News Asia
North Korea Claimed ICBM Launch Aimed To “strike fear into the adversaries”

(CTN NEWS) – North Korea claimed it launched an ICBM on Friday to “strike fear into the adversaries,” as South Korea, Japan, and the United States committed to cooperate closely on regional security at a summit and conducted military drills nearby.
A meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that took place hours later was overshadowed by the missile that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter watched from a distance launch Thursday.
Rebuilding security relations between the frequently separated U.S. partners in the wake of North Korean nuclear threats was one goal of the Tokyo summit.
North Korea has increased its tit-for-tat response to continuing U.S.-South Korean military drills, which are the largest of their sort in years, with four missile shows in about a week.
The Biden administration is pushing to bolster its alliance network in Asia to confront the North Korean nuclear threat and China’s growing influence.
As a result, it wants to improve South Korea-Japan relations, which have deteriorated recently over historical issues.
Along with their joint exercises, which started on Monday and will go until March 23, the United States and South Korea are also taking part in anti-submarine warfare drills, which started on Wednesday, alongside Japan, Canada, and India.
Kim reportedly oversaw the test-firing of the Hwasong-17 missile, which blasted off from a launch truck placed on an airport runway, according to the official Korean Central News Agency of North Korea.
Kim emphasised the need to “strike dread into the enemies” in response to what it described the “open hostility” displayed towards the North by the U.S.-South Korea exercises.
The missile, which was launched at a steep angle to avoid North Korea’s neighbours’ territory, traveled 1,000 kilometres (621 miles).
And reached a maximum altitude of 6,045 kilometres (3,756 miles) before coming to rest in the country’s eastern coast, according to KCNA.
The United States mainland is within the missile’s range, according to assessments of the flight by the militaries of South Korea and Japan.
It is yet unknown if North Korea has created nuclear weapons that can survive atmospheric reentry when launched at a normal trajectory or nuclear bombs that are tiny enough to put on its long-range rockets.
State TV broadcast the launch from a variety of perspectives, including video that was presumably captured by a camera mounted on the missile body.
The video showed the rocket rising into the air amid intense orange flames before its bottom chamber separated in what appeared to be a stage separation.
The official newspaper of Pyongyang, Rodong Sinmun, also released still images that appeared to have been captured by a camera mounted on the rocket as it shot into space.
With clouds strewn over what looked to be the Korean Peninsula and the Asian coastline, they displayed a rounded view of Earth.
Kim was travelling with his daughter, who is considered Kim Ju Ae and is around 10 years old. After being made known to the general public for the first time at an ICBM launch in November, she has accompanied him to a number of military activities.
According to analysts, the purpose of her public appearances at military ceremonies is to link the Kim family’s dynastic rule to the nuclear arsenal, which Kim views as the strongest assurance of his survival.
According to Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior expert at South Korea’s private Sejong Institute, the high-altitude photographs appeared to be intended as evidence that the missile would be able to hit its target precisely.
Despite the fact that all of North Korea’s ICBM tests have been carried out at a high angle.
Cheong claimed that the country is probably getting close to sending one of these missiles across the Pacific Ocean at a low angle, which would be one of its most provocative military displays ever.
According to KCNA, the launch of the ICBM sends a “stronger warning” to North Korea’s adversaries who are ratcheting up the tenor of the conflict with their “frantic, provocative, and hostile large-scale war preparations.”
According to KCNA, the test was also intended to verify the weapons system’s dependability.
Kim stated that it is essential for North Korea to keep its nuclear missile forces ready to launch “overwhelming offensive measures anytime”.
To counterattack adversaries and convince them that continuing and expanding their military actions will “bring an irreversible, grave threat to them,” according to KCNA.
According to Lee Hyojung, spokesman for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which deals with inter-Korean matters, it is highly sad that the North continues to use the joint military exercises with South Korea as justification for staging provocative military exercises.
She urged Pyongyang to resume talks, saying, “It’s clear that North Korea’s reckless nuclear and missile development is the source of growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Adm. John Aquilino, head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said China has a role to play in the world if it upholds the rules-based order.
Particularly in regard to North Korea, which depends on Beijing as its main ally and source of economic support.
He was speaking at a lecture in Singapore on Thursday.
In addition to posing a greater threat to Japan and South Korea due to its increased missile testing last year, North Korea has now “acquired the capability to harm the United States as well,” according to Aquilino.
It’s unstable, unpredictable, still going strong, and not slowing down.
It would be beneficial if the People’s Republic of China could assist in persuading the DPRK not to carry out these events, Aquilino remarked, using the initials of North Korea’s official name.
North Korea has historically depicted joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea as invasion preparations, despite the fact that the partners describe them as defensive.
According to many observers, North Korea uses the drills conducted by its adversaries as an excuse to aggressively increase both its nuclear weapons and overall military capability.
Since last week, North Korea has also conducted short-range missile tests and cruise missile tests from a submarine in an effort to demonstrate its capability to launch nuclear attacks on both South Korean targets and the U.S. mainland.
North Korea launched an ICBM for the second time this year on Thursday. Compared to the Hwasong-17, the Hwasong-15 was launched in February and is a slightly smaller weapon.
Yoon and Kishida decided to resume defence talks and further bolster security cooperation with the US to combat North Korea and other threats at their summit.
Yoon declared, “The ever-increasing threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear missile programme poses a major challenge to peace and stability in East Asia and the (broader) worldwide community.
“To wisely resist the threat, South Korea and Japan must cooperate closely and stand united.”
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Imran Khan’s Supporters Rally in Solidarity as Police Attempt to Arrest him

