January 5: India/Pakistan

Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf, and India’s prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, meet in Islamabad, where Pakistan is hosting a summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), for an hour-long discussion on bilateral relations. They agree to hold historic talks on the divisive issue of Kashmir. In response to the announcement, Islamic militants vow to continue fighting as long as Indian forces are present in the region of Kashmir.

January 13: Afghanistan

For the first time in more than ten years, Afghan public television broadcasts an Afghan female artist, Salma, singing a ballad. Salma was popular in the ’70s and ’80s. The recording is the latest step toward liberalization undertaken by President Hamid Karzai. After the Afghan civil war, the Islamic Mujaheddin prohibited images of women on television, and when the Taliban came to power in 1996, all television was banned.

January 13: India

The United States and India agree to increase bilateral cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear and space programs as well as in high-tech trade. The U.S. also agrees to conduct talks on India’s missile defense. A statement issued by both countries says the agreement is an important step toward transforming the relations between India and the United States.

January 13: Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga announces that her term has been extended by another year, until the end of 2006, during a secret swearing-in ceremony. Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe accuses the president of untenable arrogance. He says the move is illegal and undemocratic. Hostilities between the president and the prime minister have hindered attempts to make peace with Sri Lankan Tamil rebels.

January 20: India

Russia and India sign a $1.6 billion deal for a refurbished aircraft carrier and 12 warplanes from Russia. Russia is the largest supplier of military equipment to India and military cooperation is a key part of the relations between the two countries.

January 26: Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai, signs the country’s new constitution adopted earlier by a grand assembly, or loya jirga, of regional representatives. It establishes a strong presidency and equal rights for both men and women. It also ascertains Islam as the country’s religion, but guarantees protection for other faiths.

February 2: Nepal

Thousands of demonstrators protest against police brutality during a general strike in Nepal’s capital, Katmandu. After clashing with police, dozens are injured. There have been numerous street protests since King Gyanendra dismissed the elected government in 2002.

February 3: Pakistan

Pakistan’s top nuclear scientist, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, is dismissed as scientific advisor to the government after his confession that he leaked nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya, and North Korea in the 1980s and 1990s. His dismissal sparks widespread protests because he is considered a national hero for making Pakistan a nuclear power.

February 9: Afghanistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai opens an international summit in Kabul, which focuses on how to tackle the growing illegal drug trade in Afghanistan. Despite a ban on poppy cultivation and opium trafficking, the drug industry has been booming. Ninety percent of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghan poppies.

February 28: Pakistan

Pakistani troops kill 11 people in firefights with militants in the tribal area of South Waziristan near the Afghan border. The Pakistani army launched a new offensive against al-Qaeda and Taliban members hiding in the area.

March 2: Pakistan

At least 37 people are killed and over 100 injured during an attack on Shia Muslims celebrating the Ashura Festival in the Pakistani city of Quetta. The festival commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson. Most Pakistani Sunnis and Shias live peacefully together, but small radical groups on both sides frequently organize similar attacks.

March 2: Afghanistan/Pakistan

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) resumes repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan after it was suspended last year due to the killing of one of the agency’s employees. UNHCR plans to return 400,000 Afghans to Afghanistan by the end of 2004 in addition to 1.9 million who returned in the past two years.

March 3: Nepal

Maoist rebels attack security forces guarding a telephone tower in Nepal’s remote district of Bhojpur, killing 29 soldiers and cutting off communication links with the rest of the country. It is the fiercest rebel attack since the peace talks with the government collapsed last August.

March 5: Sri Lanka

Colonel Karuna, a Tamil Tiger commander in eastern Sri Lanka, breaks away to form his own organization, putting the peace process with the government in jeopardy. Colonel Karuna is upset that most of the fighters come from the east while all the top commanders come from the north of Sri Lanka.

March 12: Nepal

Thousands of demonstrators rally across Nepal in escalating protests against King Gyanendra. An alliance of five political parties demands that the king restore the parliament, which was dissolved in 2002.

March 16: Afghanistan

Twenty-three Afghans released from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba accuse the U.S. of abuse. Many of the former prisoners, who spent two years in custody, say U.S. forces tortured them physically and mentally and disrespected their religion. There are still about 600 detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

March 18: Pakistan

During a visit in Pakistan, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the United States is going to elevate military ties with Pakistan, making it a main ally outside of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The move is a reward for Pakistan’s staunch support of the U.S. in the war on terrorism and military actions against al-Qaeda and Taliban forces.

March 26: Afghanistan

The United States reinforces its 12,000 troops in Afghanistan with another 2,000 marines in order to intensify the hunt for Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders. Together with Pakistani forces, the U.S. military is pursuing them in the tribal areas on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border where the bin Laden fighters are believed to be hiding.

