Pakistan: Sindhi leader urges UN to act on enforced disappearance of activists

IANS | January 1, 2026 10:20 PM

Berlin, Jan 1 (IANS) Shafi Burfat, Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM), called on the United Nations and the international community to take immediate notice of all forcibly disappeared Sindhi political activists and hold Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies accountable under international law.

Another Hindu man brutally attacked, set on fire in Bangladesh

IANS | January 1, 2026 9:32 PM

Dhaka, Jan 1 (IANS) In yet another heinous incident spotlighting the escalating attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, another Hindu man was brutally hacked and seriously injured by a mob of miscreants in Damudya upazila of Shariatpur district, before the assailants poured petrol on him and set him on fire, local media reported.

Global index shows corruption is on the rise in Pakistan

IANS | January 1, 2026 9:17 PM

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) The widely quoted Corruption Perceptions Index, prepared annually by Transparency International, has ranked Pakistan 135 out of 180 countries for 2024, according to an article in the Pakistan media.

Pakistan: Rights body flags deep instability in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

IANS | January 1, 2026 8:46 PM

Islamabad, Jan 1 (IANS) The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed its deep concerns over the security and law and order situation in the country’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province throughout 2025. The region remains alarmingly unstable, witnessing frequent militant attacks.

Pakistan surviving on IMF reviews but economy remains vulnerable as ever: Report

IANS | January 1, 2026 8:46 PM

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) Pakistan is witnessing the institutionalisation of a "survivalist" economy where every policy choice is dictated by the need to pass the next International Monetary Fund (IMF) review, regardless of whether that policy erodes the tax base for the next decade, while the economy remains vulnerable as ever -- headed nowhere except, most likely, into another IMF programme, as per a news report.

India's 'village-first' strategy redefines security and development: Report

IANS | January 1, 2026 8:32 PM

Hanoi, Jan 1 (IANS) India’s shift towards a village-first strategy at its core redefines the idea of security by recognising that empowered villagers — integrated to the economy, digitally connected, and included in mainstream development schemes — are inherently more secure, a report said on Thursday.