, and hold bilateral talks with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Australia in 28 years, will speak to the Indian community at a reception in Sydney, where more than 15,000 people are expected to attend. In Fiji, Modi plans to increase cooperation in the south pacific region.

Former Kashmiri separatist meets PM Modi

Modi met former Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) separatist Sajjad Lone on Monday, days ahead of state assembly elections (Times of India). Lone said: "I came as a Kashmiri to meet the Prime Minister and I was pleasantly surprised with his down to earth personality, his vision about bringing in investments into the state" (NDTV).

While the Congress party said the meeting indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was "joining hands with separatists for political gains," Lone denied that the meeting was political in nature (The Hindu). In response to the Congress party’s comments, senior BJP leader and Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said: "Kashmiri groups do meet Center leadership there is nothing new in it. Nothing should be speculated out of this" (IBNLive). The BJP has declared Mission-44 in J&K, and aim to score a majority in the 87-strong J&K assembly during the upcoming elections.

Indian woman paraded naked on donkey

A 45-year-old woman was stripped naked and paraded on a donkey in the western state of Rajasthan, according to news reports on Monday (BBC, The Independent, Indian Express). The woman’s face was also blackened after village elders accused the woman of killing her nephew, Vardi Singh. After Singh died under mysterious circumstances, his family alleged that his aunt had killed him. The village panchayat — council of elders — decided that the aunt was guilty and declared her punishment.

Sudhir Joshi, additional superintendent said: "The incident occurred at around 9pm on Saturday. We have arrested 39 persons under various sections of the IPC [Indian Penal Code] in this regard and have provided security to the family of the 45-year-old woman… We have also shifted the woman to a nearby shelter home where she is undergoing counselling as she is in a state of shock" (Times of India).

— Neeli Shah

Pakistan

No ISIS in Pakistan according to Interior Minister

On Tuesday Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan denied that the Islamic State (also known as IS and ISIS) had a presence in Pakistan, saying: "[n]o organisation of this name exists in Pakistan," adding that there are several terrorist organizations operating in Pakistan (Dawn, ET). Khan’s statement came after the government of Balochistan submitted a confidential report to law enforcement agencies on Oct. 31 warning that ISIS has recruited 10,000 to 12,000 followers from the Hangu and Kurram Agency tribal areas (Dawn). Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani denied the claim on Nov. 8 saying that "[t]he letter regarding the activity of IS was routine information of officers," and that "there was nothing serious about IS in Balochistan" (ET).

Traffic collision killed 58

On Tuesday a passenger bus carrying 70 people collided with a truck on a highway near Khairpur in Sindh province when it tried to pass a vehicle killing 58 people and injuring another 15 (BBC, Dawn, ET). Fuel on the bus caught fire after the collision that complicated rescue attempts. Deputy Chief of Highway Police A.D. Khawaja said that the bus driver was speeding in a construction zone and added that the bus was stopped and fined by traffic police earlier in the day for carrying too many passengers (Washington Post).

Honor killing leaves three women dead

Two brothers in Lahore killed their 50-year-old mother and 16- and 18-year-old stepsisters on Tuesday with a knife (Dawn, ET). One brother said that a stepsister was involved in prostitution and their mother was supporting the activity, adding: "We have no regrets because we killed them in the name of honour." The second brother said that they had warned their sisters to stop their "immoral activities." The brothers were arrested and already pleaded guilty to murder.

–Courtney Schuster

Edited by Peter Bergen