SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS

epubdos : Afghanistan

Prepared for the U.S. Department of State

Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs

By TechMIS
www.TechMIS.com

Mobile User Copy

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

Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Taliban Host Multilateral Huddle To Promote Regional Cooperation (VOA)

VOA [1/29/2024 12:50 PM, Ayaz Gul, 761K, Neutral]
Afghanistan’s fundamentalist Taliban hosted their first international meeting Monday since returning to power in Kabul, saying it is aimed at promoting economic connectivity and cooperation with regional countries on “common challenges.”

Special representatives and ambassadors from neighboring and regional countries, including China, Russia and Iran, attended the gathering in the Afghan capital titled Afghanistan Regional Cooperation Initiative.

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told the inaugural session that “regional security remains of grave importance” for his government, known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan or IEA. His office released the English translation of his local language speech.

Muttaqi explained that the meeting had been convened to develop a “region-centric narrative” to enhance cooperation “for a positive and constructive engagement between Afghanistan and regional countries to tackle existing and potential threats.”

The Taliban reclaimed power in August 2021 when the United States-led Western troops withdrew from the country after their involvement in the Afghan war for nearly 20 years.

However, the international community has not recognized the de facto Afghan government mainly over its restrictions on women’s access to education and work.

The United Nations has also refused to give Afghanistan’s seat at the world body to the Taliban until they ease their restrictions on Afghan women’s freedom of movement and work and govern the country through an inclusive political setup representing all Afghan ethnicities.

The Taliban have defended their administration and policies as aligned with Afghan culture and Islamic law, rejecting calls for reforms as an interference in the country’s internal affairs.

“I would like to take this opportunity to put across to you a clear message: The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan respects others’ interests, choices, government structures, and development models and, in return, expects others to respect Afghanistan’s interests and government and development choices and models,” Muttaqi said Monday.

“Therefore, our choices shall be respected. Instead of proposing governance models and pointing fingers at the (Afghan ruling) system, it is better to engage in mutual interests,” the Taliban foreign minister said.

He urged delegates to convey the “ground realities of today’s Afghanistan” to the United Nations meeting scheduled for next month in Qatar in hopes of fostering a “constructive engagement” and “acceptable approach” for his country.

The two-day conference in Qatar’s capital, Doha, will open on February 18. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will convene the meeting with member states, regional organizations, and special Afghanistan representatives.

“The objective of the meeting is to discuss how to approach increasing international engagement in a coherent, coordinated, and structured manner, including through consideration of the recommendations of the independent assessment on Afghanistan,” said Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric while speaking to reporters in New York last week.

The U.N.-mandated assessment determined that “international engagement is not working,” nor does it “serve the humanitarian, economic, political or social needs of the Afghan people.”

The Doha meeting is also expected to discuss the appointment of a U.N. special envoy for Afghanistan in accordance with the assessment’s recommendations.

On Monday, Muttaqi reiterated Kabul’s opposition to appointing a U.N. special envoy, saying the world body already maintains its presence in Afghanistan and his administration is ready to engage with international stakeholders on all issues. He cautioned that previous “externally imposed” solutions and interventions led to instability in his conflict-torn South Asian nation.

The U.N.-authorized assessment has linked the recognition of the Taliban government to compliance with Afghanistan’s international treaty obligations and commitments and the immediate removal of sweeping curbs on women’s rights to education and employment opportunities.

An honourable end for the Afghan special forces let down by Britain (The Independent – opinion)

The Independent [1/29/2024 3:30 PM, Staff, 3055K, Neutral]
At last, it would seem that justice is at hand for the Afghan special forces so disgracefully left behind and forgotten by the British government.

Despite lavish promises by successive prime ministers and defence secretaries, hundreds of Afghan soldiers in the special forces have had their cases for asylum wrongly assessed, with the result that they and their families were left abandoned when the British hurriedly withdrew in August 2021. There was apparently no consideration given to certificates and ID cards showing their closeness with the UK special forces, and references from British colleagues were ignored. So were the testimonies and pleas of senior British service personnel.

Now, in a dramatic but fairly typical development, so far as the Afghan veterans are concerned, after months of inertia and confusion, the British authorities have at last come within touching distance of doing the right thing, and allowing people who have risked their lives fighting alongside allied forces to start a new life in safety.

After intense activity on the Afghans’ behalf by The Independent, Lighthouse Reports and Sky News, the Ministry of Defence has relented and agreed to review the soldier’s applications to the Afghan relocations and assistance policy scheme. Crucially, the ministry has conceded that they were paid by the British. Thus, the Afghan special forces soldiers, who were members of Commando Force 333 and Afghan Territorial Force 444, and trained by Britain’s own world-class special forces, will be allowed to bring their family members with them to the UK, meaning thousands of people will probably be given sanctuary.

It is a small number in the context of annual – regular, and legal – migration of more than half a million a year; but there was, and is, a matter of principle at stake. Does Britain stand behind and with its allies or not?

It is an especially poignant question to ask in this case, because of how Britain’s long and difficult engagement with Afghanistan began, and how it ended.

Almost forgotten now, this particular theatre in the “war on terror” was unlike the illegal campaign in Iraq. It followed 9/11, was clearly endorsed by the United Nations as a matter of international law, encompassed a wide alliance of nations, including from the Muslim world, and sought to end the Taliban’s cruel regime and sponsorship of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. It was an exercise in nation building, however it ended.

To conduct the war against the Taliban, many Afghans volunteered to work directly and indirectly for the Allies. Had George W Bush and other leaders made different choices in 2001, then no Afghans or members of the Triples, so-called because of their full titles, would be applying for asylum now, or at least in these numbers. They are coming to Britain not out of some long-held ambition, but because we were in their homeland and now they have to save their lives – lives in danger because of their service to the allies.

