News Timeline: South Asia 2014

January 6 – Bangladesh

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party wins a majority in the parliamentary elections, bringing her back for a third term in office. The deadly election was boycotted by her arch enemy Khaleda Zia and her Nationalist Party (BNP), who demanded that a neutral caretaker government oversee the poll. She also called for supporters to block the country’s infrastructure in an attempt to bring down the government. At least 18 people were killed and many injured during the violent campaign and election.

January 13 – India

India marks three years since the last reported case of the polio disease, the amount of time needed to pass before a country can be proclaimed polio-free. Only in 2009, India had 741 cases of polio. There are just three countries, which still have the disease, two of them in South Asia: Afghanistan and Pakistan. The third one is Nigeria.

March 11 – Pakistan

A bomb attack in Pakistan kills two policemen who were escorting health professionals administering vaccination against polio disease for the local people. The Taliban militant group opposes the vaccination program, saying it is an excuse for the West to sterilize the Muslims. According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the number of polio cases in Pakistan has risen sharply, from 58 in 2012 to 93 in 2013.

April 15 – India

India’s Supreme Court officially recognizes transgender people, known in India as hijra, as the third gender. The ruling qualifies them as a minority group, giving them access to employment and education quotas. As transgenders have faced major social and economic discrimination, the court argued that the ruling supports improving of human rights.

May 12 – India

India ends its 36-day, nine-phase parliamentary elections that began on April 7. More than 500 million people voted, breaking the record turnout of 66.5 percent. The main contest was between the Congress Party and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). After a decade of rule by the Congress, the Hindu BJP won by a landslide gaining the majority in the parliament, while for the Congress, this was its worst performance ever. BJP’s Narendra Modi will become India’s next prime minister. Indian voters punished Congress for its inability to fight corruption and control inflation, bringing in the BJP that has promised development and good governance.

September 29 – Afghanistan

After two months of the presidential election audit, two main contenders sign a power-sharing agreement. Afghan former Finance Minister and Chancellor of Kabul University Ashraf Ghani is sworn in as president and replaces Hamid Karzai who was in power from 2001.  The second runner-up, Abdullah Abdullah, becomes chief executive with prime ministerial power. Both politicians will have to focus on the country’s security and fight Taliban militants.

November 1 – Afghanistan

In its Survey on Afghanistan’s opium, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that in 2014 total area under opium cultivation increased by 7 percent from the previous year, while opium production was up by 17 percent. Total eradication of opium poppy decreased by 63 percent in 2014. Helmand province remains Afghanistan’s major opium-cultivating region. Currently, Afghanistan produces more than 80 percent of the world’s opium.

December 16 – Pakistan

Taliban in Pakistan attacks a school in the city of Peshawar killing 132 children and nine teachers. The massacre leaves the country in shock and sparks national outrage. In response to the attack, the government lifts a moratorium on the death penalty for terrorist acts.

December 28 – Afghanistan

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ends its 13-year long combat operations in Afghanistan, which began after 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Beginning in 2015, Afghanistan will be responsible for its own security; 12,000 NATO troops will stay in the country to provide training and support.