Round-up of regional news

BANGLADESH/ PAKISTAN
Finally, citizens
While the Rajasthan government is milking the recent Jaipur bombings to target 'illegal Bangladeshi migrants', the issue of citizenship has re-emerged as a hot topic in Bangladesh, as well. In late May, the Bangladeshi High Court finally ruled to grant citizenship to the children of Bihari (Urdu-speaking) refugees in Bangladesh. The ruling comes in response to a petition presented by a group of Bihari refugees under the age of 37. "The children who were minors in 1971 or born after the independence of Bangladesh are citizens of Bangladesh," the ruling stated firmly.

Approximately 300,000 'stranded Pakistanis' have languished for decades in 66 refugee camps scattered throughout Bangladesh, with poor sanitation, no healthcare and, until recently, no education. These included families from Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Orissa, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura, all of whom went to East Pakistan after Partition. The accusation against the community is of being pro-West Pakistan during the 1971 War of Liberation.

Despite excitement in many corners at the recent ruling, many older Biharis remain unhappy. They continue to want to go to Pakistan, but the Islamabad government is continuing to stonewall the possibility of repatriation. In contrast, officials with the Bangladeshi Home Ministry say that around 140,000 Biharis who were either born in Bangladesh or desire citizenship will now be accommodated.

BANGLADESH/ PAKISTAN
A more nuclear Southasia
With everyone claiming to be harnessing nuclear energy for 'civilian purposes', Bangladesh has now joined the party. In 1961, both East and West Pakistan had agreed to open a nuclear-power reactor in Rooppur, about 125 km northwest of Dhaka, but the plan was never executed. Now, with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) clearing Bangladesh to use nuclear power for civilian use, Dhaka is planning to revive the long-discarded project.

Back into the picture has sallied Pakistan. Alamgir Babar, Pakistan's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, recently said that an offer was "on the table" to share Pakistan's nuclear knowhow with Bangladesh, to meet the country's energy demands, which have become strenuous in recent years. "We have a programme for nuclear energy," Babar said. "We are going ahead with that. It is up to Bangladesh to decide what they want."

Bangladesh Foreign Adviser (read: foreign minister) Iftekhar A Chowdhury said that Bangladesh's talks with Pakistan could be bound by the international nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Despite the fact that Pakistan is not a signatory to the treaty, Bangladesh is. Both Bangladesh and Pakistan have tried to forge a civilian-nuclear technology agreement with the US similar to the US-India '123' deal, but were rebuffed. But no matter: India does not appear to be getting anywhere by looking overseas, anyway.

AFGHANISTAN
Peace by 2020
Gathering in Paris in mid-June to discuss the 'future' of Afghanistan (the fourth such meeting since the US-led invasion of 2001), donors such as the US, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank collectively pledged more than USD 21 billion to the struggling country.

They did not sound too happy doing so, however. Most of the donors at the meeting voiced harsh criticism of the administration of Hamid Karzai, pointing to a siphoning of past funds through rampant corruption, and to the flourishing drug trade that continues to dominate much of the country's economy. The delegates demanded that the distribution of the new monies be better coordinated by Kabul.

Considering the extremely tenuous hold that President Karzai's government has on the country, however, this may be too tall an order for the struggling administration. While criticism of the Kabul government is certainly not unwarranted, international organisations such as Oxfam have repeatedly warned that the international community itself is responsible for many of the failures of the reconstruction effort. For instance, the stringent preconditions that come along with most aid end up preventing effective distribution of funds by local groups. Furthermore, while the international community bemoans the lack of a strong government in Kabul, this state of affairs can in part be attributed to the fact that NATO forces have created parallel institutions from which the Karzai administration is largely isolated.

Back in Paris, the Afghan delegation had some of its own ideas, presenting a five-year plan to strengthen the government. Amidst all of the naysaying, they made projections that their country could be peaceful by 2020.

PAKISTAN
Saving daylight
Joining 80 other countries around the world, Pakistan has recently implemented daylight saving time (DST), becoming the only Southasian country to go this way. On the first of June, the clocks in Pakistan were officially pushed an hour forward, as per the government's decision to implement DST for a three-month trial period. If the move receives a positive response, the country will permanently adopt the new timekeeping.

Essentially adding an hour to the afternoon by taking it away from the morning, DST has the effect of allowing longer daylight hours during the summer months. Although the actual origins of DST are vague, one theory traces them back to an attempt to save on candles. Along these lines, like Pakistan, many countries have decided to push their clocks forward as a power-saving measure. Pakistan has in recent years been experiencing crippling power shortages.