That debt needs to be honoured, and the fear banished. Their case for asylum is a classic one – they are in genuine fear for their very lives. Their claims are unimpeachable, whatever scheme or basis they are submitted under. Now the government has finally accepted that these people need to come here, they need to make sure they are moved quickly as their lives are in danger.

There is evidence that Britain and its European partners briefly contemplated staying on in Afghanistan when President Joe Biden made the announcement about withdrawal, which had been agreed with the Taliban by President Donald Trump. Without the United States, though, there was little chance of success, and so the British withdrew in a less than orderly and ideal fashion. That is when those who fought with us were abandoned.

Perhaps that was inevitable in the circumstances, because there were so many trying to escape, and so little time for decision-making. That, though, should never have been the end of that story. It needed an honourable conclusion. Now that is within reach.

Pakistan

Ex-Pakistani leader Imran Khan gets 10-year prison sentence before elections (Washington Post)

Washington Post [1/30/2024 5:35 AM, Shaiq Hussain and Rick Noack, 5.5M, Neutral]
Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan was convicted of exposing official secrets and sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday, his party said, in the latest setback for the popular leader who fell afoul of the nation’s powerful military.

The verdict, which Khan’s party says was rushed and could be overturned, came nine days before the country of 240 million heads to the polls in a vote that Khan’s party has described as rigged and unfair.

Khan has been in jail since August, when a court convicted him of corruption and sentenced him to three years in prison. Even though that sentence was suspended, he remained in jail as he faced numerous other charges, including of exposing official secrets, which could have resulted in the death penalty.

The latest accusations centered on Khan having in early 2022 publicized details of a secret diplomatic cable that the former prime minister said proved the United States was behind efforts to oust him.

Tuesday’s court decision followed what Khan’s party called a “sham” trial. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said it would appeal the sentence. It had previously accused the Pakistani establishment of having deliberately rushed the sentencing to coincide with the most intense phase of campaigning ahead of next week’s general election.

With Khan barred from running for public office, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif — himself once toppled in a military coup — is the most likely to be Pakistan’s next leader. He returned in October from self-imposed exile in London after rebuilding trust with the military.

On social media, officials linked to Sharif welcomed Khan’s conviction on Tuesday. But while the Pakistani establishment has all but dismantled Khan’s party since he was ousted in 2022, it doesn’t appear to have dented his widespread popularity.

The PTI says it has faced numerous restrictions during its campaign, including a court ordering the removal of its recognizable cricket bat symbol from ballot papers.

Pakistan’s caretaker government has defended these measures as legal and necessary to maintain stability. They point to accusations that Khan’s party deliberately stirred tensions against the military when officers first tried to arrest him early last year, sparking violent unrest.

Sarwar Bari, a Pakistani political scientist, said that while Tuesday’s court decision marks another setback for Khan, it’s not an unexpected one.

“It was bound to happen, given what the PTI has been experiencing for the last two years,” Bari said. But he cautioned that rather than deterring Khan’s supporters from voting for the PTI next week, the 10-year prison sentence could stoke unpredictable tensions.

“If the PTI manages to translate the rage and anger into votes on February 8th,” he said, “there could still be a surprise ahead.”

Imran Khan Gets 10 Years Jail Under Pakistan’s Secrets Act (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg [1/30/2024 3:35 AM, Kamran Haider, 5.5M, Neutral]
A Pakistani court sentenced former premier Imran Khan to ten years in jail after finding him guilty of violating the nation’s secrecy laws by making a diplomatic cable public when he was in power.

Special court judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain handed down the order to the former cricket star on Tuesday, according to Shoaib Shaheen. Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was also given a 10-year jail sentence in the same case.

The verdict will be challenged in in a higher court as the trial was done “in haste, illegally”, Shaheen said in a text message. This is Khan’s second conviction after another court last year sentenced him to three years in jail for corruption, which disqualifies him from contesting in elections.

The firebrand politician has to go through more 170 cases and his party is also barred from contesting national elections on Feb. 8. Khan has said these allegations were politically motivated and a result of his public confrontation with the military after he was ousted in a no-confidence vote on April 2022.

Khan has been held in jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi to face other court cases and hasn’t been seen in public since his first sentencing. His aides, who run his X account, posted a message asking Khan’s supporters to stay calm and “take the revenge by voting for his party” in next week’s elections.

Pakistan’s benchmark stock index fell as much as 1.8% to lowest in a month after the verdict as investors assess political stability with elections around the corner. The nation’s dollar bond due April was indicated 1 cent higher to trade at about 98 cents on the dollar.

The 71-year-old politician has accused the US, his political rivals led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and the military for conspiring to remove him from power — allegations all three have denied. In the days leading to the no-confidence vote against him, Khan made public a classified cable sent by Pakistan’s former ambassador in Washington.

Despite not being allowed to contest, Khan remains the most popular politician in Pakistan although his opponent Sharif has gained considerable ground since returning from self-exile last year. A Gallup opinion poll carried out last month shows approval ratings for Khan stand at 57%, slightly lower than 60% in June last year.

Pakistan court jails ex-PM Imran Khan for 10 years ahead of elections (Reuters)

Reuters [1/30/2024 4:50 AM, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam and Ariba Shahid, 5.2M, Neutral]
A Pakistan court handed Imran Khan a 10-year jail term on Tuesday for leaking state secrets, his party said, the harshest sentence against the former prime minister so far and just 10 days before a general election.

The special court found Khan guilty of making public the contents of a secret cable sent by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington to the government in Islamabad, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said. Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was also sentenced to 10 years in the same case.

The jail term is the second conviction for Khan in recent months, and ensures the popular former prime minister will remain in jail, and out of the public spotlight, ahead of next week’s general elections. The court was due to issue its written verdict later.

The PTI said it would challenge the decision. "We don’t accept this illegal decision," Khan’s lawyer Naeem Panjutha posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Khan aide Zulfikar Bukhari told Reuters that the legal team was given no chance to represent the former prime minister or cross examine witnesses, adding that the proceedings were carried out in jail.

