SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS

epubdos : Afghanistan

Prepared for the U.S. Department of State

Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs

By TechMIS
www.TechMIS.com

Mobile User Copy

TO:	SCA & Staff
DATE:	Tuesday, April 2, 2024 6:30 AM ET

Afghanistan

An old land mine found by children near an Afghanistan village explodes, killing 9 (AP)

AP [4/1/2024 9:30 PM, Staff, 6902K, Negative]
An old land mine found by children in eastern Afghanistan exploded while they were playing with it, killing nine children, a Taliban spokesman said Monday.

The mine, which the children found near their village in Gero district in Ghazni province, was from decades ago, said Hamidullah Nisar, director of the Taliban’s information and culture department in Ghazni.

He said the explosion Sunday killed five boys and four girls who were 5 to 10 years old.

Afghanistan has suffered from decades of war and remains highly dangerous for children who collect scrap metal to sell to support their families. Many are killed or maimed when they come across unexploded ordinance.

Landmine kills 9 children in southeastern Afghanistan (VOA)

VOA [4/1/2024 7:13 AM, Ayaz Gul, 761K, Negative]
Taliban officials in southeastern Afghanistan said Monday that an overnight landmine explosion had killed at least nine children.

The “unexploded mine” was a remnant of past conflicts that went off on Sunday as a group of young boys and girls were playing with it in the district of Geru, in Ghazni province, said a provincial government spokesman.

Hamidullah Nisar claimed that the ordnance was left over from the time of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.

The United Nations in Kabul said Monday that tens of thousands of civilians, including women and children, in Afghanistan had been killed or injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war.

It posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that U.N. “#MinAction partners have cleared 3,011 km2 (1,162 mi2) of land,” stressing that “more work” was needed to protect Afghans, reeling from decades of conflicts.

Afghanistan experienced several years of civil war in the 1990s after the Russian troops withdrew from the country, ending their decade-long military intervention.

The fundamentalist Taliban emerged winner in the ensuing power struggle among various Afghan factions, taking control of most of the country in 1996 and governing it through their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

The hardline rulers were removed from power five years later when the United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan to punish them for sheltering al-Qaida planners of the September 2001 terrorist strikes on U.S. cities.

The Taliban quickly regrouped and launched a deadly insurgency against foreign forces and their Afghan allies in the years that followed and reclaimed power in August 2021, when all foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan.

In a report published last year, the International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, highlighted the urgent need to boost efforts to "address the issue of weapon contamination” in the conflict-torn, impoverished country.

The ICRC recorded that 640 children were killed or injured in 541 incidents involving landline explosions and explosive remnants between January 2022 and June 2023. “This is nearly 60 percent of the total number of civilian casualties (1,092 people) because of UXO-related incidents,” the report said.

State Department ‘did not send their best’ to Afghanistan for botched evacuation, ex-official says in scathing testimony (New York Post)

New York Post [4/1/2024 7:07 PM, Caitlin Doornbos and Josh Christenson, 5087K, Neutral]
The State Department did not dispatch their best and brightest to help with the botched August 2021 evacuation of Americans and their allies from Afghanistan, a former foreign service officer told congressional investigators.

“I can’t speak for every single person who was there, but there were at least several – at least four, if not more than that – who were, in my perspective, not the correct choice to send there,” Sam Aronson, who served as a consular volunteer during the operation, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a Sept. 15, 2023, transcribed interview released Monday.

“They did not have the soft skills, such as adaptability, resilience; the experience serving in a dangerous or high-threat overseas environment,” added Aronson, who recounted that volunteers to assist in the pullout were sought from major US embassies and consulates around the world — as he put it, “large offices that wouldn’t necessarily miss three or four people, as opposed to a smaller embassy, where the entire consular section might only be three people.”

Aronson, who joined the Foreign Service in 2015 and had spent time in Niger and Nigeria in West Africa, claimed of some of his fellow volunteers that that “when it came to really high-risk and high-threat scenarios – such as the Abbey Gate bombing – from my perspective, they were not emotionally equipped to handle the stress that came with that.”

On Aug. 26, 2021, 13 American service members and hundreds of Afghans were killed when an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest at Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Abbey Gate, where the military members were processing would-be evacuees.

Aronson told investigators that the selection process for volunteers “seemed ad hoc” and suggested that “consular chiefs sent individuals out of their respective countries because they were a burden to those consular sections.”

“In my perspective, they did not send their best,” he added. “In fact, they may have sent their worst.”

Aronson also said the State Department should have dispatched diplomats to Afghanistan sooner, lamenting his late arrival in Kabul on Aug. 20, 2021 – five days after the capital city had fallen to the Taliban.

“I think having me or having any extra-competent officials on the ground, even one minute sooner, would have provided at least 1 minute or more of the successful ability to evacuate people,” he said.

The theme of ill-equipped employees extended even to the Kabul embassy, where Aronson said Chief of Mission Ross Wilson played second fiddle to his predecessor, John Bass, after the State Department sent the ex-ambassador in to clean up the deteriorating situation.

Instead of taking charge himself, Wilson acted as the “public face of this evacuation, while, behind the scenes, you know, behind the curtain, was John Bass actually leading the evacuation,” said Aronson.

“He seemed overwhelmed,” the witness said of Wilson. “His physical health did not seem great. His emotional health also did not seem great. And I did not get the vibe that he was a strong leader, or, at least at the time I was there, I do not believe he was exhibiting strong leadership.”

“State Department leadership sent in the correct officials to get the job done, but they were not able to necessarily remove the incorrect officials who were already in place,” Aronson added. “The optics, in my perspective, would have looked embarrassing and … would not have looked great if, when John Bass arrived, Ambassador Wilson was sent home.”

Wilson, who was charged with evacuating the roughly 4,000 US diplomats and consular employees in Afghanistan, gave hazy testimony about the withdrawal.

“The outlook wasn’t great,” he admitted in an Oct. 24, 2023, interview. “We can be honest about that. But we had good reasons to believe that the Afghan security forces could defend the government and significant parts of the country for some time.”

“I think it was obvious long before that that there were a substantial number American citizens, there were [special immigrant visa] recipients and applicants that we hoped to get out of the country, there were lots and lots and lots of other Afghans on whom we had depended one way or another, with whom we had close relations, who we would want to get out,” he added.

Committee members pointed to an interview that Wilson gave to CBS News on Aug. 25, 2021, five days before the final military airplane left Afghanistan, in which Wilson claimed he “put out repeated warnings” as early as March 2021 and “people chose not to leave.”

“I regret everything about that interview,” Wilson responded. “I was criticized by a number of people over what I said, blaming the victim, and it was absolutely right. And I am sorry that I did that. I won’t make excuses.”

The diplomat noted elsewhere that the US military’s “concrete planning” for the withdrawal only got underway around May 2021 — with a Sept. 11 deadline initially set by President Biden — and that US “intel became increasingly negative about the Afghan Government’s prospects, especially as we got to late July.”

Wilson ultimately recommended the evacuation of all personnel on Aug. 15 — a 15-day undertaking that still stranded more than 1,000 US citizens in the country.

“I absolutely accept a level of responsibility for what happened there and what went wrong, but I’ll come back to maybe the second thing I said: This is a shared responsibility,” Wilson testified. “That’s the nature of this beast.”

“If we had left earlier, several thousand SIV applicants that we got out in whatever the number of days that you want to talk about would not have been able to leave the country,” he added. “We would not have been able to provide support to American citizens trying to get out.”

“Our eyes and ears about what was happening around us would’ve been drastically degraded. So I will repeat: I am comfortable with the recommendation that I made and with the time that I made it. Hindsight is 20/20. I had to deal with the situation I had, and I’m satisfied I made the right decisions,” he went on.

“I regret that we don’t have an embassy now, because we don’t know what’s going on there. And we have absolutely no way to help people who helped us, to say nothing of anybody else. I think that’s a mistake. I understand why that happened. I brought it about. But I think it’s a big loss. A big loss. And it’s a big loss for Afghanistan and our interests there.”

US has ‘almost no ability to see into’ Afghanistan as ISIS reconstitutes, former general warns (Washington Examiner)

Washington Examiner [4/1/2024 3:28 PM, Mike Brest, 554K, Neutral]
The Islamic State Khorasan is growing “unabated” in Afghanistan, where the U.S. military has “almost no ability to strike,” according to retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former leader of U.S. Central Command.

The threat from ISIS-K, which is a regional branch of ISIS, to the U.S. homeland “began to grow as soon as [the U.S. military] left Afghanistan” at the end of August 2021, he said during a Sunday interview on ABC’s This Week.

McKenzie’s successor, Gen. Michael Kurilla, told lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee in early March that ISIS-K “retains the capability and will to attack U.S. and Western interests abroad in as little as six months and with little to no warning.”

It has carried out two major attacks in Iran and Russia this year.

ISIS-K has been able to grow without restraint in Afghanistan with the Taliban in control. The Taliban overthrew the U.S.-backed Ghani government in August 2021, just two weeks before U.S. forces withdrew from the country, ending a 20-year war.

McKenzie and several other senior military leaders believed the United States should maintain a small military presence in Afghanistan, but President Joe Biden went against their advice and moved ahead with a complete withdrawal. The former CENTCOM commander believed the U.S. may have been safer if the country still had troops there.

“I think we might be in a different place now. I think we might actually be safer than we are,” McKenzie said, adding, “On the other hand, in Afghanistan, we have almost no ability to see into that country and almost no ability to strike into that country. And so, ISIS there is able to grow unabated. There’s no pressure on them.”

“Unfortunately, we no longer place that pressure on them, so they’re free to gain strength. They’re free to plan. They’re free to coordinate and to outreach that hit us in our homelands,” he explained, warning that ISIS, as a whole, has a “strong desire” to attack the continental U.S. and is “going to try to do it.”

The terrorist group has carried out major attacks outside of Afghanistan in 2024. The first was a bombing in Iran near the burial site of slain military commander Qassem Soleimani. Last month, supposed ISIS-K gunmen killed about 140 people in a Russian mass shooting at a concert hall.

