epubdos : Afghanistan
SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO:
SCA & Staff
DATE:
Tuesday, January 16, 2024 6:30 AM ET

Afghanistan
Almost 100,000 Afghan children are in dire need of support, 3 months after earthquakes, UNICEF says (AP)
AP [1/15/2024 3:36 AM, Rahim Faiez, 22K, Negative]
Almost 100,000 children in Afghanistan are in dire need of support, three months after earthquakes devastated the country’s west, the U.N. children’s agency said Monday.

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook Herat province on Oct. 7 and a second strong quake struck the same province days later, on Oct. 11, killing more than 1,000 people. The majority of those dead in the quakes in Zinda Jan and Injil districts were women and children, and 21,000 homes were destroyed, UNICEF said in a statement.

“The atmosphere in these villages is thick with suffering even 100 days after the earthquakes in western Afghanistan when families lost absolutely everything,” said Fran Equiza, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan.

“Children are still trying to cope with the loss and trauma. Schools and health centers, which children depend upon, are damaged beyond repair, or destroyed completely,” he added.

“As if this was not enough, winter has taken hold and temperatures hover below freezing,” Equiza said. “Children and families without homes live in life-threatening conditions at night, with no way to heat their temporary shelters.”

UNICEF said it urgently needs $1.4 billion in 2024 to meet the humanitarian and basic needs of 19.4 million Afghans, half of the population.

The Taliban’s failure to invest in public services has contributed to the deterioration of basic services, hindering the ability of vulnerable communities to recover from shocks and build resilience, the agency added..

“We are grateful to our donor partners who mobilized resources quickly, enabling UNICEF to respond within days to the urgent needs of children and their families in Herat,” Equiza said.

But more help is needed “to ensure that children not only survive the winter but have a chance to thrive in the months and years to come,” he added.

Daniel Timme, head of communications for UNICEF in Afghanistan, said schools, homes, health facilities and water systems were destroyed.

“We have money coming in but it’s not enough. These communities need to be independent again. It’s not enough to put out the fire. We need to make it (Afghanistan) more resilient,” Timme said.

Separately and for all of Afghanistan, UNICEF said Monday that 23.3 million people, including 12.6 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance” in 2024, “mainly due to the residual impacts of a protracted conflict, extreme climate shocks and the country’s severe economic decline.”
UN: Crippling Winter Puts Nearly 100,000 Children At Risk in Quake-Hit Afghanistan (VOA)
VOA [1/15/2024 3:53 AM, Ayaz Gul, 761K, Negative]
The United Nations has called for increased humanitarian aid to help tens of thousands of children in western Afghanistan who are suffering in life-threatening winter conditions in the aftermath of a string of devastating earthquakes last October.

The U.N. Children’s Fund, UNICEF, issued the warning Monday, 100 days after repeated earthquakes struck the impoverished country’s western Herat and surrounding provinces.

The de facto Taliban government and aid agencies estimated the disasters last October killed more than 1,000 people, primarily women and children, and destroyed 21,000 homes, with countless families losing livelihoods, livestock, and crops.

"Three months on, the impact of Herat’s earthquakes lingers, with many families still living in tents or sleeping in the open despite the biting cold," UNICEF stated.

It added that the crippling winter gripping Afghanistan, including the earthquake-affected Herat region, is threatening lives and slowing efforts to rebuild.

"Children are still trying to cope with the loss and trauma. Schools and health centers, which children depend upon, are damaged beyond repair or destroyed completely," said Fran Equiza, UNICEF country chief.

"As if this was not enough, winter has taken hold, and temperatures hover below freezing. Children and families without homes live in life-threatening conditions at night, with no way to heat their temporary shelters," Equiza said.

The UNICEF said that in the 100 days since the initial emergency response, it had converted tented health facilities into more permanent structures in shipping containers and treated thousands of affected people, most of whom were women and children.

The agency continues to truck clean water to nearly 19,000 people in Herat and plans to distribute cash assistance to help families cover their basic needs to survive the winter. UNICEF has established dozens of facilities to help several thousand children, half of them girls, continue basic education.

"But thousands still need our help. UNICEF is concerned about the survival of 96,000 children affected by the earthquakes if we are not able to provide the services they need to recover," Equiza warned.

"We count on continued support to ensure that children not only survive the winter but have a chance to thrive in the months and years to come."

The U.N. says at least 23 million people, around half of them children, need humanitarian aid in Afghanistan "due to the residual impacts of a protracted conflict, extreme climate shocks, and the country’s severe economic decline.”

The return of the Islamist Taliban to power in August 2021 prompted United States-led Western nations to swiftly halt all development aid to the country and isolate the Afghan banking sector. The punitive actions fueled economic upheavals characterized by high unemployment and a fragile recovery.

Additionally, aid workers say the Taliban’s sweeping restrictions on Afghan women’s access to education and work in line with their harsh interpretation of Islamic law have undermined humanitarian activities across the country.
A suicide bomber in western Afghanistan targets the governor’s office and wounds 3 guards (AP)
AP [1/14/2024 6:15 AM, Staff, 22K, Negative]
A suicide bomber targeted the provincial governor’s office in western Afghanistan on Sunday and wounded three security guards, said a Taliban official.

The attacker detonated his suicide vest as he was shot by security guards while trying to enter inside the governor’s compound in Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz province, Abdul Mateen Qani, the spokesman for the Taliban’s interior minister, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State group’s affiliate has increased attacks in capital Kabul as well as in other parts of the country since the beginning of the year.

The IS group has carried out major assaults on schools, hospitals and mosques and also has attacked Shiite areas across the country in the last few years. It’s been a major rival of the Taliban since the latter seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021, as U.S. and other troops withdrew.
In the new Afghanistan, it’s sell your daughter or starve (Washington Post – opinion)
Washington Post [1/15/2024 6:30 AM, Stephanie Sinclair, 6902K, Neutral]
Their names are Khoshbakht, Saliha, Fawzia, Benazir, Farzana and Nazia — Afghan girls ages 8 to 10 who have been sold into marriage. Desperation forced their parents to thrust them into brutal adulthood. In Shahrak-e-Sabz, a settlement of makeshift mud-brick homes and tents for the displaced in Herat province that we visited last month, our researchers counted 118 girls who had been sold as child brides, and 116 families with girls waiting for buyers. This amounts to 40 percent of families surveyed, even though the Taliban decreed in late 2021 that women should not be considered “property” and must consent to marriage.

Conditions in the settlement are hellish. Shahrak-e-Sabz is set in a vast desert with no shade trees in sight; scant protection from sandstorms and harsh weather; no running water, electricity, heat or work; and only a trickle of aid from the outside world. Most families living here left behind decent lives to escape climate change and conflict. They subsist on stale bread and black tea; many are close to starving.

Across Afghanistan, child marriages have skyrocketed, and not only because of economic collapse. Families once hoped that their daughters, when educated, might find good work and contribute to the family income. Today, under the Taliban’s ever-increasing restrictions, school is prohibited for girls after the sixth grade, and work options for women are few. Sequestered at home, a girl becomes just another mouth to feed. But as a bride, she’s a valuable commodity. A $2,000 bride price is enough to feed a family for a year. For the girls, of course, this is a nightmare. In their new in-laws’ homes, they are saddled with housework and often subject to verbal, physical and sexual abuse — slavery under the guise of matrimony. It’s no wonder suicide and depression are rising among Afghan teenage girls.

To address the root causes of the child-bride phenomenon, my organization, Too Young to Wed, works to alleviate the hunger that stalks almost 90 percent of Afghans today. We provide parents with livelihood training so they can support their families rather than choose between starving or selling their children. In some cases, sensitive social workers can work with local authorities to annul marriages. Meanwhile, it is essential to educate community elders about the detrimental effects of child marriage, its harm to girls’ physical and emotional well-being and to the broader societal fabric. Girls under age 15 are five times more likely than women to die in childbirth, and their babies are often born premature.

In the midst of our fieldwork in Afghanistan, we worked with photographers to document the lives of several families who have faced the prospect of child marriage. Here are six of their stories.

Khoshbakht, 10

Khoshbakht is one of five children living with their mother, Nazdana. Their father died a year ago, and Nazdana now works as a tailor by day and does embroidery at night. Her two daughters gather meager money by begging. Since the family’s house was destroyed in an October earthquake, they have been living in a tent. In two months, Khoshbakht is to join the family to which she was sold two years ago for 150,000 Afghanis (about $2,100). “I want to be with my mother,” she said. She also wants to stay in school with her friends. Nazdana has been offered money for her 8-year-old daughter, Razia, too. “In the future,” she fears, ‘I won’t have a choice.”

Saliha, 10

Saliha was sold into marriage at age 7. “I sold my daughter due to poverty and hunger to save the life of the others,” said her father, Mohammad Khan. “I feel guilty but I had no other choice.” Too Young to Wed worked with the families and faith leaders to annul the marriage. Saliha, now 10 and enrolled in school, looks at her homework with her father, who is delighted by her education. “When we go in the city,” he said, “my daughter tells me: here, it is written ‘clinic.’ Here it is written this name or that name. Me? I can’t read these things. I will not marry my daughter before she finishes her studies. It’s too important.”

Fawzia, 6

Fawzia, standing here with Ghulam Hazrat, 8; Amina, 5; and her mother, Shirin Gul, loves playing with her rabbit and wants to go to school like other girls. But Shirin Gul says she will have to sell Fawzia into marriage. The family has too little money, and she sees no other option. Three of her eight children are disabled, and she earns just 25 Afghanis (about 36 cents) a day spinning wool.

Benazir, 10

Benazir, seen here making bread, was sold into marriage at age 7, when her father, Murad Khan, found he could no longer feed his eight children. Too Young to Wed negotiated with the families and faith leaders to annul the marriage, and helped Khan with the start-up capital needed to open a shop and become self-sufficient. Benazir is now enrolled in robotics school, and one of her sisters, Khomari, has completed Too Young to Wed’s sewing program. Khan says, “Even if someone put a knife on my neck, I won’t marry off my daughter.”

Farzana, 9

Farzana’s mother, Mariam, has seven children, ranging in age from 1 to 15. Farzana is at the top of this photo, with her mother and four of her siblings: Halima, 13; Fatima, 2; Gul Ahmad, 5; and Yunus, 7. After Mariam’s husband died in a car accident last year, she had to borrow money to survive. As her debts increased, she was forced to sell Farzana for 300,000 Afghanis (about $4,300). The buyer insists he’s entitled to take Farzana now because there’s no man in Mariam’s house, but Mariam is fighting through the legal system to keep Farzana until she turns 18.