March 31: Pakistan

The Pakistan People’s Party introduces a divisive bill on women’s rights before Pakistan’s National Assembly. The bill seeks to abolish the social custom of honor killings, which involves killing women who marry outside a tribe or clan, as well as the Hudood ordinance, which does not separate rape from adultery. Conservatives say the laws should not be abolished because they were made in the name of Islam. The bill has caused a split in the opposition and government parties, and has divided the president from the prime minister.

April 2: Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s United People’s Freedom Alliance wins the country’s parliamentary elections, but it does not secure enough votes to have a majority in the parliament. President Kumaratunga is expected to hold talks with smaller parties to form a coalition government. She accuses her rival, Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, of endangering national security by giving too many concessions to the Tamil rebels.

April 14: Pakistan

Pakistan’s parliament passes a law, which assigns four seats for the armed forces in the country’s 13-member National Security Council. The council will advise the government on issues of national security. The opposition condemns the law, calling it “permanent martial law.”

April 20: India

India ends phase one of its first electronic general elections, which cover 13 states and three union territories. Six hundred seventy million eligible voters will come to the polls in four phases stretched over three weeks, which will ensure deployment of two million officers for security reasons.

April 21: Bangladesh

Police in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, clash with protestors, supporters of the opposition Awami League, who demand that Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia step down and call early elections. More than 2,000 people have been arrested within the last two days of protests. The opposition claims that Zia’s son, Tarique Rahman, exerts too much influence over the government and is being prepared to take over her office.

April 23: Nepal

Nepal becomes the 147th member of the World Trade Organization, which will give the country access to world markets and boost its economy. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, where imports exceed exports, causing a big trade deficit.

April 23: Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga invites Norway to resume its role as a mediator between the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels. Last year Tamil leaders pulled out of the peace talks amid a government power struggle between the country’s president and prime minister.

May 7: Nepal

Nepal’s prime minister, Surya Bahadur Thapa, steps down amid massive demonstrations by the opposition demanding dismissal of the government. King Gyanendra appointed Thapa 11 months ago after dissolving the parliament and assuming executive powers.

May 13: India

India’s opposition Congress Party wins a surprising victory in the general elections, defeating the ruling BJP-led alliance of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. The BJP called the elections early, hoping to capitalize on the economic boom and improved relations with Pakistan. It was unable, however, to gain the support of the poorer voters.

May 22: India

India swears in its first non-Hindu prime minister, a Sikh, Manmohan Singh, to lead the Congress Party’s coalition government after eight years in the opposition. Singh, a respected economist, became the favored choice after the party’s leader, Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, turned down the post.

May 29: Pakistan/India

Pakistan successfully tests the Haft V medium-range missile, which has a maximum range of 932 miles and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The Pakistani government says its weapons program is a response to a similar program in India. It also says that India has been notified about the test.

May 31: Pakistan

Pakistani authorities impose economic sanctions on tribal areas in South Waziristan and arrest 60 people after the local tribesmen refuse to hand over or register hundreds of foreign Islamic militants hiding in the region. Thousands of shops are shut down and armed police patrol the area.

June 3: Afghanistan

The international relief agency, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), suspends its operations in Afghanistan after five of its workers are killed in an ambush in the northwestern part of the country. Recently, the Taliban insurgents have increased attacks on foreigners in Afghanistan.

June 25: India

The World Bank doubles its loans to India to nearly $3 billion a year to develop the country’s infrastructure and alleviate poverty. The funds will be spent on such projects as irrigation, power, water supply, and road building. The World Bank also aims to increase access to education and health care, and improve lives in rural areas. It focuses especially on the three most impoverished states: Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Orissa.

June 28: India/Pakistan

India and Pakistan end two-day bilateral talks, which focused on the Kashmir problem and release a statement that they intend to hold more sustained and serious talks to resolve the dispute over the region. Both countries also agree to notify each other before testing missiles and to restore embassies.

June 28: Afghanistan

During a two-day summit in the Turkish city of Istanbul, the 26 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) agree to train the security forces of Iraq’s new interim government. They also decide to expand NATO’s operations in Afghanistan and increase its peacekeeping force to 10,000 troops during the planned September elections.

July 2: Pakistan

Asia’s 24-member security organization, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), admits Pakistan after India withdraws its opposition. India’s decision was based on Pakistan’s promise not to raise their bilateral issues in the forum. The ARF focuses on political and security issues of common interest and preventive diplomacy.

July 9: Afghanistan

The chief election commissioner in Afghanistan says the presidential elections have been rescheduled and will take place on October 9 because of security concerns and slow voter registration. President Hamid Karzai is a favorite candidate for president; however, there are 13 other men and one woman who also submitted their candidacies. The Taliban militants vow to disrupt the elections and have launched attacks on election workers.