In both instances, the U.S. had intelligence ahead of time about a possible attack and warned Tehran and Moscow, but neither country acted in time to stop the attack.

“The problem that ISIS-K has and all these organizations have is when they want to conduct an attack abroad, they have to communicate. And that communication is often something that we have the opportunity to listen to, to gain knowledge of, and that can be reasonably precise,” McKenzie said. “I think there was probably good opportunity for the Russians to have averted this attack had they actually listened to the material that was presented to them.”

The terrorist attack in Russia provided a stark example of Kurilla’s warning from only weeks earlier.

Kurilla told lawmakers ISIS-K could likely carry out a terrorist attack in Eurasia or Europe within six months but did not specify a time frame for when it might have the capability to attack the U.S. homeland.

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), a former Green Beret, wrote in a Fox News op-ed published on Monday that the situation developing in Afghanistan is reminiscent of the consequences of then-President Barack Obama’s decision to withdraw from Iraq, which allowed ISIS to establish a caliphate across Iraq and Syria.

Department of Defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters last week, “As it relates to ISIS, I think it’s very important to understand that the Department of Defense has not taken its eye off of ISIS.”

While the U.S. has a military presence in Iraq and Syria, where anti-ISIS missions are carried out alongside the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Defense Department is engaged in conversations with the Iraqi government about their long-term military partnership.

The Taliban’s oppression of women is apartheid. Let’s call it that. (Washington Post – opinion)

Washington Post [4/1/2024 6:15 AM, Melanne Verveer, Karima Bennoune, and Lina Tori Jan, 6902K, Neutral]
Afghan women had little to celebrate on International Women’s Day this year. No school. No work. No parks. No travel without a male chaperone. No health care without a female provider. No divorce. No justice.

Afghan women and girls have been largely erased from society as a result of the systematic discrimination by the Taliban since they took control of Afghanistan in 2021. The regime’s policy — unprecedented in its severity — is nothing less than “gender apartheid,” and that’s what we should call it.

“Apartheid,” the Afrikaans word for “apartness” that lay behind the methodical oppression of South Africa’s Black majority, is recognized as a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. A growing number of experts — including two former U.N. high commissioners for human rights, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Narges Mohammadi and Malala Yousafzai, and Graca Machel, the widow of Nelson Mandela — are advocating for the recognition of the related term “gender apartheid.”

Like racial apartheid, gender apartheid describes inhumane acts committed for the purpose of establishing domination of one group over another. The term enables a clearer understanding of the reality facing Afghan women under the Taliban’s unique interpretation of Islamic law, which has been described by U.N. Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan Richard Bennett as “the most comprehensive, systematic, and unparalleled assault on the rights of women and girls.” Indeed, he called it “an institutionalized framework of gender apartheid,” a legal framing that we think can help to cajole a more effective and principled international response.

The Taliban’s campaign against women and girls is comprehensive and calculated. Its aim is to destroy women’s agency by targeting rights such as liberty, work and education, and ruthlessly threatening, harassing, arresting and detaining female protesters. In the words of Nayera Kohistani, a former teacher and protester who was arrested and detained by the regime: “The Taliban have criminalized our whole existence.”

This systematic oppression has already produced devastating consequences. Before the Taliban took over, there were 69 female parliamentarians, more than 250 female judges, hundreds of thousands of women-owned businesses, more than 100,000 women in universities and about 2.5 million girls in primary schools. Now, the parliament has been replaced by a Taliban “leadership council,” and women’s courts have been dissolved. Fewer than 7 percent of women participate in the labor force. Only 2 in 10 school-aged girls are in school, and increasingly they are in religious madrassa schools. The previous Ministry for Women’s Affairs building now houses the Taliban’s infamous Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

Because of their diminishing educational and economic prospects, women and girls are increasingly forced into early marriage, with families resorting to selling their elementary-school-aged daughters to put food on the table. As many as 9 of every 10 of these child brides will experience gender-based violence, and many will be placed at further risk because of Taliban-imposed obstacles to health-care access. Today in Afghanistan, one woman dies every two hours during childbirth, and birth control has been banned. These conditions exacerbate the grave humanitarian crisis in a country full of war widows.

While no nation has yet officially recognized the legitimacy of the Taliban regime, we have seen some worrisome softening of standards, including by India, China, Russia and Uzbekistan, where the Taliban has been treated as the official representative of Afghanistan during trade or diplomatic talks. In fact, much of the international community increasingly prioritizes engagement with the Taliban, without clear limits to ensure their engagement does not show tolerance for abuses. These countries risk becoming complicit in its persecution of women.

As the Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies put it, world diplomats seem to have adopted “the notion that given the right engagement and incentives, the Taliban may decide to respect human rights, including women’s rights. This view is incomprehensible, given the enormous weight of evidence demonstrating the opposite.”

The apartheid framework could fend off any further slide. International law makes ending apartheid an international obligation. Hence, “gender apartheid” can have symbolic as well as legal value, both shaming countries that enable it and eventually facilitating international legal accountability for its perpetrators.

This is why we call on governments to consistently and without delay begin using the term in all discussions that involve Afghanistan, including U.N. debates and resolutions. This means recognizing that gender apartheid, like racial apartheid, is illegal and must be ended, rather than merely a subject for piecemeal constructive engagement.

All U.N. member states should support the codification of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity, as U.N. Women Executive Director Sima Bahous has urged. The U.N. General Assembly’s Sixth Committee, its primary forum for discussion of legal issues, is considering a draft convention on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity in discussions that reconvene on April 1. The United States, one of six countries that flagged the issue in comments on the draft, should fully back its inclusion. All governments that claim to care about Afghan women must heed their appeal to recognize that what they are facing is nothing less than apartheid.

U.N. member states should also enforce and expand existing restrictions on individual Taliban leaders, especially those directly involved in gender apartheid policies. The Taliban should not be able to jet-set while denying half of Afghanistan’s population freedom of movement.

Despite the Taliban’s firm resistance to reversing any of its restrictions on women’s rights thus far, at least some of its leadership craves international recognition and legitimacy. The Taliban must not receive either. Thankfully, three separate bids by the Taliban to the U.N. Credentials Committee have been rebuffed. Given the precedent of South Africa’s 1974 exclusion from the U.N. General Assembly, gender apartheid language can help ensure the Taliban continues to be denied a seat while it systematically violates the U.N. Charter.

Let’s be clear. The Taliban’s oppression of women is central to its system of governance and a core part of its philosophy. The Taliban’s repressive practices can be ended only if the international community takes a tough and unified stand to oppose it — a stand that goes beyond mere condemnation and unequivocally refuses to normalize this 21st-century version of apartheid.

The US Still Owes a Debt to Its Afghan Allies (Bloomberg – opinion)

Bloomberg [4/1/2024 8:00 AM, Editorial Board, 5543K, Positive]
Amid the US’s 20-year war against the Taliban, Afghans who feared retribution for aiding US troops were promised refuge in America, as long as they met certain conditions. A deal recently struck in Congress issuing 12,000 more visas for these brave allies is a welcome down payment on that obligation. But the US’s responsibility doesn’t end there.

Afghans who worked with the US military go through a lengthy vetting process in order to receive special immigrant visas granting them and specified family members permanent residence in the US. More than 80,000 candidates were in the visa pipeline as of March 1, a quarter of whom had been cleared for final vetting. Before last month’s compromise, the program was set to run out of visas by August.

While officials could theoretically have continued judging applications after that and used other tools, such as humanitarian parole, to bring Afghans to America, there would inevitably have been pressure to scale back efforts. Thousands of Afghans could have been left stranded and subject to harassment by the Taliban, or worse.

Such an abdication of responsibility would not only endanger Afghans but also tarnish America’s global standing. The network of allies and partners the US has built up across the globe is a key advantage against rivals such as Russia and China. Yet concerns about US reliability persist — and they will only worsen if Washington reneges on its promises to Afghans. Few armies will be eager to stand alongside the US if they, too, fear abandonment once the fighting stops.

The extra visas offer some relief, and the SIV program has also been extended for two more years. But they still fall far short of the need; last year, the Senate overwhelmingly supported language that would have authorized an additional 20,000 visas and kept the program going until the end of 2029.

Meanwhile, thousands of Afghans evacuated from Kabul after the US’s 2021 withdrawal are living in the US but don’t qualify for SIVs. Congress has repeatedly punted on a deal to create a pathway to legal residency for them.

Both parties in Congress should work to extend the SIV program further and at a minimum authorize additional visas for all those who qualify, as well as to offer a path to green cards for evacuees. The US betrayed its Afghan partners once by leaving their country so ineptly. The least Congress can do is ensure they’re not forgotten.

Pakistan

Pakistan Asserts Right to Import Iranian Gas, Defies US Sanctions (BNN Breaking)

BNN Breaking [4/1/2024 3:34 PM, Rizwan Shah, Neutral]
Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, recently underscored the nation’s entitlement to pursue energy agreements with Iran, spotlighting the longstanding 2009 gas supply deal amid US disapproval. In a bold statement following a parliamentary session, Asif emphasized Pakistan’s urgent need for an economical energy solution, suggesting that the US should offer alternatives if it opposes the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. This development comes as the US attempts to thwart the project, with Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu expressing the US government’s intentions at a Congressional hearing.

Historical Context and Project Resurgence

The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline agreement, signed in June 2009, was envisioned as a cornerstone for Pakistan’s energy security, promising the delivery of 750 million to 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily. Despite Iran completing its portion of the pipeline by 2011, the project faced stagnation on the Pakistani side due to international pressures and sanctions. Renewed efforts to commence construction from Pakistan’s border to Gwadar reflect the pressing demand for energy in Pakistan and a strategic move to bolster economic stability.