He called the conviction an attempt to weaken support for Khan. "People will now make sure they come out and vote in larger numbers," he told Reuters.

The embattled former cricket star was previously sentenced to three years in a corruption case, which had already ruled him out of the general elections next week.

However, Khan’s legal team was hoping to get him released from jail, where he has been since August last year, but the latest conviction means that is unlikely even as the charges are contested in a higher court.

Khan has been fighting dozens of cases since he was ousted from power in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 2022.

Khan says the cable that pertains to the case was proof of a conspiracy by the Pakistani military and the U.S. government to topple his government in 2022 after he visited Moscow just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Washington and the Pakistan military deny the accusations.

The former prime minister has previously said the contents of the cable appeared in the media from other sources.

Khan’s PTI, which won the 2018 elections, suffered a major setback earlier this month when a court upheld the Election Commission’s decision to strip the party of its traditional election symbol, the cricket bat.

His candidates are now contesting as independents, many of them on the run amidst what the party calls a crackdown backed by the country’s powerful military. The military denies this.

Pakistan, Iran Agree to Broaden Anti-Terror Cooperation After Missile Strikes (VOA)

VOA [1/29/2024 9:07 AM, Ayaz Gul, 761K, Neutral]
Pakistan and Iran agreed Monday to broaden political and security cooperation to confront terrorism after exchanging unprecedented missile strikes earlier this month against alleged militant bases in each other’s territories.

The understanding stemmed from a meeting Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani hosted with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, in Islamabad.

"There was an agreement to cooperate to fight terrorism in our respective areas. We need to address and allay each other’s concerns with regard to terrorism,” Jilani told a news conference alongside the Iranian foreign minister.

He said that Pakistan and Iran had decided to immediately deploy “liaison officers” in their respective Turbat and Zahedan border towns to “further strengthen ongoing security and intelligence cooperation.”

Amirabdollahian said Iran and Pakistan “strongly respect” each other’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

He added, “We will tell all terrorists that we will not … provide them with any opportunity to endanger our common security.”

The chief Iranian diplomat, without elaborating, pointed figures at “third countries” for supporting militants in border regions of Iran and Pakistan.

"There is no doubt that the terrorists located in the common border regions and areas of Iran and Pakistan are led and supported by third countries, and they never favor any good actions in line with the benefits and interests of the Iranian and Pakistani governments and nations,” Amirabdollahian said.

The two foreign ministers said they had agreed to hold regular meetings at the highest ministerial and military levels to prevent any future “misunderstandings.”

Military tensions between Tehran and Islamabad escalated on January 17 when Iranian security forces launched airstrikes into the turbulent southwestern Pakistani border province of Baluchistan against what Tehran said were the “strongholds” of anti-Iran Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, or the Army of Justice.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan condemned the cross-border incursion, saying it killed two children and injured several other civilians. It swiftly recalled the Pakistani ambassador to Tehran and asked the Iranian ambassador to leave Pakistan, suspending all planned meetings between the two countries.

Two days later, Islamabad carried out similar airstrikes against what it said were terrorist hideouts in Iran’s southeastern border province of Sistan-Baluchistan. Iranian officials said the strikes killed nine Pakistani nationals, mostly women and children.

The two countries, however, have since agreed to de-escalate tensions and allowed their respective ambassadors to resume duties, leading to the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Islamabad on Monday.

Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer-long border and routinely accuse each other of not doing enough to prevent fugitive anti-state militants from using their respective territories to plot cross-border attacks.

Pakistan and Iran patch up ties but militants poised to play spoilers (Nikkei Asia)

Nikkei Asia [1/30/2024 4:04 AM, Adnan Aamir, 293K, Neutral]
A move by Pakistan and Iran to restore their relationship after tit-for-tat missile strikes on militant groups is being overshadowed by the risk that such outfits will continue to act as spoilers in the increasingly volatile region.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian visited Pakistan on Monday and met with caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul-Haq Kakar and army chief Syed Asim Munir, before holding a joint news conference with his Pakistani counterpart Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani.

The two sides vowed to respect each other’s sovereignty and expand security cooperation, with Abdollahian saying, "We will not let terrorists endanger and threaten the security of the two nations." Iran had launched the first salvo earlier in January, targeting the alleged bases of a militant group in the restive Pakistani province of Balochistan. Islamabad fired back days later at "terrorist hideouts" in the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

But even before Monday’s talks began, militants had already shaken the ties again by killing Pakistani laborers in Iran over the weekend. The tensions between Pakistan and Iran are also part of a much broader outbreak of violence in the Middle East, roiled by the Israel-Hamas war and other flaring conflicts. The U.S. has blamed Iran-backed militants for a drone attack on Sunday that killed three of its service members and wounded dozens, a claim Tehran denied.

On Saturday in Iran, unidentified militants stormed a compound in the city of Saravan in Sistan-Baluchistan -- 55 kilometers from the Pakistani border and not far from where Pakistan conducted its airstrikes.

Thirteen Pakistani laborers were living in the compound. The attackers killed nine, mainly motor mechanics and helpers. According to local media, a relative of one of the slain laborers said the attackers were chanting that the killings were revenge for Pakistan’s strikes inside Iran.

A security official who requested anonymity told Nikkei Asia that the killings were indeed most likely a response to Pakistan’s action, which targeted Baloch separatists who aim to carve out an independent state in a region that has key China-backed Belt and Road Initiative projects, particularly the port of Gwadar.

"The Pakistani airstrikes were a big blow to the Baloch separatist groups and they vowed revenge against Pakistan," said the official. "Pakistani laborers inside Iran were a soft target and hence they were killed by gunmen somehow linked with Baloch separatists."

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist organization outlawed by Pakistan, denied involvement in the killing of the laborers through a press statement. But experts fear that separatists and religious extremist groups such as Jaish al-Adl -- a Sunni Islamist group that was the target of Iran’s strikes -- want to obstruct normalization efforts between the neighbors.