Nazia, 9

Nazia was sold one year ago instead of her 12-year-old sister Pashtana, who insisted on staying in school. Their mother, Nazgul, and her husband have struggled to feed their six children and decided they had no other choice but to sell one of their daughters to a relative’s family for 200,000 Afghanis (about $2,800). At the time, Nazia had no idea what marriage would mean, so she didn’t protest. Now she knows, and the boy’s family wants to take her already. Nazia said she wants to play and be with her family. “I like school. I like learning the alphabet. The whole class is friends with me.” Nazgul regrets her decision but said, “We didn’t have anything, not even a mattress. I was forced to sell my daughter.” She is trying to persuade the boy’s family to let Nazia stay home for three more years.
Pakistan
Senior Pakistani politician meets reclusive Taliban supreme leader in Afghanistan (AP)
AP [1/13/2024 1:49 PM, Staff, 13914K, Neutral]
A senior Pakistani politician met the Taliban supreme leader in Afghanistan, the politician’s office said Saturday. It’s the second publicly known meeting between a foreign official and the reclusive Hibatullah Akhundzada, who rarely appears in public and seldom leaves the southern Afghan province of Kandahar.

It’s also the first known meeting between Akhundzada and a Pakistani delegation.

Fazlur Rehman is the first senior Pakistani politician to visit Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021. His Jamiat Ulema Islam party is known for backing them.

The Taliban have not confirmed the meeting with Akhundzada. Rehman’s party did not say if it was in Kandahar or the capital Kabul.

Rehman went to Afghanistan in an effort to reduce tensions between the two countries. Pakistan last November began expelling foreigners living in the country without documents, mostly Afghans, to the fury of the Taliban. The two sides have also traded blame over an increase in militant attacks in Pakistan.

Rehman’s office released the text of an interview he gave to the Taliban-controlled Radio Television of Afghanistan.

“The meeting with Hibatullah Akhundzada has been very positive,” he said, according to the text. “I received great support from Mullah Hibatullah, for which I am grateful. We have to move forward now by putting an end to old resentments.”

Confirmation of the meeting did not appear in the TV interview, which was broadcast on Saturday night.

Rehman said he did not go to Afghanistan on behalf of the Pakistani government, which knew about his visit, but he said he had its approval.

A spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said last week that Rehman was visiting Afghanistan in a private capacity at the invitation of authorities.
Pakistan effectively shuts the key crossing into Afghanistan to truck drivers (AP)
AP [1/13/2024 5:53 AM, Rahim Faiez, 2565K, Negative]
Pakistan effectively closed a key northwestern border crossing with Afghanistan to truck drivers on Saturday, Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban said.

Noor Mohammad Hanif, director of Information and Culture department in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province said that officials at the Torkham began asking for passports and visas from Afghan drivers.

Truckers have for years been able to pass the border without documents so they generally do not have them.

Hanif said that, in response, Afghanistan is now asking Pakistani drivers for passports and visas.

In a separate statement, the Nangarhar governor’s office said that officials from both sides are in talks to solve the problem, and a “decision will be made soon,” it added.

The Torkham border crossing has been closed a number of times in recent months, including in September when it was shut for nine days due to clashes between border forces.

On Saturday, dozens of trucks carrying perishable items, including vegetables and fruits, waited on each side of the border for the reopening of the crossing, which is a vital commercial artery and a trade route to Central Asian countries for Pakistan.

Pakistan is concerned about the presence in Afghanistan of the Pakistani Taliban, which is a close ally of the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan has said many Pakistani Taliban leaders and fighters have found sanctuary in Afghanistan and have been emboldened to carry out more attacks on security forces in Pakistan.

The Afghan Taliban government insists it does not allow the Pakistani Taliban to use its soil to launch attacks in Pakistan.

This comes just days after one of Pakistan’s most senior politicians, Fazlur Rehman, whose Jamiat Ulema Islam party is known for backing the Afghan Taliban, visited Kabul in an attempt to reduce lingering tensions between the two countries.

Rehman was the first senior Pakistani politician to visit Kabul since the Taliban seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops withdrew from the country after 20 years of war.

Tensions also exist around Pakistan’s ongoing expulsion of Afghans.

Pakistan has deported more than half a million Afghans without valid papers in recent months. Pakistan has long hosted about 1.7 million Afghans, most of whom fled during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation. More than half a million fled Afghanistan when the Taliban seized power.
Surging Militancy Prompts Pakistan to Review Support for Afghanistan’s Taliban (VOA)
VOA [1/12/2024 11:40 AM, Ayaz Gul, 761K, Neutral]
Officials in Pakistan have cautioned that relentless cross-border militancy is testing bilateral relations with Afghanistan’s Taliban and could eventually push Islamabad to scale back support for the de facto Kabul rulers.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan provinces, both lining Pakistan’s 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) border with Afghanistan, have experienced almost daily attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021, killing hundreds of Pakistani security forces and civilians.

The violence is mostly being carried out or claimed by the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The group, listed as a global terrorist organization, is believed to be operating out of Afghan sanctuaries, allegedly with the support of Taliban authorities.

Both countries have recently held repeated formal talks to discuss the issue, with the latest engagement occurring in early January when Islamabad hosted a high-powered Taliban delegation. But neither side has reported any breakthrough, nor has the diplomatic effort brought about a reduction in TTP-led extremist violence.

"Don’t expect immediate results; it’s a process with pitfalls. However, continuous interaction can help galvanize the process," a senior Pakistani diplomat told VOA, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to interact publicly with the media.

Already-troubled relationship

The official said that Pakistan’s stepped-up diplomatic engagement with the Taliban stems from concerns the TTP could be planning to intensify violence in the upcoming spring and target national elections scheduled for next month. He warned that the increase in violence could deal a critical blow to an already-troubled relationship between the two countries.

"That could certainly be a turning point, and the government of Pakistan may also run second thoughts about maintaining their support level with the Taliban," the official cautioned.

The United States this week repeated its concerns about an uptick in TTP attacks against Pakistani security forces from the group’s bases in Afghanistan, saying the violence has led to a deterioration in bilateral ties.

"The relationship between Pakistan and the Taliban at the moment is not good. ... This security issue is dominating the Taliban’s relationship with Pakistan," Thomas West, the U.S. special Afghan envoy, told a congressional hearing Thursday while discussing the growing TTP threat to regional stability.

"I am very worried about that group. I spoke about it with Pakistani leaders when I visited last month. For regional stability and our own interests and Pakistan’s stability, we should hope for concerted efforts to eliminate that group inside Afghanistan," West said.

Visit by prominent Pakistani leader

A prominent Pakistani religious party leader, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is known for his traditionally close ties with the Taliban, traveled to Afghanistan this week and held meetings with the leaders of the de facto authorities. He reportedly discussed the TTP, among other issues facing the two countries.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had confirmed in the run-up to the visit that Kabul had officially invited Rehman to promote better ties between the two countries.

Multiple sources confirmed to VOA that Rehman also met with reclusive Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada in his southern Kandahar headquarters, although neither side commented on the reported meeting.

The Pakistani cleric also reportedly met with TTP leaders at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. The host Taliban government reportedly arranged the meeting, but neither side confirmed that this happened.

However, Islamabad distanced itself from Rehman’s nearly weeklong trip, saying he traveled in "his individual capacity" and not "as an emissary of the government of Pakistan."

No peace talks

On Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters in Islamabad that her government had no intention to engage in peace talks with the TTP.

"Our demands from the Afghan authorities haven’t changed; they remain the same, which is that the Afghan authorities should take action, effective action, against terrorist elements inside Afghanistan, including TTP leadership," she said.

Kabul hosted and mediated talks between Pakistan and the TTP in mid-2022, but the group withdrew from the process later that year and has since renewed its attacks, killing hundreds of security forces and civilians last year alone. Pakistani officials allege Afghan Taliban members also facilitated and joined the TTP in some of the attacks.

Taliban authorities reject the charges, advising Pakistan against externalizing its "internal security problems."

The violence has also led to a government crackdown on undocumented Afghans in Pakistan, forcing more than half a million to return to their home country in the past few months and straining bilateral relations.

No foreign country has recognized the Taliban government in Kabul, but Pakistan is among several neighboring countries, including China and Russia, that have informally maintained ties with Afghanistan’s de facto authorities. The landlocked nation has traditionally relied on Pakistani land routes and seaports to conduct bilateral and international trade.
Pakistan Claims Capture of Two Islamic State Group Would-Be Suicide Bombers (VOA)
VOA [1/12/2024 7:47 AM, Ayaz Gul, 761K, Neutral]
Paskistani authorities said Friday they had arrested two alleged would-be suicide bombers linked to a regional affiliate of the Islamic State group known as Islamic State-Khorasan, or IS-K.

The provincial counterterrorism department said an "intelligence-based" operation had detained the two men near Peshawar, the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.

The statement said the alleged bombers "are members of Daesh Khorasan and graduated from a training facility for suicide bombers" in the eastern Afghan border province of Paktia. "Daesh Khorasan” is a local acronym for IS-K.

The statement also said the raid recovered two suicide vests, several hand grenades, and a pistol, adding that the suspects were planning to target regional Pakistani politicians.

IS-K routinely carries out and claims attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, targeting civilians and security forces.

The United States considers IS-K as a significant danger to the security of the region and the entire globe. The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan renewed those concerns Thursday.

"The terrorist group whose capabilities and intent concern us the most in Afghanistan is the Islamic State branch there, Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K," Thomas West told a congressional hearing in Washington, using another acronym for IS-K.

"ISIS-K harbors clear intent to launch external attacks, and we monitor their capabilities and planning vigilantly," West added.

IS-K has particularly intensified its violent campaign in Afghanistan since the Taliban regained control of the conflict-torn country in August 2021. It has targeted minority Afghan Shiite Muslims and the Taliban, killing hundreds of people over the past two years.

The Taliban claim their security forces had significantly weakened IS-K, and that it is no longer a threat in Afghanistan or beyond.
Imran Khan’s Party Vows to Fight Election Despite Effective Ban (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [1/15/2024 5:02 AM, Kamran Haider, 5543K, Neutral]
Candidates from Imran Khan’s party will contest next month’s national vote in Pakistan as independents, using different election symbols after the country’s top court barred them from their traditional cricket bat image.

The former prime minister’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said it developed an online portal to inform supporters about the list of approved candidates participating in the Feb. 8 elections. The candidates will reportedly contest the elections under an array of vote symbols ranging from a roller coaster to a goat.

“We aren’t giving up, not quiting,” Raoof Hasan, Khan’s spokesman, said by phone. “We need a credible mechanism as there are many who claim they are our candidates.”

The move comes after the Supreme Court upheld an Election Commission decision to strip PTI of its cricket-bat symbol — a nod to Khan’s former superstar status in that sport — effectively barring the party from contesting in the polls. Election symbols are important in Pakistan, where poor literacy means a large number of voters can’t read the names of candidates on the ballot paper.