DST, as with most instances of playing with time, has always been controversial, and some Pakistanis are sceptical about the new experiment. In particular, much of the country reportedly lacks a firm understanding of the idea and the rationale. The implementation of DST was first suggested in Pakistan in 1994, but the then-cabinet rejected it on grounds that it would create confusion. This time around, Islamabad has announced a campaign to educate people on the issue.

One thing is clear: Southasian time is going to be more confusing than ever. Pakistan time, to the west, is now a half hour later than in India, in sync with its old eastern limb, Bangladesh (and Bhutan). Meanwhile, Nepal remains 15 minutes out of sync with the entire rest of the world; while immediately to the north, Tibet is forced to stay on Beijing time, and hence is around two and a half hours ahead of the rest of the neighbourhood. What time is it? It's Southasia time!

BURMA
Naughty, naughty
Just to be clear, in late May the Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi had her house arrest extended for a sixth continuous year – an illegal move, even by Burmese standards. Burmese law states that an individual cannot be kept under arrest for more five years on charges of being a threat to security. However, the junta claims the detention to be in line with the law, firm in the belief that, if nothing else, there is little that anyone can do about it.

The government does seem worried about something, though. Officials have made new claims that Suu Kyi and other political prisoners are in contact with armed rebel groups and foreign governments, who have purportedly been supporting them financially. In early June, in the government's mouthpiece, the junta even likened the Nobel laureate Suu Kyi and her supporters to naughty children who deserve to be flogged. If 'naughty' is what the dissidents are, one wonders what appellation should be applied to the junta's leading generals.

THE MALDIVES
Deadlock continues
Stumbling blocks in the way of completing the new Maldivian constitution appear to be piling up rapidly. The latest episode involves questions over the presidential campaigning by the various opposition parties. Under the current constitution, which protects one-party rule, such campaigning is illegal, as members of the ruling Dhivehi Raiyyithunge Party (DRP) have been quick to note.

To allow campaigning, Information Minister Mohamed Nasheed had proposed legislation that would roll back the dictatorial Presidential Election Act, but this move was opposed by both the government and the opposition. DRP members argued that, as campaigning is illegal under the current constitution, it would not be allowed even if this particular Act was repealed. Opposition parties, on the other hand, were against the annulment due to fears that it could lead to the imminent elections – currently slated for 10 October – being called under presidential decree, rather than under new legislation.

Meanwhile, as the infighting continues, the new constitution is nowhere close to completion, even with the elections right around the corner. Without a new constitution, election laws suitable to a multi-party democracy cannot be drafted.

The Southasian public should not, however, be deceived into thinking that the honourable MPs of Male are unable to reach consensus on any issue. In an overwhelming show of cross-party cooperation, parliamentarians recently voted to give themselves a 500 percent pay increase, as well as a fourfold raise in their living allowance. With the draft constitution banning MPs from engaging in any other work, the public servants pre-emptively handed themselves this largesse, allegedly to remain "independent" such that they do not have to "beg for handouts".

INDIA
Long overdue
After six years, the victims of the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat could finally be set to receive compensation. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has set aside more than INR 3.3 billion (USD 77 million) for survivors and relatives of the victims killed in the riots.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram said, "A compensation of 350,000 rupees will be given to the families of each of the 1169 people who died in the riots." Additionally, each of over 2500 people injured will receive approximately INR 125,000, and more than INR 2.6 billion has been set aside for those who experienced loss of property. The package is similar to what the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots received.

Not everyone is happy about the decision. The BJP-led government in Gujarat has dubbed the package "cheating", with its Health Minister Jay Narayan Vyas complaining that it "has political overtones, as this has been announced when Parliament elections are approaching." Vyas also labelled the compensation package "discriminatory". "Between the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and 2002 Godhra riots, many riots have taken place in the country. Why has such kind of compensation not been given to the other riot victims?" the minister asked. That is certainly a good question – but one that does nothing to take away the importance of the government's decision.

REGION
Failing refugees
It is an unfortunate reality that Southasian nation states inevitably wind up near the tops of international lists cataloguing negative things – child mortality, poverty, press freedom. Now, a number of the regional brethren have been labelled as some of the worst abusers of refugee rights. In an annual report card released by the non-aligned US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants to coincide with World Refugee Day, on 20 June, India and Bangladesh were both given F's, or failing grades, for their overall treatment of refugees.

