The besieged Sri Lankan Presidential office reopened on Monday days after the military crackdown on the anti-government protesters. The presidential palace was occupied earlier this month by protesters angered by the island nation's unprecedented economic crisis.

Sri Lanka's besieged presidential office reopens days after crackdown on protesters

Bangladesh on Thursday said it has banned two aid agencies from Rohingya camps in the country's southeast, alleging they were telling refugees to reject repatriation to their homeland in Myanmar.

The move came amid growing impatience from Dhaka about the presence of the refugees in the country, two years after some 740,000 were driven over the border by a military crackdown on the Muslim minority.

The latest repatriation attempt by Bangladesh and Myanmar two weeks ago, the second in less than a year, failed with not a single refugee volunteering to cross the border back home.

US-based Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and local organisation Al Markaz ul Islami were accused by the government's NGO Affairs Bureau of "instigating" the stateless minority against the recent repatriation attempt.

Kamal Hossain, the government administrator of Cox's Bazar district where the refugee camps are located, said Dhaka had issued a notice for the NGOs to immediately stop their activities across the country.

"The administration is taking action accordingly to the issued order," he told AFP, adding that the NGO Affairs Bureau also ordered bank transactions by the two agencies to be halted.

More than 130 aid agencies work in the three dozen squalid camps in Cox's Bazar, where the 740,000 Rohingya fled to, joining some 200,000 others already living here.

Foreign Minister 'A K Abdul Momen' last week said Dhaka would crackdown on aid agencies if they "do something going beyond their terms and references".

The Rohingya have refused to go home until Myanmar gives them guarantees of safety and citizenship status.

Tensions have ratcheted up in the camps in recent weeks as refugees marked the two-year anniversary of the 2017 exodus.

Four refugees have also been killed in the fallout over the murder of local ruling party official Omar Faruk, which police blame on Rohingya hitmen.

Bangladesh on Thursday said it has banned two aid agencies from Rohingya camps in the country's southeast, alleging they were telling refugees to reject repatriation to their homeland in Myanmar.

Bangladesh on Thursday said it has banned two aid agencies from Rohingya camps in the country's southeast, alleging they were telling refugees to reject repatriation to their homeland in Myanmar. The move came amid growing impatience from Dhaka about the presence of the refugees in the country, two years after some 740,000 were driven over the border by a military crackdown on the Muslim minority. The latest repatriation attempt by Bangladesh and Myanmar two weeks ago, the second in less than a year, failed with not a single refugee volunteering to cross the border back home. US-based Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and local organisation Al Markaz ul Islami were accused by the government's NGO Affairs Bureau of "instigating" the stateless minority against the recent repatriation attempt. Kamal Hossain, the government administrator of Cox's Bazar district where the refugee camps are located, said Dhaka had issued a notice for the NGOs to immediately stop their activities across the country. "The administration is taking action accordingly to the issued order," he told AFP, adding that the NGO Affairs Bureau also ordered bank transactions by the two agencies to be halted. More than 130 aid agencies work in the three dozen squalid camps in Cox's Bazar, where the 740,000 Rohingya fled to, joining some 200,000 others already living here. Foreign Minister 'A K Abdul Momen' last week said Dhaka would crackdown on aid agencies if they "do something going beyond their terms and references". The Rohingya have refused to go home until Myanmar gives them guarantees of safety and citizenship status. Tensions have ratcheted up in the camps in recent weeks as refugees marked the two-year anniversary of the 2017 exodus. Four refugees have also been killed in the fallout over the murder of local ruling party official Omar Faruk, which police blame on Rohingya hitmen.

Bangladesh bans two aid agencies from Rohingya refugee camps

Pakistani authorities today arrested the mayor-elect of Karachi and two other prominent opposition politicians, police said, accusing them of aiding criminals and militants. 
 
Waseem Akhtar, a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party, was elected mayor of Karachi in December, but has not yet taken office due to delays in finalising local council elections in a couple of areas of the city. 
 