Khan’s party had said that losing the bat as the symbol was a major setback for the group in the general election and that its voters may struggle to recognize and select the party when casting ballots.

Khan remains the most popular politician in Pakistan. He faces more than 170 cases and is in jail after a court convicted him in a graft case. His party says the cases are politically motivated attempt to keep him off the ballot.
Campaigning begins in Pakistan as party of imprisoned former leader alleges election is rigged (AP)
AP [1/15/2024 9:44 AM, Munir Ahmed, 22K, Neutral]
The party of former three-time Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif officially launched its general election campaign Monday with a rally in Punjab province, while analysts and his imprisoned rival accused authorities of attempting to rig next month’s vote.

The much-awaited rally that Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League party held in the city of Okara came a week after the Supreme Court scrapped a lifetime ban on politicians with convictions from running for public office.

The Jan. 8 ruling removed the last possible hurdle to Sharif running for parliament and potentially securing a fourth term as prime minister. Sharif stepped down as prime minister in 2017 over corruption charges.

However, his 2028 conviction and sentences in graft cases were overturned on appeal after his return from self-exile, which election officials had said made him eligible to seek a parliament seat in the country’s Feb. 8 election. Lawmakers will elect the next prime minister after the vote.

Analysts say the Pakistan Muslim League is likely to win many parliament seats and may end up in a position to form a new government after the election. Election officials have rejected the candidacies of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and most members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party.

Khan’ was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022, but he remains a leading political figure despite his conviction in a graft case. Elections officials barred Khan from the ballot because of the conviction.

Sharif’s daughter, who is the chief organizer of his party, traveled to Okara from the eastern city of Lahore to launch the election campaign. In her televised remarks, Maryam Nawaz asked people to vote for PML candidates and restore the party to power.

The rally was held two days after another Supreme Court ruling upheld the Dec. 22 decision by the Election Commission of Pakistan to deprive Khan’s party of its previously used election symbol of a cricket bat. Khan is a former professional cricket player.

The election commission argued that PTI did not fairly hold its internal election last month for a party leader to replace Khan given his conviction. The party elected Gohar Khan.

Khan’s party has said it does not plan to boycott the election despite its allegations of a coordinated effort to prevent it from fielding candidates and potentially governing Pakistan.

Many other politicians, including former Foreign Affairs Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who heads the Pakistan People’s Party, have also stepped up their campaigning for the parliamentary election.
Party of Pakistan’s Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif launches election campaign (Reuters)
Reuters [1/15/2024 6:30 AM, Asif Shahzad, 5239K, Neutral]
The party of Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, considered the front-runner to win upcoming general elections, launched its campaign on Monday amid accusations that the military’s support is already giving him an edge over rivals.

The campaign for the Feb. 8 polls, delayed since November, looks set to fire up a lukewarm race so far amid an uncertain political environment after Sharif’s main rival and jailed former premier Imran Khan’s party is facing what is considered a military-backed crackdown.

Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz, who is also considered his political heir, started the party’s campaign at a rally in the eastern city of Okara in Punjab province.

"The more you vote for us the more you will see your household expenses going down," she said amid inflation that has been hovering around 30% in recent months.

Sharif, who returned from self-exile in London late last year, has pledged to rebuild the country’s $350 billion economy, which is battling high inflation, an unstable currency and low foreign exchange reserves, despite averting a debt default with an IMF bailout last summer.

Analysts believe the South Asian nation’s powerful military has thrown its backing to Sharif, 74, after it was locked in a standoff with former cricket star Khan, 71.

That gives Sharif an edge in a country where army generals exert undue influence over establishing governments.

The military denies the accusations, and says it remains apolitical.

Major players such as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of late prime minister Benazir Bhutto have already begun campaigns, but these have been muted compared to past polls.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has started its campaign late, while Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) says it is not being allowed rallies by the authorities.

Khan’s PTI, which analysts and political opponents say won the 2018 elections with the military’s support, is facing state-backed efforts to block candidates on legal and technical grounds.

Sharif, elected prime minister in 1990, 1997, and 2013, has blamed his 2017 ouster and subsequent corruption convictions on the military, with which he had fallen out.
India
‘A Lifelong Nightmare’: Seeking Justice in India’s Overwhelmed Courts (New York Times)
New York Times [1/13/2024 4:14 PM, Sameer Yasir, 831K, Negative]
When the armed men stormed into the village of lower-caste Indians, fanning out through its dirt lanes and flinging open the doors of its mud homes, Binod Paswan jumped into a grain silo and peered out in horror.

Within hours, witnesses say, upper-caste landlords massacred 58 Dalits, people once known as “untouchables,” most of them farmworkers in the eastern state of Bihar who had been agitating for higher wages. Seven of them were members of Mr. Paswan’s family.

The next day, he lodged a police complaint, and investigators soon filed charges. That was 26 years ago. He is still waiting — after conflicting verdicts and hundreds of court hearings, with some witnesses now dead or impaired by fading eyesight — for a resolution.

“A cry for justice turned into a lifelong nightmare for us,” said Mr. Paswan, 45.

In a vast nation with no shortage of intractable problems, it is one of the longest-running and most far-reaching: India’s staggeringly overburdened judicial system.

The country’s economy is growing rapidly, technology is reshaping more than a billion lives and national leaders are striving for global power, but India seems to have few answers for the ever-deepening court backlogs that deprive citizens of their rights and hamper business activity.

More than 50 million cases are pending across the country, according to the National Judicial Data Grid — a pileup that has doubled over the past two decades. At the current pace, it would take more than 300 years to clear India’s docket.

There are many reasons for the backlogs. India has one of the world’s lowest ratios of judges to population, with just 21 per million people, compared with about 150 in the United States. For decades, India’s leaders and courts have set a target of 50 judges per million people. But there have been no sizable funding increases to hire more judges, improve court facilities and digitize procedures, as officials deem other priorities more important.

A rigid system with archaic rules inherited from the British also slows the process. Lawyers make endless oral arguments and produce lengthy written submissions. Little has changed even as government committees have recommended an end to the writing of testimonies by hand and to time-consuming procedures in examining witnesses.

Delays are endemic in both criminal and civil cases. About 77 percent of prisoners in India are awaiting trial, compared with one in three worldwide. Of the more than 11 million pending civil cases, most of which involve disputes over land or other property, nearly a quarter are at least five years old.

The country’s longest-running legal dispute — a bank liquidation case — was settled last January after 72 years. In June, a 90-year-old man was given life in prison for his involvement in a 42-year-old case.

“What are we doing about resolving the issue? Frankly, nothing,” Madan Lokur, a former Supreme Court judge, said in a recent interview.

“How long will it take to get a decision in your case?” he added. “If you’re fortunate, maybe in your lifetime.”

Judges churn through scores of cases every day, many of them nuisance filings by the government or citizens. Quick hearings lead to adjournments — and the backlog grows.

India’s government would seem to have a direct interest in easing the delays: It is the country’s biggest litigant, accounting for nearly 50 percent of pending cases.

But successive administrations have used the courts’ vulnerability as a political weapon. Fights between the judiciary and the executive branch over judicial appointments have reached new heights under the country’s current leader, Narendra Modi, who critics say has largely cowed the courts as he consolidates power across India’s institutions.

The Supreme Court remains a last resort for justice, but its judges are often bogged down by less-consequential matters like marriage or property disputes. When they do rule, the judges are increasingly seen as favoring the government, which has showered retirement perks on jurists who appear to toe the line, experts say.

And while opposition politicians and activists accused of crimes often languish for years in legal limbo, government supporters facing the same have an easier time getting bail.

The glacial pace of India’s judiciary was evident one recent morning in Mathura, a town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Hundreds of plaintiffs and defendants wandered aimlessly through the court complex’s crowded corridors, while lawyers holding papers under their arms took sips of hot milk and ginger tea.

In one corner, a lawyer and police officers joked with a milkman who had been accused more than a decade ago of selling adulterated products. The inspector who filed the case never appeared in court and was transferred from the town. The milkman, Mahender, who uses one name, has appeared at dozens of hearings anyway. The judge calls his name, the accused raises his hand, the inspector and a witness are absent, and another court date is assigned.

Even lawyers who become plaintiffs can struggle to navigate the system.

In 1999, an Indian Railways ticketing officer overcharged Tungnath Chaturvedi, a lawyer at the Mathura court, by 25 cents. Mr. Chaturvedi, 67, said he filed a case not because of the money, but because of the agent’s attitude.

It took him 120 hearings over 23 years to get a verdict. Last year, a consumer court ordered the railway to pay a fine of about $188, as well as the outstanding amount of 25 cents, plus 12 percent interest. Still, Indian Railways went to the highest court in Uttar Pradesh, and it reduced the fine to $80.

“When I filed the case, I used to go up and down the five stories of the court every day to attend court hearings,” Mr. Chaturvedi said. “When the judge delivered the verdict in my case, I was not able to walk from my home to the court because of arthritis. And I had already retired from work. That is the story of the Indian judiciary.”

Many cases are far more serious than a small overcharge, and the toll on those waiting for justice is much greater.

In June 1997, Neelam Krishnamoorthy lost her two children, ages 17 and 13, in a fire at a New Delhi movie theater that killed 59 people.

Her struggle to get justice inspired a Netflix series and countless newspaper articles. Her activism led to improved fire safety measures in shopping malls and theaters.

Ten years after the fire, 16 men, including the cinema’s owners and staff members and safety inspectors, were found guilty of negligence. Four of the men were already dead.

The two brothers who owned the theater, both powerful real estate barons, were given two years in prison, a sentence that Ms. Krishnamoorthy appealed to the Supreme Court. It did not rule until 2015, waiving the sentence and instead fining the brothers; Ms. Krishnamoorthy appealed again.

She continues to make the court rounds, now accusing the brothers of tampering with evidence.

“Had I known it would take more than two decades to even get bare minimum justice, I don’t think I would have gone to court,” Ms. Krishnamoorthy said. “I would have picked up a gun and shot the perpetrators; at least I would have got the sense of justice.”

Justice has also been elusive for the victims of the 1997 village massacre in Bihar. In 2010, a court found 26 people guilty, giving 16 of them death sentences and the others life imprisonment. The men challenged the verdict in a higher court, and two years later, citing a lack of evidence, it acquitted all 26 defendants.

Mr. Paswan and a few other eyewitnesses filed an appeal at the Supreme Court in 2014. The case has come before the judges nine times, but Mr. Paswan has no idea what is going on.

Days after the massacre, Dalit leaders erected a red brick memorial just outside his home. The names and ages of the 58 people who died are inscribed in Hindi. Twenty-seven women — eight of them pregnant — and 16 children were among the dead.

