NEW DELHI — India on Monday accused Pakistan of violating the 2021 ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, the first such major alleged breach in more than a year, according to a statement from the Indian Army’s Northern Command. The incident, involving an exchange of fire in the Poonch sector late Sunday, left at least two Indian soldiers injured and prompted New Delhi to summon Pakistan’s charge d’affaires for formal protest. Pakistan’s Foreign Office denied the allegations, calling them “fabricated” and said its own troops had responded to an “unprovoked Indian patrol.” The development threatens to derail a fragile diplomatic thaw that followed last year’s backchannel talks in Dubai. A United Nations spokesperson said both sides had been urged to exercise maximum restraint.
The LoC violation comes as India and Pakistan have been slowly rebuilding trade and transport links suspended since 2019, and any escalation could jeopardize a scheduled meeting between the two countries’ national security advisors tentatively planned for later this month in Doha. Indian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the army’s statement was deliberately measured to avoid inflaming domestic political sentiment ahead of state elections in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir scheduled for later this year.
In Dhaka, Bangladesh’s caretaker government faced a third consecutive week of street protests Monday as thousands of demonstrators marched toward the capital’s核心区, demanding the resignation of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and the holding of general elections within 90 days. Security forces deployed tear gas and rubber bullets in the Tongi industrial district, where at least 200 factories were forced to close for the third day running. The garment sector, which accounts for nearly 16 percent of Bangladesh’s GDP, warned of mass layoffs if the disruption continued through the week. At least 14 people have been killed and several hundred injured since the protests began, according to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and independent hospital tallies. The United States and European Union issued a joint statement calling for “credible steps toward inclusive elections” and warning that visa restrictions could be expanded.
Sri Lanka’s economic recovery faced a fresh setback Monday as the Central Bank governor announced that the island nation’s external debt restructuring negotiations with private creditors had stalled for the second time in six months. Governor Nandalal Weeraratne told reporters in Colombo that creditors were unwilling to accept the 35 percent haircut proposed by the International Monetary Fund as part of the country’s $2.9 billion rescue package, and that the bank was exploring “bilateral alternatives” with China and India. The Sri Lankan rupee weakened to a record low of 298 against the dollar in early trading. The country’s foreign reserves stand at $2.8 billion, barely enough to cover two months of essential imports, according to the IMF’s most recent assessment. President Anura Dissanayake, who swept to power last year on an anti-austerity platform, faces mounting pressure from public sector unions demanding wage increases that the government says it cannot afford.
In Nepal, anti-corruption protests swept through Kathmandu and five other cities Monday following the arrest of a former minister and two senior bureaucrats on bribery charges linked to a $240 million highway contract awarded in 2021. The accused, who have denied wrongdoing, were detained after an 18-month investigation by the Commission’s for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority. Demonstrators carrying banners reading “No Impunity for Thieves” blocked the main entrance to Singha Durbar, the seat of government, for several hours before police dispersed them. Nepal’s Transparency International chapter said the case exposed “systemic capture” of public infrastructure contracts and called for an independent judicial monitor to oversee the remaining phases of the highway project. The incident has deepened factional tensions within the ruling Nepal Communist Party ahead of local elections due in November.
Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration issued a sweeping decree Monday banning women from appearing in any visual media, including television, newspapers, and social media platforms, expanding a campaign that has progressively erased women from public life since the group seized power in August 2021. The decree, announced by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, orders all media outlets to remove female presenters and journalists from air within one week and prohibits filming or photography of women in any public space. The Committee to Protect Journalists said the order effectively shutters what remained of independent media in Afghanistan and called it “a dark day for press freedom.” The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said it was “gravely concerned” and warned that the measure would further isolate the country from international humanitarian assistance. At least 17 journalists, predominantly women, have lost their jobs as a direct result of the decree, according to the Afghan Independent Journalists Association.
Written by Sarah Mitchell, Chief Opinion Columnist
