SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO: | SCA & Staff |
DATE: | Monday, January 29, 2024 6:30 AM ET |
Afghanistan
33 people have been killed in separate traffic crashes in eastern Afghanistan (AP)
AP [1/28/2024 8:49 AM, Staff, 22K, Negative]
Separate traffic crashes in eastern Afghanistan have left at least 33 people dead and 16 others injured, authorities said Sunday.Ten collisions occurred in the Sorabi district of Kabul province, on the main highway linking the Afghan capital, Kabul and the eastern Nangarhar province, killing 17 people, including two children and four women, said Khalid Zadran, spokesman for the Kabul police chief.Ten others were injured in the crashes and they were hospitalized for treatment, Zadran said.Meanwhile, four additional collisions happened in the eastern Laghman province near the end of the same highway between Kabul and Nangarhar, killing 15 people, according to a statement from the Laghman police chief.One person was killed and six others were injured in other parts of Laghman province, it added. The injured were transferred to nearby hospitals for treatment.Traffic crashes are common in Afghanistan, mainly because of poor road conditions and the carelessness of drivers on highways. Kim Jong Un’s ‘Infidel’ Hairstyle A Fashion Sin Under New Taliban Rules (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [1/28/2024 6:42 AM, Michael Scollon, 223K, Neutral]
Afghan men have limited options when visiting the barbershop if they do not want to be accused of walking away looking like a trendy Westerner or a North Korean dictator.No haircuts that make them look like an "infidel." No trimmed eyebrows. And no shaved faces or beards shorter than the optimal length.Any of those styles are considered a fashion sin, according to a new six-point list of rules for barbers issued by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.The issuance of the directives, initially denied by the ministry, were confirmed by a regional ministry official in the western province of Herat this week.Azizul Rahman Mohajer said on January 23 that certain haircuts were too similar to what the "infidels in the West or North Korea" have.Some among the younger generation in Afghanistan try to follow these styles, Mohajer said, prompting the delivery of the new rules for barbers to follow."If the style is according to our principles there is no problem," he said, stressing that if customers ask for trendy hairstyles or to have their beards cut, barbers should refuse them.The directives appeared to single out hairstyles that might resemble that of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un -- whose head is shaved on the sides and back, and topped with longer hair in a nod to the cut donned by his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, the founder of communist North Korea.They were also reminiscent of orders issued under the previous Taliban government in power from 1996 to 2001, including "foreign haircuts" styled after the side-shaved, long-on-top hairdo popularized by American actor Leonardo DiCaprio in the film Titanic. Anything resembling the "Beatles cut," the iconic mop top worn by John, Paul, George, and Ringo during the British band’s 1960s Beatlemania era, was also banned.The latest rules say that beards should be no shorter than "one strand" and that men’s eyebrows should not be trimmed. Barbers were also told not to have music playing in their shops, or to have any images that might advertise undesirable styles on display.It was not clear if the new rules applied only in Herat or across the country.Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban has outlawed music and made clear that it considers the shaving or cutting of beards to be a violation of its strict interpretation of Islamic law and values.Afghan barbers who spoke to RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi expressed incredulity at the latest rules, with some questioning how the styles coming under scrutiny could be in violation of Islamic law and saying the order would harm their business."If you trim your beard...or wear Western-style clothes, how does that make you a nonbeliever?" asked one barber who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution. "It doesn’t make any difference.""The Koran says that cleanliness is part of the faith, but that is not the case here," a youth from Herat Province who also spoke on condition of anonymity told Radio Azadi. "We understand that wearing a [long] beard is preferred, but it is not a sin [not to have one]."Policing AppearancesThe new rules for barbers are the latest attempt by the Taliban to police the appearances of Afghan men and women.Since regaining power, the Taliban has ordered male government employees to grow beards and wear traditional attire or risk being fired. In some areas, men have been forced to attend prayers.In some parts of Afghanistan, the Taliban has banned Western-style clothing, including jeans and suits.The extremist group has also ordered male teachers and high-school students in some provinces to grow a beard, wear a turban or Islamic cap, and don the "pirhan tumban," the traditional baggy shirt and pants that is common in rural Afghanistan.The militants have also imposed strict gender segregation in schools, universities, hospitals, government offices, and public transport.Women have borne the brunt of the Taliban’s attempts to police Afghans’ appearances. The hard-line Islamist group has enforced strict dress and behavioral codes that require women to cover from head to toe and severely restricts their rights to move freely, work, or receive an education.The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has frequently issued orders it has said are intended to help Afghans stay in compliance with what the Taliban considers Islamic law. Pakistan
Iran’s top diplomat seeks to deescalate tensions on visit to Pakistan after tit-for-tat airstrikes (AP)
AP [1/29/2024 2:35 AM, Munir Ahmed, 456K, Neutral]
Iran’s foreign minister was in Pakistan on Monday for talks on deescalating tensions after deadly airstrikes by Tehran and Islamabad earlier this month killed at least 11 people, marking a significant escalation in fraught relations between the neighbors.
Hossein Amirabdollahian landed at an airport near Islamabad before dawn and held discussions described as “in-depth talks” with his Pakistani counterpart, Jalil Abbas Jilani, at the foreign ministry in Islamabad. The Iranian foreign minister was also to meet with Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul-Haq-Kakar.
Relations between the two countries were dramatically imperiled on Jan. 17, when Iran launched airstrikes in Pakistan’s restive southwestern Baluchistan province, targeting what Tehran said were hideouts of the anti-Iran militant group Jaish al-Adl, or the Army of Justice. Pakistan said two children were killed and tree others were wounded.
Angered over the strikes, Pakistan recalled its ambassadors from Tehran and launched airstrikes against alleged militant hideouts inside Iran, in the Sistan and Baluchestan province, killing at least nine people. Islamabad said it was targeting Baluch militant groups with separatist goals.
Iran and nuclear-armed Pakistan have long regarded each other with suspicion over militant attacks on their sides of the border. Experts say the tit-for-tat strikes this month were at least partially prompted by internal political pressures though they also raised the threat of violence spreading across the Middle East, already unsettled by Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
During his visit, Amirabdollahian is also expecting to brief his hosts about an incident on Saturday in which unknown gunmen shot and killed at least four Pakistani laborers and wounded three others in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province. Pakistan has condemned the killings, describing the attack as “horrifying and despicable”.
Relatives of the slain Pakistanis rallied on Sunday, demanding that the bodies of their loved ones be brought home. Pakistan said arrangements were being made for that with Iran’s help and that the three wounded workers were being treated at an Iranian hospital.
The two foreign ministers are to hold a joint news conference later on Monday. Pakistan, Iran agree to expand security cooperation after missile strikes (Reuters)
Reuters [1/29/2024 4:29 AM, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, 190K, Positive]
Pakistan and Iran on Monday said that they respected each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and resolved to expand security cooperation, stepping up efforts to mend ties after tit-for-tat missile strikes this month at what they said were militant targets.Foreign ministers of the two countries held talks in the Pakistani capital days after their military tensions raised alarm about wider instability in the region since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted on Oct. 7.Pakistan’s caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, speaking at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said the neighbours were able to resolve misunderstandings fairly quickly.The two countries also agreed to fight terrorism in their respective areas and allay each other’s concerns, Jilani said.Abdollahian said the two countries have a good understanding, adding that there have never been territorial differences or wars between Iran and Pakistan.Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi would soon visit Pakistan, Abdollahian added.Tensions between the two countries rose after the missile strikes, with Pakistan recalling its ambassador to Tehran and not allowing his counterpart to return to Islamabad, as well as cancelling all high-level diplomatic and trade engagements.But efforts were swiftly made to lower the temperature, with the envoys asked to return to their posts and Abdollahian invited for talks.The two Muslim nations have had a history of rocky relations, but the missile strikes were the most serious incidents in years.Islamabad said it hit bases of the separatist Baloch Liberation Front and Baloch Liberation Army, while Tehran said it struck militants from the Jaish al Adl (JAA) group.The militant groups operate in an area that includes Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan and Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province. Both regions are restive, mineral-rich and largely underdeveloped.Iran said the strikes in a border village on its territory killed nine people, including four children. Pakistan said the Iranian attack had killed two children. Gunmen in Iran kill nine Pakistanis days after tit-for-tat strikes (Reuters)
Reuters [1/27/2024 2:36 PM, Staff, 5239K, Negative]
Unidentified gunmen killed nine Pakistani workers in a restive southeastern border area of Iran on Saturday, Pakistan’s ambassador and Iranian state media said, amid efforts by the two countries to mend ties after tit-for-tat attacks."Deeply shocked by horrifying killing of 9 Pakistanis in Saravan. Embassy will extend full support to bereaved families," the Pakistani ambassador to Tehran, Muhammad Mudassir Tipu, said on the X platform. "We called upon Iran to extend full cooperation in the matter."Iranian state media said police were looking for the three gunmen who escaped after the shooting.The Baluch rights group Haalvash said on its website that the victims were Pakistani labourers who lived at an auto repair shop where they worked. Three others were wounded, it said.State media said no individuals or groups had claimed responsibility for the shootings in Saravan in Sistan-Baluchestan province."It is a horrifying and despicable incident and we condemn it unequivocally," Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said. "We are in touch with Iranian authorities and have underscored the need to immediately investigate the incident and hold to account those involved."The shooting occurred ahead of a planned visit on Monday to Pakistan by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani condemned the shootings."Iran and Pakistan won’t allow enemies to damage the brotherly ties between the two countries," he said in a statement.State media said the Pakistani and Iranian ambassadors were returning to their postings after being recalled when the neighbouring countries exchanged missile strikes last week aimed at what each said were militant targets."The Iran-Pakistan border creates an opportunity for economic exchanges... and must be protected against any insecurity," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told Mudassir Tipu as he received the ambassador’s credentials on Saturday, state media reported.The impoverished Sistan-Baluchestan region has long been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and separatist militants and smugglers carrying opium from Afghanistan, the world’s top producer of the drug.Iran has some of the lowest fuel prices in the world and this has also led to increasing fuel-smuggling to Pakistan and Afghanistan despite a crackdown by Iranian border guards. Pakistan Urges Iran to Investigate ‘Horrifying’ Slayings of 9 Citizens (VOA)
VOA [1/27/2024 2:40 PM, Ayaz Gul, 761K, Negative]