“When I look at this memorial, I can hear cries of people for help,” Mr. Paswan said. “It also serves as a constant reminder of injustice done to lower-caste people by the courts of this country.”
India, US seek to bolster trade ties, work together on critical minerals (Reuters)
Reuters [1/13/2024 11:55 AM, Shivangi Acharya and Mayank Bhardwaj, 5239K, Neutral]
India and the United States have agreed to bolster trade ties and deepen cooperation in areas such as critical minerals, the United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai said on Saturday.

India’s trade minister Piyush Goyal and Tai held their annual trade policy talks in New Delhi on Jan. 12. Tai is on a three-day visit to India.

The two nations are pushing to improve bilateral trade prospects, overcoming diplomatic tensions after Washington late last year alleged that an Indian official was linked to a foiled plot to murder a Sikh separatist leader on U.S. soil.

India has said any such action was contrary to government policy and launched its own investigation into the allegations.

During talks between Tai and Goyal, India said it was interested in a bilateral critical mineral partnership.

Washington and New Delhi would exchange information to deepen their partnership in this area, said an Indian official, who didn’t wish to be named as discussions are not public.

"In terms of the roadmap (for critical minerals), we are going to begin with fact-finding, exploring and establishing a common vocabulary and then develop our tools and ideas from there," Tai told a news briefing in New Delhi.

India also asked the United States to improve its visa processes for business professionals from India and requested Washington restore duty-free access to some goods under the so-called generalized system of preferences, according to a joint statement issued after the Jan. 12 meeting.

A U.S. trade preference program, which India had access to for decades, was ended by former President Donald Trump in 2019.

During her talks in New Delhi, Tai asked India to ensure that New Delhi’s policies on laptop imports do not restrict trade.
India’s Jaishankar to Head to Iran as Red Sea Conflict Escalates (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [1/12/2024 10:13 AM, Sudhi Ranjan Sen, 5.5M, Neutral]
India’s top diplomat will travel to Iran next week, as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to turn into a regional conflict.

The move comes after the US and UK bombed more than a dozen sites in Yemen used by Iran-backed Houthi rebels to launch attacks at commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is expected to be in Tehran on Monday to discuss the growing concerns over the escalating conflict in the Red Sea and the war between Israel and Hamas, according to senior officials in New Delhi who didn’t want to be named because the deliberations are private. Both sides expect frank talks on the issues, the people said.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment.

The Indian foreign minister’s decision to visit Iran comes just hours after he spoke to his US counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The US and India “shared concerns over reckless Houthi attacks in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” according to a US State Department statement, describing the talks. Washington “welcomed increased cooperation with India in defending freedom of navigation in the region,” and “efforts to prevent the conflict’s escalation,” the statement added.

India could potentially play a key role in diffusing the escalating tensions in the Middle East. It has long and historic ties with Iran and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has moved closer to Washington over the past few years. As US competition with China intensifies, it has deepened ties with India, hoping New Delhi can become an economic and diplomatic counterweight to Beijing in Asia.
India’s main opposition party begins a cross-country march ahead of a crucial national vote (AP)
AP [1/14/2024 7:42 PM, Staff, 22K, Neutral]
Thousands of members of India’s main opposition Congress party and its supporters began a 2-month cross-country march Sunday in a bid to regain some of the popularity it has lost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist party ahead of a crucial national vote this year.

The march led by Rahul Gandhi, scion of the influential Gandhi family, began from the northeastern Manipur state’s Thoubal district. The “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,” or “Unite India Justice March,” is scheduled to cover 6,713 kilometers (4,171 miles) in 67 days, mostly in buses but also on foot, while passing through 110 districts in 15 states, the party said in a statement.

This is the second time the Congress party has hit the road in the last two years to rally support for elections.

In late 2022, Gandhi led the “Bharat Jodo Yatra,” or “Unite India March,” from Kanyakumari, a coastal town on the southernmost tip of India, to Indian-controlled Kashmir. The march traversed 3,570 kilometers (2,218 miles) across 12 states in five months, and challenged the Modi government over growing economic inequality and the rising religious polarization.

India is expected to vote in a national election in April or May, and the opposition is scrambling to put up a fight against the electoral juggernaut of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. It remains popular after nearly a decade in power and many surveys suggest Modi will win a third consecutive term this year.

India’s previously fractured opposition parties have joined hands and formed the INDIA alliance, which stands for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance. However, it faced a setback in December when Modi’s party won in three of four crucial state elections.

Modi will seek reelection at a time when India’s global diplomatic reach is rising. At home he has faced a struggling economy, rising unemployment, religious tensions triggered by attacks on minority Muslims, and a shrinking space for dissent and free media.

In 2019, Modi’s party won 303 out of 543 parliamentary seats, in part due to its Hindu nationalist agenda. Congress was a distant second with 52 seats.
India protests UK diplomat’s visit to Pakistan-controlled Kashmir (Reuters)
Reuters [1/13/2024 1:15 PM, M. Sriram, 5239K, Negative]
India said on Saturday it had lodged a protest over a senior British diplomat’s visit to Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, saying the trip this week had infringed on India’s "sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Kashmir is claimed in full, but controlled only in part, by nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, which have fought two wars and engaged in numerous clashes over the Himalayan region since 1947.

British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott visited Pakistani Kashmir along with an official from the UK Foreign Office on Jan. 10, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has lodged a "strong protest" to the British High Commissioner to India about the visit, the ministry said, calling the trip "unacceptable".

Asked to comment on the Indian protest, a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office confirmed Marriott’s visit and added: "She met with the UK-Pakistani diaspora, played in a football match with street children and visited a bakery."

This week’s visit came as both India and Pakistan head to polls for elections this year.
India’s Diplomatic Crisis Deepens as Neighbor Cozies Up to China (Newsweek)
Newsweek [1/15/2024 4:30 AM, Aadil Brar, 2244K, Neutral]
A diplomatic crisis is deepening between the Maldives and India—a major U.S. partner in the Indian Ocean—after its president returned from Beijing and accused New Delhi of attempting to dictate its foreign relations.

President Mohamed Muizzu, who was elected in October, has publicly shunned the island nation’s traditional ally, India, in favor of closer ties with the world’s second-largest economy, China.

Muizzu visited China from January 8-12 and successfully elevated his country’s status in Beijing’s rank of diplomatic importance. The two countries now share a "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership," a friendship that could challenge New Delhi’s sphere of influence in the region and further mute Washington’s overtures in Male.

Amid China’s inroads in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives climbed the list of U.S. priorities in the region as Washington opened its first embassy in its capital. The archipelagic nation sits roughly 727 miles north of Diego Garcia, a British overseas territory and small atoll that houses a U.S. military base.

"We are not a country that is in the backyard of another country. We are an independent nation," Muizzu said on Sunday from Velana International Airport. "We may be small, but that doesn’t give you the license to bully us."

His assertive remarks were followed on Monday by another geopolitical fallout. Muizzu ordered India to withdraw its troops—nearly 100 personnel are stationed there for combat training as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief—by March 15.

The decision came on the heels of his visit to China, during which 20 key agreements were struck, according to a press release from the Maldives presidential office. Among the deals was unspecified cooperation between the nations’ state media groups.

It was a small but meaningful shift in regional influence toward Beijing and comes amid an existing diplomatic spat between Male and New Delhi, after a number of Maldives lawmakers were suspended for making inappropriate remarks by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, hosted Muizzu and backed the Maldives’ choices as well as its sovereignty and independence, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV.

"China respects and supports Maldives in exploring a development path that suits its national conditions, firmly supports Maldives in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national dignity," Xi said.

Perhaps more significant to the modest South Asian economy, which relies heavily on tourism, Muizzu said the Chinese government had agreed to begin debt restructuring talks on monies owed by Male to Beijing. A Chinese technical team would visit the Maldives for the discussions, he said.

Muizzu’s embrace of China presents a rare opportunity for Xi to advance his foreign policy goals in the region.

"Under the new circumstances, China-Maldives relations face a historic opportunity to build on past achievements and forge ahead," Xi said.
NSB
Real challenge for Bangladesh PM Hasina still lies ahead (Nikkei Asia – opinion)
Nikkei Asia [1/12/2024 4:14 PM, Sohela Nazneen, 293K, Neutral]
When Bangladeshis went to the polls last weekend, there was no doubt about the outcome as the ruling Awami League was the only major party participating.

With the Bangladesh Nationalist Party sitting out the vote, arguing election conditions were unfair, the Awami League ultimately won 222 of 300 parliamentary seats. About 50 other seats will be filled by candidates who ran as independents but were previously affiliated with the league.

Yet it is unclear how much the Awami League will get to enjoy its victory. Bangladesh, like South Asian peers Pakistan and Sri Lanka, fell into a deep economic crisis under the pressure of the COVID pandemic and the disruptions caused by the Ukraine war as energy prices soared, global inflation climbed and the country’s foreign reserves dwindled.

Although the International Monetary Fund granted Bangladesh a $4.7 billion rescue package in 2022, the country’s economic troubles show no sign of ending and foreign investment continues to decline.

The urban poor, industrial workers, those informally employed and the middle class are all feeling the economic squeeze. According to research by the U.K.-funded Covid-19 Learning, Evidence and Research Programme, which I participated in, many people’s savings, assets and support networks have been depleted by the downturn. People are worried.

Such feelings came to a boil in the weeks ahead of the election as millions of garment workers went on strike to demand a tripling of the official minimum wage, leading to violent clashes with police who sought to curtail their protests.

Economic dissatisfaction could lead to more demonstrations. With Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina, 76, as prime minister since 2009, the economy has been growing at a rapid pace. As formal political competition has declined, the legitimacy of Awami League rule has come to be based on its ability to deliver growth and development to the people.

The public also has given the government credit for its effective handling of the pandemic as it rolled out vaccines and aid amid the health emergency. According to a national survey conducted last April by the International Republican Institute, a U.S. democracy promotion group, 70% of Bangladeshis feel Sheikh Hasina has been doing a good job.

Yet people’s confidence in the ability of the government to manage Bangladesh’s economic crisis is faltering. In a survey by the Asia Foundation published last August, only a quarter of Bangladeshis said they felt the economy was headed in the right direction. The perception was particularly widespread among lower-income respondents, reflecting the squeeze they are feeling.

Whether the Awami League can improve the business environment by reining in corruption, red tape and graft and draw foreign investment remains to be seen.

Unfortunately, the country’s weakened parliament may not be much help.

Bangladesh looks set to stay politically polarized and the situation could worsen. There are signs the government may seek to further shrink avenues for protest.

The Cyber Security Act passed last year gives the government power to imprison or fine those found to have spread extremism, hatred or sectarianism. An earlier version of the law has already been used to prosecute a number of journalists.