Fakhar Kakakhel, an independent analyst specializing in militancy in Pakistan, told Nikkei Asia that improved relations between Iran and Pakistan would leave less space for the militant groups on either side, and thus they are "very much active to spoil normalization."

Further muddying the picture, Abdollahian also argued during the news conference that there is no doubt that militants in the border areas of Pakistan and Iran are directed and supported by third countries. These countries, he said, "never favor any good action in line with the benefits of the Iranian and Pakistani governments and nations."

The region has certainly seen a sharp rise in proxy warfare in recent months, with Iran allegedly in the thick of it. The U.S. has accused Tehran of being behind the drone strike in Jordan, as well as attacks by Yemen-based Houthi militants against shipping in the Red Sea. This has raised fears of a more direct confrontation. After the Jordan incident, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "The president and I will not tolerate attacks on U.S. forces and we will take all necessary actions to defend the U.S. and our troops."

Iran said it is not involved in how such groups respond to "American aggressors."

Experts suggest that while there may be some truth to Abdollahian’s statement about third parties, it represents an attempt to externalize the militancy problem near the border without addressing the core issues.

Alex Vatanka, founding director of the Iran program at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, said there is indeed a history of third-party foreign intelligence services operating in Iran-Pakistan border regions. "However, the problem of ethnic Baloch militancy has a root cause," Vatanka said.

"Neither Tehran nor Islamabad have done anything serious to deal with local grievances among ethnic Baloch," he said. "It is in this dire socio-economic environment that militants recruit among locals."

During his visit, the Iranian foreign minister also announced that liaison officers would be stationed in Turbat, Pakistan, and Zahidan, Iran, for border coordination. But experts like Vatanka do not consider this a major development.

"Neither Iran nor Pakistan has seriously pursued the idea of security cooperation," Vatanka said.

He added that the two neighbors have combined military forces of over 1 million, while militant Balochs operating on both sides of the border probably number a few thousand at most. "To defeat militancy [near the border] is not about a lack of capacity but a lack of joint will," he said. "Tehran and Islamabad have no one but themselves to blame."

Officials say 1 policeman, 6 insurgents killed as rebels launch rocket attacks in southwest Pakistan (AP)

AP [1/30/2024 2:16 AM, Abdul Sattar, 456K, Negative]
Rockets fired by separatist insurgents killed a police officer and wounded a dozen other people overnight in southwestern Pakistan, officials said Tuesday, in apparent retaliation for Pakistani strikes on what it said were insurgent hideouts in Iran earlier in January.

Six insurgents were also killed in the ensuing shootout, according to the government.

The outlawed Baluchistan Liberation Army quickly claimed the attacks, writing that two of its fighters were killed.

Authorities initially said that the attacks, in the district of Mach in Baluchistan, were foiled without causalities, but two local security officials said at least one policeman was killed and 15 members of the Pakistani security forces were wounded in multiple rocket attacks. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

The BLA threatened to launch attacks on security forces in Baluchistan and elsewhere following Pakistan’s Jan. 18 strikes on their camps in Iran, which killed at least nine people. Those strikes were made in response to an Iranian strike in Pakistan that appeared to target a different Baluch militant group with similar separatist goals.

Tuesday’s attacks came hours after top Iranian diplomat Hossein Amirabdollahian held talks in Islamabad with his Pakistani counterpart, Jalil Abbas Jilani in an effort to resolve the diplomatic crisis that began with the exchange of cross-border strikes. The two countries vowed to work together against insurgents operating in their border areas.

There was no immediate comment from the military, but Jan Achakzai, a government spokesman in Baluchistan, wrote on social media that six insurgents were killed in a shootout and troops foiled the three coordinated attacks without casualties or damage.

Authorities sometimes downplay troop casualties in such attacks.

Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, as well as Iran’s neighboring Sistan and Baluchestan province, have faced a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists for more than two decades.

Although the government says it has quelled the insurgency, violence in the province has persisted.

Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer (560-mile), largely lawless, border, across which smugglers and militants freely roam. Quetta is the capital of Baluchistan province, where Baloch nationalists, Islamic militants and the Islamic State group have claimed responsibility for attacks on security forces in recent years.

Pakistan Keeps Rates Unchanged Amid Elevated Inflation (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg [1/29/2024 8:53 AM, Ismail Dilawar, 5543K, Positive]
Pakistan’s central bank held its benchmark interest rate for a fifth straight meeting as authorities look to curb Asia’s fastest inflation ahead of nationwide elections next week.

The State Bank of Pakistan maintained the target rate at 22%, Governor Jameel Ahmad said at a press briefing in Karachi on Monday. Of the 15 economists in a Bloomberg survey, 14 predicted the move, while one forecast a cut.

“The current monetary policy stance is appropriate and we will continue it,” Ahmad said.

The decision comes after Pakistan’s inflation quickened for the second consecutive month in December as International Monetary Fund-backed hikes in energy costs and a weak currency stoked price gains. The Pakistani rupee declined about 24% against the dollar in 2023.

“Inflation still remains elevated” the governor said, adding that while price gains will ease in January, a substantial decline will be seen only after March.

The central bank revised average inflation forecast to 23%-25% in the fiscal year ending June, from 20%-22% earlier. It projected growth at 2%-3% this year, in-line with the IMF’s 2.5% estimate.

Earlier this month, the South Asian nation received $700 million in loan from the Washington-based lender. The IMF funds are critical to revive Pakistan’s economy and will help the country secure financing from other creditors like Saudi Arabia. It will also provide some relief for Pakistan’s caretaker government under Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar ahead of elections scheduled for early February.

“While the current account situation is improving, some risks remain,” Ahmad said. Pakistan has repaid $6.2 billion of foreign debt so far, he said.

