Pakistan:
Al Jazeera: One person has been killed with twelve injured in a bombing in a Peshawar shopping mall. “Senior police officer Gohar Khan said the attack on Thursday targeted shops selling mobile phones in the Hashat Nagri neighbourhood in the city of Peshawar.
He says the dead and the wounded were taken to hospital. Some of the victims are in critical condition.
No one claimed responsibility, but suspicion fell on pro-Taliban fighters who often target shops selling CDs, mobile phones and Internet cafes, accusing them of spreading obscenity.”
Dawn: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan is on the brink of becoming a failed state. “Speaking to media representatives, the chief minister said terrorism was at its peak in the country, adding that if concrete action was not taken against those responsible, the country’s foundations may begin to shake.
The chief minister’s statement comes days after the bombing in Quetta which claimed the lives of over 87 Shia Hazaras. A large number of women and children were among the dead.
The Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leader moreover said world powers had used militants in the 1980s to fight their so-called war against Soviet communism and now the same militants were terrorists in the eyes of these powers.”
The Nation: Pakistan is no longer safe for its Shia minority community. “he Shia Community wants to know why the state is reluctant to tackle extremists. Why the intelligence and security agencies have not made any arrest after the Alamdar Road attack of January 10, 2013? Why the leader of LEJ is still out there as a freeman? Why has he not been hauled up when his organization openly claims responsibility for these atrocities? Is the LEJ more powerful than the state security establishment? Is not the prime collective responsibility of the state organs, institutions to protect the basic right of their citizens? Should Shia community seek international help to save their lives and live in peace in their own country?”
Afghanistan:
Miami Herald: The Taliban have vowed to target government employees and civilians linked with the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. “The Taliban vowed Thursday to target government employees and other Afghan civilians they consider linked to the U.S.-led coalition despite a warning from the United Nations that such killings may violate international law.
Zabiullah Mujahid rejected an annual report issued by the U.N. Mission in Afghanistan that accused the Taliban of targeting civilians and blamed the insurgency for the overwhelming majority of deaths in its war against President Hamid Karzai’s government and the foreign military coalition.”
Huffington Post: NATO and Afghan forces have killed at least twenty-five insurgents in operations around the country. “The size and scope of the latest operations were an indication that the Afghan war is far from over after 11 years of conflict, even as U.S. and foreign forces begin rapidly withdrawing and handing the lead role for security to the Afghans.
Fighting is also expected to intensify as the traditional spring fighting season gets under way after the heavy snows that blanket much of northern and eastern Afghanistan starts melting.”
India:
The Times of India: India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed terror charges against 12 alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba members in Bangalore.
“These 12 were among the 15 men arrested in late September 2012 for allegedly planning to kill select targets including prominent personalities. The 15 men were picked up from Bangalore, Hubli, Hyderabad and Nanded in Maharashtra. Ten other accused are still absconding.”
Bangladesh:
Bangladesh News 24 Hours: Bangladesh’s ex-President and current leader of the Jatiya party, Hussain Muhammad Ershad, is the latest politician to support a ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir.
“‘The people’s demand should be fulfilled as there is democracy in Bangladesh,’ the former military dictator said while leaving for Dhaka early on Wednesday. Ershad’s party is a key constituent in the Awami League-led coalition, but he says his party might go it alone this time in the forthcoming Parliament polls.
While speaking to bdnews24.com, his Political Advisor Ziauddin Bablu said the former President might go to the Prajanma Chattar to express solidarity with the Shahbagh protesters who are asking for death penalty for all ‘war criminals’.”
Nepal:
One World: The human rights situation in Nepal has not improved since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord six years ago, according to the Nepal Human Rights Yearbook 2013.
“No remarkable headway was made except the integration of the former Maoist combatants into the Nepal Army,” the report laments. Released by INSEC Nepal, the yearbook has documented 3,521 incidents of human rights violations reported in 2012 across the country, compared to 3,039 in 2011. Of these, the state was involved in 746 cases of human rights violations in – of a total of 423 killings, the government was involved in 13 cases, unidentified groups in 57 cases while UCPN-M cadres and NC cadres killed two and one person respectively.
The rights watchdog said that at least 17 vehicles, including that of the press, were vandalised by bandh enforcers in various parts of the country. NHRC has called on all concerned to not to resort to violence to to settle disputes.
Sri Lanka:
Deccan Herald: In an apparent fallout of the alleged cold blooded killing of the 12-year-old son of slain LTTE Chief V Prabhakaran, persons pelted stones at the office of Sri Lankan Airlines in Chennai, causing minor damage to property.
Police said nobody was injured in the incident which comes close on the heels of a little-known pro-Tamil group attacking the Bank of Ceylon branch here recently, injuring two persons.