July 12: South Asia

Severe floods in South Asian countries caused by monsoon rains kill dozens of people and force several millions to flee their homes. Officials in India and Bangladesh say the flooding is the worst in decades. A third of Bangladesh is affected by this disaster. In India, the state of Assam is the worst affected area, and in Nepal, flash floods kill at least 36 people.

July 20: Afghanistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai offers federal jobs to three provincial warlords in an attempt to rein in their regional power, which is seen as a main obstacle to progress in Afghanistan. Under the deal, warlords in Nangarhar and Kandahar provinces are to become police chiefs, and powerful Atta Mohammad will become the governor of Balkh.

July 26: India

Indian and Chinese officials meet in Delhi for a two-day conference devoted to finding a solution to a long-running border dispute between the two countries. India accuses China of occupying a piece of territory in Kashmir while China claims a piece of territory in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

August 13: Maldives

The government of the Maldives declares a state of emergency after about 5,000 protesters demand more democracy and the release of political prisoners. The state of emergency in this one-party country gives its president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, powers to suspend the constitution.

August 19: Pakistan

Pakistan’s current finance minister and President General Pervez Musharraf’s ally, Shaukat Aziz, wins a by-election and becomes the country’s new prime minister. As a former banking executive, Aziz played a major role in improving Pakistan’s economy.

September 1: Pakistan

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf swears in a new federal 32-member cabinet, with 11 new ministers. Most of the ministers come from the largest party in the coalition, the Pakistan Muslim League, and eight from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan People’s Party.

September 5: India/Pakistan

The Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers hold two days of talks, the first in three years, with Kashmir on the top of the agenda. India is exploring the possibility of easing of restrictions along the Line of Control (LoC), which divides Indian- and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

September 15: Afghanistan

Three Americans, Jonathan Idema, Brent Bennett, and Edward Caraballo, are sentenced to prison in Afghanistan for running a private jail in Kabul and torturing Afghans. Idema says that his activity was approved by Afghan and U.S. authorities. His lawyer argued for charges to be dismissed because the Afghan legal system was not fit to try the Americans.

September 21: Nepal

More than 10,000 Nepalese rally in the capital, Kathmandu, demanding the restoration of the parliament. Some also demand elections for the constituent assembly. Pressured by the opposition, King Gyanendra reinstated the prime minister earlier this year; however, it is believed that he did not give him back all his powers.

October 9: Afghanistan

Millions of Afghans turn out to vote in their first-ever presidential election, including 800,000 refugees in Pakistan and Iran. At the end of the election day, 15 out of 18 presidential candidates call for a boycott, complaining about the ink used to mark those who voted, which can be easily rubbed off, and call for a new poll. The international observers say that despite some irregularities the election was “fairly democratic.”

October 25: India

The head of Burma’s military government, General Than Shwe, meets with India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh, and signs three agreements on security, cultural exchange, and hydroelectric power. It is the first visit by a Burmese leader to India in almost 25 years.

November 1: Pakistan

The upper house of Pakistan’s parliament passes legislation allowing President General Pervez Musharraf to remain both president and army chief until 2007. The supporters of the bill say it is vital for the country’s security. Opponents argue that keeping both offices is unconstitutional and an ordinary law cannot override provisions laid out in the constitution. Previously President Musharraf pledged to quit his military post by the end of 2004.

November 3: Afghanistan

Hamid Karzai is officially announced the winner of Afghanistan’s first-ever presidential election held on October 9th, receiving 55.4 percent of the vote. Karzai’s main opponent, Yunus Qanuni, who finished second with 16 percent of the vote, accepts the results despite allegations of irregularities. Karzai will use his new mandate to unite the country torn by tribal, ethnic, religious, and regional conflicts.

November 17: India

India starts withdrawing about 1,000 troops from Indian-administered Kashmir due to an improved security situation in the region. India has an estimated 180,000 to 350,000 soldiers in the region and fought two wars over Kashmir with Pakistan.

December 11: Afghanistan

The U.S. military in Afghanistan begins a new offensive, known as Operation Lightning Freedom, against the Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters. The operation is aimed at increasing security ahead of parliamentary elections planned for next spring and encouraging militants to disarm with a recent amnesty.

December 26: Asia

A 9.0 magnitude earthquake takes place off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean, setting off the tsunami waves that hit the coastlines of several Southeast Asian countries and east Africa 4,000 miles away. Without warning, the sea surges kill thousands of people, leave hundreds of thousands homeless, and devastate the coastal areas of Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Burma. Aceh province in Sumatra, India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the Thai vacation resort of Phuket are among the worst hit.