Pakistan confirmed Saturday that nine of its nationals were killed by gunmen in neighboring Iran, demanding an immediate investigation into the "terrorist incident" to punish the perpetrators.Iranian media reported that the early morning shooting occurred in a home in the southeastern city of Saravan in Sistan-Baluchistan province bordering Pakistan."It is a horrifying and despicable incident, and we condemn it unequivocally," said Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson."We are in touch with Iranian authorities and have underscored the need to immediately investigate the incident and hold to account those involved in this heinous crime," Baloch said.No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack that targeted a group of Pakistanis reportedly working at an auto repair shop in the Iranian border region.Baloch said that a senior Pakistani diplomat was on the way to the hospital where several injured people were being treated, promising to arrange for an urgent repatriation of the victims’ bodies."We are fully seized of this grave matter and are taking all necessary measures in this regard…Such cowardly attacks cannot deter Pakistan from its determination to fight terrorism," she said.Saturday’s incident came more than a week after Pakistan’s military launched cross-border retaliatory strikes, targeting alleged militant hideouts in the same Iranian city. Iran said that attack in Saravan killed nine people, mostly women and children.Islamabad said the Pakistani military had hit bases of outlawed Baluch militant groups orchestrating attacks against Pakistan from Iranian border areas.The unprecedented strikes came two days after Iranian security forces staged "drone and missile strikes" against what Tehran said were the "strongholds" of the anti-Iran Jaish al-Adl militant group in Pakistan’s southwestern border province of Balochistan.Islamabad condemned the Iranian raid as a "blatant breach" of its territorial sovereignty, saying it resulted in the deaths of two children. Pakistan immediately recalled its ambassador from Iran and barred the Iranian ambassador from returning to the country.Both countries have long accused each other of not doing enough to deny fugitive militants safe havens in their respective territories.The military tensions raised fears of a broader conflict between Iran and Pakistan. However, the two countries announced last Monday that they had decided to immediately "de-escalate" and restore diplomatic relations.Officials on both sides confirmed Friday that Pakistani and Iranian ambassadors had returned to their respective embassies to resume their routine diplomatic missions.Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is also due to arrive in Islamabad on Monday for official talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Jalil Abbas Jilani. Pakistani police use tear gas to disperse pre-election rally by supporters of former leader Khan (AP)
AP [1/28/2024 10:36 AM, Staff, 22K, Neutral]
Pakistani police fired tear gas to disperse supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the southern city of Karachi on Sunday, less than two weeks before a national parliamentary election that Khan was blocked from running in because of a criminal conviction.An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw between 20 and 30 people getting arrested at the rally. A dozen workers from Khan’s political party were arrested for attacking officers and blocking the road, police said.Although Khan will not be on the ballot for the Feb. 8 election, he remains a potent political force because of his grassroots following and anti-establishment rhetoric. He says the legal cases against him were a plot to sideline him ahead of the vote.Senior police superintendent Sajid Siddozai said workers from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI party organized the rally without obtaining permission from authorities and blocked the road. Siddozai confirmed the use of tear gas.“When police officials attempted to negotiate and persuade them not to block the road, they attacked the police,” he said. “This resulted in injuries to five police officials, including a female officer. One of the wounded is in a critical condition.”The police operation was ongoing, Siddozai added.PTI worker Waheedullah Shah said Khan had called for rallies across the country and that Sunday’s event in Karachi was peaceful. “But police dispersed our rally and arrested our workers,” Shah said. “We will not be deterred by such tactics. We stand by Khan and will always support him.”There were violent demonstrations after Khan’s May 2023 arrest. Authorities have cracked down on his supporters and party since then.Pakistan’s independent human rights commission has said there is little chance of a free and fair parliamentary election next month because of “pre-poll rigging.” It also expressed concern about authorities rejecting the candidacies of Khan and senior figures from his party. Dozens Detained As Pakistan Police Break Up Rally For Jailed Ex-PM Khan (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [1/28/2024 10:15 AM, Staff, 223K, Neutral]
Pakistani police detained at least two dozen supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan Sunday as they tried to rally in the country’s biggest city ahead of elections next month.Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has been severely hamstrung ahead of the February 8 poll, with rallies banned, its party symbol taken away, and dozens of its candidates rejected from eligibility to stand.Rights groups have warned the national and provincial elections lack credibility, with the powerful military accused of trying to influence the vote.On Sunday, PTI officials urged supporters to rally across the country despite police withdrawing or declining permission for the gatherings to take place.Around 2,000 gathered in Karachi, the bustling southern port city of over 20 million people on the Arabian Sea, where AFP correspondents saw about two dozen PTI supporters detained by police and taken away in trucks.PTI media advisor Zulfiqar Bukhari said there had also been arrests in Rawalpindi -- the sprawling garrison city neighbouring the capital, Islamabad -- as well as in other parts of Punjab, the country’s most populous province.Police officials said they had no information on arrests.The election has largely been a lacklustre affair so far, with few mass rallies -- a combination of party inaction, voter apathy, and the cold winter weather.Three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is expected to take the most seats, has barely been seen on the campaign trail, although Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who heads the other major dynastic political group, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has been more visible.He held a rally attended by several thousand in Rawalpindi on Sunday.Much of the action has taken place in the country’s courts, which for months have been at the centre of battles by politicians and parties challenging everything from the use of election symbols to the eligibility of candidates to run for office.This weekend, several Pakistani journalists, political commentators and bloggers said they were summoned by the country’s top crime agency to answer charges they were running a "malicious campaign" against Supreme Court judges ahead of the elections.They had received notices from the Federal Investigation Agency summoning them to a hearing in the capital this week."This is the price one has to pay for this sort of journalism," Asad Ali Toor, one of the journalists who had received a notice, told AFP, adding that he had faced similar cases under successive governments.Farieha Aziz, a digital-rights activist in Karachi, told AFP the investigation was part of an increase in censorship in Pakistan.Earlier this week, the government announced it had formed a team to "ascertain facts behind a malicious social media campaign" against Supreme Court judges.Murtaza Solangi, the caretaker information minister, said more than 500 social media accounts had taken part in the anti-judiciary campaign, adding that "action will be taken".This month, PTI lost a crucial battle at the country’s top court to retain its cricket bat election symbol -- vital in a nation where the adult literacy rate is just 58 percent, according to World Bank data.The verdict, deemed harsh by many legal experts, was heavily criticised on social media.Media groups have faced heavy pressure from the establishment -- a term commonly used to refer to the country’s military and intelligence services -- in the lead-up to the election, including a ban on mentioning Khan’s name on the airwaves.Pakistan’s military has directly ruled the country for roughly half of its history, and critics say it continues to maintain control over many aspects of governance. Pakistan battles rising terror threat in Afghan border regions (Financial Times)
Financial Times [1/28/2024 7:49 PM, Farhan Bokhari, 1.9M, Neutral]
For the past two years, Pakistani labourer Nadir Gul has been unable to return to his native Kurram district, on the country’s northern border. The region, just 100km from Kabul, has been riven by terrorist violence since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.“Close family members have died and I couldn’t go home for their funerals,” said Gul, a father of six, who lives with his family in a one-room shack in Islamabad. “For us, there is no joy left any more. It’s all just misery caused by the fear of attacks by the Taliban.”
More than 1,500 people were killed in terrorist attacks in Pakistan last year, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, a private monitor. That is more than 50 per cent up on 2021’s toll and thrice the number in 2020, the last full year before US forces withdrew and the Taliban swept back to power in Afghanistan.
The surge in violence has brought about officials’ fears of Pakistani Taliban militants based in Afghanistan carrying out attacks next door. The group, which has historic links to the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda but has operated independently, formed in 2007 out of militant networks in the border region in opposition to the Pakistani military and government.“In 2021, we were confident that the Taliban in Kabul will defend Pakistan’s interests and prevent terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Today, that is not the case,” said a senior Pakistani security official.
The person added that at least 2,500 people had been killed in attacks linked to militants based in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021.
Line chart of Terrorism incidents and fatalities in Pakistan showing Violence rises in wake of Afghan Taliban’s return to power
For years, Pakistan drew a distinction between the Taliban in Afghanistan — which was considered more co-operative towards Islamabad — and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, as the Pakistani Taliban is formally known.
The latter group, which has been designated a terrorist organisation by the US and UK, has launched dozens of terror attacks, including a 2014 assault on a school in Peshawar that killed 149 people and the attempted assassination of education campaigner Malala Yousafzai in 2012. One Pakistani official called the Pakistani Taliban “the largest threat to our country”.
Pakistan had hoped that the Afghan Taliban would help rein in other militants after the country supported the Islamist group during the two-decade US occupation of Afghanistan, despite Islamabad being aligned with Washington on other security priorities in the region.
Islamabad has facilitated travel for top Afghan Taliban officials to Qatar, where the group’s political office is located, for negotiations with the US, and western diplomats have in the past claimed that top Afghan Taliban members were allowed relatively unfettered travel in Pakistan.
Senior Pakistani security officials told the Financial Times that keeping “lines of communications” open with the Taliban was important to maintaining leverage with the hardline group. But the limits of that strategy have now come into question.“The Afghan Taliban had promised not to let their soil be used against Pakistan,” said Farooq Hameed Khan, a security commentator and retired army commander. “But that promise has been broken.”
According to the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, the number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan jumped 79 per cent in for the first six months of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.“The Pakistani Taliban based inside Afghanistan have become an extension of the Afghan Taliban,” Khan added.
He warned that Pakistan’s deteriorating security situation could force Islamabad to block trade routes to landlocked Afghanistan or launch aerial attacks on Pakistani Taliban bases over the border.But western diplomats in Islamabad said that reprisals by Pakistan’s military could further destabilise the country as it prepares for parliamentary elections expected in February.
Last week, Pakistan exchanged unprecedented attacks with neighbouring Iran. Both Islamabad and Tehran said their attacks were targeted at separatist terror groups in border provinces.
Islamabad late last year began expelling tens of thousands of the approximately 1.7mn unregistered Afghan refugees in the country, with officials citing the rise in terror attacks and alleging militants were slipping over the border.“As Pakistan goes in to election [campaign], the risk of [terrorist] attacks will grow,” said one western diplomat in Islamabad, who cited the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on the campaign trail in 2007, which Pakistani and US authorities blamed on the Pakistani Taliban.
Analysts said that such a military crackdown would not stamp out terrorism in urban areas, however. Pakistan’s police forces have struggled to maintain law and order, with senior officers complaining of swift and frequent transfers of people in leadership positions, which have eroded the forces’ capacity. “You must build up the police as the first responder to terrorist threats,” said Kaleem Imam, a former police chief. “The police today need more resources and security of tenure.”
The country’s fragile economy is also slowly climbing out of a crisis, having narrowly avoided a default last year by securing a $3bn IMF rescue programme that has forced a caretaker government to implement painful reforms including cutting energy subsidies and improving tax enforcement.