The relationship between the government and civil society has rapidly deteriorated over the past decade. CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance based in Johannesburg, rates Bangladesh’s civic space as "closed," its lowest ranking. Groups working on civil and political rights have faced various restrictions and are worried the government will constrict their room for maneuver further.

Civic groups providing services to the needy are now struggling to work with the state and are likely to face more difficulties. The government-led pandemic management process revealed that these organizations have limited real influence.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, meanwhile, has to consider how it can remain relevant to the country’s politics after being out of power since 2006 and skipping several elections. It has little to show for its strategies of boycotts, protests, blockades, rallies and violent agitation.

The party’s key coalition partner, the Jamaat-e-Islami, has lost political credibility since several of its leaders were convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh for committing war crimes during the country’s war of liberation from Pakistani rule in 1971.

BNP leader Khaleda Zia was convicted of corruption in 2018 but is out of prison now on medical parole due to her ill health. Tariq Rahman, her son and temporary successor as acting party chairman, is in exile in London.

While the BNP now lacks effective leadership, no other opposition party has the clout to challenge the Awami League. The Jatiya Party, the remaining nominal parliamentary opposition, won eight seats in last weekend’s vote, but is not challenging the Awami League.

The U.S. and U.K. have publicly questioned whether last week’s election was free and fair. But at this point, it seems they do not plan to take any major policy response despite fears that Bangladeshi garment imports could face punitive tariffs. Indeed, a U.S. State Department spokesman said Washington would continue to work with Dhaka on promoting "a free and open Indo-Pacific."

China, India and Russia, meanwhile, have congratulated Sheikh Hasina on the Awami League’s victory. These countries have large economic and political investments in Bangladesh and have said they view the country’s elections as an internal affair.

At this point then, it appears the election results will face no substantive challenge from the international community. Yet the Awami League itself now faces the challenge of managing a major economic crisis on its own and will be responsible for what happens next.
Maldives asks India to withdraw its military in tilt toward Beijing (Washington Post)
Washington Post [1/15/2024 9:24 AM, Anant Gupta, 6902K, Neutral]
The Maldives has asked India to withdraw its troops by March 15, news outlets in the island nation reported Sunday, as a weeks-long spat that mushroomed across social media escalated against the backdrop of India and China’s struggle for influence in the Indian Ocean.

India, the regional power, has for years stationed about 80 military personnel, vessels and aircraft in the Maldives for carrying out surveillance and rescue operations. Relations between India and the Maldives have been strained since Mohamed Muizzu became the Maldives president in November after a charged election campaign in which he promised to push “India Out” if he won.

The March 15 deadline was proposed by the Maldivian delegation during the first meeting between high-level Indian and Maldives government representatives in Malé on Sunday, according to local media, citing senior officials in Muizzu’s office.

Official statements released by both countries after the meeting did not mention a deadline, but the Maldives Foreign Ministry said “both sides expressed willingness to intensify cooperation and agreed to fast-track the withdrawal of Indian military personnel.”

India’s statement said they were seeking a “mutually workable solution to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medevac services to the people of Maldives.”

The latest development marks a new low in ties between India and the Maldives after decades of close cooperation. In 1988, the Indian army thwarted an attempted coup in the Maldives and rescued the then-president in one of the most celebrated operations in Indian military history.

Now, the tiny country, with a little more than half a million people, is the latest site in the geopolitical competition between India and China, two Asian giants that have also vied for influence in Sri Lanka, another island nation.

During his campaign, Muizzu vowed to eject India’s military. He visited China on Jan. 8 on his first state visit, in a departure from tradition. Historically, every democratically elected president of the Maldives has chosen India for his first state visit abroad as an acknowledgment of the close ties between the two countries. India is its second-largest trade partner and sends the highest number of foreign tourists to its many scenic islands.

In a joint statement put out Thursday during Muizzu’s visit, China extended its support to the Maldives “upholding its national sovereignty, independence and national dignity.” Some 20 agreements were signed between the two countries over five days, and the visit raised concerns in India about Muizzu’s perceived tilt toward Beijing.

India’s military presence in the Maldives became a bone of contention between the two countries in 2018, too. But tensions fizzled out after a change in the Maldivian leadership at the time.

On Saturday, India’s Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar downplayed the tensions between the two countries and blamed domestic politics for the prevailing anti-India sentiment in the Maldives.

“People of that country generally have good feelings toward India and understand the importance of having good relations,” he said.

The diplomatic tensions have been inflamed by social media. Last week, nationalist Indian social media accounts called for the boycott of the Maldives as a tourist destination after three deputy ministers in Muizzu’s government made derogatory remarks about India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X, formerly known as Twitter. At least one Indian travel company suspended bookings to the Maldives after the controversy.

“We have put nation first over business,” Prashant Pitti, the co-founder of Indian online travel booking firm EaseMyTrip, said in a TV interview. “This is a proxy war between India and China. Those derogatory remarks were part of this.”

The government of the Maldives promptly suspended the three ministers and distanced itself from their remarks. But on social media, several Indian celebrities continued the calls for boycott and used the hashtag “#ExploreIndianIslands” in posts asking fellow Indians to visit Indian islands such as Lakshadweep instead.

The controversy led Muizzu to speak out against attempts to “bully” his country, without naming India.
Maldives calls for withdrawal of Indian troops by March 15 (Reuters)
Reuters [1/14/2024 11:17 AM, Mohamed Junayd, 5239K, Positive]
The Maldives has called for India to withdraw troops from its territory by March 15, an official said on Sunday, in a step that will further strain ties between the South Asian neighbours.

President Mohamed Muizzu won election last year on a pledge to end the Maldives’ "India first" policy, in a region where New Delhi and Beijing compete for influence.

A contingent of around 80 Indian soldiers are stationed on the Indian Ocean archipelago to provide support for military equipment given to the Maldives by New Delhi and assist in humanitarian activities in the region.

In talks at the foreign ministry between senior delegations from both countries, Muizzu proposed that the soldiers leave.

"In this meeting, on behalf of President Muizzu, the Maldivian delegation proposed the removal of Indian troops by March 15," Ahmed Nazim, Policy Director at the President’s Office told reporters.

"This date was proposed in the agenda by the government and specifically the president. These discussions are ongoing."

In his campaign, Muizzu called New Delhi’s huge influence a threat to sovereignty and pledged to remove Indian troops.

"The most important point to note here is that Indian troops cannot stay in the Maldives. That’s the policy of this government. It is also the president’s pledge and what the people of Maldives want," Nazim added.

India’s foreign ministry confirmed that a wide range of issues on bilateral cooperation were discussed between the two countries but the statement was quiet on the issue of the soldiers departure from the islands.

"Both sides also held discussions on finding mutually workable solutions to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medvac services to the people of Maldives," the statement said.

China and the Maldives upgraded their relationship during Muizzu’s first state visit to Beijing last week by agreeing to a "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership" that sets the stage for the Asian giant to up its investments in the Maldives.

The Maldives owes China $1.37 billion, equivalent to around 20% of its public debt, according to World Bank data.
Maldives leader says his country’s small size isn’t a license to bully in apparent swipe at India (AP)
AP [1/13/2024 1:54 PM, Staff, 22K, Neutral]
The president of the Maldives said Saturday that his country’s small size doesn’t give anyone the license to bully it, in a sign of defiance toward India, the archipelago state’s giant neighbor.

President Mohamed Muizzu, speaking to the media on his return from India’s regional rival China, said the Maldives is not in any country’s backyard and that the Indian Ocean does not belong to a single country — a reference to a recent tiff between the Maldives and India.

“We may be small but that doesn’t give you the license to bully us,” Muizzu concluded in English, having made his statement in the native Dhivehi language.

The latest dispute started with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posting photos on X, formerly Twitter, showing him strolling and snorkeling in the Indian archipelago of Lakshadweep, which his government believes has an untapped potential for tourism.

However, in the Maldives, some saw it as an attempt to draw visitors away from its sandy white beaches and high-end island resorts popular with celebrities.

“We are a free and independent nation. So this territorial integrity is something China respects firmly,” said Muizzu, signaling the Maldives government’s effort to break from India’s influence.

Muizzu was elected president last November on an “India Out” platform promising to remove some Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives. He accused his predecessor of compromising national sovereignty.

Three government deputy ministers posted derogatory remarks against Modi on X and were suspended by Muizzu’s government, which said those remarks do not reflect government policy.

However, many Indians took to social media urging a boycott of the island nation.

The incident highlighted the fragile nature of the relationship between India and the Maldives and its susceptibility to a breakdown at a time when Beijing and New Delhi are both vying for influence in the island nation.

A breakdown in relations could affect the Maldives more since many of its citizens travel to India for health care and education while most staples and medicines are imported from that country.

Last year, India sent the most tourists to the Maldives, an 11% share.

However, Muizzu said China sent the largest number of tourists to the Maldives before the COVID-19 pandemic and steps would be taken to double that number.

He also announced plans that, if implemented, will enable the Maldives to break from its dependence on India.

Muizzu said government-sponsored universal health care for Maldivians provided in hospitals in India and Sri Lanka will be expanded to Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

Most Maldivians now go to hospitals in India for treatment.

“When this is fully established, Maldivians will be served much better from countries with much better quality than the countries we go to now,” said Muizzu.

He also said the Maldives has reached an agreement with Turkey for the import of rice, sugar and wheat flour. Medicines will be imported directly from manufacturers in Europe and the United States, he said.

“We will surely establish our independence, our sovereignty and establish the Maldives of the Maldivians,” he said.
UN criticises Sri Lanka police for arresting thousands in war on drugs (The Independent)
The Independent [1/15/2024 8:07 AM, Alisha Rahaman Sarkar, 3055K, Negative]
The United Nations and rights organisations have condemned the ongoing anti-narcotics crackdown in Sri Lanka that has led to the “arbitrary arrest” of 30,000 suspects.

Police in Sri Lanka said the arrests were made as a part of the operation Yuktiya (the Sinhala word for justice) which began in mid-December and aims to completely eradicate the illegal drug trade in the South Asian nation.

Law enforcement officials have been accused of subjecting the suspects to unauthorised raids, arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment, public strip searches and torture.

The UN human rights agency slammed the operation on Saturday and called on the government to reassess its strategy with a human rights-based approach.

“We are very concerned that authorities in Sri Lanka are adopting a heavily security-based response to the country’s drugs problem," read a statement issued by Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights.

More than 29,000 people have been arrested between the start of the operation on 17 December and the first week of January on suspicion of drug-related offences, with the police vowing to detain more. About 1,500 of those detained were in administrative detention in police custody, while 1,600 were sent to compulsory drug rehabilitation centres.