The poor marks were given largely for the propensity of New Delhi and Dhaka to refuse asylum to refugees, thus condemning them to face further persecution or forcing them to lead lives of deprivation after granting them sanctuary. For its part, India was ranked so dismally in large part due to its racially biased handling of refugees. It is reported that while India treats Tibetan refugees rather well, Sri Lankan refugees are treated significantly worse, with ethnic Chin Burmese refugees treated particularly poorly.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh received failing grades in three subcategories: the conditions under which refugees were detained, and their access to the legal system; the freedom of movement refugees are allowed; and whether refugees can earn a living in their host country. Not to be outdone, Nepal too made it onto the list, receiving an F for disallowing refugees to work.

INDIA/ TIBET
March to nowhere
While Beijing continues to clamp down on all forms of protest within Tibet, the pro-Tibet movement has remained active in exile communities, particularly in India. These too have faced their share of roadblocks, however. Back in March, the Uprising Day demonstrations in Tibet coincided exactly with a programme called the March to Tibet, for which a group of Tibetan exiles (and some non-Tibetans) were planning on marching from Dharamsala to the high plateau – ostensibly to raise rights-related issues in the run-up to the Olympics, but also simply to see what would happen. Within hours, the entire group was arrested by Indian police, just down the road from where they had started.

The march started again a few weeks later, however, and its members managed to reach the India-Tibet border at Dharchula in Uttarakhand, before most of them were arrested. Another lot of marchers arrived at the Shipkila Pass in Himachal Pradesh on 19 June, immediately before the contentious Olympic torch was slated to be hastily shown in Lhasa. Around ten in the morning, two protesters briefly held aloft a banner reading 'Free Tibet Now', before setting off to the border. At that point, the two were arrested by Indian security personnel, who had been tailing the marchers throughout their journey.

Such overreaction on the part of the Indian state had become par for the course, however. In late May, the government issued 'Quit India' notices to five non-Tibetans who were participating in the march. The five were charged with 'participating in a religious activity', something that was alleged to be disallowed under their tourist visas. Perhaps 'participation in a sensitive political activity' would be closer to the truth of the matter.

NEPAL/ INDIA
Dam trouble
Dams across the world have a history of being controversial, and this certainly holds true in this region. The latest dam trouble is taking place in the Gandak area, in the plains of southern Nepal, only a few kilometres from Uttar Pradesh. For much of June, local residents staged a sit-in a mere 150 metres from the sluice gates of the Gandak Dam, refusing to move until Kathmandu and New Delhi gave serious consideration to the 21-point demand they have put forth.

The protestors are complaining that the dam contributes to the flooding of their homes and lands every year during the monsoon. During the dry season, they say, the Indian government does not open the sluice gates to the canals on the Nepal side, thus redirecting all of the water to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Furthermore, the entire barrage is said to be in a state of disrepair. Under the bilateral Gandak Agreement of 1959, which led to the construction of the dam, India is responsible for the building and upkeep of the structure, with Nepal providing the land on which the barrage stands. Now, the local people of the area are demanding that the Gandak Agreement be repealed, and that another deal be renegotiated in its place.

With the issue heating up for a month, India finally agreed to address the matter. After reviewing suggestions forwarded by the Nepal government, New Delhi has agreed to meet 12 of the demands made by the local residents. With action thus promised, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu says the agitations should now be halted. However, leaders of the demonstration, corroborated by officials at the dam, say the site has not seen any activity to suggest efforts at improvement.

BANGLADESH/ BURMA
Go home
Even as Burma seeks to stabilise following the devastation caused by May's Cyclone Nargis, the government in Dhaka has stepped up efforts to send thousands of Burmese refugees back to their homeland. The story dates back to the early 1990s, when over 250,000 Rohingya, the marginalised Muslim community from Burma, fled to Bangladesh to escape harassment. In 1992, Bangladesh and Burma, together with the UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, signed a trilateral agreement to send back all of the refugees. Since that time, more than 230,000 Rohingya have been repatriated, though critics argue that the move was not voluntary for many of them.

Now, Dhaka and UNHCR are attempting to send back the remaining 27,000 Rohingya, who have been living in camps in southern Bangladesh. Antonio Guterres, UN's High Commissioner for Refugees, visited Bangladesh in late May, and met with Foreign Affairs Advisor Iftekhar A Chowdhury to discuss the matter. While confirming that countries such as Canada, Australia and the United States have resettled a number of the Rohingya, Guterres maintained that repatriation was the main objective, as all people should be allowed to "live with dignity in their own homeland".

This is undoubtedly true, but the question remains as to whether the Rohingya refugees actually want to return to a country that has historically denied them their rights – and whether a post-catastrophe period is the best time to force the issue.