Imam also called for Pakistan’s intelligence services to be more closely incorporated into efforts to combat terrorism.“Dealing with the terrorist threat is not just about confronting them on the borders,” he said. “It’s also about securing Pakistan internally.” India
India, France agree on joint defence production (Reuters)
Reuters [1/27/2024 1:58 AM, Manoj Kumar, 5239K, Positive]
India and France have agreed to work together on the joint production of defence equipment including helicopters and submarines for the Indian armed forces and production for friendly countries, New Delhi said.The deal was reached during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended a state banquet hosted by President Draupadi Murmu, the government said in a statement late on Friday.Macron and Modi agreed to expand bilateral ties in defence production, nuclear energy, space research and the use of artificial intelligence for public services like climate change, health and agriculture, the statement said.It did not specify the value of any deals.After Russia, France is the largest arms supplier to India, which has relied on its fighter jets for four decades.The leaders welcomed the setting up of maintenance, repair and overhaul services by France’s Safran (SAF.PA), opens new tab for leading-edge aviation propulsion (LEAP) engines in India and adding such services for Rafale engines, and a helicopter partnership.The bilateral summit during Macron’s 40-hour visit, was the fifth Macron-Modi meeting since May.India’s Tata Group and France’s Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab have signed an agreement to manufacture civilian helicopters together, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said.French jet engine maker CFM International also announced an agreement with India’s Akasa Air to buy more than 300 of its LEAP-1B engines to power 150 Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 737 MAX aircraft.Akasa Air previously ordered 76 aircraft powered by the engine, of which 22 are in use.India and France agreed to intensify cooperation in the southwest Indian Ocean, building on joint surveillance missions carried out from the French island territory of La Reunion in 2020 and 2022, the government statement said.Macron also said France would create conditions to attract up to 30,000 Indian students a year for higher education. India pivots away from Russian arms, but will retain strong ties (Reuters)
Reuters [1/27/2024 9:00 PM, Krishn Kaushik, 5239K, Neutral]
India is seeking to distance itself from its largest arms supplier after Russia’s ability to supply munitions and spares was hobbled by the war in Ukraine, but must step carefully to avoid pushing Moscow closer to China, Indian sources said.The world’s biggest arms importer is slowly turning West as the United States looks to strengthen ties in the Indo-Pacific region, hoping to contain an ascendant China by weaning the South Asian nation off a traditional dependence on Russia.Russia supplied 65% of India’s weapons purchases of more than $60 billion during the last two decades, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, but the Ukraine war hastened the impetus to diversify its weapons base."We are not likely to sign any major military deal with Russia," said Nandan Unnikrishnan, a Russia expert at New Delhi think tank the Observer Research Foundation. "That would be a red line for Washington."That view comes despite Moscow’s offers, described by four Indian government sources, among them a senior security official who recently retired, as including platforms such as the most advanced Kamov helicopters and Sukhoi and MiG fighter jets, with the added fillip of joint manufacturing in India.All four sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive subject.The foreign and defence ministries of India and Russia did not respond to requests for comment.Russia has publicly urged India to step up defence ties, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned his focus to domestic production with Western technology, experts and officials said.Such efforts would better fit Modi’s "Make in India" programme to encourage domestic manufacturing, as he makes a rare bid for a third term in general elections due by May.India expects to spend nearly $100 billion on defence orders over the next decade, its defence minister has said.Last year, India and the United States signed a deal for General Electric (GE.N), opens new tab to produce engines in India to power its fighter jets, the first such U.S. concession to a non-ally.They also plan to "fast-track" technology co-operation and co-production in areas ranging from air combat to intelligence, they said at the time.Further driving India’s ties with the United States is disquiet over China, as their troops are embroiled in a standoff on their Himalayan frontier since 2020, when one of their bloodiest clashes in five decades killed 24 soldiers.The nuclear-armed neighbours fought a war in 1962, but their frontier, more than 2,000 miles (3,200 km) long, is still contested.CLOSER TO BEIJINGIndia must walk a fine line in ties with Russia, as the largest buyer of its arms and, since 2022, one of the largest purchasers of its oil. Halting such trade would push Moscow closer to Beijing, the only other major economy it deals with."Arms purchase buys you influence," said the retired security official. "By shutting them out you make them subservient to China."Trade with Russia in energy and other areas would help "keep it as far away as possible from China," added Unnikrishnan, the analyst.Russia’s arms exports have largely stabilised since the Ukraine war’s early disruptions, which fuelled concerns about India’s operational readiness, the officials said, but the fears have not entirely dissipated."As the Ukraine war stretches, it raises questions if Russia will be able to give us spare parts," said Swasti Rao, Eurasia expert at the state-run Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. "It is fuelling the diversification."India is eyeing French jets for its latest aircraft carrier and wants to make submarines with French, German or Spanish technology, and fighter jets with American and French engines, the sources said."India’s multi-alignment will continue, to straddle ties with Russia and balance it with the West, but it will not be an equal distribution," Rao said.RUSSIAN PUSHRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the latest push for more defence deals with India on Dec. 27, during a joint press conference, opens new tab with Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar who was visiting Moscow.Lavrov said he discussed with Jaishankar prospects for military and technical co-operation, including joint production of weapons, adding that Russia was also ready to support India’s goal of increasing domestic production.Jaishankar responded that ties were very strong, with two-way trade at a record, thanks to deals in energy, fertiliser and steel-making coal, but stopped short of mentioning defence.There has been no progress on a 2015 deal, opens new tab for the two nations to jointly make Kamov Ka-226T helicopters in India, with 200 going to its defence forces.Instead, in 2022, India started inducting combat helicopters made by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HIAE.NS), opens new tab.Weapons, from Soviet or Russian-origin tanks to an aircraft carrier and surface-to-air missile systems, make up more than 60% of India’s military hardware.New Delhi will require Russian spares for their maintenance and repair for nearly two decades, officials said.They jointly make the BrahMos cruise missile and plan to produce AK-203 rifles in India.But hiccups have included comments last year by the Indian Air Force that Russia had been unable to meet its commitment on delivery of a major platform it did not identify.And there has been more than a year’s delay in Russia’s delivery of parts of an air defence system India bought in 2018 for $5.5 billion, two Indian military officials said. Modi Rival Becomes Ally in Setback to India Opposition Unity (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [1/28/2024 9:35 PM, Baiju Kalesh, 5543K, Neutral]
A political alliance challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi was dealt a blow ahead of elections when a chief minister of an opposition-held state switched sides to join forces with the ruling party.Nitish Kumar was heading the government in the eastern state of Bihar with a coalition of smaller parties before he switched to ally with Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, according to the Press Trust of India. He took the oath of office as chief minister for the ninth time on Sunday.The political development in the state, which has a population larger than any nation in the European Union and sends 40 lawmakers to parliament, is a setback for India’s opposition unity as Kumar was a key member of the new federal opposition alliance of 28 parties. He was even seen as a possible leader to take on Modi in national elections due in the first half of this year.“Things were not working out well, therefore I had to resign,” Kumar was cited by PTI as saying after the move.Ties between Kumar’s party and its main partner Rashtriya Janata Dal had soured, prompting him to hold negotiations with the BJP. Kumar had earlier formed a government with the help of Modi’s party after their coalition had retained power following state elections in November 2020. They had severed ties in 2022. The new realignment in the state comes at a time when Modi seeks a third five-year term in the office. His election prospects are also supported by an economy that is one of the world’s fastest growing and a stock market that overtook Hong Kong as the world’s fourth-largest.The political opposition has faced some issues in the last week with Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal and the head of the Trinamool Congress party, saying it will contest in the state alone. Another opposition group, Aam Aadmi party, said it will not join forces with Congress in Punjab. India’s Modi to bet on popularity over populism in budget ahead of polls (Reuters)
Reuters [1/29/2024 2:18 AM, Aftab Ahmed, 5.2M, Neutral]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to buck a trend of spending big on new welfare programmes in a budget before a general election to instead focus on infrastructure to keep the economy humming while narrowing the budget gap.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will announce the budget for 2024/25 on Feb. 1, which economists say will be heavy on political messaging, drumming up the Modi government’s pitch of inclusive growth, but conservative in its approach to spending.
"The government will likely aim to strike a balance between pre-election political messaging, fiscal consolidation needs and continued focus on capex," said Samiran Chakraborty, economist with Citigroup.
For instance, the government may double the annual payout to female farmers to 12,000 rupees, to attract women voters but the policy will only cost $1.44 billion annually, a meagre amount in the government’s overall spending, according to a Reuters report.
The government will also likely keep its major subsidies in check for the next fiscal year that starts from April 1 at current year’s level at around $48 billion.
Modi extended his free foodgrain programme for the next five years, and that too will incur very little additional spending as it has been running a subsidised foodgrain programme for years.
It is planning to reduce its fiscal deficit, which is the difference between the expenditure and revenue collected, by at least 50 basis points in 2024/25, from the current target of 5.9% of GDP for the ongoing fiscal year.
The government is expected to look past the opposition’s criticism of high unemployment among youth and continue spending heavily on infrastructure while trying to draw foreign and domestic manufacturers to invest via incentives in the hope its growth-boosting policies will eventually create jobs.
The likely lowering of the fiscal deficit in an election year shows the government may not be relying very heavily on social spending to woo voters but bank on Modi’s popularity that helped the ruling party win recent state elections and emotive events like the opening of a Hindu temple on a long disputed site.
"As it is a general election year, there will be at least some temptation from within the ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) to announce big fiscal giveaways," said Shilan Shah, deputy chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics.
"But following the BJP’s exceptionally strong performance in recent state elections, we think it will conclude that it has enough political goodwill to balance the need for giveaways with its long-term ambition of reining in the fiscal deficit," said Shah.
GROWTH IMPULSE
Powered by public spending, India’s economy grew 7.6% in the July-September quarter, and is forecasting growth of 7.3% for the full year that ends on March 31, the world’s fastest pace for a major economy.
A further increase of as much as 20% year-on-year in capital expenditure is expected for 2024/25.
"The strategy of boosting on-budget capital expenditure is likely to be continued, which will in turn help the private sector investment cycle to gain traction," said Deutsche Bank in a note.
India is likely to stay away from major announcements on privatisation owing to elections, government officials said. Hindu Group Toughens Stance on India’s Mosque-Temple Disputes (Reuters)
Reuters [1/27/2024 8:29 PM, Krishna N. Das and Shivam Patel, 761K, Neutral]
A powerful Hindu group said several mosques in India were built over demolished Hindu temples, apparently hardening its stance in a decades-long sectarian dispute just days after a huge temple was inaugurated on the site of a razed mosque.The comments from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party, come after Modi and the RSS chief led Monday’s consecration of the temple on the site of a 16th-century mosque demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992.The fight over claims to holy sites has divided Hindu-majority India, which has the world’s third-largest Muslim population, since independence from British rule in 1947.Four days after the temple was inaugurated in the northern city of Ayodhya, a lawyer for Hindu petitioners said the Archaeological Survey of India had determined that a 17th century mosque in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, in Modi’s parliamentary constituency, had been built over a destroyed a Hindu temple.The Archaeological Survey did not respond to a request for comment.Late on Friday, senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar questioned whether Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque and three others, including the razed one in Ayodhya on the site where many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born, were mosques at all."Whether we should consider them mosques or not, the people of the country and the world should think about it," Kumar told Reuters in an interview, referring to the sites in Gyanvapi, Ayodhya, one other in Uttar Pradesh state and one in Madhya Pradesh. "They should stand with the truth, or they should stand with the wrong?"In the group’s first reaction to the Gyanvapi findings, Kumar said, "Accept the truth. Hold dialogues and let the judiciary decide."Raising questions about the mosques does not mean Hindu groups comprise "an anti-mosque movement", he said. "This is not an anti-Islam movement. This is a movement to seek the truth that should be welcomed by the world."
‘NOTHING POLITICAL’Muslim groups are disputing the assertions of Hindu groups in court.Zufar Ahmad Faruqi, chairman of the Sunni Central Waqf Board in Uttar Pradesh, said the group "have confidence in the judiciary that it will do what is correct."We want to live in harmony and peacefully while protecting the monuments as they are," he said. "Nothing political about it, we are in the court and facing it legally."The Modi-led opening of the Ayodhya temple fulfilled a 35-year-old pledge of his Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of a general election due by May. He is expected to win a third straight term, the longest stretch since India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.The razing of the Ayodhya mosque sparked riots across India that authorities say killed at least 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. Hindu groups have for decades said that Muslim Mughal rulers built monuments and places of worship after destroying ancient Hindu structures.Indian law bars the conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of places of worship as they existed at the time of independence - except for the Ayodhya shrine. The Supreme Court is hearing challenges to the law.The court this month halted plans for a survey of another centuries-old mosque in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous and politically important state, to determine if it contained Hindu relics and symbols.The RSS’s Kumar, who is also the chief patron of the group’s Muslim wing, said Islamic law requires mosques to be constructed on undisputed land, or the land should be donated by someone who has bought it or the people building the mosque should buy it. India: End Lifelong Warehousing of People with Disabilities (Human Rights Watch)
Human Rights Watch [1/28/2024 6:00 PM, Staff, 190K, Negative]
Authorities in the Delhi government should act on recommendations of the governing board of a shelter for people with disabilities to end the lifelong institutionalization of its nearly 1,000 residents, Human Rights Watch said today. Most people languishing in the government-run shelter, Asha Kiran, which literally means “ray of hope,” have been abandoned by their families with no choice but to remain institutionalized. “They are here for a lifetime,” one staff member said. “There is no exit policy.”
