March 3: Pakistan
A series of bomb attacks targeting Shia Muslims kill 45 people, injure 150, and destroy several buildings in the Pakistani city of Karachi. Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, has been heavily influenced by the resurging Taliban, who frequently target minorities. During the previous two months, about 200 people were killed in several attacks on Shia communities.
March 24: Pakistan
Pakistani former President Pervez Musharraf returns to Pakistan after four years of self-imposed exile to take part in the general elections in May. He faces death threats and a number of charges connected with his rule as president, but the Pakistani authorities have granted him protective bail.
April 18: Pakistan
A court in Pakistan orders the arrest of former President General Pervez Musharraf for his controversial decision of dismissing judges, including the chief justice, and putting them under house arrest after imposing emergency rule in 2007. He has also been disqualified from contesting the upcoming election and faces other criminal charges, including treason, and threats of assassination by the Taliban. The interim government puts Musharraf under house arrest.
April 24: Bangladesh
More than 500 people die and several thousands are injured in the collapse of a clothing factory building in Bangladesh. The disaster brings to spotlight appalling working conditions in the country’s factories and sparks massive protests calling for better salaries and improvements of working conditions.
May 11: Pakistan
Nawaz Sharif from Pakistan’s Muslim League conservative opposition party wins parliamentary elections and becomes prime minister for a third time in his career. In 1999, he was deposed in a military coup and forced into exile. Despite the Taliban’s attempts to disrupt the election campaign, the voter turnout was historically high. Sharif plans to fight corruption, create jobs through public works, and end US drone attacks on Pakistani territory.
May 29: Pakistan
Pakistani Taliban’s top leader, Waliur Rehman, and six other militants are killed in northwestern Pakistan in a U.S. missile drone strike. Rehman was responsible for attacks and bombings on coalition forces in Afghanistan. Pakistani authorities condemn the drone attack as a violation of their sovereignty.
July 3: Pakistan
Four missile attacks shot by a U.S. drone targeting a terrorist compound in Pakistan’s northwestern region of Waziristan kill at least 17 people. Pakistan objects the drone attacks, accusing the U.S. of violating its sovereignty and killing many civilians in the process. Since 2004, the drone attacks killed about 3,500 people, with almost 900 of them civilians.
July 5: India
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee approves a program that will provide two-thirds of the country’s poor, about 800 million people, with basis grain staples at low subsidized prices. The supporters of the program say it will help reduce poverty. The opponents say that the program, called the world’s largest welfare program, will cost the government almost $24 billion a year.
July 30: India
India’s government unanimously agrees to form a new state of Telagana, which so far has been part of southern Andhra Pradesh state. India’s 29th state will have 40 million residents and will include India’s sixth biggest city, Hyderabad, the center of major IT and pharmaceutical companies. The parliament still needs to approve the move.
September 16: Afghanistan
An assassination of a female police officer in Afghanistan, Lieutenant Negar, spotlights violence against women in the country. She is among many others recently killed for holding prominent public office, a sharp increase over the last two years.
October 30: Pakistan
Pakistan provides statistics showing that only 67 civilians have been killed in U.S. drone attacks since 2008, a figure much lower than the one provided by independent organizations estimating several hundreds killed. The report also says that in that period of time there were 317 U.S. drone strikes, which killed more than 2,000 militants.