Challenges and International Dynamics

The US’s stance against the pipeline project, citing sanctions on Iran, poses a significant diplomatic and economic challenge for Pakistan. The recent declarations by Pakistani officials, including considering legal avenues to secure sanction waivers, highlight the complexities of international energy politics. Pakistan’s insistence on proceeding with the project, despite potential legal and financial repercussions, underscores the critical nature of energy needs in the region.

Implications for Regional Energy Security

The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline represents more than an energy supply project; it is a litmus test for regional autonomy in decision-making regarding energy sources. The potential for enhanced energy security, economic benefits for Pakistan, and the strengthening of Iran-Pakistan relations through this project could significantly alter the geopolitical landscape of South Asia and the Middle East. However, the success of this endeavor hinges on navigating the intricate web of international sanctions, diplomatic negotiations, and the quest for energy independence.

The unfolding narrative of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project is a compelling saga of resilience, strategic interests, and the quest for energy sovereignty. As Pakistan moves forward with its plans, the international community watches closely, anticipating the repercussions this defiance may have on global energy politics and regional stability. The outcome of this endeavor could redefine the contours of energy diplomacy, signaling a new era of geopolitical alignments and economic partnerships.

Pakistani police arrest 12 people over a suicide bombing that killed 5 Chinese workers (AP)

AP [4/1/2024 9:40 AM, Riaz Khan, 8967K, Negative]
Pakistani counterterrorism police in multiple raids arrested at least 12 suspects in connection with last week’s suicide bombing that killed five Chinese workers and their Pakistani driver in the volatile northwest, officials said Monday.

Those arrested were not directly involved in the attack but they helped orchestrate Tuesday’s bombing targeting the Chinese, three police and security officials said. They said some of them had links with Pakistani militants, adding that the suspects were still being questioned and other raids were ongoing.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media on the record. The officials said some of the suspects had transported an explosive-laden car to Shangla, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where a suicide bomber rammed it into another vehicle, killing the Chinese workers.

The bodies of the five Chinese nationals were flown overnight from an air base in the garrison city of Rawalpindi to Beijing, Pakistani officials and state media said.

Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong was present at the Noor Khan air base when the bodies were brought there Sunday night. Zaidong conveyed his deep condolences to the families of the victims. A Pakistani Cabinet minister, Salik Hussain, accompanied the bodies to China.

The slain Chinese were traveling to Pakistan’s biggest hydropower project, Dasu Dam, where they worked, when their vehicle came under attack.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Dasu Dam on Monday and met with Chinese employees to assure them of security. Sharif said those responsible for the attack would get “exemplary punishment.” He said the attack was an attempt to harm ties between Pakistan and China.

Chinese and Pakistani investigators are conducting separate probes into the attack, which drew nationwide condemnation. China has also asked Pakistan to ensure the protection of its nationals working in various parts of Pakistan on projects in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Authorities say the Chinese bombing victims were heading to the project site amid tight security.

Other Chinese working on CPEC-related projects have faced similar attacks in recent years.

In July 2021, at least 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, were killed when a suicide bomber detonated explosives in his vehicle near a bus carrying Chinese and Pakistani engineers and laborers, prompting Chinese companies to temporarily suspend work.

Pakistani PM promises better security for Chinese workers (VOA)

VOA [4/1/2024 2:13 PM, Sarah Zaman, 761K, Neutral]
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has promised the “best possible” security for Chinese nationals working in his country as Islamabad repatriated the remains Monday of five workers from China, killed last week in an attack.

On March 26, five Chinese workers and their Pakistani driver died when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into their bus.

The workers were traveling to the Chinese-funded Dasu hydropower project in the remote region of Kohistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when they came under attack in Bisham, about 4-hours north of the capital Islamabad.

In a visit to Dasu, Monday, with Jiang Zaidong, Beijing’s ambassador to Islamabad, Sharif met the Chinese workers at the hydropower project and assured them of “fool-proof” security arrangements.

“I will not rest until we have put in place the best possible security measures for your security. Not only in Dasu, [but] all over Pakistan,” Sharif said, adding that, this was his promise to the people of China, and to the Chinese leadership including President Xi Jinping.

After the attack last Tuesday, Pakistan quickly put together a joint investigation team to probe the incident as well as an inquiry committee to examine security measures for Chinese citizens working in the country.

Sharif assured the Chinese nationals that his government “will not waste any time to act on the recommendations of the inquiry committee.”

Since 2015 a special military unit that includes thousands of personnel as well local police contingents have been providing security for Chinese nationals working on the nearly $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Popularly known as CPEC, the mega-project is part of Beijing’s global Belt and Road Initiative.

A team of Chinese investigators is working with Pakistani officials to ascertain the facts surrounding last week’s deadly attack.

Speaking at a regular news briefing Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reiterated Beijing’s demand to find and punish the perpetrators of the attack.

“China firmly supports Pakistan in looking into what happened with utmost resolve and effort, bringing the perpetrators and whoever’s behind the attack to justice,” Wang said.

The spokesperson added that Beijing supports Pakistan in “doing everything possible to protect the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects, and institutions in Pakistan.”

Referring to those responsible for the attack, Sharif promised workers at Dasu that his government will “make sure that exemplary punishment is given to them.”

Muhammad Imran, the district police officer of Shangla which includes Bisham — the site of last Tuesday’s attack — told VOA that security has increased on the Karakoram Highway.

“We are trying our best to give robust security to [the] Chinese as well as to [foreign] tourists who travel this route frequently,” Imran said. However, he refused to say how many additional personnel had been called to provide enhanced security.

Remains repatriated

Earlier on Monday, a Pakistani military plane carrying the bodies of the five Chinese victims of the attack arrived in the city of Wuhan, China. Chaudhry Salik Hussain, minister for overseas Pakistanis and human development, accompanied the remains.

Before the plane departed, Pakistan’s President Asif Zardari, and army chief Gen. Asim Munir, along with Sharif took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at a military air base near the capital.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Banned Pakistani militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban that was behind several recent deadly attacks in Pakistan denied involvement.

In July 2021, 13 people including nine Chinese nationals were killed in a suicide attack on their convoy as they travelled to Dasu – Pakistan’s largest hydroelectric project.

In 2022, an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan handed the death penalty to two men accused of facilitating the deadly attack.

Imran Khan’s Sentence in One Case Suspended by Pakistan Court (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg [4/1/2024 5:54 AM, Kamran Haider, 5543K, Negative]
A Pakistani court temporarily suspended former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s 14-year jail sentence two months after he was found guilty of illegal dealings related to state gifts when he was in power.

Khan won’t be released from jail as he is convicted in two other cases, his lawyer Shoaib Shaheen said by phone. A panel of Islamabad High Court justices handed out the verdict on Khan’s appeal on Monday.

The court will hold detailed hearing in the case later, local media reported.

Pakistani court suspends sentence for ex-PM Khan and wife in a graft case but couple won’t be freed (AP)

AP [4/1/2024 9:32 PM, Staff, 761K, Negative]
A Pakistani appeals court on Monday suspended a 14-year prison sentence for former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife in a corruption case, but the couple won’t be released because they are already serving prison terms in other cases, officials said.

However, the court order was a legal victory for Khan, who was ousted from power in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. Khan now has more than 170 legal cases hanging over him.

The Islamabad High Court suspended the sentence for Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, after hearing an appeal from their lawyer, according to Zulfiqar Bukhari, the spokesperson for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

The court ordered the release of the couple on bail but under the country’s laws Khan and his wife won’t be freed because Bibi is serving a prison term in another case and Khan has been convicted and sentenced in multiple cases.

The latest development came about two months after Khan and his wife were found guilty of retaining and selling state gifts in violation of government rules when he was in power.

The couple’s lawyer, Ali Zafar, said during Monday’s court hearing that Khan and his wife did not get the right of a fair trial. He claimed that Khan was being politically victimized and the couple was not involved in any wrongdoing.

The court will resume hearing the case later this month.

Khan remains popular in the country despite his conviction in multiple cases.

Khan’s PTI party made a strong showing in the Feb. 8 parliamentary elections but did not win a majority of the seats in the National Assembly, or lower house of the parliament, though PTI says the vote was rigged.

Pakistan votes for senators as public trust in politics declines (Nikkei Asia)

Nikkei Asia [4/2/2024 3:29 AM, Adnan Aamir, 293K, Neutral]
Members of Pakistan’s provincial and national assemblies started voting on Tuesday to elect national senators amid a new set of controversies in the nation’s elections.

The Senate, the upper house of Parliament, has to pass all legislation before it can become law. Each of Pakistan’s four provinces elects 23 senators, and the lower house chooses another four representing the Islamabad Capital Territory, for a total of 96. Four more current seats for former tribal areas are set to expire. Senators serve six-year terms, and elections are held every three years for half of the total membership.

This time around, there will not be much of an election. Candidates for over one-third of the open seats -- 18 out of the 48 -- have already been elected unopposed: all 11 senators from Balochistan and seven from Punjab. And in the Sindh assembly, 12 senators will be elected unopposed after the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) boycotted the polls.

"This is the first time in the history of Pakistan that so many senators have been elected unopposed throughout the country," Abdul Jabbar Nasir, an election analyst based in Karachi, told Nikkei Asia.

In the fourth provincial assembly -- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa -- there is a controversy brewing, causing a delay in its Senate elections. Its assembly is controlled by the PTI, the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Currently, the PTI is the largest party in the Senate, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) holds the most seats in the National Assembly.

In the Feb. 8 elections, the PTI won a landslide victory in the province but faced a setback when the Election Commission of Pakistan ruled that the party would not get any of the 26 seats reserved for women and minorities because its candidates had run without a symbol in the polls. Those seats were allocated to the opposition instead. This situation has led to a delay in the the province’s Senate elections because the assembly’s PTI-affiliated speaker has not sworn in those opposition members, contrary to the election commission’s requirement for a complete assembly to hold polls.

Experts believe that just like in the February elections, the Senate elections have become controversial, which will erode the credibility of the upper house.

Tahir Naeem Malik, a professor of international relations at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) in Islamabad, told Nikkei that the events in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have made the Senate elections very controversial. "The Senate is an important body for legislation in Pakistan, and this controversy will result in erosion of public trust in this body," he added.