“Our external debt profile has improved because short-term commercial borrowings have already been repaid,” Ahmad said at an analyst briefing later. “So our external debt vulnerability has significantly decreased.”

Pakistan faces substantial external funding needs over the medium term. The IMF has estimated that the country’s external financing requirements will average about $27 billion every fiscal year over 2025-2028.

The Centrality of Security in the Pakistan-US Relationship (The Diplomat)

The Diplomat [1/29/2024 9:09 AM, Bantirani Patro, 201K, Neutral]
On his maiden visit to the United States in December 2023, General Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan’s chief of Army Staff (COAS), was greeted with red-carpet treatment from key government and defense officials, from Secretary of State Antony Blinken to General Michael Erik Kurilla, chief of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), among others. These high-level visits reaffirmed Pakistan’s status as a major non-NATO ally and sparked discussions about a positive reset in Pakistan-U.S. ties.

In 2024, keeping up with the spirit of continuity, Pakistan’s interim foreign minister, while meeting with the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, emphasized “building on the recent exchanges and the momentum gained in bilateral ties.”

A Marriage of Necessity

Following the hasty U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Islamabad’s strategic relevance within Washington’s strategic calculus diminished. The Pakistani establishment’s initial jubilation with the takeover soon dissipated, as an ensconced Taliban government in Afghanistan had emboldened the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Pakistan’s deadliest terror group, which seeks to overthrow the Pakistani state and impose Shariah, or Islamic law.

Today, the United States is putting more onus on developing the non-traditional facets of the relationship, which had long been ignored or remained nascent at best, while Pakistan is keen on reviving the traditional security aspect, especially in the face of a burgeoning TTP threat.

Previously, U.S. drone strikes were paramount in paralyzing the top brass of the TTP, exemplified by the killing of Baitullah Mehsud, the first leader of the Pakistani Taliban in 2009 and his successor, Hakimullah Mehsud, in 2013. To that end, an interim minister in Pakistan, following a terrorist attack in December 2023 orchestrated by a faction of the TTP, had suggested offering the U.S. drone bases to target militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan. During Munir’s visit, reports surfaced that the United States denied his request for military assistance to counter the TTP, despite Pakistan’s attempts at portraying the TTP as a global threat, capable of imperiling the U.S. homeland. It should be noted that the Pakistani Taliban had, in fact, taken credit for a failed bomb explosion in New York’s Times Square in 2010.

However, it would be myopic to think the intent and scope for traditional security cooperation between the two have shrunk, for Pakistan will remain indelibly tied to Washington’s regional security objectives. The killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaida chief, in 2022 by a precise U.S. drone strike in Kabul couldn’t have taken place without Pakistan’s assistance in two forms – intelligence sharing and usage of Pakistan’s airspace.

The relationship between the TTP and al-Qaida, albeit cloaked, remains active. However, whether that would propel Washington to renew historic levels of security assistance to Islamabad will be contingent on how the U.S. perceives the TTP’s acts of terror. In November 2022, the U.S. State Department sanctioned the deputy leader of the TTP, Qari Amjad, along with three other al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) leaders. Before that, the previous U.S. sanctions against the TPP had come in 2019, targeting Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, the TTP’s current emir. Last year, Thomas West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, remarked that the TTP poses the “greatest threat” to the stability of the region and earlier this year, conveyed the importance of “concerted efforts to eliminate the group inside Afghanistan”.

Furthermore, the possibility of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal or its technological know-how falling into the hands of terrorists and other rogue elements has persistently been a cause of concern for the U.S. administration, the echoes of which can still be heard today in the corridors of power. President Joe Biden, in a 2022 speech, retorted that “Pakistan is one of the most dangerous nations in the world because it has nuclear weapons without any cohesion.” Over a decade ago, then-President Barack Obama had said that “the single biggest threat to the U.S., both short term, medium term and long term, would be the possibility of a terrorist organization obtaining a nuclear weapon.” Bearing this in mind along with the TTP’s heightened ability to attack high-value military installations, regional security and defense cooperation may figure increasingly in all bilateral engagements.

In September 2022, the Biden administration approved a $450 million package for the sustainment of Pakistan’s F-16 fleet in a bid to better supplement Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts. This marked the largest security assistance since the Trump administration’s decision to suspend military aid to Pakistan in 2018. Almost a year later, both renewed the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CIS-MOA), originally signed in 2005 for 15 years. This renewal is expected to facilitate Pakistan’s acquisition of sophisticated military hardware from the U.S., signaling a fresh momentum in their defense ties.

The Afghanistan-U.S.-Pakistan Nexus

Afghanistan and threats emanating from therein will remain a mutual concern for both countries, but given the past trust deficit – Pakistan’s duplicitous policy of covertly sheltering the Taliban while overtly promising to help the United States with its “War on Terror” – Washington’s inclination to cooperate may not begin on an optimistic note. This is particularly pronounced as the Af-Pak region has taken a backseat amid the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and Washington’s focus on the Indo-Pacific theater, which is aimed at containing China.

However, considering Pakistan’s reluctance to advocate for the Taliban government internationally due to the latter’s unwillingness to rein in the TTP, a sphere of convergence between Islamabad and Washington on the Taliban challenge may emerge. Pakistan is now opposing the Taliban the way Washington had desired during its 20 years of fight in Afghanistan. As a corollary effect, the U.S. State Department has exhorted the Afghan Taliban to uphold its Doha commitments, i.e., not letting Afghan soil be used for international terrorism, while concurrently affirming Pakistan’s right to self-defense against terrorism.

