India’s opposition pushes Modi to speak on ethnic conflict Fatal bombing at Pakistan Rally

At least 63 people were killed this week in Pakistan's northwestern Bajaur District when an explosion was set off by a suicide bomber at a political rally, the latest sign of the deteriorating security situation. The death toll is only expected to rise, with 200 wounded

While officials suspect that the attack was been orchestrated by an Islamic State affiliate active near the border with Afghanistan, no one has yet claimed responsibility. The group has previously targeted members of Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazl, the Islamist political party that organised the rally. A local party leader was killed.

Since the third of May this year, ethnic violence between the Metei and Kuki people in Manipur, India has killed more than 150 people and displaced 60,000 others. For the last few months, the northeastern state has all but partitioned along ethnic lines in what residents are describing as a racial civil war

National security forces 10,000 strong have struggled to restore calm, stretching military resources thin Analysts say many come from a division primarily responsible for security at the border with China, where the two sides have remained in a standoff for more than two years.

In the face of the crisis, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has almost entirely avoided addressing the conflict. Last week, opposition parties attempted to force a motion that would have him resign but failed to pass it For the foreseeable future, it seems Modi’s government faces little risk of eviction

Gaurav Gogoi, the opposition leader who initiated the vote, said he had hoped that the motion would “force” Modi to speak about the violence Citing a range of national security concerns such as potential “ripple effects” in other states, and the displacement of over 5000 weapons, he urges the President to act, but Modi remains stalwart in his refusal to speak.

Militant groups — including the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or T T P have become more active in recent years. This year, the T.T.P. attacked a mosque in Peshawar, killing more than 100 people, and waged an hour-long assault on Karachi.

The rise of militant violence in Pakistan could dampen campaigning before the next general election, expected this autumn, and dissuade voters from coming to the polls.