Calm surrounded by mayhem.

"Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan blocked a no-confidence vote he looked sure to lose on Sunday (April 3, 2022) and advised the president to order fresh elections, fueling anger among the opposition and deepening the country's political crisis," zeenews. "His actions have created huge uncertainty in Islamabad," but, "At the same time, US and Asian foreign policy experts said that Pakistan's powerful military has traditionally controlled foreign and defence policy, thereby limiting the impact of political instability." In January, Khan said "he has not yet thought about an extension to Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa's tenure as there is still time for his term to end," and that "he enjoyed an unprecedented relationship with the military leadership", ET.  Bajwa was due to retire in 2019 but Khan extended his term by 3 years, apparently because of tensions with India, Dawn. The extension caused anger among other generals because it blocked their promotion to the rank of army chief and, possibly, to the post of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest post, The Week. In a Faustian Bargain (wikipedia), Khan could promise Bajwa another extension in return for his support in winning the coming election. That could really divide the army and cause an internecine war. Meanwhile, "Sri Lanka's cabinet ministers have resigned en masse after protests over the government's handling of the worst economic crisis in decades. All 26 ministers submitted letters of resignation - but not Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa or his brother President Gotabaya Rajapaksa," BBC. Gotabaya was defense secretary in 2009 when "Thousands died or disappeared amid allegations of torture, rape, extra-judicial killings and the abduction and assassinations of Tamil separatists, journalists and opposition figures," ET. The four Rajapaksa brothers and their children are in control of almost all government departments, wikipedia. Gotabaya declared an Emergency 2 days back but protests have continued, ET. Sri Lanka's problems started when, "The infamous Sinhala-only policy and subsequent shift to extreme socialism of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike forced out all private enterprises," News18. "As per reports, China has invested $12 billion on Sri Lanka's infrastructure projects from 2006 till 2019 and continues to fund infrastructure projects", so that Sri Lanka is having to borrow money to pay back the loans, zeenews. "The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' latest data shows that general inflation in the South Asian country in February climbed to 6.17%, the highest since October 2020, TIE. Thousands of people have taken to the streets to protests against rising prices. Amidst all this mayhem, the Reserve Bank (RBI) is expected to continue its indifferent lax monetary policy, BS, even as the government merrily increases fuel prices to eye-watering levels, Firstpost. Any opposition beware, they will be attacked by goons supporting the government, HT. An island of calm.