January 17: India

Two left-wing rebel groups, the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-M) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist (CPI-ML), break off the peace agreement with the government of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, accusing the police of killing their members, thus failing to honor the cease-fire agreement. The rebels have been fighting since 1980 for the creation of a communist state consisting of the tribal areas in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh.

January 24: Maldives

During parliamentary elections in the Maldives, independent candidates win four seats in a country where political parties are banned. The candidates were backed by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which is based in Sri Lanka. President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom announces that the Maldives will become a multiparty democracy within a year, but sets no timetable.

January 27: Afghanistan

Afghanistan and Iran open a major $60 million highway linking the Dogharun region in Iran with Herat in Afghanistan. Called a modern-day silk route, the road was built by Iranian experts as part of Tehran’s assistance for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and is hoped to boost trade with Afghanistan.

February 1: Nepal

Nepal’s King Gyanendra dismisses the government and declares a state of emergency. Phone lines are cut off, flights are cancelled, and the media are censored. Prime Minister Sher Nahadur Deuba and members of the government are placed under house arrest. The king says the move is necessary because the cabinet has failed to defeat the Maoist insurgency.

February 2: Nepal/India

Nepal’s King Gyanendra swears in a new cabinet and makes himself the new head of the government. This is the most draconian move since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1990. Many basic civil rights are suspended, including freedom of assembly, the right to privacy, and the right against preventive detention. The international community condemns the move. India cancels its participation in a regional forum, which includes Nepal, in Bangladesh.

February 25: Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Ceylon Workers Congress withdraws from the ruling coalition, leaving the government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga without a parliamentary majority. However, the withdrawal is not expected to bring the government down. The government will now have to look for other partners to implement its agenda.

March 4: Bangladesh/India

Bangladeshi and Indian border guards exchange fire for three hours over a disputed fence along the northeastern Indian state of Tripura, but there are no casualties. Bangladesh says that the fence violates the 1974 bilateral defense treaty, which allows no defense works within 164 yards of the India-Bangladesh border.

March 6: Pakistan

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf pays an official visit to Uzbekistan, where he meets with President Islam Karimov and signs a number of bilateral trade agreements. Pakistan is interested in gaining access to Central Asian markets through Uzbek trade routes while landlocked Uzbekistan wants access to the ports on the Indian Ocean. Both presidents also pledge to join forces to fight terrorism.

March 9: India

The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh introduces a variety of benefits, including monetary grants, for families having a single girl child in an attempt to boost the female population. The state government says that the growing gender gap due to abortion of female fetuses is a growing concern.

March 30: Sri Lanka

Crowded living conditions and excessive heat contribute to spreading of diseases, such as chicken pox, diarrhea, and fever in tsunami refugee camps in Sri Lanka. There are about 4,000 refugees in the Kinniya area, where several families often live in one tent.

March 31: Nepal

China’s Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing pays an official visit to Nepal, where he meets with King Gyanendra in order to enhance and promote mutual relations. China, which has traditionally had good relations with Nepal, says that recent controversial political changes introduced by King Gyanendra are Nepal’s internal matter.

April 1: India

Twenty-one of India’s 28 states start the implementation of a new value added tax (VAT) as part of tax reform. The Indian government argues this will simplify the tax system and raise more revenue. Opponents, who were on a three-day strike, say that the government is not ready to implement VAT and that people will end up paying more taxes.

April 7: India/Pakistan

The first cross-Kashmir bus route in 60 years makes its way through the Line of Control that divides Indian-controlled and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. Leaders of both India and Pakistan hail the inaugural trip as a new phase in the peace process. Kashmir militants opposed to Indian rule made attacks on the bus route earlier in the week, but when the bomb exploded the bus had already passed, which prevented any fatalities.

April 11: India

China and India sign a border agreement, resolving a long dispute over their Himalayan border. According to the deal, China officially gives up its claims to the state of Sikkim. Both countries also set a target of increasing annual bilateral trade to $30 billion by 2010.

