India-US trade deal a 'game changer', reckons USIBC

IANS | February 3, 2026 9:26 PM

Washington, Feb 3 (IANS) The India-US trade deal announced by US President Donald Trump is a “very significant” development and could reshape economic ties between the two countries, Atul Keshap, President of the US-India Business Council (USIBC), said on Tuesday.

Jamaat's view on women sparks 'visceral response' across Bangladesh

IANS | February 3, 2026 9:17 PM

Dhaka, Feb 3 (IANS) Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman’s recent social media remarks equating women’s work outside the home with prostitution are not merely a conservative stance but dehumanising, reducing teachers, garment workers, doctors, nurses, journalists, police officers and civil servants to a single degrading label, a report said on Tuesday.

Bangladesh: BNP accuses Jamaat of distorting history ahead of Feb 12 elections

IANS | February 3, 2026 9:09 PM

Dhaka, Feb 3 (IANS) As political tensions intensify ahead of Bangladesh’s February 12 elections, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Tuesday accused the radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami of distorting history, warning that the latter could one day claim that Ghulam Azam, the former Jamaat leader, proclaimed the country’s independence, local media reported.

Pakistan's suppression of press freedom and dissent raises global concern: Report

IANS | February 3, 2026 9:00 PM

Athens, Feb 3 (IANS) Journalists and media organisations across Pakistan have faced mounting pressures in recent years, including legal cases, threats, and constraints on reporting. Critics argue that the frequent use of counterterrorism laws by the Pakistani authorities in cases related to speech and political commentary blurs the line between legitimate national security concerns and the silencing of dissent, a report said on Tuesday.

Bangladesh: Jamaat's discriminatory stance on women fuels debate over its place in politics

IANS | February 3, 2026 8:48 PM

Dhaka, Feb 3 (IANS) For Bangladesh to develop as a democratic state, citizens must question whether a radical political party like Jamaat-e-Islami, with its regressive stance on women, has the right to remain registered and function within the country’s existing constitutional and legal framework, a report questioned on Tuesday. Until these fundamental questions are addressed, it added, entrusting such a party the responsibility of governing the state would be irresponsible.

Pakistan: Strategic failure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has collapsed into ethnic security crisis

IANS | February 3, 2026 8:22 PM

Islamabad, Feb 3 (IANS) Pakistan's hostility towards Afghanistan is not about terrorism - as for Islamabad, terrorism has always remained negotiable - but the Taliban in Kabul acting like a sovereign authority - brutal, responsive, incompetent but independent, a report has highlighted. Taliban, it said, refused to take instruction, rejected hierarchy, and declined the role scripted for them in Pakistan’s strategic theatre.

Pakistan: Lack of transparency around police encounter killings indicates govt's criminality

IANS | February 3, 2026 8:12 PM

Islamabad, Feb 3 (IANS) Persistent police encounter killings and the lack of transparency, probe or accountability around them in Pakistan's Punjab province indicates criminality on part of the State, a report has stated. As of early 2025, the Crime Control Department (CCD) of Punjab Police and its political patrons have been following a tried and tested script.

High cost of doing business cripples Pakistan’s exporters

IANS | February 3, 2026 6:53 PM

New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS) The Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) has assessed the cost of doing business in the country to be around 34 per cent higher than in comparable regional economies, which means Pakistani exporters are losing price competitiveness in international markets that determine survival, according to an article in the Pakistani media.