Since the 1979 Soviet invasion, Afghanistan has been a crucial, almost enduring aspect of the Pakistan-U.S. relationship. Although both are keen on diversifying their areas of engagement, preserving that component in their bilateral ties, while being cautious of not restricting themselves to it, would prove more beneficial in meeting the challenges (regarding the humanitarian catastrophe that has engulfed Afghanistan) than entirely de-hyphenating it from the equation. After all, economic growth, internal stability and security in Pakistan are, by and large, dependent on Afghanistan, for they are “conjoined twins,” in the words of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Pivot to the Non-Traditional Domain

The Pakistan-U.S. relationship had been transactional and hamstrung for decades. The United States viewed Pakistan as an arm in its counterterrorism efforts, while Pakistan used the resultant aid to develop its military capabilities as a deterrent against India. Blinded by these preoccupations, both failed to establish and value a relationship that extended beyond the security paradigm and, consequently, encountered recurring challenges.

However, amid great geopolitical churn, both have demonstrated a willingness to pivot from the erstwhile security-related priorities, making strides in various domains, especially on the non-traditional front. This aligns not only with Pakistan’s frequent declarations of transitioning from geopolitics to geoeconomics but also with the current world order, where geoeconomics has assumed salience in statecraft.

In the wake of the 2022 floods in Pakistan, which inundated one-third of the country, the United States responded promptly, providing aid in various forms, and to date, continues to roll out funds as part of the flood recovery efforts, which now amounts to more than $200 billion. This is in tandem with the broader U.S.-Pakistan Climate and Environment Working Group (CEWG) and the Green Alliance Framework. The latter, which seeks to advance cooperation in climate change, renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture, all while promoting inclusive economic growth in Pakistan, is touted to color the future of Pakistan-U.S. relations.

Moreover, the United States remains Pakistan’s largest export market and, with their bilateral trade volume standing at $12 billion, both continue to expand trade and investment ties under the U.S.-Pakistan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).

While the rhetoric of putting more onus on economic and people-to-people ties is noteworthy and, when matched with action, has the potential to forge a comprehensive bilateral relationship, the primacy of robust security ties cannot be understated. A primary goal of the current pivot is to expand Pakistan’s market to U.S. investors; however, against the backdrop of heightened terrorist activity in Pakistan, the confidence of investors may be rattled.

The non-traditional aspects of Pakistan-U.S. relations, such as propping up a stable economy through trade and investment, reforming education, and addressing climate change, will go a long way in addressing the root causes of extremism in Pakistan. But that is true only as long as they’re complemented with security collaboration, as a perpetually uncertain and hostile environment can adversely impact the progress made in those areas, and have a destabilizing effect on the South Asian region. Having said that, it is indeed a refreshingly positive development for both sides to broaden the length and breadth of their relations, which carry the potential of yielding long-term gains.

India

India’s navy rescues second Iranian-flagged fishing boat hijacked by Somali pirates (AP)

AP [1/30/2024 2:26 AM, Staff, 456K, Neutral]
India’s naval forces rescued an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel hijacked by Somali pirates and freed its 19-member Pakistani crew off the east coast of Somalia, a navy statement said Tuesday.

The rescue operation was the third this week involving Somali pirates and came a day after India’s forces freed another Iranian fishing vessel named Iman and its 17 crew members from Somali pirates in the same waters. On Saturday, the Seychelles’ defense forces and coast guard rescued six Sri Lankan fishermen whose vessel had been hijacked by Somali pirates.

The Indian navy’s latest operation rescued the Iranian vessel Al Naeemi from the pirates late Monday. The ship intercepted the vessel and forced the pirates to release the crew and boat, which 11 Somali pirates had boarded, the statement said.

The navy did not immediately say what happened to the pirates responsible for the hijacking. But it posted images showing 10 pirates with their hands tied behind them and armed Indian naval troops guarding them. Another image showed some armed pirates on the vessel.

The piracy occurred in international waters about 850 nautical miles (1,570 kilometers) west of the Indian coastal city of Kochi.

Amid disruptions in global shipping due to attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels in the Red Sea since November, the Indian navy has ramped up its deployment by sending three guided missile destroyers and reconnaissance aircraft to the vast Indian Ocean.

They have carried out several anti-piracy missions in addition to helping at least four merchant vessels that were attacked in the high waters amid Israel’s war with Hamas.

Indian Ocean Naval Forces Rescue Two Boats From Somali Pirates (Agence France-Presse)

Agence France-Presse [1/29/2024 6:02 AM, Staff, 11975K, Neutral
Indian Ocean naval forces said Monday they had freed two fishing vessels hijacked separately by Somali pirates, with Indian sailors rescuing an Iranian boat and commandos from the Seychelles releasing a Sri Lankan trawler.

The hijackings off Somalia have fuelled concerns about a resurgence of Indian Ocean raids by opportunistic pirates, coming on top of a separate surge of attacks launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

Huthi gunmen have launched scores of attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden targeting Israeli-linked vessels in response to Israel’s war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

International naval forces have been diverted north from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea, sparking fears that pirates will exploit the security gap, with the first successful case of Somali piracy since 2017 recorded in December.

Pirate attacks off the Somali coast peaked in 2011 -- with gunmen launching attacks as far as 3,655 kilometres (2,270 miles) from the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean -- before falling off sharply after international navies sent warships and commercial shipping deployed armed guards.

India’s navy said it had deployed its warship INS Sumitra -- which was on anti-piracy patrol off the east coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden -- after receiving a distress message from the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel Iman.

"The fishing vessel had been boarded by pirates and the crew taken as hostages," Indian navy spokesman Commander Vivek Madhwal said, adding that the warship intercepted the boat and then worked to "coerce" the hijackers.

The warship "ensured the successful release of all 17 crew members along with the boat", he added, with the fishing boat then "sanitised and released for onward transit".

The navy, which released photographs of the Iranian fishing boat and crew, as well as its sailors towing a skiff, did not give further details of the operation or fate of the pirates.

Separately, Seychelles forces freed a Sri Lankan vessel "hijacked by armed Somali pirates", President Wavel Ramkalawan’s office said Monday.