News Asia
Bangladesh Supreme Court to Rule on Controversial Job Quotas Amid Nationwide protests

(CTN News) – The future of public service hiring regulations, which have provoked national conflicts between police and university students that have resulted in at least 133 fatalities so far, is set to be decided by Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday, or today.
Later in the day, the nation’s highest court will meet to declare its decision about the controversial job quotas—either in favor of or against their elimination.
This week’s protests over politically motivated admission quotas for highly sought-after government posts turned into some of the worst instability during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s watch.
Due to the ongoing turmoil, a curfew has been in place since Friday. In addition, the government has declared a two-day holiday during which all offices and institutions would be closed.
After riot police were unable to restore order, soldiers are now policing cities throughout Bangladesh, and since Thursday, there has been a statewide internet blackout that has severely limited the flow of information to the outside world.
SEE ALSO: Nearly 1,000 Indian Students Return from Bangladesh Amid Deadly Unrest Over Job Quota System
Hasina made hints to the public this week that the plan will be abandoned, which comes after her opponents accuse her government of using the judiciary to further its own agenda.
However, a positive decision is unlikely to calm the nation’s simmering rage in the wake of the intensifying crackdown and growing dead toll.
Business owner Hasibul Sheikh, 24, told AFP, “It’s not about the rights of the students anymore,” while observing a Saturday street demonstration in the capital city of Dhaka against a statewide curfew.
“Our demand is one point now, and that’s the resignation of the government,” he stated.
A system that reserves more than half of civil service positions for particular groups, like as children of veterans of the 1971 war, is the driving force behind the upheaval this month.
Hasina, 76, has ruled the nation since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January following a ballot in which there was no real competition, according to critics who claim the program helps families who support her.
Rights organizations accuse Hasina’s government of abusing state institutions, including as the extrajudicial assassination of opposition activists, in order to strengthen its grasp on power and quell dissent.
Bangladesh’s 170 million people lack access to sufficient employment possibilities, therefore the quota system is a major cause of anger for recent graduates who are struggling to find work.
“The government’s actions have made the situation worse, rather than trying to address the protesters’ grievances,” Pierre Prakash, Asia director of Crisis Group, told AFP.
After a week of increasing violence, Hasina canceled her intentions to depart the nation on Sunday for a diplomatic trip to Spain and Brazil.
Source: The Indian Express
News Asia
Pakistani Government Plans to Ban PTI