"Abuse of drugs and the factors that lead to it are first and foremost public health and social issues," a spokesperson for Mr Turk said. "People suspected of selling or trafficking drugs are entitled to humane treatment, with full respect for due process and transparent, fair trials."

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and a group of 30 rights organisations on Monday urged the government to cease the crackdown and release any people arrested without reasonable evidence.

Suspects with a history of drug abuse were being arrested without evidence, the group said, adding that the detention adversely impacted families’ ability to meet their basic needs at a time of economic crisis.

"This operation is unfolding in a context of already severe repression against persons who use or are suspected of using drugs, who suffer discrimination and stigma within the Sri Lankan criminal justice system and society," the group said.

"Cease involving the armed forces in drug control and treatment activities as consistent with human rights law," it said.

Despite the international concerns, the Sri Lanka police on Sunday said that they would launch a new phase of the drug bust operation to arrest over 40,000 identified suspects before the June deadline.

"All police stations must work 24 hours a day for the next one month to arrest 42,248 suspects and bring them to justice," the police said in a statement.

Nearly 800kg of contraband, including 340kg of cannabis and 70kg of heroin, have been seized during the operation, it added.
Central Asia
US Ambassador to Kazakhstan Outlines US Engagement in Central Asia (VOA)
VOA [1/14/2024 9:22 PM, Navbahor Imamova, 761K, Neutral]
U.S. strategic interests in Central Asia boil down to stability and sovereignty, according to Washington’s top diplomat in Kazakhstan, an oil-rich republic sharing long borders with Russia and China.

With an eye on the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, a fellow former Soviet republic, the countries in the region have adopted a hedging strategy, maintaining deep links to Moscow while also bolstering relations with the West.

U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Daniel Rosenblum told the Caspian Policy Center gathering on Jan. 4, that the main goal of U.S. policy for Central Asia is to ensure that Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan “stand on their own, be fully sovereign and independent countries that can make their own choices about who to associate with, who to trade with, who to have relations with — without undue external pressure.”

Rosenblum pointed to the so-called C5+1 group, including the United States and the five republics, underlining its “value in acting as a group, integrating with one another, cooperating — that makes each of them stronger individually.”

A second focus for Washington is border security and counterterrorism, a third is boosting trade and investment, and a fourth is promoting human rights and the rule of law, he said.

Economic and political aspects

Kazakhstan is America’s top business partner in Central Asia, with $3 billion in bilateral trade in 2022 and an estimated 15% increase last year, plus $5 billion direct investment in 2023.

Despite holding regular talks on human rights, Rosenblum said Washington and Astana “do not see eye-to-eye” on the lack of meaningful political competition and the continuous arrests of critical voices.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch sites enduring concerns.

"Two years after large-scale anti-government protests rocked Kazakhstan in January 2022, few officials have been held accountable for their part in [the] disproportionate use of force against protesters, arbitrary arrests and imprisonment, and torture and ill-treatment of detainees," HRW stated in its annual report issued this week.

“When I arrived in November 2022, there were seven names on the list [of political prisoners], which had been going down steadily. And now there are 23, which is not a good trend,” Rosenblum said.

Akbota Karibayeva, a Ph.D. candidate at the George Washington University, agreed with Rosenblum, stressing that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s transformation package branded as the "New Kazakhstan" has not yet had major effects.

“In the ‘New Kazakhstan,’ we continue to see a familiar cycle of detaining activists for expressing their opinions and repeatedly denying registration to opposition movements. The space for dissenting voices has barely expanded, if at all,” Karibayeva told VOA.

Asserting that Astana is complying with sanctions against Russia, Rosenblum pointed to the U.S., EU and U.K. comprised list of 45 categories of goods.

“Those 45, our experts say, are less than 2% of Kazakhstan’s exports to Russia. Even if they weren’t controlling it at all, it would not constitute more than 2%,” he said.

Rosenblum defended Kazakhstan, which has a 7,644-kilometer border with Russia.

“Since the sanctions were first imposed back in 2022, Kazakhstan’s record, I’d argue, is a good one, both in terms of their ability to prevent sanctions evasion and also making sure that they’re complying with all the sanctions when it comes to their domestic companies, relationships with Russian companies, Russian banks, and so on,” he said.

Kazakhstan last month removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist groups.

“They gave us advance notice that they were doing this, which is in the spirit of the partnership of no surprises,” Rosenblum said. “Kazakhstan has made clear that it will not recognize the Taliban government, and that remains its position until there’s an international consensus and certain benchmarks are made. And this doesn’t change that. They’ve also made clear that they prioritize developing some level of economic relations with Afghanistan, even with the Taliban regime in charge there.”

Kazakhstan vs. Uzbekistan

Before his current assignment, Rosenblum served as ambassador to Uzbekistan, whose leadership has also promised reforms.

“When I arrived in Tashkent [in 2019], it was already a couple of years into the reform process. … Things were slowing down,” he said.

In Rosenblum’s view, Uzbekistan’s initial steps toward change were dramatic, despite the backslidings many observe now, specifically the systemic challenges, testing President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s commitment and his regime’s willingness to transition from an ingrained authoritarian government to a democratic one.

Kazakhstan, he said, has cycled through reform phases producing limited advances, "as opposed to what was really like a sea change, kind of a watershed in Uzbekistan, where suddenly the closed system was opened up.”

Since 2022, following the January civil unrest that left at least 227 dead, Kazakhstan changed its constitution, held presidential and parliamentary elections that Tokayev coined as “democratic” despite the lack of opposition. He has vowed to leave office in 2029, at the end of his seven-year presidential term.

Tokayev pledged to decentralize power and strengthen local governance, moves that Rosenblum said are still unfolding.

“The jury is still out. We have to give some time to see,” he said.

China, Russia, Iran

One issue Washington and Astana disagree on is China’s treatment of Uyghurs, atrocities that the U.S. considers a genocide and crimes against humanity. Yet Rosenblum sees some daylight there.

“There are some Uyghurs and ethnic Kazakhs who are able to cross the border. They don’t necessarily receive refugee status, but they’ve essentially taken refuge in Kazakhstan, which has lived up to its international obligations of nonrefoulement,” he said, referring to the principle that asylum-seekers should not be returned to countries where they face serious threat to life or freedom.

“They do not send people back to China,” he said.

Kazakhstan’s trade with China recently surpassed $30 billion, which is 10 times more than its trade with the United States, which Rosenblum said he does not find surprising “since they are close neighbors.”

“Kazakhs are sort of bullish on economic relations with China. They are not as exposed or as vulnerable, arguably, as other Central Asian countries because they haven’t taken on nearly as much Chinese debt,” he said.

Kazakhstan will continue to diversify its political and economic partnerships, Rosenblum predicted, despite China’s growing influence and the country’s continuing dependence on Russia for energy.

Russian nationalists’ frequent calls to annex Kazakhstan are viewed alarmingly in Astana, Rosenblum said, but he added, “I don’t feel like there’s a sense of any imminent danger or threat to the northern border of Kazakhstan.”

As part of the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union, Kazakhstan recently signed a free trade deal with Iran. Rosenblum said Astana consults with Washington on this issue as well.

“The Kazakh government by now has learned what’s sanctionable and what isn’t,” he said.

Kazakhstan, a regional leader?

While Rosenblum praised Kazakhstan as a “consistent pusher” for regional unity and connectivity, Karibayeva argued that to become a real catalyst for change in Central Asia, her country must lead by example.

“Symbolic gestures and high-level engagements among Central Asian countries and with the United States are important signals of commitment. But it is now essential to progress beyond discussions and focus on implementation at every level of cooperation,” she told VOA.
Kazakh Officials Unexpectedly Allow Commemoration Of Nazarbaev Nemesis (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [1/15/2024 6:38 AM, Merhat Sharipzhan, 223K, Neutral]
Kazakhstan’s authorities have unexpectedly allowed an event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the birth of the late opposition politician Zamanbek Nurqadilov, an outspoken critic of the Central Asian nation’s former president, Nursultan Nazarbaev.

On January 14, politicians, public figures, lawmakers, and celebrities gathered for an event to commemorate Nurqadilov at a restaurant in central Almaty, the country’s largest city. Special letters by President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev and the chairman of the Senate, Kazakh parliament’s upper chamber, Maulen Ashimbaev, were read at the ceremony praising Nurqadilov’s contribution to the building of Kazakh statehood.

Nurqadilov, was once mayor of Almaty and chairman of the Emergency Situations Agency before he turned into a fierce critic of Nazarbaev and his government in 2004. He was found dead with two bullets in his chest and one in his head at his home in Almaty in November 2005. Official investigators ruled the death was a suicide, sparking a public outcry at the time.

Toqaev’s letter said a monument to Nurqadilov will be erected in his native Kegen district in the Almaty region, while one of local schools will be named after him and a plaque honoring him will be placed at the house in Almaty where he lived.

Nurqadilov’s former associate, businessman Bolat Abilov, called the event commemorating Nurqadilov "a political, historical, and moral rehabilitation" of the politician, adding that all the Nazarbaev monuments across the nation must be demolished and memorials to honor Nurqadilov and other politicians and journalists who died amid suspicious circumstances must be built instead.

Nurqadilov’s death occurred around the same time as a series of deaths of opposition politicians and journalists.

Among them are the deaths of opposition leader and former Kazakh ambassador to Russia, Altynbek Sarsenbaiuly, and his two associates, who were found shot dead near Almaty in February 2006, three months after Nurqadilov’s death.

Both politicians were interviewed in July 2004 by prominent independent journalist Askhat Sharipzhanov, who was found later the same day as the interview beaten and unconscious with a fractured skull. He died three days later in hospital.

Police said Sharipzhanov had been hit by a car, but friends and colleagues said his injuries suggested he had been struck in the head and hands before being hit by a vehicle.

Sarsenbaiuly’s killing was officially declared to have been motivated by personal enmity. A former chief of staff of the Kazakh parliament, Erzhan Otembaev, was convicted of ordering the slaying and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

However, in 2013, Otembaev’s sentence was annulled after Kazakh authorities announced that the case had been sent for review based on newly obtained evidence they said indicated that Rakhat Aliev, Nazarbaev’s former son-in-law, had ordered the killing.

Aliev, who was deputy chief of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee when the slaying took place and became an outspoken opponent of Nazarbaev in 2007, was in self-imposed exile in Europe at the time.

Aliev was later arrested by Austrian officials at the request of authorities in Kazakhstan, who accused him of involvement in the kidnapping and murder of two Kazakh bankers.

In February 2015, Aliev was found hanged in a Vienna jail.

