Pakistani rockets continue to strike Taliban political and military targets in Afghanistan, with the UN reporting at least 66,000 people displaced and dozens of civilians killed. Pakistan also faces anger from its own Shia community following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli attacks against Iran.
Built around 1526, the protected structure is at the center of a legal dispute that has caused violence: Hindu petitioners claim it was built on top of a Shiva temple. The Archaeological Survey of India states that it has no documents on the state of the site prior to construction. The Central Information Commission has rejected the appeal.
Some 19 million people can cast their ballot tomorrow to elect the 275-member House of Representatives, a crucial step after the Generation Z Revolution. For the outgoing caretaker prime minister, this is a “historic and important juncture”. Fears are high over the possible impact of the war in the Gulf, where two million Nepali migrants work.
Asian bishops express concern over the escalation in the Middle East. In communion with Leo XIV, they call for stability, dialogue, and reconciliation that “prioritize human dignity.” They also call for prayers for civilians and migrant workers affected by the conflict; meanwhile, prayer initiatives for peace are growing at the diocesan level.
In Karachi, several people die in an attempted assault on the US consulate. Tensions were high across Pakistan, home to the world’s second-largest Shia community, with the authorities imposing a ban on public demonstrations. Protests also erupted in India, from Lucknow to Kashmir, as well as in the Karnataka city where Iran's late supreme leader opened a hospital in 1986.
On 2 March 2011, the then Minister for Minority Affairs, a Christian, was killed in Islamabad. His life was shattered for his stance on the rights of marginalised groups and his opposition to the blasphemy laws. Despite death threats, he refused to leave the country; his legacy lives on in those who still fight against persistent discrimination.