A series of controversies relating to elections in recent months have increased public distrust in Pakistan’s political system.

"The way Senate elections are taking place this time, the Senate will become weak and will not be in a position to hold government accountable," Islamabad resident Mujtaba Noor told Nikkei.

"Since 2008, the political system of Pakistan had developed a consensus on the continuity of Parliament, which has been broken due to the events of the last year," said Malik from NUML. "The current Senate election controversy will contribute to the disruption of the political order in Pakistan."

Election analyst Nasir concurred. "The entire electoral system has badly disappointed people in Pakistan," he said. "People question the credibility of the electoral system after blatant interference in the election process."

Marred by controversy and with the majority of senators elected without opposition, Pakistan’s triennial Senate elections will conclude a tumultuous election season that started with general elections in February and was followed by the presidential election in March.

The political crisis in Pakistan started when Khan was ousted as prime minister in April 2022. In 2023, Khan’s party faced a crackdown from the government, and he has been imprisoned since August after being convicted of corruption.

In the Feb. 8 polls, PTI-backed candidates scored an unexpected victory despite facing a crackdown and even after results for many seats were allegedly rigged against them.

India

US ambassador tells India government-sponsored assassination plots cross ‘red line’ (The Independent)

The Independent [4/1/2024 8:08 AM, Arpan Rai, 3055K, Negative]
The US ambassador to India has said any government’s involvement in assassination attempts on foreign soil cross “an unacceptable red line”, in the latest criticism of New Delhi’s alleged plot to kill a prominent separatist Sikh leader in New York.

India was confronted last year by Canada, the US and other Western nations over apparent attempts by Narendra Modi’s government to kill prominent Sikh separatists living abroad. US prosecutors say an Indian government official was involved in a plot to kill New York-based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, which was ultimately foiled by the American security services.

India has said it is investigating the claims, while it has rejected allegations relating to the murder of another Sikh separatist in British Columbia, Canada. It has labelled Mr Pannun a terrorist for his involvement in calls for a separate Sikh state to be carved out of India.

Ambassador Eric Garcetti, speaking on the issue of the Pannun assassination plot for the first time, said no government should ever be involved in the attempted assassination of another country’s citizen.

“I think that’s absolutely critical. For any of us, just abstractly, that has to be a red line. No government or government employee can be involved in the alleged assassination of one of your own citizens. That’s just an unacceptable red line,” the US diplomat told Indian news agency ANI in an interview aired on Sunday.

He went on: "Any country, having an active member of their government involved in a second country trying to assassinate one of their citizens. That’s, I think, usually a red line for any country. That’s a basic issue of sovereignty. That’s a basic issue of rights.”

A fierce critic of Indian governments through decades, Mr Pannun has been a leading organiser in north America for a so-called Khalistan referendum, inviting Sikhs worldwide to vote on whether India’s Punjab state should become an independent nation and homeland for the religion.

Pannun, who holds dual citizenship of Canada and the US, has issued multiple opaque threats towards India, targeting the Indian parliament, Air India and Indian officials.

In an indirect reference to these threats, Mr Garcetti said the US protects free speech “for better and for worse”, and that a citizen of the US can be convicted or deported only according to the country’s law.

The US ambassador also warned generally against arresting people for their speech, calling it a slippery slope.

"They (people) can say, why don’t you just arrest people for what they say? We don’t have that system. I, as ambassador, can’t change that rule. Even while it hurts us sometimes, things that are just about America, not even talking about India at all, what people say,” he told the Indian news agency.

He added: “As a Jew, I had people who stood on a freeway overpass in my city condemning Jews. And they’re not arrested. If they threaten violence, they can be. But it’s also a slippery slope. Once you start arresting for what people say, that can go really extreme. And so it’s the American philosophy not to."

For convicting an American citizen or to process their deportation in another country, the situation has to “meet our law”, he added.

“And if anybody ever says something that steps over that line, and I know it’s gotten very close, we will be working together on that," he added.

Mr Garcetti said New Delhi and Washington were working together to hold responsible those behind the alleged Pannun plot, stating that this demonstrates the closeness of India and US ties.

Indian foreign affairs minister S Jaishankar responded to Mr Garcetti’s comments on Monday and said that the top US diplomat was saying “what he thinks is the position of his government”.

“The position of my government is that in this particular case, there has been certain information provided to us which we are investigating,” S Jaishankar said at a news briefing.

He claimed that New Delhi was investigating the allegations primarily because “its own security interests are also involved”.

“It is something we are investigating as we believe our own national security interests are involved in that investigation," he said, adding that when the Indian government has an update to provide on that probe, they will do so.

The explosive claims from the US about the Pannun plot came just two months after Canada accused New Delhi of being involved in the killing of a Canadian national associated with the Sikh separatist movement in Surrey, British Columbia.

Washington reportedly informed a “wider group of allies” of the attempt against Mr Pannun following a statement by the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau in September.

An Indian court sends a top opposition leader to jail until shortly before election (AP)

AP [4/1/2024 7:38 AM, Staff, 456K, Negative]
A court in India on Monday placed a top opposition leader in two weeks of judicial detention after his 10 days in the custody of a federal agency expired, in a case that opposition parties say is part of a crackdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on rivals ahead of a national election later this month.

Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, is the top elected official in the city of New Delhi and one of the country’s most consequential politicians of the past decade.

He was arrested by the federal Enforcement Directorate, India’s main financial investigation agency, on March 21. The agency, controlled by Modi’s government, accused Kejriwal’s party and ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago. The arrest triggered days of protests by hundreds of party activists supported by other opposition parties.

The Aam Aadmi Party denied the accusations and said Kejriwal will remain as New Delhi’s chief minister as it fights the case in court. The party is part of a broad alliance of opposition parties called INDIA, which is the main challenger to Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party in the coming elections.

A day after Kejriwal’s arrest, the court remanded him to six days of custody by the Enforcement Directorate for investigation that was extended by another four days on Thursday. With the expiration of that detention on Monday, the New Delhi court ordered him held in judicial custody until April 15.

The directorate asked the court for Kejriwal’s judicial custody, according to Bar and Bench, an online portal for Indian legal news. It cited S.V. Raju, a government attorney representing the directorate in court, as saying that Kejriwal’s “conduct has been totally non-cooperative” and the directorate could seek his custody again for further investigation at a later stage.

It said it was the first time that a chief minister in India has been arrested while in office.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s legal counsel, Sanjeev Nasiar, told reporters that Kejriwal now has the right to apply for bail.

Kejriwal’s case has dominated the news in India ahead of the general election, which starts April 19. Opposition parties say the government is misusing federal investigation agencies to harass and weaken its political opponents. They point to a series of raids, arrests and corruption investigations of key opposition figures. Recently, the opposition Congress party accused the government of crippling the party by freezing its bank accounts in a tax dispute.

Modi’s party denies using law enforcement agencies to target the opposition and says the agencies act independently.

Kejriwal’s arrest is seen as another setback for the opposition bloc. On Sunday, the bloc launched its election campaign with a massive rally in New Delhi at which opposition leaders criticized the arrest of Kejriwal and other colleagues.

The federal agency has accused Kejriwal of being the “kingpin and key conspirator” in the liquor bribery case. Kejriwal has denied the allegations and accused the directorate of “manipulating investigative agencies for political motives.”

Kejriwal also has called his arrest “a political conspiracy.”

Before his arrest, Kejriwal skipped nine summons issued to him by the directorate. His deputy, Manish Sisodia, and another party lawmaker, Sanjay Singh, were arrested in the same case in 2023 by the federal agency and are currently in judicial custody.

Top Indian opposition leader in detention weeks before election (VOA)

VOA [4/1/2024 12:00 PM, Staff, 761K, Negative]
A top Indian opposition leader will remain in custody for two more weeks, following his arrest by the federal financial crime-fighting agency.

The extension of his detention comes despite protests from opposition parties who claim it is part of a crackdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his rivals ahead of the country’s April 19 national elections.

Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, is the top elected official in the city of New Delhi and has been an influential politician for the past decade. Kejriwal is accused of accepting $12 million in bribes from liquor contractors around 2 years ago. The AAP has denied the accusations.

"These people have only one aim, they want to put him in prison during the elections," Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita, told reporters, referring to Modi’s government. "The people will give a response to this dictatorship."

Opposition parties allege the government is exploiting federal agencies to target political rivals, citing a pattern of raids, arrests, and corruption probes. They argue this undermines fair competition in elections, a claim denied by Modi’s government.

Kejriwal has denied the allegations against him and accused the directorate of "manipulating investigative agencies for political motives."

Kejriwal also has called his arrest "a political conspiracy."

The detention decision came shortly after a New Delhi rally organized by the INDIA bloc, comprising 27 opposition parties including AAP, protesting Kejriwal’s arrest and accusing Modi of trying to rig the election.

However, the government’s legal representation in the case said that Kejriwal’s "conduct has been totally non-cooperative" and that he could potentially be put in custody following more investigations.

This marks the first instance of a chief minister in India being arrested while in office.

India rejects China’s renaming of 30 places in Himalayan border state (Reuters)

Reuters [4/2/2024 3:40 AM, Sakshi Dayal, 5.2M, Neutral]
India rejected China’s renaming of about 30 places in its northeastern Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, calling the move "senseless" and reaffirming that the border province is an "integral" part of India.

Beijing says Arunachal Pradesh, which its calls Zangnan, is a part of South Tibet - a claim New Delhi has repeatedly dismissed. China similarly ratcheted up tensions a year ago by giving Chinese names to 11 locations in the state.

Troops of the nuclear-armed neighbours engaged in minor scuffles along their disputed frontier in the state in Dec. 2022, and tensions eased after extensive military and diplomatic talks.

Yet the state is frequently the cause of friction between the Asian giants whose ties have nosedived since a bloody border clash between their troops in the western Himalayas in 2020.