(CTN News) – The Pakistani government has announced measures to outlaw Pakistan Terheek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar made the declaration on Monday, only days after the Supreme Court declared the PTI eligible for a share of reserved seats in national and provincial assemblies.
After reviewing all relevant information, the government has decided to ban PTI. “We will file a case to ban the party,” he said, citing claims such as inciting violent protests last year and leaking confidential information.
Tarar stated that the case would be moved to the Supreme Court.
He also stated that the government intended to file treason charges against Khan and two other senior party leaders, former President of Pakistan Arif Alvi and ex-Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Suri, as well as a review appeal against the Supreme Court’s ruling that the PTI should be allocated some assembly seats reserved for women and members of religious minorities.
According to Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, a top PTI politician and party spokesperson, the government’s action “betrays their complete panic”.
“After realizing that they could no longer threaten, compel, or blackmail judges, they decided to make this move through the cabinet. “All of their attempts to stop us have been declared illegal by the courts,” he stated.
Last week, the Supreme Court recognized the PTI as a political party and confirmed that the party’s lack of an electoral emblem did not affect its legal right to field candidates.
The verdict was in response to the PTI being barred from competing in parliamentary elections in February using its party emblem, the cricket bat, forcing it to field candidates as independents.
Despite the setback, PTI-backed candidates emerged as the largest parliamentary bloc, winning 93 seats.
After Khan declined to cooperate with his political opponents, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) formed a coalition government with other smaller parties.
Ex-Governor Sindh Zubair, who formerly served in the PMLN, stated that the government’s action was in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling last week and warned of political upheaval ahead.
“The powers that be are trying to disenfranchise the largest majority of voters of the country, who voted for PTI,” he disclosed to Al Jazeera.
Khan was appointed prime minister in August 2018 but was dismissed from power in April 2022 after a parliamentary vote of no-confidence.
The cricketer-turned-politician has since faced a slew of legal issues, including charges of misplacing and leaking the contents of a confidential cable delivered to Islamabad by Pakistan’s then-ambassador in the US in 2022.
Khan has continually disputed the charge, claiming that the dossier contained evidence that his resignation as prime minister was orchestrated by his political opponents and the country’s powerful military, with assistance from the US administration. Both Washington and Pakistan’s army deny the accusation.
Despite multiple recent court verdicts in his favor, Khan has been in prison since August of last year.
Source: Aljazeera
News Asia
NAB Re-Arrests Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi After Iddat Case Conviction Overturned

(CTN News) – Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were acquitted in the Iddat case by a sessions court on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the PTI in reserved seats.
However, their relief was short-lived when Imran Khan was detained by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for selling official goods. Bushra Bibi was also rearrested in this case while being released from Adiala Jail’s Gate No. 3.
According to sources, the NAB detained Bushra Bibi after the bureau’s chairman issued arrest warrants for her and Imran Khan. Both are to be investigated in Adiala Jail.
Opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan condemned Bushra Bibi’s imprisonment and criticized the Adiala Jail administration. He also cautioned the jail superintendent of the repercussions and announced that a privilege motion would be filed against him.
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were acquitted in the Iddat case after Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Mohammad Afzal Majoka reversed their previous verdict, which sentenced them to seven years in prison on February 3, five days before the general election.
Imran Khan’s lawyers, Usman Gill and Zaheer Abbas, were in court when the verdict was pronounced.
In the 28-page ruling, Judge Majoka rejected Khawar Fareed Maneka, Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband,’s arguments that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s nikah was illegally performed and that Mr. Maneka was denied Buju (reconciliation rights) under religious law.
The court also rejected the allegation of fornication under provision 496-B of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), stating that no charge was filed under this provision against both Imran Khan and his spouse “because there was no evidence of a second witness”. The trial court heard only one witness, Mr Maneka’s domestic servant.
“In these circumstances, it cannot be said that the appellants committed fornication,” the judge wrote. Regarding the charge of contracting marriage fraudulently during the Iddat period, the judge found that in a video given as evidence during the trial, Mr. Maneka lauded his ex-wife, Bushra Bibi, and “deposed that his ex-wife is a pious lady.”
The magistrate inquired about “how this witness [Mr Maneka] can claim that the appellant No. 2 [Bushra Bibi] committed fraud with him” .
The court announced its decision: “From a perusal of Section 496 PPC and the above-mentioned esteemed citations, this court is of the view that the appellants have not gone through any marriage ceremony fraudulently or with dishonest intention because none of the parties claimed that nikah was not performed and fraudulently he or she was supposed to believe that marriage ceremony was solemnised.”
The court judgment added: “In the instant instance, it is the complainant’s case that the appellants’ nikah was done on January 1, 2018, followed by the second nikah in February 2018. By no stretch of the imagination, it was a marriage with dishonest or deceptive intentions.”
Regarding Mr. Maneka’s claim that he was denied reconciliation rights and so deceived by Imran Khan and Ms. Bibi, the court noted that during cross-examination, Mr. Maneka stated that he learned of the appellants’ marriage on the second day of their nikah.
Before submitting the complaint, the judge questioned why Mr Maneka had been silent on his reconciliation rights for six years.
The judge stated, “The complainant has failed to prove his case against the appellants.” As a result, both appeals filed by appellants No. 1 [Imran Khan] and No. 2 [Bushra Bibi] are accepted, the judgment of the learned trial court of February 3, 2024, is overturned, and both appellants are acquitted of the accusation.”
The court ordered their freedom unless they needed to be imprisoned in other cases.
Source: DAWN
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