Austrian officials ruled Aliev’s death a suicide, but many in Kazakhstan believe he was murdered while in Austrian custody.
Kazakhstan strives to strike water-management deal with China (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [1/12/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K, Neutral]
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources is engaging in negotiations with China over water usage of the region’s increasingly stressed rivers. Astana has established a 20-member working group to haggle with Chinese officials over a water-distribution framework covering approximately 20 cross-border rivers, including the Irtysh and Ili.

According to a ministry statement, the two states have already agreed on a number of points as of late December. A ministry representative, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, indicated that a water-sharing mechanism covering the KhorgosRiver could serve as a model for similar arrangements on other waterways.

“Along the [Khorgos] river that separates the two states, a common hydraulic facility was built jointly with China,” Nurzhigitov was quoted . “Its operation is 100 percent automated, and its locks are designed in such a way that water flows equally on both sides of the border. When one party wants to change the amount of water coming through the sluice, the other party automatically receives the same amount of water.”

Despite the apparent negotiating progress, getting a satisfactory water-management deal done with China will not be easy. Kazakhstan in recent years has complained about excessive Chinese water consumption. Last summer, for example, the Irtysh River experienced some of its lowest water levels in generations. Though drought was acknowledged as a contributing factor, Kazakh experts blamed China for exacerbating the problem by diverting excessive amounts of water from the Irtysh basin. The low water levels on the Irtysh caused economic disruption not only for Kazakhstan but also Russia.

In late 2022, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed concern that intensive water diversion by China of the Ili River was a factor in the shrinking of Lake Balkhash. In a 2018 academic study, the authors contended that Kazakh officials have limited leverage when negotiating with Beijing on water-related issues. The study notes that Astana has faced “difficult trade-offs” as Kazakh officials attempt “to balance access to adequate water with all the other aspects of its national interest that are connected to its relationships with China.”
Security Officers Detain Director, Editors Of Kyrgyz News Website After Searching Offices (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [1/15/2024 8:27 AM, Staff, 223K, Negative]
Security officers in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, detained Asel Otorbaeva, the director-general of the 24.kg news website, and chief editor Makhinur Niyazova on January 15 after searching the independent media outlet’s offices.

Niyazova told reporters while being forced into a police car that the searches and the detentions were linked to a probe into an article about Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. 24.kg’s lawyer Nurbek Sadykov told RFE/RL that there was no official information about what exactly the State Committee for National Security (UKMK) is investigating.

24.kg reported later that one of its editors, Anton Lymar, was also detained, adding that he, as well as Otorbaeva and Niyazova, had been taken to the UKMK for questioning.

Kyrgyzstan’s civil society and free press have traditionally been the most vibrant in Central Asia. But that has changed amid a deepening government crackdown.

More than 20 people, including NGO leaders and other activists, are currently facing trial on serious charges for their opposition to a controversial border agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan last year.

RFE/RL correspondents reported from the site that security officers confiscated computers, laptops, printers, and other devices from the 24.kg offices. They sealed the offices after leaving the premises.

Sydykov said the security officers did not allow him and the website’s other lawyers to be inside the offices during the searches.

The UKMK said in a statement hours later that the searches and detentions were linked to a probe on "propagating a war." No details were provided.

The Brussels-based International Partnership for Human Rights called the searches at 24.kg and the detention of its staff members a "worrying development."

Founded in 2006, 24.kg is one of the country’s first online newspapers.

In September 2023, the 24.kg website was blocked in Russia over four of its reports about the war in Ukraine published in October 2022.

The reports were about Russian strikes targeting Ukrainian towns and cities, casualties among Ukrainian civilians, European sanctions imposed on Russia over its full-scale aggression against Ukraine, and the mobilization of Russians to the armed forces announced in September 2022.
Off-Limits: Uzbeks Jailed, Sent To Psychiatric Wards For Online Criticism Of President Mirziyoev (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [1/12/2024 10:25 AM, Farangis Najibullah, 235K, Negative]
Uzbek citizens risk ending up in jail or a psychiatric hospital for criticizing their country’s president, Shavkat Mirziyoev, on social media.

At least three people are currently serving prison terms for criticizing Mirziyoev online, and one man has recently had his forced “treatment” extended at a psychiatric ward for a mental disorder he insists he does not have.

Before his arrest in 2021, Valijon Kalonov, who lives in the eastern Jizzakh Province -- the home region of the president -- frequently criticized Mirziyoev and his policies on YouTube.

Kalonov, 54, was particularly critical of Mirziyoev’s government maintaining good relations with China despite Beijing’s clampdown on Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang Province.

In one YouTube post from March 2021, Kalonov urged Uzbeks to end Mirziyoev’s rule by voting him out of office.

“I am not calling on you to take up arms and fight, I am urging you to use your democratic right to vote in an election,” he said. “I don’t trust my country and my children’s future with Mirziyoev.”

Kalonov was arrested by the regional police’s department against terrorism and extremism and was convicted by the Jizzakh city court of “insulting the president” and committing other “criminal offenses that endangered society,” according to authorities.

The details of the case against Kalonov and his sentencing were not made public. Kalonov was eventually transferred to a psychiatric hospital, a legacy from the Soviet era still used by some Central Asian countries to punish government critics.

Insulting the president of the country is a criminal offense in Uzbekistan punishable by up to five years in prison.

‘No Regrets’

This week, Kalonov’s family told RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service that in November a district court in Jizzakh extended Kalonov’s forced “treatment” in a mental hospital by three months.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the relatives said he doesn’t suffer from any mental disorder. Relatives say that Kalonov has told them during their weekly visits to see him that the doctors try to force him to take tranquilizers.

According to a copy of an official document obtained by RFE/RL, Jizzakh doctors concluded that “Kalonov’s mental condition has not improved” and that he still has “no regrets about his actions” that officials say landed him in the psychiatric hospital.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring Samarkand region, a teenager was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for “insulting the president” on Instagram.

A copy of the October 26 court ruling says Dilshod Iskandarov, 19, used a swear word against Mirziyoev and his family. Iskandarov later deleted the comment which he had posted in 2022 as a migrant worker in Russia, the ruling said.

Iskandarov was arrested, charged, and subsequently convicted upon his “voluntary” return to Uzbekistan in 2023, despite telling the court that he regretted his action and had “no discontent with Uzbek President Mirziyoev’s policies,” the document stated.

In the eastern Ferghana Province, two men ended up in court -- in separate cases -- after complaining about a shortage of natural gas and electricity in their region on the Telegram channel Kokand Methane Gas.

Utkirbek Sobirov, 27, “insulted the president,” voiced “dissatisfaction with the government’s policies,” and spoke about “the need to push” Mirziyoev out of office, said a court document detailing Sobirov’s case and 3-year sentence.

Another user of the same Telegram channel, Ahrorbek Quchqorov, 30, was handed a 4-year term of house arrest for a similar post.

RFE/RL has asked the office of the Uzbek president for comment but has not yet received a response.

Zero Tolerance

There is no genuine political opposition or real independent media in Uzbekistan, where the government stifles free speech and critical voices. Media and rights advocates accuse Tashkent of imprisoning and torturing journalists and bloggers who criticize the government.

In August, blogger Abduqodir Muminov was sentenced to 7 1/4 years in prison on dubious charges of fraud and extortion that his supporters claimed were in retaliation for his work, which included a report on the business activities of Mirziyoev’s relatives.

Mirziyoev has come under criticism in recent years for backsliding on the reforms he promised when he came to power following the death of his authoritarian predecessor, Islam Karimov, in 2016.

In his first years in office, Mirziyoev was credited for opening up Uzbekistan economically, thawing its relationships with neighboring countries, and trying to improve Tashkent’s human rights record, including by stopping the notorious forced labor in the cotton industry that had received worldwide criticism.

Mirziyoev also initially gained popularity in the Muslim-majority country for providing some religious freedoms, removing thousands from so-called extremist blacklists, and freeing prisoners jailed for their religious beliefs.

But the government began making a U-turn on reforms, restricting the media, silencing critics, and cracking down brutally on anti-government protests in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan.

In a widely criticized referendum on constitutional changes in April 2023, Uzbekistan cleared a path for Mirziyoev to stay in power until 2037 by increasing the presidential term from five to seven years and declaring that his time in office before the amendment would not be counted if Mirziyoev ran again for president.

In July, Mirziyoev was reelected in an vote that lacked genuine competition, according to Western election observers and analysts, and was deemed neither free nor fair.
Twitter
Afghanistan
Heather Barr
@heatherbarr1
[1/15/2024 5:15 AM, 61.9K followers, 86 retweets, 105 likes]
Human Rights Watch has said that the actions of the Taliban administration towards women until 2023 indicate that the suppression is deepening. Suppression of Women in Afghanistan has intensified: HRW - Khaama Press

Heather Barr
@heatherbarr1
[1/14/2024 6:11 AM, 61.9K followers, 13 retweets, 49 likes]
Thanks @submarine_lemon for prompting a few thoughts on what lessons Afghans could take from the South Africa v Israel case. Lawyers have been working to find a state or states to bring an ICJ case against Afghanistan for Taliban violations of CEDAW.

Heather Barr
@heatherbarr1
[1/14/2024 6:15 AM, 61.9K followers, 6 retweets, 8 likes]
“States can bring ICJ action v another state over CEDAW—a convention Afg signed & Taliban are blatantly violating. Lawyers have reached out to various states about bringing a case, but no state has yet agreed to take action. That should change.”

Heather Barr
@heatherbarr1
[1/14/2024 6:18 AM, 61.9K followers, 1 retweets, 2 likes]
It’s been hard to find states willing to take on the Taliban at the ICJ. SA v Israel will affect those dynamics—hopefully in a positive way. States that admire SA’s actions should consider stepping up to lead or help lead a case on women’s in Afghanistan.

Heather Barr
@heatherbarr1
[1/14/2024 6:23 AM, 61.9K followers, 3 retweets, 4 likes]
States that don’t admire SA’s action should still be reminded an ICJ action is a crucial tool in addressing an extraordinary crisis like the one Afghan women/girls face—& hasn’t been used yet in this case. States pledging support to Afghan women should stand w/them in this way.