China, in a statement on Saturday, said it had standardised the names of about 30 places in what it calls South Tibet, "in accordance with the relevant regulations on place name management of the State Council".

"Assigning invented names will not alter the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India," foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday.

On Monday, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told reporters that "changing names will not do anything".

"If I change the name of your house, does it become my house?" he said.

Last month, following a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state to inaugurate infrastructure projects, China had said it was opposed to his activities in the region. India termed the arguments "baseless".

The U.S. also weighed in on the issue, saying it recognised Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and "strongly opposed" any unilateral attempts to make claims on it by military or civilian "incursion or encroachments".

China had opposed these remarks, saying the matter "has nothing to do with the U.S.".

India and China share a 3,800 km (2,400 mile) border - much of it poorly demarcated - over which they also fought a bloody war in 1962.

Twenty Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed in hand-to-hand combat in 2020, prompting both countries to fortify positions and deploy extra troops and equipment along the border.

Modi revives controversy over island ceded to Sri Lanka (Deutsche Welle)

Deutsche Welle [4/1/2024 6:19 AM, Staff, 2728K, Neutral]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reignited debate over a tiny island that was ceded to Sri Lanka more than 40 years ago.

The island of Katchatheevu lies 33 kilometers (21 miles) off the coast of India. In 1974, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Indian National Congress ended a maritime border dispute by recognizing Sri Lanka’s claim over the island.

On Monday, India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Sri Lanka had detained more than 6,000 Indian fishermen and 1,175 fishing vessels over the last 20 years.

A day earlier, Modi accused the Congress party of having "callously" given away the island to its neighbor.

"Weakening India’s unity, integrity and interests has been Congress’ way of working for 75 years and counting," Modi said on social media.

Winning votes in Tamil Nadu

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge hit back at the claims and said the 1974 deal was "based on a friendly gesture."

He accused Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of reviving an old controversy in an attempt to curry favor with voters in Tamil Nadu, which will be among the first states to head to the polls on April 19.

Discontent has grown in the southern state over curtailed fishing rights, which has prompted two legal challenges against the 1974 agreement that are still before the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Modi’s BJP is try to make inroads in Tamil Nadu, where it won none of the state’s 39 seats in India’s parliament at the last election and has has hardy any representation at the state level.

Modi’s BJP is seeking a third term in power against a broad alliance of opposition parties led by the Congress in general elections begins in mid-April and runs through early June.

India Predicts Searing Heat in Threat to Lives, Power Supply (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg [4/1/2024 7:37 AM, Pratik Parija and Rajesh Kumar Singh, 5543K, Negative]
India forecast hotter-than-usual temperatures over the coming months, raising the risk of water shortages, crop damages and higher coal use to avoid power blackouts in the planet’s most populous nation.

Heat waves are expected for 10 to 20 days in different areas during the three-month period ending June 30, against a normal of four to eight days, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological Department, said at a briefing in New Delhi on Monday. Above-normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country, he said.

The prediction comes at a time when the world’s biggest democracy is preparing to hold general elections between mid-April and early June — a period when the mercury often crosses 45C (113F). There could be a greater threat to human lives as heat strokes, which kill dozens of people every year in the South Asian nation, could hit participants at political rallies.

Climate change is making India vulnerable to extreme weather events, with the country of 1.4 billion people facing increased occurrences of floods, cyclones, droughts and heat waves. The scorching sun will not only reduce the availability of drinking water but also drain moisture from the soil, a potential threat for some summer crops such as pulses and oilseeds. The city of Bengaluru, home to the $194 billion IT services industry, is already struggling with water shortages.

However, the impact on winter-sown wheat crops is likely to be limited as the plants have matured and harvesting has started in many states. A bumper output, as the government predicts, could prompt authorities to ease export restrictions that have been in place since 2022.

The weather outlook will put more pressure on energy companies. The peak electricity demand, which is estimated to surge to a record 250 gigawatts this summer, may rise further if heat waves prolong. The power ministry has asked plants to continue importing coal to make up for any shortfall in local supplies.

Reserves of coal, which accounts for about three-fourths of electricity generation, at power plants have jumped 38% over the past year and can last for 18 days on average, power ministry data show. Still, inventories are below the mandated levels.

More From the Briefing:

Above-average maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country in April

Heat wave days are expected to be more than normal during the April-June season in many areas of central and eastern India, northwestern plains and the southern peninsula

Average rainfall is seen normal this month, with precipitation forecast to be 88% to 112% of the long-period average

The strength of El Niño weather pattern has been weakening since the start of the year. Moderate conditions are prevailing over the equatorial Pacific at present

Models also indicate the development of La Niña during the June-September rainy season

NSB

‘Headaches, organ damage and even death’: how salty water is putting Bangladesh’s pregnant women at risk (The Guardian)

The Guardian [4/2/2024 12:00 AM, Thaslima Begum, 12499K, Negative]
In the small, crowded ward of the Upazila Health Complex in Dacope, new and expecting mothers lie exhausted beneath fans that spin noisily above their heads. There are no dividers in the maternity room shared by more than 20 women, so visiting husbands are ushered out by nurses when someone needs attending to.

Propped up on one of the beds is Sapriya Rai, 23, due any day. “My first pregnancy was difficult, the baby was born two months premature, so I’ve been worried throughout this one,” says Rai. “I have high blood pressure and the doctor found protein in my urine so now I’m being closely monitored. I may need to be induced or have a caesarean.”

Rai has pre-eclampsia, a condition that affects some women during the second half of pregnancy or soon after their baby is delivered. Diagnosed women are monitored until delivery is possible. This is normally about 37 to 38 weeks of pregnancy, earlier in more severe cases.

Rai is not unusual. Alarming numbers of pregnant women in the coastal district of Dacope, in south-west Bangladesh, have been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and hypertension. Scientists believe it is linked to rising salinity in drinking water.

“High blood pressure is among the leading causes of maternal death in developing countries,” says Aneire Khan, a researcher in environmental epidemiology, who in 2008 carried out the first research into the correlation between high blood pressure-related conditions among pregnant women and salt intake from drinking water sources. “It also makes pregnant women particularly vulnerable to pre-eclampsia, which can lead to severe headaches, organ damage and even death.”

Khan conducted a second study in 2011 with Imperial College London and the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, which found the salt intake among women in Dacope was well above the World Health Organization’s recommended levels. It confirmed a strong relationship between salt intake and the risk of developing pre-eclampsia and hypertension.

Dacope has long been on the frontline of the climate crisis. The rural population relies on rivers, ponds and groundwater for cooking, drinking and bathing. But these natural water sources have been contaminated by varying degrees of salinity due to saltwater intrusion from cyclones and rising sea levels.

“When Cyclone Aila hit in 2009, it left behind a trail of destruction, breaching embankments and leaving the entire region submerged in salt water,” says Dr Santosh Kumar, a gynaecologist at the hospital. “With most freshwater infrastructure destroyed, the coastal region has been facing an acute drinking water crisis. The extent of the impact on people’s health is only now being realised.”

As a result of Khan’s research, several initiatives were undertaken by NGOs and the Bangladesh government to reduce salinity in Dacope’s waters, including reverse osmosis, rainwater harvesting and managed aquifer recharge; a technique which collects and treats water from ponds and rooftops and injects it underground for storage and future use.

In 2019, Khan returned to Dacope to see if these interventions had worked. She interviewed 740 women and checked to see if blood pressure levels among the local population were still as high. But due to Covid restrictions, she was unable to complete her analysis. Khan is now planning a new study with Imperial College London to assess whether the interventions have had a positive health impact on the community.

Meanwhile in Dacope, Kumar worries the situation is getting worse. “Climate change and rising sea levels will further exacerbate salinity issues here in the future,” he warns. “All the women and girls in the area are at threat. Without easy access to safe drinking water, their reproductive health will deteriorate.”

Nirmalya Sarker, 56, has been a health worker for more than 20 years. Every day she travels to villages around Dacope, going from door to door, to speak to families about the importance of clean drinking water. “Despite the high incidence of related health concerns, most people here are unaware of the increasing salinity and its implications,” she says.

Sarker is working with more than 5,000 pregnant women in Dacope; she visits them regularly to do check-ups and holds information sessions at the Upazila Health Complex, where women and girls can drop in to discuss any issues they might be experiencing.

“The main issue is a lack of awareness,” says Sarkar, who has been working with the Bangladesh health ministry to create information that can be easily distributed among villages. “Awareness building on proper pregnancy care and safe drinking water practices will enable better health and dietary choices to directly improve maternal health.”

Pre-eclampsia also affects the unborn baby, who is at risk of dying in the womb, being born underweight or small in size due to a lack of nutrition to the developing foetus. Children affected by early malnutrition have less immunity against diseases and are prone to respiratory tract infections, pneumonia and other health problems.

In the busy bazaar outside the hospital, a group of men arrive on tricycles with wooden carts filled with empty barrels and containers. A number of shops here sell clean, filtered water by the gallon.

Some families take out loans to buy filtered water or large tanks. Rainwater can be harvested during monsoon season but households require a tank to store it. This is not possible for many families in Dacope, who live in houses with straw roofs, which can’t hold the tanks. The Bangladesh government has installed tanks on school roofs and other buildings but people still have to travel and queue to get water.

An often-overlooked effect of salinity intrusion is on the menstrual health and hygiene of women and adolescent girls, a problem that intensifies wider social insecurities.

Shopna Dhali, 36, can’t afford to buy sanitary pads for her teenage daughter so when she gets her period, she uses old rags which are washed using saline water and reused. Research suggests such practices can leave women and adolescent girls exposed to various hygiene risks, such as rashes, skin diseases and uterine infections.

Mukhti Shanker, 25, used to drink groundwater from a tube well regularly before she had her baby. Despite having the highest water sodium level, tube wells are the most common source of drinking water in Dacope, highlighting an urgent need to promote alternative sources. Khan’s study showed that women who drank tube well water had significantly higher average urinary sodium levels than those who drank rainwater.