The governing council of Asha Kiran, in its final meetings in 2023, adopted a landmark slate of recommendations including to create and implement a time-bound action plan for deinstitutionalization and to prevent further institutionalization of people with disabilities. This involves developing voluntary community-based assisted living services and other forms of support to enable people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities to live independently in their communities. The Delhi government should ensure that these recommendations are swiftly implemented.“Unless the authorities take steps to provide community-based independent living solutions, most people will languish in Asha Kiran for the rest of their lives, trapped in overcrowded, squalid conditions with no hope for a better life,” said Shantha Rau Barriga, disability rights director at Human Rights Watch. “They are subjected to indefinite detention simply for having a disability. That’s no way for a person to live. The council’s recommendation to invest in community-based services is a step in the right direction.”
There are hundreds of custodial institutions for people with disabilities across India. On January 19, 2024, India’s Supreme Court ordered all states to report on prevailing conditions across all homes for abandoned children and adults with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities within eight weeks and will then issue further directions in response to an ongoing petition asking for civil society monitoring of institutions.
Since 2013, Human Rights Watch has visited Asha Kiran many times, most recently in May 2023, and documented involuntary admission, arbitrary and indefinite detention, overcrowding, poor hygiene, denial of education, and a lack of adequately trained staff in a 2014 report and subsequent publications. In May, Human Rights Watch spoke with the male and female superintendents, several staff members, and some people with disabilities and subsequently had multiple exchanges with the chair of the governing council of Asha Kiran, Indu Prakash Singh, who ended his term on December 31, 2023.
At the start of January 2024, Asha Kiran was home to about 1,000 men, women, and children, nearly double its capacity of 570. Senior management acknowledged the “congestion” and explained that they were addressing the issue by demolishing the vacant staff quarters and building a new six-story structure, and identifying similar institutions in India where residents can be moved to. There are hundreds of custodial institutions for people with disabilities across India.
Human Rights Watch is concerned that investments are being made to build new institutions and for major refurbishments of existing institutions instead of diverting funds to community-based services to support the right to independent living for people with disabilities. This approach runs contrary to India’s obligations under international law, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Institutionalization of a person with a disability without their consent is a form of arbitrary detention. At Asha Kiran, residents are detained in wards with locked gates, with limited to no opportunity to go outside and move around the facility. At the time of the last visit, most residents did not even go outside for fresh air, in part because of the heat and due to security concerns with construction laborers throughout the facility. Several staff and senior management said that the conditions are like living in a prison.
During the May 2023 visit, staff members and senior management also raised concerns about the staff shortage with many vacant posts at the time, according to the female superintendent. Given the nature of their disabilities, many residents require individual support, which is not possible due to the shortage of staff. Senior management acknowledged the need for occupational therapists, special educators, and music and craft teachers, among other staff.
Human Rights Watch also found that many staff members lacked a positive, empowering attitude toward the children and adults housed at Asha Kiran. Some used derogatory terms to refer to residents and deemed them uneducable or unable to reach developmental milestones. The senior management acknowledged that staff would benefit from additional training, in particular on the rights of people with disabilities and a rights-based approach to support. One staff member said, “We try to sensitize staff, but we need more training. We want to know where we are lagging behind.”
Of the more than 200 children at the institution, as of May 2023, fewer than 40 boys and girls reportedly attended school, based on interviews with staff members.
The institution provides some vocational training, though people considered to have “severe or profound” intellectual disabilities and people who have seizures do not attend. Most wards at Asha Kiran had a television and board games. But Human Rights Watch observed that most residents were lying around or sitting idle, which can lead to a deterioration of their condition as well as a sense of profound boredom and uselessness.
Under international law as well as India’s Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (2009), elementary education is to be free and mandatory for all children ages 6 to 14. Under international law, secondary education should be available and accessible without discrimination; the right to education also includes early childhood education. This rule should apply equally to all children with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities living in institutions like Asha Kiran.
The outgoing Chair of the Asha Kiran’s governing council, Indu Prakash Singh, told Human Rights Watch that: “All people in Asha Kiran have rights and freedoms and every member of staff has a role to play in advancing the residents’ rights and dignity. Disability doesn’t mean it’s an end to life.”
In November 2023, the council agreed to sensitize staff to combat the existing stigma and prejudices and promote a shift in attitudes. They also agreed to staff training on how to care for residents, including strategies to appropriately respond to aggressive behavior. In December, a group of local children’s rights and disability rights organizations provided a two-day training session, with a focus on raising awareness about disability among staff.
Further, the council agreed to provide appropriate and adequate access to education and vocational training for residents, including special educators with technical expertise to create individual education plans for children and adults with high support needs.
Finally, the council decided to organize study visits for Asha Kiran senior management to learn about good practices on deinstitutionalization, family reunification, community integration and support systems, and prevention of further institutionalization within India, with the aim of applying what they learn at Asha Kiran. “The Delhi government has an opportunity to lead by example by transforming its approach for the benefit of thousands of people with disabilities and in line with international legal obligations,” Barriga said. “Rather than locking up people with disabilities, they should invest in community services, adoption and family reunification, and build on good practices in other parts of India.” India is still an officially secular nation, but maybe not for long (Nikkei Asia – opinion)
Nikkei Asia [1/29/2024 2:00 AM, Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Alyar, 293K, Neutral]
Secular India appears on its way to becoming a Hindu state.
Last Monday, India witnessed the spectacle of millions watching on television as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a temple to the Hindu god Ram built upon the ruins of a historic 16th-century mosque demolished by a mob in 1992 in the northern city of Ayodhya.
Erasing the distinction between church and state, Modi called it a "divine moment" that marked "Ram’s rule again" and the end of a "slavery mindset." With the building of the temple, he said that 1,000 years of slavery was finished.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has always taken the position that India is a Hindu nation that was enslaved by Muslims in the 11th century and then later by British conquerors. It has portrayed secular opposition parties -- namely the Congress party that ruled India for decades -- as having a "colonial mindset" of looking down on Hindus and being preoccupied with seeking the votes of Muslims and Christians, who together constitute about 17% of the country’s population.
Yet secularism is still enshrined in the Constitution of India. Until recently, only a fringe section of the BJP publicly demanded a shift to official Hinduism, but the notion now seems to be moving centerstage with more BJP politicians embracing the idea in the media.
The Ram temple embodies this quest. For decades, Congress and other parties rejected demands from Hindu groups to demolish the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya based on their claim, amid scant evidence, that an ancient Ram temple had been destroyed to make way for the mosque’s construction by Babur, the founding emperor of India’s Mughal dynasty. Their argument relied in part on the notion that the site was the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram.
That is not something that can be empirically proven, so the BJP was left to insist that faith is more important than evidence amid disputes over the ownership of the site. The Supreme Court of India resolved the matter in 2019 by awarding control of the site to Hindus in the interests of communal peace, while condemning the 1992 mosque demolition as illegal and ordering that another plot be provided for a replacement mosque. Construction has yet to begin for the new mosque.
While the BJP played down its antipathy to secularism when it was part of coalition governments in the 1990s, an emphasis on Hindu culture has been a core element of the party’s pitch under Modi, who became prime minister in 2014.
The court’s move to allow construction of the Ram temple further buttressed the party’s dominance, as Modi portrayed opposition to the temple as hostility to Ram, a label no party wanted. To ride the Hindu tide, even parties that opposed the building of a temple began to sing Ram’s praises.
In recent years, even Congress has stopped emphasizing secularism and started to woo the Hindu vote. Party leader Rahul Gandhi, whose mother is Christian, declared that he was a follower of the Hindu god Shiva and began visiting temples and wearing a sacred Hindu thread. This strategy, however, has failed to revive Congress’ electoral fortunes.
While many opposition politicians attended last week’s temple consecration, Gandhi declined to do so. Instead, he sought to visit a Hindu temple in the state of Assam. But Himanta Biswa Sarma, the state’s BJP chief minister, halted the plan, citing logistical complications with crowds expected to gather at the temple to celebrate the Ayodhya event.
The Hindu festival Diwali, which in part commemorates the return of Ram to Ayodhya from battle with a demon king in Sri Lanka, has long been marked with firecrackers and the distribution of sweets.
At the temple launch, Modi declared that Ram had returned once more and that people should immediately celebrate another Diwali. Indeed, celebrations were held around the nation and in diaspora communities. Television news channels set new viewership records.
Yet despite this wave of enthusiasm, the BJP still faces some obstacles to making India an officially Hindu state. Amending the Constitution will require a two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament plus approval from a majority of the country’s state legislatures.
The BJP currently has the numbers it needs in the lower house of Parliament and in state legislatures, but not enough in the upper house. It is possible though that some regional parties could support a constitutional amendment to avoid being labelled anti-Hindu.
