Pakistan Bans Media Coverage of Militant Groups; Indian Soldiers Killed in Kashmir; China To Build 10,000 Apartments in Afghanistan

Pakistan

Pakistan bans media coverage of militant groups

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) issued a notification on Monday, banning all domestic television and radio stations from coverage of 60 government-banned organizations and 12 additional U.N. recognized terror affiliates (VOA, Dawn). The announcement particularly mentioned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and its affiliates, the Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) as well as  Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), specifically directing the media not to give coverage of any kind to these organizations in breach of obligations under United Nations resolutions. According to the notification, the “Ministry of Foreign Aff­airs and Ministry of Interior, under the National Action Plan, have banned all kind of coverage of banned JuD, LeT, and FIF under UN resolution 1267.” The announcement comes as a response to extensive media coverage of the JuD’s humanitarian aid to Pakistan earthquake victims in recent weeks. However, the interior ministry later clarified that it had not given PEMRA any instructions regarding the JuD.

Pakistan officials announce plan to repatriate Afghan refugees

On Monday, Pakistan authorities announced that they plan to repatriate 1.5 million Afghan refugees over the course of the next two years, declining to extend the Dec. 31 deadline for their legal stay in the country (VOA). “There is no decision to extend their stay,” said Pakistani spokesman Tariq Hayat, “however, we cannot send them overnight and we will be sending them in a phased program, which is likely to take something under two years. But at the end of that period they will all be out of here.” United Nations officials have called for Pakistan not to rush the repatriation as the deadline approaches. U.N. and Afghan authorities insist that Afghanistan is still a conflict zone and unable to absorb large numbers of returnees. Hayat stated that the program would be carried out in a way to assure “dignity” to Afghan refugees.

India

Bonus Read: “Arguments over caste spread from India to Britain” (Economist)

Pakistani firing kills 2 Indian soldiers

Two Indian army soldiers were killed by Pakistani fire along the line of control separating the two countries in Kashmir on Monday, according to Indian army officials (BBC, ABC). An Indian army official said that Pakistani troops fired machine guns and grenades across the de facto border. Pakistan and India both occupy portions of Kashmir but claim it in its entirety, and they have fought two full-scale wars and engaged in additional skirmishes over control of the disputed territory. A ceasefire has been in place since 2003, but both countries accuse each other of routinely violating it. The cross-border fire comes just days before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Indian-administered Kashmir.

Delhi toll collectors defy Supreme Court

Toll collectors in the Indian capital territory of Delhi defied a Supreme Court order on Monday to collect a “green tax” on diesel trucks entering the city (FT,TOI). The Supreme Court mandated the tax last month in an attempt to reduce the city’s high levels of pollution, and the tax was due to take effect on Monday. Old and poorly-maintained diesel trucks are a major contributor to Delhi’s pollution problem, and the city has been covered in smog for several days. SMYR, the private consortium tasked with collecting commercial tolls in Delhi, said it was powerless to carry out the court’s mandate, as employees were fearful of violent retribution from angry truckers. Officials from an Indian transportation regulatory agency found that the consortium and its private contractors appeared to be “on the same page when it comes to avoiding implementation of the Supreme Court order.”

Google gets government approval for balloon network

The Indian government has given internet giant Google approval for a pilot project providing internet connectivity using large balloons, the Press Trust of India reported on Tuesday (BGR). The pilot program, known as Project Loon, aims to use large balloons floating 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) above the Earth’s surface to deliver internet connectivity to rural or disaster-hit areas. Each balloon can reportedly provide connectivity to a 40-kilometer (24.9-mile) diameter area on the ground via LTE technology. Google has previously tested the technology in California, New Zealand, and Brazil. Google also approached the government to set up solar-powered drone-based internet transmission, but the project has not yet received approval.

Afghanistan

Bonus Read: “How Islamic State Got a Foothold in Eastern Afghanistan,” by Ayesha Tanzeem (VOA)

Afghanistan, China sign three cooperation agreements

On Tuesday, Afghanistan and China signed three agreements of mutual cooperation following Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao’s arrival in Kabul (TOLO News, Pajhwok). The countries signed agreements on security, reconstruction, and education cooperation. Under the accords, China has committed to installing security scanners at entry gates to Kabul, building 10,000 residential apartments — a 2 billion Yuan (365 million USD) project — and funding 50 higher education scholarships for Afghan students, according to an Afghan official. At the signing ceremony, Yuanchao said that China will continue to support Afghanistan, particularly in “achieving lasting peace.”

Report: Pentagon spent $43 million on a gas station

A United States special inspector reported on Monday that the U.S. Department of Defense spent nearly $43 million on a gas station in Sheberghan, Afghanistan between 2011 and 2014 (NYT, Aljazeera). The inspector stated that it is unknown why the project cost so much. The gas station, which opened in 2012, was created to demonstrate that compressed natural gas could be used in Afghan vehicles effectively. However, a Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report found that this type of gas filling station costs just $500,000 to construct in neighboring Pakistan. The Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO) responsible for the project closed operations in March and thus no longer possesses the “personnel expertise to address these questions,” according the SIGAR report. Defense Department spokesman Army Lt. Col. Joe Sowers said the Pentagon continues to provide access to documents to SIGAR, and has offered to assist SIGAR in locating and contacting any former TFBSO personnel they wish to interview.”

Joint declaration of Afghan support made by U.S. and central Asian countries

On Sunday, the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the United States Secretary of State issued a Joint Declaration of Partnership and Cooperation (NYT). The communique declared support for Afghanistan’s development as an “independent, peaceful state” and acknowledged the country’s importance to regional stability. This declaration was a product of the first “C5+1” meeting hosted by Uzbekistan which follows a ministerial level meeting of the six countries on Sep. 26, 2015, in New York where the nations committed to regular meetings in this format.

Nepal

Indian protester killed by Nepalese police

Protesters and Nepalese police clashed in the Nepalese town of Birgunj on the country’s southern border with India on Monday, and the violence left one Indian man dead (NYT, BBC). The man, Ashish Kumar Ram from the eastern Indian state of Bihar, was reportedly shot in the head and died in a hospital. It was unclear why he was killed. Seven other protesters and nine police were also injured in the violence, according to the local police chief. India said in a statement released by the foreign ministry that it was “deeply concerned” by events. “Issues facing Nepal are political in nature and cannot be resolved by force. Causes underlying the present state of confrontation need to be addressed by the government of Nepal credibly and effectively,” said the statement. Protesters from the Madhesi ethnic group in southern Nepal have set up an unofficial blockade along the border with India, blocking shipments of essential goods from India for the past two months. Many Madhesis are unhappy with Nepal’s new constitution, which they argue disproportionately favors other ethnic groups. Nepalese police began clearing protesters in Birgunj early on Monday in an effort to resume trade before the violence broke out.

–Alyssa Sims and Udit Banerjea

Edited by Peter Bergen

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