Saqib Ismail, a senior police officer in Karachi, told Reuters Akhtar and another MQM member, Rauf Siddiqui, were arrested on suspicion of sheltering and providing medical treatment to alleged militants and criminals. 
 
Ismail added that Anis Kaimkhani from the Pak Sarzameen Party was also arrested in Karachi, a teeming metropolis of about 20 million. 
 
&quot;All three accused will be shifted to Central Jail,&quot; said Ismail, adding that police were conducting raids to arrest a fourth politician, Qadir Patel, who belongs to the Pakistan People&#39;s Party (PPP). 
 
Party leaders were not immediately available to comment on the latest arrests, but the lawyer of mayor-elect Akhtar told media he would challenge the arrests in court on Wednesday. 
 
The arrests are part of an ongoing military-driven crackdown in Karachi and follow the high-profile arrest last year of Dr. Asim Hussain, a petroleum minister in a former PPP-led government. 
 
Hussain is accused of harbouring and providing medical treatment to militants and criminals at his Karachi hospital on the behest of the three politicians arrested today. 
 
The latest arrests are likely to raise new accusations that Pakistan&#39;s powerful military is seeking to strengthen its grip on the country&#39;s largest and wealthiest city and weaken civilian parties. 
 
Most of the hundreds of people targeted by paramilitary forces in recent months on accusations of political corruption and violence have belonged to the MQM. The PPP has in the past condemned Hussain&#39;s arrest and called it politically motivated. 
 
The paramilitary Sindh Rangers have in the past said the Karachi crackdown is necessary to break the cycle of violence and corruption in a city that accounts for half of Pakistan&#39;s national revenues and hosts the stock exchange, central bank and two ports. 
 
Karachi has also long been a hub of violence often linked to political rivalry. 
 
(Reuters)

The three arrested have been accused of aiding criminals and militants. They will be shifted to Pakistan Central Jail

Pakistani authorities today arrested the mayor-elect of Karachi and two other prominent opposition politicians, police said, accusing them of aiding criminals and militants. Waseem Akhtar, a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party, was elected mayor of Karachi in December, but has not yet taken office due to delays in finalising local council elections in a couple of areas of the city. Saqib Ismail, a senior police officer in Karachi, told Reuters Akhtar and another MQM member, Rauf Siddiqui, were arrested on suspicion of sheltering and providing medical treatment to alleged militants and criminals. Ismail added that Anis Kaimkhani from the Pak Sarzameen Party was also arrested in Karachi, a teeming metropolis of about 20 million. "All three accused will be shifted to Central Jail," said Ismail, adding that police were conducting raids to arrest a fourth politician, Qadir Patel, who belongs to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). Party leaders were not immediately available to comment on the latest arrests, but the lawyer of mayor-elect Akhtar told media he would challenge the arrests in court on Wednesday. The arrests are part of an ongoing military-driven crackdown in Karachi and follow the high-profile arrest last year of Dr. Asim Hussain, a petroleum minister in a former PPP-led government. Hussain is accused of harbouring and providing medical treatment to militants and criminals at his Karachi hospital on the behest of the three politicians arrested today. The latest arrests are likely to raise new accusations that Pakistan's powerful military is seeking to strengthen its grip on the country's largest and wealthiest city and weaken civilian parties. Most of the hundreds of people targeted by paramilitary forces in recent months on accusations of political corruption and violence have belonged to the MQM. The PPP has in the past condemned Hussain's arrest and called it politically motivated. The paramilitary Sindh Rangers have in the past said the Karachi crackdown is necessary to break the cycle of violence and corruption in a city that accounts for half of Pakistan's national revenues and hosts the stock exchange, central bank and two ports. Karachi has also long been a hub of violence often linked to political rivalry. (Reuters)

Pakistan arrests Karachi mayor-elect, two opposition politicians

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