Modi is now said to be the most popular leader in the democratic world. The BJP looks set to win big again when parliamentary elections are held sometime in the next four months. For now, Hindu nationalism is looking like a clear vote winner. NSB
Bangladesh appeals court grants bail to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus in labor case (AP)
AP [1/28/2024 5:41 AM, Staff, 6902K, Neutral]
An appeals court in Bangladesh on Sunday granted bail to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who had been sentenced earlier to six months in prison for violating the country’s labor laws. The court also agreed to hear an appeal against his sentencing.Yunus who pioneered the use of microcredit to help impoverished people, especially women, filed the appeal seeking bail on Sunday morning before it was granted. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in 2006.The 83-year-old economist and three other officials of the telecommunications company were sentenced to six months in prison on Jan. 1, but they were immediately granted 30 days of bail to appeal the verdict and sentence.Sunday’s court decision said the bail would remain effective until a final decision is made on the appeal for the sentencing.Defense lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun said the first hearing on the appeal would be held on March 3.The case involves Grameen Telecom, which Yunus founded as a non-profit organization.Yunus’ supporters said the case is politically motivated, a charge that the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was elected for a fourth consecutive term earlier this month, has denied.In the original verdict, the judge said Yunus’ company violated Bangladeshi labor laws. At least 67 Grameen Telecom workers were supposed to be made permanent employees but were not, and a “welfare fund” to support the staff in cases of emergency or special needs was never formed.The judge also said that according to company policy 5% of Grameen’s dividends were supposed to have been distributed to staff but were not.The judge found Yunus, the chairman of the company, and the three other company directors guilty, and fined each 30,000 takas, or $260, while also sentencing each to prison.Yunus said after the original verdict that he was innocent.“We are being punished for a crime we did not commit. It was my fate, the nation’s fate. We have accepted this verdict, but will appeal this verdict and continue fighting against this sentence,” he told reporters after the verdict was announced on Jan. 1.Grameen Telecom owns 34.2% of the country’s largest mobile phone company, Grameenphone, a subsidiary of Norway’s telecom giant Telenor.Yunus is known to have close connections with political elites in the West, especially in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.He faces a number of other charges involving alleged corruption and embezzlement.Yunus’ supporters say he has been targeted because of his frosty relations with Hasina. Bangladesh’s Yunus Vows to Help Poor Despite Legal Woes (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [1/28/2024 7:07 AM, Staff, 761K, Negative]
Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus vowed Sunday to overcome scores of court cases that his supporters say are politically motivated to achieve his environmental and economic policies."Our dream is to create a new world," 83-year-old Yunus told reporters outside court, after he was formally granted bail in his appeal against a six-month prison sentence in a case widely criticised by human rights groups.Yunus is credited with lifting millions out of poverty with his pioneering microfinance bank but has incurred the wrath of Bangladesh’s longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has accused him of "sucking blood" from the poor.Hasina, who was sworn in for a fifth term this month after a landslide victory in an election boycotted by the opposition, has made several scathing verbal attacks against the internationally respected 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner.His conviction on January 1 related to labour law violations, but lawyers said Yunus faces at least 170 other cases, including major corruption charges that could see him jailed for years if found guilty.He denies all wrongdoing.Yunus, in an emotionally charged speech, said he had dedicated his life to supporting those most in need and was "committed" to continuing his work.His "Three Zero" plan is aimed to slash carbon emissions, end unemployment and cut poverty."We have chased a dream," Yunus said. "We have incurred the annoyance of someone because of chasing this dream," he added, without specifying names.In the most recent case, Yunus and three colleagues from Grameen Telecom, one of the firms he founded, were accused of violating labour laws when they failed to create a workers’ welfare fund in the company.Yunus alleged the case was brought by a government department, but Minister of Transport Obaidul Quader said the "case was filed by the workers".Hasina has rejected calls to pardon Yunus and said instead he should seek forgiveness from his employees. Bhutan’s liberal Tobgay becomes prime minister after fourth free vote (Reuters)
Reuters [1/28/2024 8:34 AM, Gopal Sharma, 5239K, Neutral]
Bhutan’s liberal politician Tshering Tobgay, leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), officially began his second term as prime minister on Sunday, following elections earlier this month.To mark his appointment formally, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck handed a scarf to Tobgay, a statement posted on the king’s official facebook page said.Tobgay, 58, is country’s fourth freely elected prime minister since democracy was established in the Himalayan kingdom 15 years ago. A former bureaucrat and an advocate for Bhutan’s Buddhist culture, he was previously prime minister from 2013 to 2018. He was also the leader of opposition in the parliament set up after the first free vote in 2008 until 2013.Bhutan is a country of fewer than 800,000 people, situated between China and India. It is known for its Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, an economic gauge that takes into account factors such as recreation and emotional well-being that are ignored by gross domestic product measures.But Tobgay faces the challenge of revamping the $3 billion economy following the COVID-19 pandemic and creating jobs to prevent young Bhutanese people from going abroad, mainly to Australia, in pursuit of better opportunities.Bhutan has extensive economic and cultural ties with India, which is also its largest donor and trade partner and Tobgay has made clear his wish to mtaintain a deep relationship with the country.It has no formal diplomatic relations with China but is in talks with Beijing to resolve border disputes - negotiations closely watched by India, which has its own border dispute with China. U.S. to Establish Embassy in the Maldives: A Diplomatic Game-Changer (BNN)
BNN [1/27/2024 7:52 AM, Staff, Positive]
In a move that reflects a strengthening of diplomatic ties, the United States has announced its decision to establish an embassy in the Maldives. This significant development underscores the strategic importance of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean region, and marks a new chapter in U.S.-Maldives relations.The Diplomatic LeapThe announcement, communicated through an official from the U.S. State Department, is a clear indication of increased diplomatic engagement and cooperation. The establishment of an embassy is a testament to the U.S. commitment towards supporting the Maldives in tackling challenges such as climate change and maintaining regional stability.Regional ImplicationsThe decision to open an embassy in the Maldives is not just a bilateral move, but is aligned with broader U.S. foreign policy objectives in the Indian Ocean. The U.S. seeks to reinforce partnerships and ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific, and this move serves as a significant step towards that goal.Welcoming the MoveThe Maldivian government has greeted this announcement with optimism. The establishment of a U.S. embassy is viewed as a positive development for the country’s international relations and opportunities for growth. The upcoming visit of Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, to the Maldives to advance the establishment of the embassy further underscores this positive trajectory. Maldives parliament debate over cabinet appointees descends into mass brawl between MPs (The Independent)
The Independent [1/29/2024 4:45 AM, Alisha Rahaman Sarkar, 190K, Negative]
Dramatic scenes unfolded inside the Maldivian parliament on Sunday as violent clashes erupted between government and opposition MPs over the approval of new ministers.Chaos ensued after the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) decided to withhold parliamentary approval for four members of newly-elected president Mohamed Muizzu’s cabinet ahead of a vote.Members of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) and Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) in response staged a protest, obstructing the parliamentary session from proceeding.While the ruling coalition party has formed the government, they do not enjoy a majority in the parliament, which is still in the control of former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s MDP.Government MPs were seen disrupting the proceedings by blowing toy horns next to the speaker to stop him from addressing the special session.Videos from inside the parliament show Kanditheemu MP Abdulla Shaheem Abdul Hakeem and Kendhikulhudhoo MP Ahmed Easa engaging in a scuffle after Mr Hakeem knocked down Mr Easa.Mr Hakeem sustained injuries on his head when two MPs fell near the chamber during the physical altercation. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in an ambulance for treatment.The MDP defended Mr Hakeem’s actions during a press conference late on Sunday, calling it an act of self-defence."The actions of pro-government MPs left MDP MPs with no other option than to act in self-defence. That is how any human will react in such a situation," MP Hisaan Hussain told reporters.The microphones installed inside parliament were taken away to prevent the lawmakers from using them as weapons against each other during the brawl, according to Wion. Another MP, Hassan Zareer, also sustained injuries on his fingers after being allegedly attacked by a member of MDP.The ruling PPM and PNC coalition in a statement said denying approval to Mr Muizzu’s cabinet would be considered akin to obstructing the services the government gives to citizens."We believe that denying parliamentary approval to ministers without providing them with the opportunity to perform, and without having first judged their performance, is a lack of cooperation with the running of the government, as well as a direct obstruction of the services provided to citizens," the statement read, according to The Edition.Eighteen members have so far managed to secure parliamentary approvals to continue as cabinet ministers. However, attorney general Ahmed Usham, minister of housing, Ali Haidar, minister of Islamic affairs Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, and minister of economic development and trade Mohamed Saeed were awaiting the nod.Following the scuffle, members and supporters of the ruling coalition staged a protest outside the parliament, demanding the approval of ministers.The coalition has also filed a no-confidence motion against the speaker Mohamed Aslam and deputy speaker Ahmed Saleem. Nepal wants its men back from Russia’s war in Ukraine after deaths on the front (NPR)
NPR [1/27/2024 5:00 AM, Shalu Yadav and Rajneesh Bhandari, 5347K, Negative]
Reema Karki is angry, but she’s good at hiding it with a stoic look on her face.The 31-year-old woman from Nepal received a letter from the Nepalese Embassy in Moscow with news that her husband, Pritam Karki, had died on Nov. 15 while serving in the Russian military in Ukraine.Thousands of miles away from their village in the Syangja district of Nepal, her husband used to send her texts and voice messages on the Telegram messaging app every two weeks. But the communication had gone silent.In his last voice message, Pritam said he was in Russia, away from the front, and tried to reassure her: "My dear wife, this country is huge. It’s risky on the front line, but I’m not there, so it’s all good. It’s just a matter of one year. After that, we will have a citizenship card and you can move here with me."He was referring to the Russian government’s offer of citizenship to foreigners after one year of serving in its army on a contractual basis.He was one of hundreds of Nepali men Russia has recruited to bolster its military forces in nearly three years of war against Ukraine. Now, after some of them have died or disappeared, Nepal’s government says it’s taking steps to prevent citizens from going and urging Russia to send back the country’s men."I didn’t know much about the situation in Russia," Reema Karki tells NPR, saying her husband kept details from her."He never told me stories of war, never told me about the hardships he faced there. He used to say he is safe there. Had I known about the war, I would have never let him go," she says. "Only after I heard the news [of his death], I could sense that he was hiding things from me."He said he was off to AfghanistanReema and Pritam Karki had been married for 15 years and had two sons.A seasoned soldier, 40-year-old Pritam had served in the Nepali army for 16 years before going to Afghanistan to work as a security guard at a U.S. base in 2020, according to his uncle.When he returned home three years later, Nepal was in the midst of an economic crisis with rising inflation and falling tourism. With no work opportunity there, he paid a broker in Kathmandu in October of last year to get him to Russia.Before leaving, he told his mother he was going to Kathmandu to renew his visa for Afghanistan. He had actually flown to Moscow and called her later to say that he had landed in Russia for a new job."He was my only son," says his mother, Indira Kumari. "Our future is dark now."Pritam’s uncle, Chitra Bahadur, suspects Pritam was deceived by recruiters in Nepal’s capital city."The agents duped him by telling him that his role in the Russian army would be similar to what he did in Afghanistan," Bahadur says. "Pritam was smart and he had been in the army. He knew what war meant. He wouldn’t have gone there had he known that he would be sent to the front line to fight." Russia makes an enticing offer
Nepal’s citizens have served security duties in Afghanistan and other parts of the world. Nepal’s soldiers, known as Gurkhas, have long served in foreign forces, such as the British and Indian militaries. But Nepal says it has no treaty with Russia for Gurkhas to serve there.
Nevertheless, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry estimates 400 of its citizens have gone to serve in the Russian army. Nepali fighters in Russia interviewed by NPR believe the total is more than 1,000.
Russia has been luring them with offers of Russian citizenship and salaries of about 300,000 Nepali rupees ($2,260) a month, while providing little clarity about what their roles would be, the Nepali fighters say.
The deal is appealing to some men in Nepal, where typical wages are much lower than that and unemployment hovers around 11%, according to the World Bank’s latest estimate in 2022.
This provided fertile ground for smugglers to exact thousands of dollars from men to send them to Russia, via Dubai and India.
Pritam’s mother, Kumari, calls it a trap and blames the Russian government for sending her son to his death.
"[The] Russian government should have kept their army in the front line of battle, and not our men. If we had known about the situation, we would have tried our best to bring Pritam back home alive. We would have begged or done everything in our power to make ends meet. We would have rescued him," she says.
Not only were they unable to bring him home alive, but also to get his remains back from Russia.
The Nepalese Embassy sent the family a death certificate, viewed by NPR, that said he had suffered "explosive trauma with damage to chest organs and left lower limb" and "injuries by shrapnel in an explosion as a result of military operations" and died in a hospital in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
"We heard that his body was in pieces when he died. We would have to get DNA tests to match his body parts and spend thousands of dollars to bring his body back. We just don’t have that kind of money," laments Reema.
Hopeless, they performed the ritual of Pritam’s last rites on a dummy made of hay.
Nepal confirms 10 deaths, but more are suspected
Nepal’s Foreign Ministry confirmed 10 Nepali men were killed in the Russia-Ukraine war and four were taken prisoner by the Ukrainian army. Police and news reports in Nepal say the casualty number could be higher.
Panic has spread among dozens of families who haven’t heard from their kin in Russia for months.