April 26: Afghanistan

The U.S. arrests Afghan drug lord Bashir Noorzai, Afghanistan’s number-one opium trafficker. A 2004 U.S. Congressional report had identified Noorzai as an important financier of extremist organizations such as the Taleban and al-Qaeda. His arrest is seen as a turning point in Afghanistan’s fight against the opium and heroine trade.

April 29: India

India’s President Manmohan Singh and Japan’s Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi meet in India’s capital, Delhi, and sign a joint statement aimed at improving relations. The two countries agree to support each other’s bid for permanent UN Security Council seats. They also agree to bolster economic ties and cooperation in the region.

May 1: Pakistan

Japan restarts economic aid to Pakistan for the first time since 1998 when it suspended aid in protest against Pakistan’s first nuclear tests. Pakistani President Prevez Musharraf assures Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that Pakistan will help prevent nuclear proliferation.

May 10: India/Nepal

India restarts military aid to Nepal after the country’s leader, King Gyanendra, lifts a state of emergency and releases some top politicians from jail. Though India is concerned about the king’s suspension of civil liberties this year, India is also worried about China’s growing influence with the country’s Maoist rebels.

May 24: India

Across the northern Indian state of Bihar, police arrest hundreds of protesters and strikers marching against the dissolution of the state’s legislature. In state elections held in February, no party won a majority necessary to form a government, and politicians have tried without success to make a governing partnership. Protesters claim the federal government dissolved the state legislature to avoid the formation of an opposition government.

May 27: Nepal

Opponents of direct royal rule in Nepal hold their largest protest in a month, with 10,000 protesters calling for democracy, release of political prisoners, and restoration of press freedoms. Representatives of Nepal’s seven major parties vow to fight until an all-party government is formed.

June 1: Afghanistan

A bomb kills at least 20 people in an Afghan city of Kandahar, including Kabul police chief Mohammed Akram, at the funeral of a senior Islamic cleric, Mawlavi Abdullah Fayaz. Fayaz supported Afghan president Hamid Karzai, and recently spoke out against the Taliban. The attack is the worst assault this year.

June 2: Maldives

A unanimous parliamentary vote in favor of a multi-party democracy takes place in the Maldives. Parliament agrees to allow political parties in elections, which have previously been banned. President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has been in power since 1978, the longest term of any Asian leader, supports the plan.

June 26: Afghanistan

Afghan officials burn 60 tons of illegal narcotics to mark the United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in a symbolic presentation for the international community. President Hamid Karzai faces questions and doubts on the progress of Afghanistan’s fight against drug trafficking. The UN fears that Afghanistan might become a narco-state if it fails to curb the drug trade.

June 29: India

Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee and U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld sign a 10-year agreement to increase bilateral cooperation on military affairs, such as weapon production and missile defense. Signed during Mukherjee’s first trip to the U.S. as Defense Minister, the accord is a sign of the growing relationship between the two nations.

July 5: India

Six gunmen attack a disputed religious site in the Indian city of Ayodhya, sparking protests by Hindu nationalists. In 1992 the nationalists destroyed a mosque standing on the site, igniting one of India’s worst waves of religious violence. Currently, a temporary Hindu temple occupies the site.

August 11: Pakistan

Pakistan launches its first cruise missile as a birthday gift to President Pervez Musharraf, labeling the achievement a “milestone.” The Babur missile can carry nuclear and conventional warheads with a range of 310 miles. India and Pakistan have recently agreed to alert each other of nuclear ballistic missile tests, yet guided missiles are not covered in the agreement.

August 17: Bangladesh

In one hour, more than 400 small bombs explode across Bangladesh in a coordinated attack that hits at least 58 of the country’s 64 districts. An outlawed Islamic group, Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, which calls for implementing Islamic law in Bangladesh, claims responsibility. The government banned Jamatul Mujahideen earlier this year, a significant deviation from claims that no threat from Islamic militancy exists.

August 22: Sri Lanka

President Chandrika Kumaratunga names her brother and cabinet member, Anura Bandaranaike, as the replacement for assassinated foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. The Sri Lankan government blames his murder on the Tamil Tigers, who deny any involvement. The assassination threatens the ongoing peace process between the government and the Tigers.