Heather Barr
@heatherbarr1
[1/14/2024 6:25 AM, 61.9K followers, 3 retweets, 9 likes]
Afghan activists can be inspired by SA v Israel, and can refer to the case as they push harder for states to launch an ICJ action to uphold CEDAW in Afghanistan.
Pakistan
Spokesperson Pakistan MoFA
@ForeignOfficePk
[1/15/2024 7:40 AM, 467K followers, 28 retweets, 65 likes]
Foreign Minister @JalilJilani today received Iran’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Affairs, Hassan Kazmi Qomi. FM underscored Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful & stable Afghanistan and emphasized the need for enhanced coordination for regional stability. He also underlined the critical role of neighbouring countries of Afghanistan to achieve the vision of a peaceful and stable region. Earlier, Amb Qomi held extensive talks with his counterpart , Pakistan’s Special Representative on Afghanistan @AsifDurrani20, on the situation in Afghanistan and the regional processes for peace and dialogue

Spokesperson Pakistan MoFA
@ForeignOfficePk
[1/15/2024 7:40 AM, 467K followers, 28 retweets, 65 likes]
Foreign Minister @JalilJilani today received Iran’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Affairs, Hassan Kazmi Qomi. FM underscored Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful & stable Afghanistan and emphasized the need for enhanced coordination for regional stability. He also underlined the critical role of neighbouring countries of Afghanistan to achieve the vision of a peaceful and stable region. Earlier, Amb Qomi held extensive talks with his counterpart , Pakistan’s Special Representative on Afghanistan @AsifDurrani20, on the situation in Afghanistan and the regional processes for peace and dialogue

Madiha Afzal
@MadihaAfzal
[1/15/2024 1:20 PM, 41.6K followers, 2 retweets, 21 likes]
In the run up to Pakistan’s elections, will be sharing some of my articles and essays over the years on Pakistan’s politics here. Pakistan’s Democratic Opportunity — The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, Fall 2016. https://www.thecairoreview.com/essays/pakistans-democratic-opportunity/

Madiha Afzal
@MadihaAfzal
[1/15/2024 1:24 PM, 41.6K followers, 1 retweet, 3 likes]
A volatile election season in Pakistan — Brookings, July 20, 2018 (the week before the election) https://www.brookings.edu/articles/a-volatile-election-season-in-pakistan/

Madiha Afzal
@MadihaAfzal
[1/14/2024 7:23 PM, 41.6K followers, 76 retweets, 249 likes]
The Biden admin’s silence on Pakistan’s democratic backsliding in the run up to elections & on the extent of pre-poll manipulation that is taking place is a statement in itself. Of America’s preferred partner in Pakistan, its army; of Biden’s lack of interest in Pakistan;... 1/2

Madiha Afzal
@MadihaAfzal
[1/14/2024 7:23 PM, 41.6K followers, 11 retweets, 58 likes]
... and of the administration’s checkered record on democracy around the world. 2/2

Madiha Afzal
@MadihaAfzal
[1/14/2024 11:50 AM, 41.6K followers, 295 retweets, 781 likes]
For those with limited literacy in Pakistan, party symbols define how they vote. Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision disenfranchised such voters who had planned to vote for PTI. This isn’t only about decimating a party. It’s taking away the fundamental rights of the electorate.

Madiha Afzal
@MadihaAfzal
[1/14/2024 1:12 PM, 41.6K followers, 7 retweets, 29 likes]
The party symbol is even more important in a context where incumbents are under arrest and disqualified from contesting elections, and a new candidate from the party is taking their place.

Madiha Afzal
@MadihaAfzal
[1/13/2024 1:30 PM, 41.6K followers, 55 retweets, 290 likes]
The Supreme Court has stripped PTI of its election symbol, the bat. Hard to overstate the importance of election symbols in Pakistan and the challenge this poses to the PTI. Another major blow to the party.

Madiha Afzal
@MadihaAfzal
[1/13/2024 1:38 PM, 41.6K followers, 47 retweets, 139 likes]
Another instance of the judiciary functioning in service to the establishment.

Madiha Afzal
@MadihaAfzal
[1/13/2024 1:48 PM, 41.6K followers, 4 retweets, 26 likes]
Another sad day for the remains of Pakistan’s democracy.

Madiha Afzal
@MadihaAfzal
[1/13/2024 1:12 PM, 41.6K followers, 35 retweets, 109 likes]
State Dept on Bangladesh elections: “The United States shares the view with other observers that these elections were not free or fair.” The question: will the US issue a similar statement on Pakistan after its election?

Madiha Afzal
@MadihaAfzal
[1/13/2024 1:15 PM, 41.6K followers, 60 retweets, 138 likes]
It’s clear that Pakistan’s election won’t be free or fair, given the amount of pre-poll manipulation that has already taken place. The only question now is whether there will be overt rigging on election day.
India
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[1/15/2024 8:05 AM, 94.6M followers, 6.2K retweets, 43K likes]
Had a good conversation with President Putin. We discussed various positive developments in our Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership and agreed to chalk out a roadmap for future initiatives. We also had a useful exchange of views on various regional and global issues, including Russia’s Presidency of the BRICS.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[1/15/2024 7:32 AM, 94.6M followers, 2.1K retweets, 8K likes]
The self-confidence of Svavi Ganga Ji from Andhra Pradesh is remarkable. It highlights the important role of women in making a Viksit Bharat by 2047!

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[1/15/2024 6:50 AM, 94.6M followers, 4K retweets, 17K likes]
Today we mark 150 years of the India Meteorological Department’s exceptional service to our nation. From pioneering weather forecasting to advancing climate research, IMD has been instrumental in safeguarding lives and enhancing our understanding of the environment. @Indiametdept

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[1/15/2024 2:45 AM, 94.6M followers, 3K retweets, 9.6K likes]
Delighted to speak to PM-JANMAN beneficiaries. Our government has assiduously worked for welfare of tribals.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[1/15/2024 10:34 AM, 94.6M followers, 7.8K retweets, 29K likes]
On Army Day, we honour the extraordinary courage, unwavering commitment and sacrifices of our Army personnel. Their relentless dedication in protecting our nation and upholding our sovereignty is a testament to their bravery. They are pillars of strength and resilience.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[1/14/2024 7:00 AM, 94.6M followers, 17K retweets, 71K likes]
Attended very special Pongal programme in Delhi. I convey my best wishes for this festival, which is marked globally with great enthusiasm.

President of India
@rashtrapatibhvn
[1/15/2024 2:57 AM, 23.8M followers, 755 retweets, 5.7K likes]
My visit to the Prime Ministers’ Sangrahalaya was a pleasant and illuminating experience. The galleries dedicated to the past Prime Ministers of India not only rekindled many memories but also offered new ways to engage with our past. As the first visitor of the gallery devoted to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, I was glad to see his contributions to the various spheres of nation-building coherently showcased in one place. The use of advanced technology makes the content all the more engaging.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[1/15/2024 10:51 AM, 3M followers, 315 retweets, 2.9K likes]
Met Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Akbar Ahmadian. A good discussion on bilateral and regional issues.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[1/15/2024 9:36 AM, 3M followers, 473 retweets, 2.4K likes]
My remarks at the joint press conference with FM @Amirabdolahian in Tehran.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[1/15/2024 9:27 AM, 3M followers, 1.2K retweets, 10K likes]
Honoured to call on the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr Ebrahim Raisi @raisi_com. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi. Expressed condolences over the Kerman attack. Apprised him of my productive discussions with the Iranian Ministers. Value his guidance for further development of ties.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[1/15/2024 9:17 AM, 3M followers, 665 retweets, 5.6K likes]
Held wide ranging discussions today in Tehran with Iranian FM @Amirabdolahian. Our bilateral discussion focused on the long term framework for India’s involvement with Chabahar port and the INSTC connectivity project. Also spoke about threats to maritime shipping in the region. Important that this be speedily addressed. Other issues on the agenda were the Gaza situation, Afghanistan, Ukraine and BRICS cooperation.
NSB
Moosa Zameer
@MoosaZameer
[1/15/2024 10:35 AM, 12.2K followers, 51 retweets, 88 likes]
A monumental achievement for our nation, as we witness the completion of a key component of the development megaproject to expand @VelanaAirport. The new cargo terminal, opened today by President Dr @MMuizzu, will increase our cargo service capacity by more than double, and provide more efficient and eco-friendly facilities for our airlines and brokers. Today’s opening and the President’s vision to bring further revolutionary development to our main airport will boost our economy and bring about more prosperity to our people.

MOFA of Nepal
@MofaNepal
[1/14/2024 11:40 PM, 256.2K followers, 7 retweets, 33 likes]
Foreign Minister Hon @NPSaudnc received this morning Ambassador of Kazakhstan H.E. Nurlan Zhalgasbayev at the Ministry. During the meeting, the two dignitaries discussed possible areas in enhancing Nepal-Kazakhstan engagements, particularly in investment and tourism.

M U M Ali Sabry
@alisabrypc
[1/14/2024 6:44 AM, 4.7K followers, 11 retweets, 18 likes]
Best wishes to Dr. Mohammed Hasan Mahmud on his appointment as the Foreign Minister of #Bangladesh. Looking forward to working together to further strengthen the ties between #Bangladesh and #SriLanka. @BDMOFA @MFA_SriLanka
Central Asia
Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[1/15/2024 2:11 AM, 22.4K followers, 5 retweets, 10 likes]
For Kazakhstan to become a real catalyst for change in Central Asia, says Akbota Karibayeva @akbotabox, Kazakhstan must lead by example. “Symbolic gestures and high-level engagements among Central Asian countries and with the United States are important signals of commitment. But it is now essential to progress beyond discussions and focus on implementation at every level of cooperation." For example, she says @VOANews, Kazakhstan could take the initiative on water resources management and counterterrorism, “which have long been a point of great reluctance among Central Asian states.” Karibayeva suggests “people-oriented economic policies,” such as increasing support for startups and the green energy transition with collaborative solutions. https://voanews.com/a/us-ambassador-to-kazakhstan-outlines-us-engagement-in-central-asia/7440100.html

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[1/15/2024 1:54 AM, 22.4K followers, 7 retweets, 8 likes]
U.S. strategic interests in Central Asia boil down to stability and sovereignty, according to Washington’s top diplomat in Kazakhstan. @VOANews @caspiancenter @USembassyKAZ @State_SCA

Steve Swerdlow
@steveswerdlow
[1/15/2024 5:04 PM, 15.3K followers, 4 retweets, 9 likes]
.@Navbahor gets to the essence of US-Central Asia relations in this close look at our man in Kazakhstan, Ambassador Rosenblum, who tells it like it is on lack of progress in KAZ #humanrights record. Great comments from @akbotabox. Give it a read!

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[1/15/2024 3:28 PM, 151.2K followers, 4 retweets, 9 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on the results of activities as well as plans for the future in the field of #geology. Measures to increase the volume of exploration work and the effective exploitation of identified reserves were presented.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[1/15/2024 2:40 PM, 151.2K followers, 1 retweets, 10 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the presentation on the implementation of the #business sustainability rating.

Uzbekistan MFA
@uzbekmfa
[1/14/2024 3:26 AM, 6.8K followers, 6 retweets, 14 likes]
.@president_uz: “Protecting and safeguarding homeland is the greatest and noblest task in the world.” Happy the 32nd anniversary of the formation of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan and the Day of Defenders of the Motherland!

{End of Report}
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