COUNTRY REVIEWS

South Asia

Afghanistan

• President Karzai: International community will subsidise Afghan security forces by more than $4 billion a year for a decade after end of combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014; Kandahar massacre victims receive compensation from U.S. authorities

Pakistan

• Pakistan Parliament meets to review Pakistan- US ties; World Bank approves $1 bn for projects; Pakistan political leaders show support for Iran gas pipeline; Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce: As many as 1209 items have been included in the negative list and would not be importable from India to Pakistan; India proposes natural gas supply to Pakistan

Bangladesh

• PM Hasina to India: “Include Bangladeshi experts in any study group on the proposed Tipaimukh dam Project”; Bangladesh Railway inked a Tk 60-crore deal with Indian company; ruled out any possibility of withdrawing Bangladesh's maritime boundary case against India; Chief of Air Staff of India meets President Zillur Rahman; Coordinated border management plan between India and Bangladesh; Dipu Moni on five day visit to Saudi Arabia

Srilanka

• The United States sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka adopted at the 19th session of UNHRC; Indian PM Manmohan Singh writes to Mahinda Rajapaksa; US eases restrictions on defence sales to Sri Lanka; Japan extends US$ 93,177 in grant aid to Sri Lanka; Saudi Kingdom offers financial aid worth SR225 million for the upgrading of road networks in Sri Lanka; Sri Lanka inks agreement with Oman to buy oil; Sri Lanka donates 10,000 mertic tons of rice to Ethiopia; Pakistan's Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee was on Sri Lanka on five day official visit

Maldives

• EU High Representative stresses on the need to facilitate political reconciliation; Former President Mohamed Nasheed departs to Sri Lanka; MBC to hold meetings with the Indian High Commission in response to reports that Television Maldives has been labelled a threat to Indian national security; UNHRC renews the mandate of Dr Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, for another year

East Asia

Southeast Asia

• China detains Vietnamese fishermen; Bomb blast near Indonesia’s Paris embassy; Myanmar invites countries to observe its April 1 elections; US welcomes the invitation from Myanmar; Myanmar postpones by-elections in restive North; Singapore- Thailand- US trilateral air exercise concluded.

China

• Hu arrives in Seoul for Nuclear Security Summit; Xi stresses stronger ties with Moscow; China hopes to boost China-India ties; China, EU sign deal to enhance resource cooperation; China, Germany to promote military ties; China concerns over DPRK's satellite plans; China's parliament adopts 2012 budget; China's parliament concludes annual session; Wen willing to visit Taiwan after retirement

Central Asia

• Report: Kazakhstan one of world’s riskiest mining nations for investors; Pakistan rejects Kabul’s demand over transit fees; Bishkek and Moscow disagree over Dastan torpedo facility; Naturalization of Kyrgyz citizens to be annulled in the Duma; Jund al-Khilafa of Kazakhstan claims responsibility for France shootings

Russia

• Medvedev to set forth Russian approach to ending violence in Syria; Russia may establish a cyber command in the future; State Duma ratifies the CIS free trade zone agreement; New comprehensive Eurasian Union treaty to be signed by January 2015; Russian gas deliveries to exceed pre-crisis level in 2012; Medvedev convinced that Russia and NATO can agree on missile defence; Russia is not defending the current regime in Syria but does not want the UN to take unrealistic decisions; Russia’s will allocate over 2.5% of GDP for its defence expenditure till 2020

West Asia

Iran

• New sanctions against Iran cause global recession; Iran, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan presidents hold joint meeting on Afghanistan in Dushanbe

Iraq

• Al Qaeda’s front group in Iraq has claimed responsibility for attacks in which 46 people were killed

DEFENCE REVIEW

National

• Scorpene submarines to be launched for sea trials in 2013; Chinese engineers and technical advisors spotted in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK)

International

• New head of the Pakistani Air Force assumes command; Senate Committee asks Pentagon to delay implementing any reductions to the military

INTERNAL SECURITY REVIEW

Jammu & Kashmir

• Home Minister P. Chidambaram to visit J&K on April 10, 2012; One dead and Twenty One injured in Bijbehara Blast in South Kashmir; A militant killed in an encounter in Pattan in Baramulla district; Police and militants exchange fire in Bandipora, North Kashmir

North East India

• Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leader Akhil Gogoi arrested; MPs from North-east raise influx and Brahmaputra issues in Parliament; Four National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) militants arrested; Home Minister P. Chidambaram claims Centre keeping a watch on Maoist in North-East of India; Militant of Manipur outfit KYKL apprehended in Guwahati; Two more Kuki militant outfits signed Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement

UNITED NATIONS (UN) REVIEW

• UNSC supports six-point proposal on Syria; India supports implementation of UNSC resolutions on Iranian nuclear issue; India votes for UNHRC resolution that criticizes Sri Lanka; UN condemns rebellion against Malian government; UNSC extends mandate of UN mission in Afghanistan; UNHRC adopts resolution against Syrian government