Nepali Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud tells NPR that, as of December, about 100 Nepali men were missing or injured in Russia.
Earlier in January, the Nepali government said it stopped giving its citizens permits needed to leave the country to work in Russia or Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal says the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has not affected his country’s relations with Moscow. But Foreign Minister Saud says Nepal is appealing to Russia for the return of Nepali men.
"We don’t have any treaty with Russia and we don’t want to fight the war on behalf of Russia. We believe in peace and we believe in the U.N. Charter. So we have requested them to release our poor people," he says.
The Russian Embassy in Nepal has not responded to NPR’s request for comment on the Nepali government’s request.
Saud says his government has approached the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene.
He reminded Russia that Nepali soldiers have been a part of the British and Indian army through a trilateral pact, and no comparable agreement exists with Russia.
Contrary to international news reports, Saud denies having any information on Nepali men joining the Ukrainian army.
Nepal’s fighters are sent to the front
Nepal’s Gurkhas are known for their skill, courage and valor. However, the fighters interviewed say the recruits are not limited to Gurkhas. They include other Nepali men of different trades and backgrounds, and such soldierly attributes are not needed to join the Russian military.
"At the military recruitment camp, the Russian army only checks for basics like chest size, etc. They’re recruiting anybody and everybody regardless of height, build or health," an injured Nepali soldier told NPR from a Russian military camp in occupied Ukraine.
He asked not to use his name for fear of reprisal by the Russian army.
"Don’t come to Russia unless you want to die," he says, breaking down as he recounts the horrific circumstances in which his friends died in battle.
"I was sent to the front line twice and it’s really scary out there. It’s a horrific war. At the front line, it’s not a defensive position. We were instructed to attack the Ukrainian posts and capture their bunkers. I lost so many fellow Nepalis in front of my eyes. I couldn’t help them even as they kept crying for help," he says.
The soldier says he and a friend used to work in Dubai and decided to join the Russian army after hearing about the Kremlin’s offer of citizenship and attractive pay for foreigners.
But what the army contract did not offer was equal treatment and dignity, the soldier says.
"The system is such that after being trained for about 15 days, foreigners like us who join the Russian army are sent to the front line to fight. Local army men are not sent up there. We were accompanied by a few Russian criminals who were out of prisons," he says.
He tells NPR that foreign soldiers are treated as disposable by the Russian army commanders.
"I feel that the Russian government doesn’t value the lives of foreign soldiers at all. For one Nepali that dies in the war, they can raise another 10. Poverty is pushing people from different countries to join the Russian army for money. And the Russian government is taking as many as it can."
Foreign fighters in Russia say men from China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Belarus also have joined the Russian military, as have men from Ukraine and occupied territories like Crimea who support Russian President Vladimir Putin. The soldiers say Nepali fighters make up the largest foreign contingent.
Some of the soldiers tell NPR on condition of anonymity that they have ended their contract with the Russian army and are waiting for their paperwork to be processed.
But most say they’re not sure how to go about it.
The unnamed Nepali soldier says Russia is keeping a close watch on its foreign troops, especially after three Nepali men managed to escape a camp in December.
Nepal arrests local recruiters
Police in Nepal say they believe the recruits were duped by brokers in Nepal who told them that they would be hired as helpers, not fighters, in the Russian army.
"Most of them paid smugglers $7,000 to $8,000 — some paid over $12,000 — to get to Russia. They didn’t know the reality of what is going on in the field," Senior Superintendent of Police Bhupendra Khatri tells NPR. "The reality is that many of them died in bombarding and gunshots. They found their friends’ dead bodies hither and thither. It’s a very pathetic situation out there."
In recent crackdowns on local brokers, Nepali authorities have arrested 18 people accused of human trafficking in some cases and forgery in others, according to the Kathmandu district police.
Generations of Nepalis have fought for other countries in combat or served other security duties. But Nepal faces a new crisis with the Ukraine war.
The government is appealing to young people to not leave for Russia and give their country a chance.
"Our government is prioritizing employment for the youth of the country. Nepal has a bright future. We have so much potential in the hydropower, agriculture and tourism sector. We will come out of the economic crisis soon and the country will move forward. Within a few years, the pressures of going outside for a job won’t exist," says Saud, the foreign minister.
But the assurance is too little too late for the injured Nepali soldier at a Russian military camp in occupied Ukraine.
Petrified at the possibility of being sent back to the front, he pleads, "Help me, I’m trapped here."
Somali pirates suspected of hijacking a Sri Lankan fishing boat and abducting its 6 crew (AP)
AP [1/29/2024 1:50 AM, Bharatha Mallawarachi, 456K, Neutral]
Sri Lanka’s diplomats are talking with Somali authorities trying to ascertain the whereabouts of a fishing vessel and its six crewmembers suspected of being abducted by Somali pirates two days ago, officials said Monday.
The apparent abduction came two weeks after Sri Lanka said it would join a U.S.-led operation to protect merchant vessels sailing in the Red Sea against attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels. Other suspected hijackings in waters off Somalia have raised concern that Somali pirates have resumed activity, a decade after they caused chaos in international shipping.
The hijacking of the Sri Lankan vessel occurred in international waters about 840 nautical miles (1,555 kilometers) east of Somalia, 1,100 nautical miles (2,040 kilometers) from Sri Lanka and north of Seychelles, according to Sri Lankan navy spokesman Capt. Gayan Wickramasuriya.“So far, we have no communication with them or no details on the whereabout of them,” he said.
The Sri Lankan foreign ministry said it was working to obtain the release of the fishermen. “Sri Lanka ambassadors in the African region have already established contacts with Somalian authorities to get the fishermen and trawler released as soon as possible,” ministry spokesman Niluka Kadurugamuwa said.
On Saturday, an armed group arrived in an area where about 30 Sri Lankan vessels were fishing.
Two to three armed men who had arrived in a 23-meter (75-foot) vessel boarded the fishing trawler, fired shots apparently to warn away the other fishing boats and took away the fishing trawler and the fishermen, said Susantha Kahawatta, a top official in the Fisheries Department, adding that all the details of the abduction were provided by fishermen in the other trawlers. The other fishermen identified the attackers as Somali.
Sri Lanka’s navy said two weeks ago it would provide a ship to protect merchant ship traffic, but the date hasn’t been set and the area Sri Lanka will patrol isn’t finalized. Central Asia
Kazakh Lawmakers Propose Bill Legalizing Refusal Of Accreditation Of Foreign Media (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [1/26/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 235K, Neutral]
A group of Kazakh lawmakers approved a draft bill on January 25 that would allow the Central Asian nation’s authorities to refuse accreditation to foreign media outlets and their reporters on grounds of national security concerns. The move comes at a time when the country’s Foreign Ministry has refused to prolong RFE/RL’s correspondents’ accreditation for 2024.
According to the draft legislation, the Foreign Ministry could refuse accreditation to foreign media outlets and their reporters "in case of a threat to the national security of the Republic of Kazakhstan."
The bill also says that any activities of foreign media and their journalists without accreditation will be banned, and the decision to suspend foreign media outlets’ activities in the country can be made by the Foreign Ministry without a court’s ruling.
Gulmira Birzhanova of the Legal Media Center rights group said on January 26 that the proposed bill must be rejected in its current form and called on journalists and the rest of society to actively take part in discussions.
According to Birzhanova, the bill’s text is vague and may lead to the authorities adopting a "selective approach" to certain foreign media outlets operating in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic.
Birzhanova also said her group will urge President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev to veto the bill if it is finally approved by parliament.
As of January 26, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry has not given or extended accreditation to 36 correspondents of RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service, known locally as Radio Azattyq. Some of RFE/RL’s correspondents have not been able to extend their accreditation since 2022.
In accordance with current legislation, the Foreign Ministry must make decisions on accreditation within two months after it receives an application. In the event of a refusal, the ministry must provide an explanation for such a decision.
RFE/RL said it plans to go to court and lodge an appeal against the ministry’s decision to deny the correspondents’ accreditation. Kazakhstan faces new wave of provocative statements from Russia (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [1/26/2024 4:14 PM, Almaz Kumenov, 57.6K, Neutral]
When is the name of a railway station more than just a name?
Tina Kandelaki, a well-known Russian TV presenter and the deputy general director of Russian government-controlled media holding Gazprom-Media, has views on the matter.
Earlier this month, she took to her Telegram account to upbraid Kazakhstan for having the temerity to give a number of train stations more Kazakh — and, accordingly, less Russian — names.
This is a certain first step to the exclusion of ethnic Russians from public life in Kazakhstan, she argued, citing what she described as a “dangerous” precedent set by the former Soviet Baltic republics.“There too everything started small, and then it really snowballed. Russian schools were shut down, Soviet monuments were removed, the Russian language was banned and, finally, pensioners were kicked out into the cold,” she wrote in a January 16 post teeming with falsehoods.
The remarks generated much indignation in Kazakhstan, not to speak of some mockery. Businesswoman and activist Togjan Qojaly expressed bemusement at the name-changes Kandelaki found so troublesome. Some of the old names were just numbers, so “Railway siding No. 13” becomes “Akshi railway siding,” “Railway station 26” becomes “Zhetitobe railway station,” and so on. In almost all other cases, Kazakh names are substituted with other equally Kazakh names or the transliteration is changed.“What other than ‘Opornaya’ [Note: one of the old station names] belongs to the Russian language? The numbers 13, 460, 10?” Qojaly asked in a Facebook post.
Undaunted by the criticism, Kandelaki doubled down. In a follow-up post, she reminded her readers that the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization had, as she put, helped Kazakhstan restore stability after the violent political unrest of January 2022. This is a characterization of events that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has flatly rejected. For Kazakhstan to be doing anything to somehow disrespect Russia and its culture and language is ingratitude, Kandelaki suggested.
This is not first flare-up of this kind. Kazakhstan has earned the ire of Russian ultra-nationalists for failing to be sufficiently loyal. Astana has studiously avoided registering any support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while also similarly refraining from criticizing it. At the same time, it has been eager to be seen as complying with Western economic sanctions against Moscow for fear of also getting caught up in the same punitive policy.
Kandelaki’s status as an important executive at the owner of one of the Russian state’s most fierce propaganda outlets — one which can be viewed in Kazakhstan, incidentally —makes her remarks difficult to ignore entirely.
And so the Foreign Ministry in Astana reacted. On January 22, ministry representative Aibek Smadiyarov announced Kandelaki had been included in a list of people barred from entry to Kazakhstan.“If you don’t like someone, you do not let them into your home. We will do the same,” said Smadiyarov.
That same day, however, NTV, a station owned by Kandelaki’s Gazprom-Media, broadcast yet more content aimed at ruffling Kazakh feathers.
Speaking on a political talk show, a historian called Mikhail Smolin, known for his pro-Russian imperialism views, shared the opinion that before the Russian Revolution, there were no such peoples as Kazakhs, Uzbeks and Azerbaijanis.
That forced Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to do some damage limitation. In an official statement, she spoke of the importance of Russia’s strategic relations with the “sovereign, independent states” of Central Asia.“[Smolin’s] odious statements are purely subjective in nature, and have nothing to do with … reality … and they remain entirely on the conscience of their author,” Zakharova said.