During her pregnancy, Shanker had no idea of the impact water salinity could have on her pregnancy. “When they told me I needed to be closely monitored, I became worried,” says Shanker, whose hands, feet, and face became swollen while pregnant. After delivering a healthy baby girl, she vowed never to drink saline water again.

As the sun sets on Dacope, Shanker walks around the pond in front of her house, with 10-month-old Abonika on her hip. About 6,000 people use this communal pond every day. Women climb down steep, muddy stairs to collect pond water; moving aside dirt and floating leaves with their hands before dipping their pitchers into the water and filling them to the brim.

The women carry the heavy pitchers against their waist or on their heads and walk home slowly, careful not to spill any. Most of them perform this arduous task every day, simply to fetch water for their families.

“It’s a tragedy that these difficulties still persist,” says Kumar. “Access to clean and safe water is a basic human right – no one should have to risk their health by drinking salty water.”

Yet with Bangladesh reaching the limit of its ability to adapt to climate breakdown, the water crisis in Dacope may worsen.

“We can’t fight nature,” says Kumar, “so we must find alternative, more sustainable ways to survive.”

Inside Nepal’s ‘kidney valley’ where someone from nearly every household has sold an organ to black market dealers who tell them ‘they will grow back’ (Daily Mail)

Daily Mail [4/1/2024 11:11 AM, Elena Salvoni, 11975K, Negative]
Poverty-stricken workers in Nepal are being duped into selling their kidneys, with scammers convincing some to part with their organs by claiming they will grow back.

Kavre District in the foothills of the Himalayas has become known as kidney valley, a disturbing reputation it has gained because someone from nearly every household has sold an organ.

Desperate for money, many are being sucked in by ‘cash for kidney’ rackets, with black market networks buying their organs for small sums and then trafficking them.

High numbers of young men are returning from working abroad with kidney failure, driving a major health crisis in a country where around 20 per cent of the population live in poverty.

Many have died after selling their organs, while others have been left unable to work and needing transplants themselves - with victims now warning others struggling for money not to buy in to the dangerous and illegal procedures.

One local called Suman, 31, told Sky News that he felt he had ‘no option’ but to travel to India and sell his kidney for just £3,000 as he faced financial ruin.

‘I felt weak and I lost consciousness,’ he says. ‘When I woke up, it was really hurting. Now I can’t work and I try to tell anyone I can, not to sell their kidney.’

Another man who sold his kidney in India, where donors must be related to patients, told how ‘agents’ who helped him to sell his kidney made fake documents for him and ID cards to convince authorities.

‘My kidney was given to a fake sister,’ he said. ‘I think the doctor in India knew I’d sold it.’

A huge gap in supply and demand globally has opened up a black market for organs, which sees vulnerable people exploited by criminal networks.

One in 10 transplanted organs is estimated to have been trafficked, with doctors and hospitals among those involved in some cases.

In 2007, the Nepalese government passed a law banning the sale of kidneys, but that has not stopped poor people in the country opting for it as a last resort.

In Hokse, a rural hilltop village 12 miles east of Kathmandu, locals have been targeted by so-called ‘organ brokers’ for years.

Smooth-talking salesmen have persuaded villages to sell their body parts for small sums, with one mother telling MailOnline previously that she had sold hers for £1,300.

There are believed to have been dozens of victims in recent months, including a 19-year-old who was among the migrant workers to leave his home and come back without a kidney in 2022.

At least 150 people sold their kidneys from a single village in the Kavre District, but only three cases were officially reported, Nepal’s National Human Rights Commission told PBS last year.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and is frequently hit by natural disasters, with an earthquake last November leaving a wake of destruction, damaging tens of thousands of homes.

High poverty levels have seen an increasing number of people driven overseas to countries like Malaysia and the Gulf States to earn money and send it back home.

Many are forced to work on building sites in brutal conditions, with extreme heat in places like Saudi Arabia and lack of water causing many to return to Nepal with kidney problems.

Dr Pukar Shresth, a surgeon at the Human Organ Transplant Center in Nepal, noticed a pattern of young and previously healthy men coming back with ‘completely failed kidneys’.

He previously only performed transplants on elderly patients, but said that the situation has now become ‘very grave because about one third of all transplants are these labour migrant workers who have come from abroad.’

With body part sellers preying on the naivety of their victims and many seeing no option but to work long hours in dangerously high heat, doctors have called for more education.

Many in Hokse insist they no longer sell their kidneys, but the village remains scarred by the years of exploitation, with the physical scars still visible on the many who have sold their vital organs.

How Will Nepal’s Government Respond to Victims of Loan Sharks? (The Diplomat)

The Diplomat [4/1/2024 12:30 AM, Santosh Sharma Poudel, 201K, Negative]
Victims of loan sharks converged in the Nepali capital Kathmandu on February 23 to protest their exploitation by predatory lenders. Similar demonstrations were staged in other towns as well.

Most of those who participated in the “March for Justice” campaign are people of the lower economic strata from the southern Terai plains. The campaign is being led by controversial businessman-turned-sociopolitical activist Durga Prasain, who has promised to get their loans waived.

The problem of loan sharks exploiting the poor is not new to Nepal. Loan sharking has long been the economic pillar that maintains the feudal structure in Nepali society. It formed the basis for the exploitation of low-income people by the feudal class. Landlords provided small loans at exorbitantly high and compounded interest rates. The borrowers would then work for the lender, expecting to repay the debt. However, the exorbitant rates of interest often meant that the amount to be repaid only increased. It led to generational poverty and generations of low-income families working for the lender. It manifested in extreme forms, such as the kamaiya tradition among the Tharus, an ethnic group from the Southern plains.

The borrowers, usually uneducated and lacking any social power, would often not keep a written record of what they had returned. This gave the lenders full control over the financial transactions and the victims’ families. Despite political changes, the system merely adapted, and the lenders still hold considerable power.

While loan sharking is a serious problem that deserves attention and action by the government, people are cashing in on it for their own benefit.

Among them is Prasain, a medical entrepreneur, who until a few years ago rubbed shoulders with the leaders of mainstream political parties. Despite the Khadga Prasad Oli-led government’s decision to grant affiliation once it fulfills all legal criteria in 2021, such affiliation never came. As a result, he struggled to repay bank loans of around 5.5 billion Nepali rupees ($45 million).

The disgruntled Prasain then decided to cash in on the loan sharking issue and took to the streets with a campaign to get loans from banks and loan sharks written off. To this, he added an end to corruption and the Hindutva nationalist agenda. He launched his public campaign on February 13, amidst the participation of the former King Gyanendra Shah.

Prasain’s agenda of Hindutva and monarchy align perfectly with the King’s agenda. The King did not attend his rallies in Kathmandu in March, though, and the Hindu nationalist Rastriya Prajatantra Party too has maintained qualified distance from Prasain. They have a common agenda but are cautious of Prasain’s reputation.

In a short period, Prasain has attracted thousands of supporters and a huge following on social media. Loan shark victims and Hindu nationalists form the primary supporter base. Now, people who have been denied justice by the state in other matters are approaching him.

The large number of participants in the protests has forced the government to take notice. Indeed, concern over Prasain’s rising popularity was reportedly among the reasons behind the government’s decision to ban TikTok, a widely popular social media site, and to impose restrictions on demonstrations in several parts of Kathmandu.

Then on March 25, the Supreme Court issued a directive to the Medical Education Commission and Kathmandu University to grant affiliation to the medical college owned by Prasain. This could have been timed to deny Prasain the narrative of victimization and weaken his attempt to project himself as the messiah of the loan shark victims.

Meanwhile, embezzlement of funds by the heads of cooperatives and micro-finance institutions, which received little scrutiny until recently, is also garnering attention. Member-based financial institutions that provide savings and credit facilities to their members only, cooperatives charge interest at a rate higher than commercial banks.

Several high-profile cases of embezzlement have flooded the news. The amount swindled is as high as $157 million. Tens of thousands of poor and working people have been defrauded of their hard-earned money.

Gitendra Babu Rai, chairman of the Pokhara Suryadarshan Savings and Credit Cooperatives has been in the news for embezzling $7.5 million from the cooperative. After the Nepal police issued a warrant for his arrest, Rai is reported to have fled to Malaysia. Interpol issued a diffusion notice against Rai in January.

Several of these cooperatives’ heads have ties with people in high places. This was the case with Rai, who is a former business partner of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

Lamichhane was formerly the managing director of Galaxy 4K Television, which Rai owned. During Lamichhane’s term as CEO of the television company in 2022, he received $750,000 from Rai’s cooperative. Cooperatives can only lend to their members, and private companies borrowing from a cooperative is illegal.

Lamichhane denies involvement, and the amount transferred did not materialize. “My name has been dragged into the case, but there is no evidence to prove my involvement,” said Lamichhane to the State Affairs Committee. The main opposition party has demanded a parliamentary probe into the charges against Lamichhane.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Khadga Prasad Oli, the leader of the largest coalition partner, have strongly supported Lamichhane. Ironically, as the home minister, Lamichhane is in charge of investigating cooperative frauds.

The development has put the government, particularly Lamichhane, in a tricky situation. While the government has taken a strong public stance, stating that loan defaulters like Prasain will not be spared, it is wary of public anger escalating into anti-government and anti-establishment protests.

Lamichhane faces a two-fold challenge. On the one hand, as home minister, he has to uphold the law and maintain law and order. Prasain aims to benefit from the victims’ mistrust of the government and revel in the chaos. However, the suffering of the victims is a genuine concern that needs to be addressed. Conversely, the more Lamichhane gets dragged into the cooperative scam, the more his party could take a hit in its image of an outsider party committed to erasing corruption. It could affect his political ambition.

A successful management of the issue will have positive implications for the economy and the rule of law. The victims will get justice and the perpetrators, appropriate punishment. It will also boost the politics of Dahal and Lamichhane.