SRI LANKA
Seeking Indian intervention
Currently suffering significant losses in battle with government forces, the LTTE has publicly asked India to "urge" Colombo to halt its military campaign, even as the Sri Lankan armed forces intensify their crackdown on Tiger strongholds. Following the abrogation of the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement in January, the operations have been extremely damaging to the LTTE, especially in the northern Wanni area, a former stronghold of the Tigers'. Several senior LTTE military leaders have been killed in recent months.

The political wing of the LTTE has reportedly been trying to get New Delhi to facilitate another ceasefire with Colombo. Pro-LTTE politicians in Tamil Nadu are also being used to pressure the Union government to urge Mahinda Rajapakse's administration towards this end. In addition, the LTTE's Peace Secretary, S Pulidevan, has said that his group would discuss the possibility of fresh peace talks only after Norwegian facilitators were allowed to travel to Kilinochchi, a trip that Colombo has refused to green-light.

Reacting to the LTTE's initiative, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama has asked New Delhi to refrain from meddling in Sri Lanka's internal affairs. It seems that the Indians might be more prone to listen to Colombo than to Wanni. As it happens, when he gave this statement, Bogollagama was in India to update New Delhi on the Sri Lankan military's successes against the Tigers.

There is much concern about the prospects of another ceasefire, with many worrying that the LTTE would use the opportunity to regroup its forces. But there is no doubt that a ceasefire must once more be tried. According to statistics released by the Sri Lankan Health Ministry in late June, an average of 400 people are being disabled every month due to conflict-related injuries.

INDIA/ PAKISTAN
Better talk than fight
Southasia's leaders specialise in talks, talks and more talks, often resulting in little more than a lot of global warming. Nowhere is this more the case than in relation to talks between India and Pakistan. Recently, Islamabad's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced that India and Pakistan were studying a draft visa agreement that would dramatically ease the visa regime between the two countries. They were attempting to exempt citizens from the requirement of registering with the police during visits to each other's countries. Such announcements have been heard several times before, however, and travellers will believe it when they see it.

Meanwhile, the fourth round of talks between the Pakistani and Indian branches of the Indus Basin Water Commission was also taking place, but achieved little more than stalemate. Pakistan put six 'technical questions' on the table to India, but only four of them were superficially discussed. It was subsequently announced that the remaining two would be mulled over next month during … more talks.

Similarly, no progress was made on the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas-pipeline project, after Pakistan and India failed – again – to agree on a transit fee for transporting the gas, despite numerous rounds of talks. Now, an exasperated Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears to have taken matters into his own hands, forming a four-member team to talk with both Pakistan and (what is said to be) the obdurate India. The committee has been given a 45-day deadline to settle the transit fee, and submit a report to President Ahmadinejad.

To be fair, there was some good news as well. Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee's May visit to Pakistan was widely considered a success, with Mukherjee and Qureshi agreeing on a range of issues in the run-up to the fifth round of the Composite Dialogue between the two countries, slated to begin in mid-July. While no real progress was made on outstanding issues, especially Kashmir, the two sides did agree on a number of confidence-building measures. Qureshi also announced that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan later this year.

AFGHANISTAN/ CHINA
Coppertunity
Barring opium, the Afghan economy is currently not producing much of commercial value, at least not in any great quantity. However, it now appears that the country's finances are about to receive a boost. Surveyors recently discovered that one of the region's largest untapped deposits of copper – worth about USD 88 billion – lies in the Aynak Valley, near Kabul. Jumping at the opportunity, the Kabul government quickly finalised a contract that grants the government-owned Chinese Metallurgical Group a 30-year lease on the deposit, worth around USD 3 billion.

As part of the contract, Beijing has agreed to build schools, mosques, a power plant and railroad tracks in the valley, as well as to employ Afghans in the actual mining and processing. While the fiscal benefits of the deal are undoubtedly much needed in Afghanistan, there are fears that Kabul will not be able to disseminate the funds properly. There is also concern about the environmental and humanitarian impact of such a large project guaranteed to be minimally regulated by the Afghan government.

For their part, Kabul officials say they are optimistic about the undertaking, viewing it as a test run for similar, local projects in the future. They are supported by those who argue that only through such local projects, after all, will the Afghan administration be able to prove – to itself and the international community – that it is capable of moving away from its current dependence on international aid. Certainly Afghanistan needs to be self reliant. But it remains to be seen whether selling off national natural resources at a time when the government is weak, is the best path to self-reliance.