Sergei Yershov, a member of Kazakhstan’s upper house of parliament, on January 25 described this recent string of remarks by public Russian figures as an attempt to sow instability in the region.“[The aim] is again to throw things into the mix: ‘This one is bad, this one is bad, but we are good,’” he said. Kyrgyzstan: Once all-powerful Matraimov wanted for arrest (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [1/27/2024 4:14 PM, Ayzirek Imanaliyeva, 57.6K, Negative]
The head of the security services in Kyrgyzstan has confirmed that the corrupt and once all-powerful former deputy chief of the customs service is wanted for arrest.
The announcement by Kamchybek Tashiyev on January 27 opens a new chapter in the ruling regime’s campaign to wrest all the levers of control in the country from shadowy, behind-the-scenes operators.
Speaking at a meeting with traders at the Kara-Suu market near the southern city of Osh, Tashiyev said his agency, the State Committee for National Security, or GKNB, would confiscate all assets owned by the wanted ex-customs official, Rayimbek Matraimov.“We will take away all his property in Osh and in all of Kyrgyzstan. We will not leave him even100 square meters of land. And even if he returns, he will no longer be that once-strong Rayim Million,” Tashiev said, using Matraimov’s nickname.
The relative anonymity of Matraimov’s post in government, from which he was released in late 2017, belies the true influence he is believed to have wielded over the country’s political system.
Claims around the reputed wealth of Matraimov, which is what earned him the half-derisive and half-awed monicker Rayim Million, were exposed mostly by independent journalists and anti-graft activists. According to one series of journalistic investigations, Matraimov is said to have siphoned off up to $700 million while overseeing the customs service.
For many years, state investigators looked the other way.
When President Sadyr Japarov seized power in October 2020 in tandem with his old ally Tashiyev, tentative moves were taken to clip Matraimov’s wings. Weeks after Japarov seized the office of the presidency, security service agents briefly detained Matraimov on charges that he had operated a corrupt scheme to “extract shadow income during [his] administration of the customs system.” Matraimov was later released under house arrest after he pledged to pay back $24 million in damages owed to the state.
It appeared to many at the time like this might have been a choreographed exercise to show that Japarov would be different from his predecessors.
The question is whether this latest move against the ex-customs boss is for real.
Tashiyev did not spell out the details of the arrest order, but one independent outlet, Kaktus, has cited unnamed sources as saying that Matraimov is wanted on charges that include “forcibly depriving a person’s freedom.” No details are provided on that or any other alleged offense.
There is a further suggestion this may simply be a matter of money.
Kaktus speculates that Matraimov has been placed on the wanted list over unpaid dues. In 2023, Matraimov purportedly negotiated to contribute “several hundred millions” of soms to the state in return for immunity from arrest. In October, however, he left for Turkey and then traveled on to Dubai without respecting the terms of that deal, Kaktus reported.
Japarov has shown striking boldness in going after people formerly deemed untouchables. If Matraimov’s patronage of wide swathes of the political class once provided him safety, that magic looks to have worn off.
To date, the most notable victim of Japarov and Tashiyev’s battle against the country’s informal rulers has been Kamchybek Kolbayev, a crime boss so notorious that he was even wanted by the U.S. government. Kolbayev was killed in October in an armed standoff against GKNB special forces in Bishkek.
Shortly after that, Tashiyev delivered an ultimatum.“I am addressing criminal elements: do not break the law. From now on, in our country there will be no thieves-in-law, no leaders of organized crime groups, no criminal organizations,” he said in a speech. “We remember those years when one crime boss would replace another. One left, and then others would take their place… This will happen no longer.”
Some weeks later, Tashiyev turned his attention to Matraimov.“If Rayim Matraimov plans to live in this country, he must drive around in a small Matiz [car]. From now on, the Rayim Matraimov clan and their accumulated wealth should not interfere with the development of the country or influence internal political processes,” he said. Uzbek Rights Defender Given Rare Access To Imprisoned Bloggers (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [1/27/2024 11:33 AM, Staff, 223K, Negative]
A rare trip to prison by a Uzbek rights activist to see two bloggers who many say are unjustly jailed revealed one hopeful of an early release and life without journalism, while the other’s mood was grim.Abdurahmon Tashanov, the head of the human rights group Ezgulik (Goodness), was recently allowed to see Otabek Sattoriy and Dauletmurat Tajimuratov, who are serving 6 1/2- and 16-year prison terms, respectively, in different prisons.The sentencing of the men has been widely condemned by Uzbek and international rights groups as a gross miscarriage of justice and blow to any hope of freedom of speech in the country.In describing his meetings with the bloggers, Tashanov says he noticed two entirely different moods -- one really down and the other optimistic about his future.Sattoriy’s plans for life after prison include learning a new profession in the IT industry, according to Tashanov.Sattoriy, 42, is known for investigating corruption allegations against local officials and criticizing regional authorities in his native Surkhondaryo Province on his vlog People’s Opinion, which was on YouTube and Telegram until his arrest in 2021.But Sattoriy says now he will not go back to blogging in the future and wants to "live a quiet life," Tashanov told RFE/RL after the prison visit in the southern city of Qarshi on January 13. "Otabek told me, ‘I burned all my notes, I have no intention of blogging ever again,’" Tashanov said.Sattoriy is "counting the days" until his expected early release in April, Tashanov said, adding that prison authorities told him Sattoriy would soon be freed.He was convicted of extortion and slander in May 2021 in a case human rights groups say was politically motivated to punish the Termez-based blogger for his journalistic work.Sattoriy’s lawyer said the charges against him were fabricated and that the prosecution was unable to present any material evidence of wrongdoing by the blogger.But Uzbek authorities reject the criticism, saying Sattoriy’s arrest and conviction were lawful. His arrest was described by Human Rights Watch as blow to freedom of speech in Uzbekistan.Sattoriy was transferred in December from a prison to a dormitory-like penitentiary located near an industrial facility where convicts work alongside regular employees. He works in a sewing factory, Tashanov said.‘Far From Optimistic’In the prison in Navoi, in central Uzbekistan, there is no evidence of early release for 44-year-old Tajimuratov, a lawyer and blogger who is serving a 16-year sentence for anti-government protests in his native Karakalpakstan region in July 2022."Rather nervous and far from optimistic," Tashanov described Tajimuratov’s mood after visiting him on January 12."He told me that on December 25 he was accused of violating internal prison rules," Tashanov told RFE/RL. "He also complained that letters and parcels sent to him from outside came after a delay, and that it’s very difficult for his own letters to get out of the prison."Tajimuratov, a lawyer for the El Khyzmetinde (At The People’s Service) newspaper, was sentenced early last year with 21 other defendants accused of undermining the constitutional order of the country for taking part in mass protests in Karakalpakstan’s capital, Nukus. Tajimuratov denies the charge.In September 2023, his lawyer said Tajimuratov was being kept in solitary confinement with no access to information from the outside world -- such as newspapers or radio -- and wasn’t allowed to use the prison library.The lawyer added that Tajimuratov was also being denied access to adequate health care and not given proper meals. But Tashanov said Tajimuratov told him he was no longer being mistreated in prison.Tashanov told RFE/RL he was allowed by prison authorities to have a private meeting with the incarcerated lawyer, though he said Tajimuratov told him prison officials exercised "excessive control of inmates’ meetings with relatives that breaches prisoners’ rights."Uzbekistan says 21 people died in the Nukus protests that were sparked by Tashkent’s announcement of a planned change to the Uzbek Constitution that would have removed the region’s right to self-determination. The violence led the government to scrap the proposal.The rights group Ezgulik said the meetings between Sattoriy and Tajimuratov took place after it asked the authorities to allow access to a "number of prisoners."Uzbekistan has jailed several bloggers and even ordinary people who criticized the government and the authoritarian president, Shavkat Mirziyoev, online. Twitter
Afghanistan
Nilofar Ayoubi@NilofarAyoubi
[1/27/2024 6:44 AM, 62.9K followers, 42 retweets, 110 likes]
The rights of women, including human rights and women’s rights, have become a cruel mockery in Afghanistan, as they continue to suffer under the Taliban with each passing moment.
Nilofar Ayoubi@NilofarAyoubi
[1/26/2024 7:02 AM, 62.9K followers, 62 retweets, 162 likes]
Taliban’s treatment of women has resulted in widespread n blatant attacks on women, particularly in relation to the wearing of the hijab. Women are being targeted and abducted, even if they are more modestly dressed than that who to Female Talib in video
SIGAR@SIGARHQ
[1/28/2024 11:02 AM, 168.5K followers, 20 retweets, 66 likes]
(1/3) A recent analysis of the Chinese-Taliban relationship by Afghanistan Analysts Network raised several concerns regarding recent Chinese investment agreements with Taliban. Specifically, analysis pointed to Taliban’s lack of economic strategy and…
SIGAR@SIGARHQ
[1/28/2024 11:02 AM, 168.5K followers, 2 retweets, 17 likes]
(2/3)…Taliban-established laws regarding foreign investments. Although Taliban tried to take full credit for recent investment agreements, analysis argued recent bilateral agreements were a continuation of former Republic’s regional economic strategy
SIGAR@SIGARHQ
[1/28/2024 11:02 AM, 168.5K followers, 4 retweets, 17 likes]
(3/3) It further noted that despite Taliban’s claims to nullify the 2004 Afghan constitution, the Taliban continue to follow the former Republic’s laws on tax, foreign investments, and minerals https://sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2023-10-30qr-section2.pdf#page=40
Amrullah Saleh@AmrullahSaleh2
[1/29/2024 2:19 AM, 1.1M followers, 10 retweets, 52 likes]
No one doubts the overwhelming capabilities of the US to project power, wage war or escalate the ongoing conflicts. The receiving ends however aren’t oblivious to historical facts. The one bitter fact which will haunt the US forever is the Doha deal with the Taliban and the subsequent weekly payment of US$ 60,000,000 for consolidation of that group. Let’s remember the infamous so-called surge & escalation strategy of Obama in 2010-2014 & shameful & bandit style exit from Bagram airbase. The airpower, sea power and so on are part of the criteria for being a power but not all of it. Who trusts you on the ground is the other part. Syria was ruined with the slogan of Asad must go. He is there. Oh by the way there is still a reward of US$ 10,000,000 on S. Haqqani’s head, one of the key beneficiaries of the US$ 60,000,000 weekly funds.
Amrullah Saleh@AmrullahSaleh2
[1/27/2024 3:35 AM, 1.1M followers, 193 retweets, 819 likes]
The Houthis & the future of Logistics: A lesson from Afghanistan. The conduct of Private Security Companies (PSCs) in Afghanistan remains a dark aspect till today. US/NATO countries outsourced many of their logistical operations to the PSCs and in turn the PSCs not so secretly paid tens of millions of dollars to the Taliban for safe passage. It became a vicious cycle of spiraling criminality without talk. At one stage particularly post 2011, during Barak Obam’s presidency, the overall strength of the PSCs exceeded the strength of the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police combined. The Afghan government had no oversight over their activities. After I resigned in 2010 President Karzai tried to bring them under control or create some type of real oversight, he failed. The operation involved so much corruption and involved so many strong hands from contracting countries making it almost impossible for the downstream, Afghan government, to de-contaminate the criminal process. The PSCs later on became a strong lobby & pressure group undermining the credibility, honor and strength of the ANDSF by providing false narratives to contract awarding governments. The PSCs also sponsored some of the anti-Karzai propaganda. Similarly, fragile parties in power in NATO countries used to pay bribes to the Taliban to buy security for their contingents to avoid bad news ahead of elections or just to give no reason for their opposition in their parliaments. Stories with concrete evidence be left to a later stage, Inshallah. Now how this template is applicable to the Red Sea situation and Bab-Al-Mandeb. Andrey Bezrukov, a Russian spy officer who lived under deep cover for 25 years in Canda and US, currently a professor in Moscow State University, gave a very interesting lecture circa five months ago. He said shipping through the Red Sea will be threatened forcing the insurance companies to either decline insuring certain ships and cargos or agree to hefty secret payments to the Houthis for safe passage. In other words sooner or later the Houthis will become one of the strongest INSURANCE companies with no headquarters or bank account. Why not. There is a precedent. (The YouTube link of legendary Andri Bezrokov’s lecture is in the comment). Pakistan
Imran Khan@ImranKhanPTI
[1/28/2024 1:27 PM, 20.3M followers, 23K retweets, 49K likes]
Despite the repressive tactics employed by the state, millions came out today across Pakistan with one single message: Ghulami NaManzoor!
