The whole Asian continent is going through a tough phase now-a-days. Political and violent upheavals are the marked features of this week. As Pakistan is to face the presidential elections, Burma remains under sharp UN vigil whereas violent incidents have also occurred in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka.
However, in the days come, political upheavals in Pakistan and Burma can heat up as UN is considering action against military Junta of Burma and the results of Presidential election in Pakistan - wherein in Musharraf has won the vote - can result in hullabaloo. Meanwhile, here are the excerpts of what Asia went through this week.
October 1, 2007
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After Afghanistan and Iraq, now Pakistan is added to the list of countries with recurrent suicide bombings. In such an incident, a suicide bomber set off a blast that killed 15 including four policemen and injured 22 at a crowded police checkpoint in North-Western Pakistan. The bomb was exploded by the rickshaw driver or a woman (presumably) either who was sitting in veiled.
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Pakistan’s government suspended the Islamabad police chief and two other officials on a judge’s orders following a violent crackdown on protests against President Pervez Musharraf. Dozens of people were injured when police baton-charged and tear-gassed lawyers and journalists during a rally on against Musharraf’s plan to be re-elected in a presidential vote on October 6. Following the incident the Pakistan’s outspoken chief justice has called on the concerned authorities to arrest Islamabad’s top policeman.
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Violence does not seem to cease in Afghanistan. In a latest crackdown on the militants, US-led coalition troops and Afghan forces killed more than 20 Taliban rebels in insurgency-hit southern Afghanistan while militants kidnapped three Afghan drivers near Kabul.
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The fiendish claws of terrorism are gripping the whole world and Maldives is no longer a peaceful and safe place to spend holidays. Maldives has arrested 10 suspects and is seeking outside help to investigate a bombing that wounded 12 foreign tourists in the first such attack on the holiday paradise. And US investigators have arrived in Maldives to probe a bomb attack against tourists which exploded on Saturday outside a crowded city park in the Maldives, wounding at least 12 people, all of them were foreign tourists.
Under a latest agreement to end N. Korean Nuclear programme, US President George W Bush has authorized $25m (£13m) in fuel aid to it. Under a February deal, the US and other participants at the six-party talks agreed to provide North Korea with aid.
At least six people have been killed and more than 30 injured in three separate attacks across India’s north-eastern state of Assam.
Police said they suspected the rebel separatist group, the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA)
October 2, 2007
Kabul witnessed second suicide bomb attack in four days when a suicide bomber attacked a bus carrying police officers and civilian employees of the Interior Ministry in the morning rush in western Kabul, killing at least 12 people, including at least one child.
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The politics of favoritism has begun in Pakistan. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday picked his trusted former spy chief to succeed him as leader of the army. On the other hand, Musharraf also signaled that he was ready to seal a power-sharing agreement with Benazir Bhutto, ex PM. He also told that exiled former PM Benazir Bhutto would be able to return to Pakistan this month and no corruption charges will be framed against her.
Terrorism is spreading fast in almost all the countries of the world and Philippines is not an exception. Four navy commandos have been killed in a gun fight with suspected Islamist militants in the southern Philippines. At least six militants died in the clash, which took place on Lanhil island, North-east of restive Basilan.
October 3, 2007
Terrorism continues in Kashmir and in a latest a marathon gunfight in divided Kashmir between Indian Army and suspected Islamic militants, two Indian army officers and nine terrorists have been killed.
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Finally, the agreement has been reached between IAEA and N. Korea in the latest meetings in Beijing involving China, the US, Japan, Russia and the Koreas. North Korea has agreed to disable its main nuclear reactor and give complete details of its nuclear program by 31 December.
Monks are looking to flee from Rangoon, the capital of Burma, because the military ruler has threatened to hunt the pro-democracy activists. On the other hand, Japan is threatening to suspend a large chunk of aid to Burma after the fatal shooting of a Japanese journalist covering the pro-democracy demonstrations.
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Violence continues in Pakistan and everyday there are reports of suicide bombings and fighting between Army and militants. In a roadside bomb attack on a bus in Pakistan’s tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, killed 14 passengers while two troops and ten Islamic militants died in a clash nearby.
October 4, 2007
Violence in the northern district of Vavuniya, Sri Lanka, continues and in the latest incident, six Tamil Tiger rebels and three soldiers are killed. The focus of renewed civil war between the state and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is the latest in a series of near daily clashes in recent months.
In another violent incident in Pakistan, Pro-Taliban militants have killed three of about 225 Pakistani soldiers that were held captive since late August in a tribal region near the Afghan border. These three soldiers are killed after militants have threatened on yesterday to execute three soldiers every day unless security forces stopped operations in the region.
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The Supreme Court in Bangladesh has overturned a ruling made by a lower court to free former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on bail. The court upheld an appeal by the army-backed interim government. The decision means that Ms Zia must remain in detention on extortion and corruption charges - something which she vehemently rejects.
October 5, 2007
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Here comes the judicial hurdle again for ambitious Musharraf who is seeking second term as the president. Now Supreme Court said that Pakistan’s presidential election can go ahead as planned on October 6, but the legality of President Musharraf’s bid is still in doubt. The Supreme Court says that no winner can be announced until it has ruled on whether Gen Musharraf can stand for re-election while still army chief.
Fiji, another country like Pakistan and Burma, is struggling with the military ruler. However there is a respite for the people as Fiji’s military-led government says it will lift the state of emergency it imposed last month when deposed PM Laisenia Qarase re-entered politics. The ruling military said that the measures would end on Saturday because there was no threat to the nation.
After crushing the revolt with the iron hands in Burma and releasing the gravity of the situation, now the top US diplomat in Burma is to hold talks with the country’s leaders, as a UN envoy prepares to brief the Security Council on his recent visit there. Shari Villarosa was invited to meet unspecified leaders and would raise concerns over the military’s crackdown on recent protests, US officials said. Later in the day, Ibrahim Gambari will brief the Security Council on his talks with top generals earlier this week.
Elections for a constituent assembly in Nepal have been postponed after ruling parties and former Maoist rebels failed to break their political deadlock. No new date was set for the vote, which was to have been held on 22 November. The coalition government denied bowing to Maoist demands that include the immediate abolition of the monarchy, and procedural changes to voting. The elections are a key element of a peace deal signed in 2006 that ended 10 years of Maoist insurgency.
October 6, 2007
Gen. Pervez Musharraf has won a vote to be re-elected Pakistan’s president, officials say, even though it is unclear if his candidacy was legal. However, the Supreme Court in Pakistan had ruled yesterday that no election result can be declared until it gives its ruling on a petition challenging his eligibility.
Violence in J&K continues as two soldiers and four militants died in separate gun battles in Indian Kashmir when Indian new army chief visited the revolt-hit state. In one incident, alert army soldiers shot dead three militants after they crossed into our Indian Kashmir from across the Line of Control while an Indian soldier also died. The Line of Control is the heavily militarized border dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan which remains turbulent more often than not.
After UN envoy visited Burma, now Western powers have circulated a draft statement at the UN condemning the “violent repression” of pro-democracy protests by Burma’s military rulers. The US, France and the UK called for immediate dialogue with opposition leaders, while the US suggested it would push for sanctions on Burma. However, China has said such pressure would only lead to confrontation.
