South Asia

A high-level Pakistani delegation will visit Afghanistan on Tuesday to discuss with the ruling Islamist Taliban cooperation in trade, education, investment, regional connectivity and security. Officials in Islamabad said Monday that Hina Rabbani Khar, the female Pakistani minister of state for foreign affairs, will lead the daylong meetings with leaders …

An outlawed alliance of militant groups waging terrorism in Pakistan declared Monday that it had ordered fighters to resume nationwide attacks, ending an already shaky “unilateral cease-fire” with the government. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, said the decision to unleash the violence was taken in …

Thousands of migrant workers died building World Cup and related structures ahead of the 2022 Qatar games and VOA photojournalist Yan Boechat visits with families of the fallen in Nepal. For more on these families, watch VOA’s documentary, “Cause of Death: Migrant Workers and the 2022 Qatar World Cup.”

Pakistan authorities said they are launching a five-day polio drive to eradicate the crippling disease from the country. Officials said 100,000 healthcare workers begin working Monday to vaccinate 13.5 million children under the age of five across 36 high risk districts, including Islamabad, the capital. “Our aim is to ensure …

Authorities in Pakistan arrested an opposition senator Sunday for launching what they said was a “highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets” against the country’s outgoing military chief and other officers. Azam Khan Swati, who represents the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in the upper house of parliament, was picked up …

Four years after India’s Supreme Court scrapped a law criminalizing gay sex, it has agreed to hear petitions seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriages, raising hopes of securing another significant right for the country’s LGBTQ community. One of the two petitioners is a gay couple based in Hyderabad who held …

The sight of Japanese fans at a World Cup bagging trash after a match — win or lose — always surprises non-Japanese. Japanese players are famous for doing the same in their team dressing room: hanging up towels, cleaning the floor, and even leaving a thank-you note. The behavior is …

Pakistan’s ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan said Saturday that his party has decided to resign from several regional legislatures in the latest twist in months of political turmoil in the country. Khan made the unexpected political move while addressing tens of thousands of supporters of his opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) …

A group of independent experts at the United Nations has warned that Taliban restrictions on women’s rights and freedoms in Afghanistan could amount to a “crime against humanity.” The experts demanded in a joint statement Friday that the Taliban treatment of women and girls “should be investigated as gender persecution” …

The Taliban treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan may amount to a crime against humanity and should be investigated and prosecuted under international law, a U.N. team of experts said Friday. The Taliban promptly rejected the allegation. The statement by the U.N.-appointed experts followed a confirmation from the Taliban …