BilawalBhuttoZardari@BBhuttoZardari
[1/28/2024 8:10 AM, 5.1M followers, 9.5K retweets, 10K likes]
Today I stand in the city where my grandfather Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was judicially murdered. At the very park my mother, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, addressed her final jalsa. I stand here because Pakistan is on the brink of disaster once again. There are two paths before you, one is the path our country has walked for decades. It is a path that leads to hatred and division. The other is a new path, a path that puts you, the people, at the center of politics. It is the path that will lead us all to a better tomorrow. On 8th February vote for the arrow of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, and choose a new path to peace, progress, and prosperity
Hamid Mir@HamidMirPAK
[1/28/2024 8:02 AM, 8.3M followers, 92 retweets, 588 likes]
No party may get clear majority on Feb 8th. If voters turnout cross 50% it may help candidates of PTI.
Hamid Mir@HamidMirPAK
[1/27/2024 1:44 AM, 8.3M followers, 768 retweets, 2.8K likes]
Life came to a standstill in GB on Friday as a complete shutter-down and wheel-jam strike was observed across the region,with big protest demonstrations and rallies held in all districts against an increase in the subsidised wheat rate and other grievances
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[1/27/2024 2:33 PM, 205.6K followers, 27 retweets, 129 likes]
Islamabad has accused terrorists in Iran of killing 9 Pakistanis there today. The Pakistani and Iranian governments may have agreed to bury the hatchet after their recent brief crisis, but the militants targeted during that crisis clearly have other ideas.
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[1/27/2024 2:33 PM, 205.6K followers, 6 likes]
If there are more horrific attacks like these on civilians by militants that each side accuses the other of harboring, the rapid resolution of the recent crisis could unravel in a hurry and plunge relations back into crisis.Madiha Afzal@MadihaAfzal
[1/28/2024 10:00 AM, 41.7K followers, 16 retweets, 98 likes]
Pakistan’s general election is 11 days away. On one hand, campaigning just began in earnest. On the other, the state has been manipulating the playing field for more than a year.
Madiha Afzal@MadihaAfzal
[1/26/2024 1:37 PM, 41.7K followers, 14 retweets, 117 likes]
Agreed, it’s high time election campaigns in Pakistan introduce policy debates. And the PM candidates of the PPP, PML-N, and PTI -- Pakistan’s three largest parties -- should engage in them.
Madiha Afzal@MadihaAfzal
[1/26/2024 9:36 AM, 41.7K followers, 131 retweets, 403 likes]
Pakistan: Important to remember that blocking a popular political party from the playing field in an election is not just about the party (problematic as that is) -- it is about voters. Voters are being denied their fundamental rights as citizens. India
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[1/28/2024 3:00 AM, 94.9M followers, 3.6K retweets, 13K likes]
Addressing a programme marking 75 years of the Supreme Court. https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1OyJAWndWeMKb
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[1/27/2024 8:48 AM, 94.9M followers, 2.3K retweets, 10K likes]
The impact of our educational reforms is truly transformative, particularly in empowering our Nari Shakti. This will further gender equality and women-led development across all sectors.
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[1/26/2024 10:28 AM, 94.9M followers, 11K retweets, 88K likes]
Grateful for the French participation in our Republic Day celebrations. The military band, marching contingent, jets and Multirole Aircraft Tanker contributed to the parade being a memorable one.
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[1/26/2024 10:26 AM, 94.9M followers, 8.7K retweets, 63K likes]
Thank you President @EmmanuelMacron for being a part of our Republic Day celebrations. Your presence will add great momentum to India-France ties.
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar[1/29/2024 2:07 AM, 3M followers, 52 retweets, 580 likes]
Every visit to Varalakshmi Foundation’s Ekta Skill Centre in Kevadia is encouraging. 1600 trainees, 90% of them tribal and 55% women is a notable achievement. Wish them all success in their continuing endeavors.
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[1/29/2024 1:57 AM, 3M followers, 89 retweets, 690 likes]
Delighted to participate at the inauguration of the IHCL Hospitality Skill Centre today in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat. The Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar has emerged as a major tourist destination, with steadily growing footfalls. The construction of tourist facilities, including hotels is a natural consequence. Ensuring the skilled human resources for such facilities is now the task. So glad to see that the IHCL Centre has hit the ground running. Interacted with the first batches selected for front office and F&B training. These youth from the region have got new opportunities as a result of the Modi Government’s promotion of tourism. #SkillIndia @souindia
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[1/27/2024 6:47 AM, 3M followers, 437 retweets, 4.5K likes]
Pleased to speak at the 7th India-US Forum in New Delhi today. The deliberations of the Forum reflect the trust and openness which characterises our ties now. Thank @AnantaAspen Centre for their efforts at putting it together.
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[1/27/2024 2:44 AM, 3M followers, 343 retweets, 3.5K likes]
Good to meet Jason Isaacson and American Jewish Committee colleagues. Exchanged views on the situation in West Asia and discussed our bilateral relationship. @AJCGlobal’s long-standing support to India-US ties is deeply valued.
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[1/27/2024 2:39 AM, 3M followers, 1.2K retweets, 11K likes]
Delighted to meet Governor @GregAbbott_TX of Texas. Impressed by his commitment and energy for stronger India-US ties. Appreciate the contribution of Texas to the growth of the relationship. Confident that his mission to India will be successful.
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[1/27/2024 11:59 AM, 205.6K followers, 16 retweets, 84 likes]
The Indian Navy helped rescue a mostly Indian crew on an oil vessel attacked by Houthi rebels last night. Indian interests continue to be directly impacted by Houthi attacks. The attacks were a main focus of EAM Jaishankar’s recent visit to Tehran. NSB
Awami League@albd1971
[1/28/2024 9:14 AM, 635.7K followers, 33 retweets, 86 likes] The administrator of the @UNDP, @ASteiner has congratulated #SheikhHasina on her reelection as prime minister. In his message, Mr Steiner recognized #Bangladesh’s development journey and PM Hasina’s effort and commitment towards it. https://bssnews.net/news-flash/169862 #BangladeshPolls
Awami League@albd1971
[1/27/2024 11:22 AM, 635.7K followers, 44 retweets, 154 likes]
Russian Ambassador to #Bangladesh Alexander Mantytskiy has expressed optimism that with the newly elected government, the ties between Dhaka and Moscow will continue to thrive, bringing peace and prosperity to the people. @RussEmbDhaka @bdmofa #BDRussiaRelations https://unb.com.bd/category/Bangladesh/russian-ambassador-hopes-dhaka-moscow-relations-will-continue-to-thrive/129759#google_vignette
Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP@bdbnp78
[1/27/2024 6:36 AM, 48.2K followers, 59 retweets, 407 likes]
Hundreds of thousands of people joined the BNP’s #BlackFlagMarch, protesting commodity price hikes and demanding the release of all #PoliticalPrisoners, including Begum Khaleda Zia, the withdrawal of all #FalseCases, and the resignation of Hasina’s fascist government, dissolving the illegally formed parliament through #ShamElections. #StepDownHasina #OnePointDemand #TakeBackBangladesh
Moosa Zameer@MoosaZameer
[1/28/2024 12:25 PM, 12.6K followers, 74 retweets, 104 likes]
Pleased that President Dr @MMuizzu has decided that the #Maldives will be seeking the opportunity to file a declaration of intervention at the @CIJ_ICJ on the application by South Africa citing that Israel is in breach of the Genocide Convention. Under the guidance of Attorney General @a_usham, @MoFAmv will be working to facilitate the opportunity. We, the Maldives and its people will always stand in solidarity with the people of #Palestine in their cause for an independent and sovereign state based on pre-1967 borders.
Embassy of Nepal, Washington, D.C.@nepalembassyusa
[1/27/2024 11:08 AM, 3.2K followers, 4 retweets, 16 likes]
Ambassador Sridhar Khatri on 26th January 2024 participated in an informal discussion program organized by the East-West Center at its headquarters in Washington, D. C. on perceptions and views of the smaller South Asian countries on the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy. Central Asia
Chris Rickleton@ChrisRickleton
[1/27/2024 2:24 AM, 7.2K followers, 6 retweets, 16 likes]
New law initiated by @ElviraSur in Kyrgyzstan and signed by @sadyrzhaparov makes it impossible for police to shut down criminal cases related to rape. Sentences now up to life imprisonment. Probation for offenders excluded. @AzattykMedia explains.Navbahor Imamova@Navbahor
[1/28/2024 3:59 AM, 22.5K followers, 1 retweet, 6 likes]
Uzbekistan’s Statistics Agency: GDP reached around $91bln in 2023. In the national currency, it is over 1 trillion sums. 6% increase from the previous year.
Navbahor Imamova@Navbahor
[1/28/2024 10:31 AM, 22.5K followers, 1 like]
Correction: In Uzbek sums, 2023 GDP is over 1 quadrillion.
Navbahor Imamova@Navbahor
[1/26/2024 12:26 PM, 22.5K followers, 2 retweets, 12 likes] “I don’t think that Central Asians are looking for a fight with either China or Russia, but they are looking for a closer relationship with the U.S.” - Ambassador John Herbst @AtlanticCouncil. Pushing for a more robust policy, he says Central Asian states share with Washington an interest in “making sure we have access to the minerals we need for the economy of the future.” https://voanews.com/a/central-asia-seen-as-key-to-breaking-china-s-rare-earth-monopoly/7457583.html
Navbahor Imamova@Navbahor
[1/26/2024 11:50 AM, 22.5K followers, 2 retweets, 12 likes]
Central Asia: Uzbekistan is the leading recipient of the EBRD funding in the region for the fourth year running. To date, @EBRD has invested around €4.28 billion in 147 projects across the country, most of which support private entrepreneurship and investment. https://ebrd.com/news/2024/ebrd-approves-new-country-strategy-for-uzbekistan.html
Navbahor Imamova@Navbahor
[1/26/2024 10:30 AM, 22.5K followers, 1 retweet]
Indictment charging U.S. citizen Abduvosit Razikov (44, Orlando) and Uzbek national Dilrabo Obidova (35, Orlando) with conspiring for more than 16 years to make false statements to federal agencies, illegally obtain immigration benefits, make false statements in U.S. passport applications, and illegally obtain U.S. passports. @TheJusticeDept https://justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/uzbek-national-and-united-states-citizen-charged-long-running-immigration-and-passport {End of Report} To subscribe to the SCA Morning Press Clips, please email SCA-PressOfficers@state.gov. Please do not reply directly to this email.