The Sri Lankan fishing trawler Lorenzo Putha-4 was seized along with its six-man crew on Saturday, about 840 nautical miles (1,555 km) southeast of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.

"Seychellois special military forces boarded the boat with utmost courage to take complete control of the vessel and rescue our Sri Lankan brothers," the presidency said in a statement.

Sri Lankan navy spokesman Gayan Wickramasuriya told AFP the six crew were safe and that three pirates had been detained.

Eric Jaslin, the head of France-based Maritime Information Cooperation and Awareness (MICA) Center, said last month it was still too early to say if attacks were the result of "piracy of opportunity" or because military resources were "focused on the Red Sea".

India’s navy has been deployed continuously off Somalia since 2008, but in December sent a far larger force -- including three guided-missile destroyers and P-8I reconnaissance aircraft to "maintain a deterrent presence".

India, which has close trade ties with Iran, has not joined the US-led maritime task force in the Red Sea to protect international shipping against attacks by the Tehran-backed Huthi rebels.

On January 5, Indian navy commandos in the Arabian Sea boarded the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier MV Lila Norfolk after a failed hijacking attempt.

Last month, Somali pirates hijacked the bulk carrier MV Ruen.

The Bulgaria-owned and Malta-flagged vessel was seized by Somali pirates 380 nautical miles east of the Yemeni island of Socotra on December 16.

The pirates, who released one injured sailor into the care of the Indian navy, took the MV Ruen and its remaining 17 crew members to Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland.

Indian opposition’s challenge to Modi falters (Reuters)

Reuters [1/29/2024 6:14 AM, Rupam Jain, 5239K, Neutral]
An opposition bid to jointly mount a challenge to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a national election is floundering after a key party switched sides and two others broke ranks.

The developments are a boost to Modi’s goal of winning nearly three-quarters of seats in the election, which is due by May.

The return of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in the eastern state of Bihar on Sunday after a regional party left the opposition bloc means it will contest the election running three of India’s four most politically important states.

Bihar sends the fourth-most directly elected lawmakers to parliament, while its neighbour Uttar Pradesh, also ruled by the BJP, is at the top, making them critical for the ruling National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) goal of securing 400 of the 543 directly elected seats to the lower house of parliament, up from 339 now.

"There’s hardly any contest left for the 2024 election now," said political analyst Sanjay Kumar.

He questioned if the main opposition Congress party would even be able hold on to its low numbers from the last two elections.

Unemployment and underemployment are a key concern for Modi’s government to secure the vote, despite economic growth of 7.3%.

The BJP currently has 290 seats in the lower house compared with 48 for Congress and 16 for Bihar’s Janata Dal (United), which is now with Modi’s alliance partner.

Kumar’s exit from the 28-party INDIA opposition alliance, formed last summer, is a blow for the grouping both numerically and optically as he was one of its main architects of the coalition. Kumar on Sunday told reporters that he left the alliance because "things were not going right".

But Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said their campaign was intact.

"Fractures and rifts are bound to happen in the early stages of any coalition," Khera said. "Kumar’s exit does not limit the INDIA alliance’s political commitment."

Two other members of the alliance, the All India Trinamool Congress that rules West Bengal in the east and Aam Aadmi Party that governs Delhi and Punjab in the north, have said in recent days they plan to contest the next elections largely on their own in some key states.

Two Congress lawmakers, who declined to be named as they were not authorised to talk to the media, said Kumar’s departure had forced their alliance to seek some other regional parties to join them while trying to accommodate the ambitions of existing partners. They did not identify the parties.

In a bid to garner support for the alliance, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is now in the middle of a 6,700 km (4,163 miles) march across the country, his second in the past year, and is slated to hold a public rally in Bihar on Tuesday.

"The opposition has to create a new game plan because the BJP has exposed how weak they are," said Sunil Ojha, a senior BJP leader in Bihar.

India-Myanmar: Why Delhi wants to fence the ‘troubled’ border (BBC)

BBC [1/29/2024 7:20 PM, Soutik Biswas, 13914K, Negative]
Just over a week ago, India’s federal home minister Amit Shah announced a plan to fence the open border with neighbouring Myanmar.

He said India would secure the rugged 1,643km (1,020-mile) boundary the same way in which "we have fenced the country’s border with Bangladesh", which is more than twice as long.

Mr Shah said the government would also consider scrapping a six-year-old free movement agreement, allowing border residents from India and Myanmar to travel 16km into each other’s territory without a visa. He gave few details of how the fence would be built, or over what timeframe.

But the move would be fraught with challenges - some experts say the mountainous terrain makes a fence all but impossible. And India’s plans could destabilise the equilibrium that has existed for decades between peoples in the border area, as well as stirring up tensions with its neighbours.

The move to fence the border - involving the four north-eastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram - appears to have come against the backdrop of two major developments.

First, the escalation of the conflict in Myanmar since the military coup in February 2021 posed a mounting risk to Indian interests. Some two million people have been displaced in the fighting, according to the UN. In recent weeks, ethnic rebels claimed to have taken over the crucial town of Paletwa in Chin state, disrupting a key route from Myanmar to India.

Second, ethnic violence sparked by an affirmative action row erupted last year in Manipur, which shares a near-400km border with Myanmar. Clashes between members of the majority Meitei and tribal Kuki minority have claimed more than 170 lives and displaced tens of thousands of people.

The government in Manipur, led by Indian PM Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has spoken about a "large number of illegal migrants" and said the "violence was fuelled by influential illegal poppy cultivators and drug lords from Myanmar settling in Manipur".

Last July, India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar informed his counterpart Than Swe from Myanmar’s military-led government that India’s border areas "were seriously disturbed". He said that "any actions that aggravate the [border] situation should be avoided", and raised concerns about "human and drug trafficking".

Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center, an American think-tank, believes the move to fence the border is "driven by India’s perception of a growing two-pronged security threat on its eastern border".