World Bank raises Sri Lanka’s growth forecast to 2.2% for 2024 (Reuters)

Reuters [4/2/2024 2:55 AM, Uditha Jayasinghe, 5.2M, Positive]
The World Bank raised its forecast for Sri Lanka’s economy on Tuesday, projecting growth of 2.2% for 2024 as the crisis-hit nation makes a faster-than-expected recovery from its worst financial crisis in decades.

Sri Lanka secured a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in March last year, helping it temper inflation, increase state revenues, and rebuild foreign exchange reserves after its economy crumpled in 2022.

The IMF programme helped Sri Lanka’s economy stabilise, and it is expected to return to growth this year after contracting 2.3% in 2023.

The World Bank, in its latest report on South Asia, raised its growth forecast for Sri Lanka by 50 basis points. Real GDP growth was also expected to strengthen further to 2.5% in 2025, with modest recoveries in reserves, remittances and tourism, the development bank’s report said.

"Growth is projected to be positive in 2024, and moderate over the medium term - not a quick bounce back," Richard Walker, senior economist at World Bank, told reporters.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its overseas debt in May 2022 after a severe shortage of foreign exchange reserves triggered the worst financial crisis since independence from Britain in 1948, sending inflation rocketing to 70% in the following months.

While prices have eased off recently, the World Bank estimates the poverty rate in Sri Lanka will remain above 22% until 2026. It was about 26% in 2023, compared to pre-COVID levels of 11.3% in 2019, the World Bank said.

"Households have been impoverished by a fall in their purchasing power due to high inflation, losses in wages, income and employment, and a drop in remittances," the report said.

The Indian Ocean island nation secured an agreement in principle with China, India and the Paris Club nations last November to restructure its debt and now needs agreements with each bilateral creditor - a key condition in its IMF bailout.

Sri Lanka, which is due to hold presidential elections in the second half of 2024, would need to complete the debt restructuring before the next IMF review.

"Downside risks remain high, due to limited primary account and reserve buffers... especially with elections and policy fatigue. The other is an insufficiently deep debt restructuring," Walker said.

South Asia, excluding Afghanistan, was expected to grow 6.1% in 2025, remaining the fastest-growing region in the world for the next two years, with India’s expected growth of 6.6% for fiscal year 2025 leading the way.

The World Bank expects Pakistan’s fiscal year 2024 growth at 1.8%, below the State Bank of Pakistan’s projection of 2%-3%. Real GDP is seen expanding 2.3% in fiscal year 2025, the report said.

Central Asia

Central Asian air quality gets low marks – report (EurasiaNet)

EurasiaNet [4/1/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K, Negative]
The air quality in Central Asian states is among the worst in the world, according to corporate study that measured pollution in over 130 countries around the world.

The 2023 World Air Quality Report, compiled by Swiss-based IQAir, measured air-borne harmful particles, known as PM2.5, in over 7,800 locations. The findings showed that Central Asia trailed behind South Asian and Gulf states as having the some of worst regional air quality in the world.

Bangladesh, Pakistan and India ranked one, two three in the report’s table of countries with the dirtiest air. Tajikistan had the fourth highest measurable concentration of PM2.5 in 2023. Kyrgyzstan ranked 18th, Uzbekistan 23rd and Kazakhstan 40th out of the 134 countries and territories measured. There was insufficient data for Turkmenistan to be included in the list. Central Asia’s eastern neighbor, China, ranked 19th.

“Causing an estimated one in every nine deaths worldwide, air pollution is the greatest environmental threat to human health,” the report states. “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is responsible for an estimated 7 million premature deaths worldwide every year.”

Dushanbe was the most polluted capital in Central Asia in 2023 (4th in the IQAir city ranking), followed by Tashkent (22nd), Bishkek (29th) and Astana (52nd).

PM2.5 is defined as fine particulate aerosol particles measuring up to 2.5 microns in diameter. “Measured in micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³), PM2.5 is one of six common pollutants monitored and regulated by environmental agencies worldwide due to the significant impacts to human health and the environment,” the report states.

Common anthropogenic sources of PM2.5 are car exhaust, heavy industrial processes, power generation, agriculture, construction, and coal and wood burning. IQAir is an air-quality technology company that bills itself as operating the “world’s largest free, real-time air-quality information platform.”

Karakalpak Activist Wanted In Uzbekistan Detained In Kazakhstan (Radio Free Europe)

Radio Free Europe [4/1/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 235K, Negative]
Kazakh security forces have detained a Karakalpak activist and member of an opposition party at the request of Uzbek authorities, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reports. Rasul Zhumaniyazov, a member of the opposition Forward Karakalpakstan party, was detained on March 26, the service quoted the party’s leader, Aman Sagidullaev as saying. Zhumaniyazov is the second activist from Karakalpakstan to be detained in Kazakhstan in 2024. Karakalpaks are a Central Asian Turkic-speaking people. Their region used to be an autonomous area within Kazakhstan before becoming autonomous within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in 1930 and then part of Uzbekistan in 1936.

Indo-Pacific

Poliovirus near extinction in Pakistan, Afghanistan, health experts say (VOA)

VOA [4/1/2024 5:49 PM, Ayaz Gul, 761K, Neutral]
Global eradication efforts have "cornered” polio in a “few pockets” of Pakistan and Afghanistan, the last two countries where the virus continues to paralyze children.

Experts hailed the progress being made in tackling the “outbreak-prone” disease during a virtual briefing last week to mark a decade since India was declared polio-free in March 2014.

“We have Pakistan and Afghanistan [where polio is] still endemic, but the virus is cornered in very few pockets in very few districts of these two countries,” said Dr. Ananda Bandyopadhyay, deputy director of polio technology, research and analytics at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“The virus is gasping in these last corridors,” Bandyopadhyay said.

Pakistan has reported two wild poliovirus cases this year, while the number stood at six in 2023. Afghanistan has yet to detect a polio case this year and recorded six cases last year.

Experts credited continued efforts to vaccinate populations with pushing polio to the verge of extinction.

Wild poliovirus affects young children and can paralyze them in severe cases or can be deadly in certain instances. The paralytic disease is the only currently designated public health emergency of international concern.

Hamid Jafari, director of polio eradication for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, told the event that until 2020, about 13 families of wild poliovirus had spread across the neighboring countries.

Since then, only two families have survived, and they remain endemic to Pakistan “in a very small geographic area” in southern parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border province and in eastern Afghanistan, he said.

While the “historic reservoirs” have been cleared of the virus in Pakistan and Afghanistan, transmission is now surviving in “exceptionally hard-to-reach” populations, making it difficult for polio teams to inoculate children there, he said.

Jafari said "militancy and extensive population movement" across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and keeping track of those populations, were the kinds of "last-mile challenges that we have.”

“The genetic cluster that seems to be on its way out and getting eliminated is in the heart of the area of militancy in Pakistan,” he said.

Jafari noted that India’s polio program did not face the same militancy challenge that Afghanistan’s did until the Taliban takeover in August 2021, and that it remains a significant problem in Pakistan in the last stages of eradicating the virus.

Bandyopadhyay said successes against the poliovirus in both countries raise hope it is on the verge of extinction there.

He said clinicians “observed similar trends” even in the countries that “saw polio’s disappearing act.”

“Initially, we would have multiple families or lineages of the virus … and then you saw that disappearing act,” he said.

Jafari said that lessons learned in India had been applied to Nigeria, which was declared polio-free in June 2020. He added that many of “these practices were instilled in the program” in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

WHO has said that cases caused by wild poliovirus have dropped by more than 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350,000 in more than 125 endemic countries to just two endemic countries as of October 2023.

It attributed the decline to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, led by the WHO, the U.N. Children’s Fund, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Jay Wenger, director of the polio program at the Gates Foundation, said that even though Afghanistan and Pakistan had reported a handful of cases, global efforts against the virus must continue.

“As we get to the end of the [polio program], it’s critical to finish. We usually say if there is polio anywhere, it’s a threat to everywhere,” he said.

Twitter

Afghanistan

Ziauddin Yousafzai
@ZiauddinY
[4/1/2024 6:51 PM, 157.9K followers, 19 retweets, 50 likes]
To #UNGA 6th Committee @UN :
1. Hope you won’t compromise on women’s human rights and dignity.
2. The Taliban regime has issued 130 decrees, 85 of which directly violate the rights of women and girls.
3. Girls and women have been stopped from going to schools and universities BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN.
4. Women are not allowed to work in any field of life BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN.
5. Women are banned from free movement, visiting a public place even with a Mahrem BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN.
6. Mullah Haibatullah recently openly reinforced that soon they will be stoning and flogging women according to Sharia BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN.
7. Should there still be any doubt that the Taliban have established a perfect model of gender apartheid rule in Afghanistan?
8. What should stop UN member countries from standing up with the 20 million Afghan women and recognizing gender apartheid as a crime against humanity?
9. It’s time to codify gender apartheid in the Crime Against Humanity Treaty.
10. It’s time to end gender apartheid in Afghanistan and stand for gender equality all around the world.
#RecogniseGenderApartheid #CodifyGenderApartheid #ACrimeAgainstHumanity

UNAMA News
@UNAMAnews
[4/2/2024 1:01 AM, 305.5K followers, 4 retweets, 5 likes]
Thousands of landmines & explosive remnants of war remain a threat to hundreds of communities in #Afghanistan. #MineAction partners like @TheHALOTrust are saving lives by clearing land around residential areas & schools. #ProtectAndBuild #IMAD2024

Bilal Sarwary
@bsarwary
[4/1/2024 4:04 PM, 252.6K followers, 5 retweets, 25 likes]
In a concerning move, the Taliban’s Emir has halted pension deductions from salaries, casting uncertainty over the retirement security of many. This move follows their previous cessation of pension payments to retirees, including veterans. In 2019, pension payments amounted to a staggering Afs 26.3 billion (USD 313 million), nearly matching the Taliban’s 2022-23 development budget of Afs 27.9 billion (USD 333 million). This stark parallel underscores alarming fiscal mismanagement, leaving countless individuals vulnerable in their old age. Worse, the lack of transparency regarding revenues and expenses only adds to the frustration of taxpayers struggling to make ends meet. The Taliban’s actions speak volumes about their disregard for those they claim to serve, as they continue to oppress citizens while masking their true intentions in deceptive international speeches.

