Domestic Politics
Abdul Majed, a military captain and the killer of Bangladesh’s founding leader–Sheikh Mujibar Rahman–was executed less than a week after his arrest. Rahman was killed in a military coup on August 15, 1975. [SCMP]
Around 400 Rohingya refugees were rescued by Bangladesh; the refugees were adrift at sea for about two months after failing to reach Malaysia. An official from the coastguard said that the refugees would be sent to Myanmar. [Al Jazeera]
After a video by Vinay Dubey, a resident of Mumbai, circulated a video falsely claiming that train services will be resumed for helping migrant workers return to their home states, 800 to 1000 workers assembled in Mumbai. The Mumbai police arrested a total of 11 people, including a journalist, in relation to the incident. [Mumbai Mirror]
International Relations
After cross-border shelling between India and Pakistan allegedly caused the death of a child and injured four civilians, Pakistan summoned an Indian official to protest against ceasefire violations by India. Islamabad claims that New Delhi has committed 749 ceasefire violations this year. [SCMP]
The Chief Minister of Kerala, in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urged Indian authorities to repatriate Indians stranded in the UAE over concerns about inadequate isolation and quarantine facilities. The letter said that out of the 2.8 million Indian migrants, 1 million were from Kerala. [Al Jazeera]
Malaysia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Kamarudin Jaffar, said that India accepted Malaysia’s request for exporting 89,100 tablets of Hydroxychloroquine. This comes following India’s decision to lift the ban on exporting Hydroxychloroquine, wherein it allowed the drug to be supplied to “nations who have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic”. [Reuters]
Health
The World Health Organisation (WHO) praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “timely and tough” decision to extend the nationwide lockdown to May 3. Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the Regional Director of the WHO, applauded India’s unwavering commitment to fight COVID-19. [Livemint]
Society
Despite the Council of Islamic Ideology, a body that advises the Pakistani government on religious issues, urging clerics and the public to cooperate with the lockdown, local priests and leaders are opposing the decision and calling for restrictions on religious congregations to be lifted. Last Friday, Karachi police attempted to halt prayers at a mosque and were attacked for the second straight week. [Reuters]
Image Source: New York Post
South Asia in Review: April 16, 2020
Read more about the latest events in South Asia.
April 16, 2020