August 29: Afghanistan

The United Nations reports that Afghanistan has registered a 21 percent reduction in opium cultivation and production, the first decrease since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. The organization had previously feared Afghanistan becoming a “narco-state” if it did not take control of the drug trade. In 2004, 90 percent of the world’s opium came from Afghanistan.

August 30: Pakistan

Pakistan’s Supreme Court rules that madrassa religious schools that are not registered with the government do not teach a curriculum that prepares students for mainstream life. The ruling effectively prevents students from unregistered madrassas from holding public office, as students do not meet education qualifications. Currently, more than half of madrassas are unregistered.

September 1: Pakistan

Pakistan announces that it will engage with Israel after the two countries’ foreign ministers meet in their first ever publicly acknowledged talks. Pakistan’s foreign minister, Khurshid Kasuri, says that although Pakistan does not recognize Israel as a state, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza is extremely significant for their mutual relations. Only a few Muslim countries have full diplomatic ties with Israel.

September 4: Nepal

Thousands attend a pro-democracy rally one day after Maoist rebels declare a unilateral three-month ceasefire. Police detain activists and opposition leaders, including former Prime Minister and current leader of the main opposition party, the Nepali Congress, Girija Prasad Koirala.

September 5: India

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh holds the first talks ever with a moderate faction of the Kashmiri separatist alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC). Singh agrees to scale back troops in Indian-administered Kashmir if militants cease violence and infiltration. The insurgency in Kashmir has lasted fourteen years, while Pakistan and India have fought two wars over the region since 1947.

September 18: Afghanistan

Afghanistan concludes its first parliamentary and local elections in over thirty years. Nearly 6,000 candidates ran for parliamentary and provincial council seats across the country. The elections are the next step in an international plan to restore democracy in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban government in 2001.

October 30: India/Pakistan

Following the devastating earthquake on October 8, India and Pakistan reach an unprecedented agreement to open the Line of Control dividing Kashmir in order to help victims and allow divided families in the region to find their relatives. Under the agreement, families can cross the de facto border on foot until November 7, and aid supplies can be sent in both directions. The quake killed more than 73,000 people and left millions homeless.

November 1: Pakistan

Mukhtar Mai, victim of an infamous gang rape case in Pakistan, arrives in the United States to accept an award for her campaign for women’s justice in her country and attend a congressional hearing on human rights. Mai is an outspoken critic of the Pakistani village government, which ordered her rape to punish her brother for misconduct. Mai says she will use her $20,000 prize to fund schools and a women’s crisis center.

November 21: Sri Lanka

Three days after his narrow election victory, new Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse swears in Ratnasiri Wickremanayake as prime minister. Both men are Sinhala nationalists and vow to take a hard line with the Tamil Tiger insurgency. Although the turnout in the presidential election amounted to 75 percent in the south and west of the country, almost no Tamil took part in the vote.

November 22: Bangladesh

During a nationwide strike in Bangladesh organized by the opposition Awami League, participants protest hard-line Islamist influence in government and a recent string of unsolved deadly bombings blamed on Islamic extremists. This is the seventeenth strike in Bangladesh this year, costing the country tens of millions of dollars. The strike came after the rally in Dhaka of about 100,000 people a couple of days earlier who demanded the resignation of the government.

December 2: Nepal

Pro-democracy demonstrators stage Nepal’s biggest rally since King Gyanendra seized power in February. An estimated 40,000 protesters demand democracy. Also, Maoist rebel leader Prachanda extends his militia’s unilateral cease-fire for another month, saying that this peaceful approach against the king’s autocratic regime will boost the organization’s popularity.

December 23: India

Eleven members of the Indian parliament are expelled after a news channel videotapes the MPs taking bribes. The parliamentarians are from different parties, including the ruling Congress Party and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It is said that the top party leaders addressed the allegations promptly in an effort to counter the image that India’s politicians are among the most corrupt in the world.

December 31: Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan police detain as many as 900 people suspected of having links with the Tamil Tiger rebels. The crackdown is in response to the deadliest wave of violence in Sri Lanka since the 2002 cease-fire between the Tamil Tigers and the government. The Tigers are blamed for the deaths of over forty soldiers this month. Observers fear the cease-fire may not hold much longer.