Bilal Sarwary
@bsarwary
[4/1/2024 2:46 AM, 252.6K followers, 72 retweets, 199 likes]
Greashk, Helmand. Taliban’s mayor vs the unarmed civilians. Maybe, for the Taliban it was always easy to fight, and never easy to govern, two are totally different things.

Pakistan

Government of Pakistan
@GovtofPakistan
[4/1/2024 1:38 PM, 3.1M followers, 11 retweets, 27 likes]
Pak-China friendship would march forward in unison and the enemies of CPEC and this exceptional relationship would be defeated completely. - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif while addressing the Chinese engineers and workers on the occasion of his visit to Dasu, Kohistan

Government of Pakistan
@GovtofPakistan
[4/1/2024 11:56 AM, 3.1M followers, 4 retweets, 23 likes]
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif assures foolproof security measures for Chinese nationals working on the Dasu Hydropower Project, as well as across the country. He vows to ensure exemplary punishment for the perpetrators of the March 26th incident. This commitment was made while addressing Chinese engineers and government officials at the Kass camp of China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) in Dasu (Upper Indus Kohistan).

The President of Pakistan
@PresOfPakistan
[4/1/2024 1:41 PM, 733.2K followers, 24 retweets, 52 likes]
Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Pakistan, Mr. Atadjan Movlamov called on President Asif Ali Zardari.

Anas Mallick
@AnasMallick
[4/1/2024 4:09 PM, 73.1K followers, 12 retweets, 56 likes]
#Pakistan on Monday was unanimously elected Chair of the UN Disarmament Commission as it opened its 2024 session amid rising geopolitical tensions and concerns over deepening mistrust between some of the world’s largest military Powers.

India

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[4/1/2024 1:58 AM, 96.8M followers, 19K retweets, 34K likes]
The @RBI plays pivotal role in advancing our nation’s growth trajectory. Speaking at its 90th year celebrations in Mumbai. https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1DXxyjyWorWKM

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[4/1/2024 1:01 PM, 96.8M followers, 5K retweets, 22K likes]
A monumental achievement in India’s defence sector. The soaring exports in the sector are a manifestation of our nation’s growing capabilities. Proud of the hard work and innovation of our people, which has propelled India onto the global stage in the world of defence. Our journey towards self-reliance in the sector will continue with even greater vigour in the times to come.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[4/1/2024 1:01 PM, 96.8M followers, 4.9K retweets, 23K likes]
A remarkable feat! Crossing 1 Billion Tonnes in coal and lignite production marks a historic milestone for India, reflecting our commitment to ensuring a vibrant coal sector. This also ensures India’s path towards Aatmanirbharta in a vital sector.

Rajnath Singh
@rajnathsingh
[4/1/2024 4:22 AM, 24.1M followers, 2.1K retweets, 8.4K likes]
Delighted to inform everyone that the Indian Defence Exports have scaled to unprecedented heights and crossed Rs 21000 crore mark for the first time in the history of Independent India! India’s defence exports have recahed to the level of Rs.21,083 Crore in the financial year 2023-24 which is a spectacular growth of 32.5% over the previous fiscal.

Rajnath Singh
@rajnathsingh
[4/1/2024 4:29 AM, 24.1M followers, 286 retweets, 1.2K likes]
Under Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi’s visionary leadership the Defence ministry has taken several initiatives to spur India’s defence manufacturing and exports. Our defence industries including the Private Sector & DPSUs have registered a commendable performance in the recent years. Congratulations to all stakeholders on crossing the new milestone in defence exports.

Pralhad Joshi
@JoshiPralhad
[4/1/2024 11:19 AM, 257.4K followers, 628 retweets, 2.6K likes]
For the first time ever, India’s coal and lignite production has crossed 1 Billion Tonne. Owing to favourable support from the Govt resulting in capacity expansion, coal+lignite production has grown by more than 70% over the last 10 years.

Pralhad Joshi
@JoshiPralhad
[4/1/2024 11:19 AM, 257.4K followers, 79 retweets, 373 likes]
Under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi ji, the coal mining sector is transforming to reflect the aspirations of a #ViksitBharat. Congratulations to all stakeholders on crossing this stupendous milestone. #Mission1BT

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[4/1/2024 4:58 AM, 3.1M followers, 182 retweets, 877 likes]
Speaking at the South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce #CorporateSummit2024 in Surat https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1mnxepENNVoJX

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[4/1/2024 9:40 AM, 3.1M followers, 273 retweets, 1.3K likes]
In conversation with Young Business Leaders of Surat https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1zqKVqRmQyPxB

Jagat Prakash Nadda
@JPNadda
[3/31/2024 2:22 PM, 3.6M followers, 373 retweets, 978 likes]
Deeply pained to hear about the loss of lives due to the devastating storm in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri and Mainaguri region. I urge all the @BJP4Bengal karyakartas to actively engage in providing comprehensive assistance to those affected, ensuring support reaches everyone in need.

Brahma Chellaney
@Chellaney
[4/1/2024 3:10 AM, 263.1K followers, 480 retweets, 1.2K likes]
India should remind the PRC that it occupied Tibet by mocking international law and that it now wants to extend its Tibet annexation to Arunachal, which India will never allow. It should be told that the real issue is that it imposed itself as India’s neighbor by annexing Tibet.

Dipanjan R Chaudhury
@DipanjanET
[4/2/2024 12:12 AM, 4.9K followers, 1 retweet, 4 likes]
1976 pact with Lanka gave India sovereign rights including fishing rights in Wadge Bank near Kanyakumari. The area has hydrocarbon potential — My report @ETPolitics @pranabsamanta https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/1976-pact-with-lanka-gave-india-sovereign-rights-in-wadge-bank/articleshow/108953869.cms?from=mdr

NSB

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh
@BDMOFA
[4/1/2024 5:46 AM, 35.1K followers, 6 retweets, 48 likes]
FS attended a national dialogue on Promoting Decent Work Agenda to Advance Social Justice on 31 March 2024 at the FSA. FS emphasized multi-stakeholder dialogues on certain labour related issues that would be critical for Bangladesh’s smooth and sustainable graduation.

Awami League
@albd1971
[4/1/2024 9:48 AM, 637K followers, 31 retweets, 88 likes]
The Vice President (Sector and Themes) of @ADB_HQ Fatima Yasmin has called on HPM #SheikhHasina on Sunday. During the meeting ,PM has sought further robust support from ADB to expedite #Bangladesh’s endeavor for its people’s socioeconomic development. https://bssnews.net/news-flash/181606

Sabria Chowdhury Balland
@sabriaballand
[4/1/2024 4:35 PM, 5.2K followers, 1 retweet, 2 likes]
It’s hilarious that #SheikhHasina, her party & India refer to the #IndiaOut movement as the BNP’s initiative. This could not be further from the truth. This distortion of the facts is being done to not admit that the vast majority of Bangladeshis detest the unelected regime, its leader & the country’s larger neighbor. The lack of involvement of the BNP is actually frustrating & revealing to most people. India needs to face the facts after making grave errors for 15 years. Its policy has been to only maintain a relationship with the Awami League rather than the people of #Bangladesh. Now, India is starting to reap what it has sowed. #IndiaOut After Maldives, ‘India Out’ campaign in #Bangladesh gets a ‘fitting’ reality check https://firstpost.com/amp/world/maldives-india-out-bangladesh-sheikh-hasina-13754953.html

M U M Ali Sabry
@alisabrypc
[4/1/2024 4:03 AM, 5.2K followers, 3 likes]
March 31st, 2024 ends with 209,181 tourist arrivals, first three months completes over 200,000 arrivals & total arrivals for 2024 stands at 635,784.

M U M Ali Sabry
@alisabrypc
[4/1/2024 5:22 AM, 5.2K followers, 4 retweets, 28 likes]
The government donated USD 1 million to aid Gaza’s conflict-affected children. President Ranil Wickremesinghe handed over the cheque to Palestinian Ambassador Dr. Zuhair Hamdallah Zaid. It’s part of the Children of Gaza Fund initiated by President Wickremesinghe, with additional donors contributing - PMD-

Karu Jayasuriya
@KaruOnline
[4/2/2024 12:36 AM, 53.4K followers, 1 like]
With the establishment of a multi-party environmental committee in Parliament, SriLanka is paving the way for more cohesive and sustainable policies. This is a commendable move in addressing the fragmentation among stakeholders.

Central Asia

MFA Kyrgyzstan
@MFA_Kyrgyzstan
[4/1/2024 9:26 AM, 9.5K followers]
Acting FAO Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic Viorel Gutu sent a congratulatory message to Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the MFA of the Kyrgyz Republic https://676.su/dspe

Asel Doolotkeldieva
@ADoolotkeldieva
[4/2/2024 1:16 AM, 13.8K followers, 3 retweets, 21 likes]
Kyrgyz President Japarov signed the law on nongov orgs, known as Foreign Agents Law. Have a look at his post on Facebook. It shows his view of the situation: "The question is why foreign donors are against this law? Our nongovernmental organizations are deceiving them" 1/2

Asel Doolotkeldieva
@ADoolotkeldieva
[4/2/2024 1:16 AM, 13.8K followers, 6 likes]
I wrote earlier that he would sign the law despite massive protestations by local organizations, diplomatic missions, and international orgs. https://facebook.com/share/p/vWdzqRJySmAqk2it/?mibextid=oFDknk 2/2

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[4/1/2024 11:53 AM, 23K followers, 1 retweet, 3 likes]
Karakalpakstan: 64 prosecuted in 2022-2023, accused for involvement in July 2022 violence in Nukus. Among them, 3 law enforcement officers, tried in closed tribunal. 22 released with conditional sentences. https://youtu.be/aLUJ8_V42rI

{End of Report}

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