"It wants to limit the spill-over effects of a deepening conflict in Myanmar, and to reduce the risk of refugees entering an increasingly volatile Manipur from Myanmar," Mr Kugelman told the BBC.

Some question the validity of this reason. While Manipur’s government has attributed the conflict there to an influx of Kuki refugees from Myanmar, its own panel had identified only 2,187 immigrants from Myanmar in the state by the end of April last year.

"This narrative of massive illegal immigration from Myanmar is false. This is being done to support the narrative that Kukis are ‘foreigners’ and illegal migrants, that they don’t belong to Manipur, and lately, that their resistance is getting support from Myanmar," said Gautam Mukhopadhaya, a former ambassador of India to Myanmar.

"The logic and evidence for this is very thin. Kukis have inhabited Manipur for ages. The free movement regime has been working well for all communities including Meiteis who have benefitted from it commercially."

A senior retired army officer, with experience in the region and preferring to remain unnamed, said the necessity for border fencing was not due to civilian migration but because several Indian rebel groups from the north-east had established camps in Myanmar’s border villages and towns.

For decades India’s north-east has been roiled by separatist insurgencies. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), a law granting security forces search-and-seizure powers and protecting soldiers involved in civilian casualties during operations, has proven to be controversial. Indian rebels hiding in Myanmar can easily cross the border and "do their extortion and violent activities", the officer said.

However, the move to fence the border is likely to meet resistance.

India and Myanmar have historic religious, linguistic and ethnic ties - some two million people of Indian origin live in Myanmar, which seeks greater economic integration through India’s Look East policy.

Under this policy, India has provided more than $2bn in development assistance - roads, higher education, restoration of damaged pagodas - to Myanmar, most of it in the form of grants.

More importantly, the border splits people with shared ethnicity and culture. Mizos in Mizoram and Chins in Myanmar are ethnic cousins, with cross-border connections, especially as the predominantly Christian Chin State borders Mizoram. There are Nagas on both sides of the border, with many from Myanmar pursuing higher education in India. Hunters from Walong in Arunachal Pradesh have come and gone across the border for centuries.

Not surprisingly, Mizoram, defying federal government directives, has sheltered more than 40,000 refugees who have fled the civil war in Myanmar. Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, an ally of the BJP, said recently: "We have to work out a formula on how to solve the issue for the people and prevent infiltration as well, because Nagaland is bordered by Myanmar, and on both sides there are Nagas."

Also, experts believe that fencing the mountainous and densely forested border will pose significant challenges.

"To fence off the entire border would be impossible given all the mountains along the border and the remoteness of the terrain. It won’t be like building a fence along the border with Bangladesh," Bertil Linter, a well-known Myanmar expert, told me.

"A fence is impractical, would take years to build and even if is was built at some places, local people would find ways around it.".

Then there’s the delicate diplomatic question. Constructing a border fence could be a provocative move at a time when Delhi needs to exercise caution in its interactions with Myanmar, according to Mr Kugelman. "India seeks junta support for border security and infrastructure development, among other priorities. Erecting the fence in consultation with Myanmar as opposed to pursing the project unilaterally would lessen the risk of tensions," he said.

Ultimately, the move underscores India’s border security challenges - the country endures border tensions with arch-rival Pakistan and China - stemming from political tensions, territorial disputes, war, terrorism, or a combination of these factors. India is also pushing back against China in South Asia - and China has stronger economic connections with Myanmar compared to India.

"With India working to strengthen ties with its regional neighbours, and looking to fend off challenges from an increasingly present Beijing in its broader backyard, border challenges are an unwelcome intrusion. But they can’t simply be wished away," said Mr Kugelman.

Hindu nationalism overtakes India’s patriotic holiday (Washington Post – opinion)

Washington Post [1/29/2024 3:28 PM, Rana Ayyub, 6902K, Neutral]
Republic Day, commemorating India’s constitution — the streets are overwhelmed with the Indian tricolor flag. Malls, apartment complexes, offices, auto rickshaws, street sellers and schools all fly it. At every traffic signal, a hawker urges you to buy the Indian flag or other patriotic accessories.

Not this year.

Throughout India, the flags that dominated Republic Day were saffron, the color of Hindu nationalism. That’s because Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a grand Ram temple four days earlier in the northern city of Ayodhya on the site of a demolished mosque, a potent symbol of the country’s turn toward a Hindu-centric republic.

The site of the new temple has a fraught history. About 30 years ago, when Modi was a Hindu nationalist leader in western India, he galvanized the movement to destroy the Babri Masjid, the centuries-old mosque that had stood on the spot. He gave speeches in support of replacing the mosque with a temple to the Hindu god Ram, who believers think was born there.

On Dec. 6, 1992, a Hindu mob destroyed the mosque with axes, hammers and their bare hands as security forces stood by and watched. Though a court ruled the violence was “an egregious violation of the rule of law,” no one was held to account for it. More than 1,000 people were killed in the communal carnage that followed. Then, in 2019, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Hindus to build the Ram temple, while Muslims were given a plot of land elsewhere. I wrote an essay in The Post from the point of view of a family that had been displaced during the 1992 anti-Muslim violence — mine.

The temple inauguration was a massive victory for Modi, coming just months before national elections in this Hindu-majority country. It was attended by former judges, film stars and other national luminaries. Public figures posted images of Lord Ram on their social media with the caption “Jai Shri Ram” — Glory to Lord Ram. The dedication of the new temple overshadowed Republic Day.

The preamble to India’s constitution states that India is a “sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.” But in Modi’s India, the secular part has been minimized. Life-size cutouts of the prime minister standing with Lord Ram and dressed in saffron are everywhere. He is presented to the country as a “modern-day Ram” who has restored Hindu pride.

The national holiday was still celebrated officially by the Indian state: French President Emmanuel Macron came as a state guest for the Republic Day parade in the national capital. He had tea with Modi at a tourist spot in Jaipur, took selfies with him and visited the mausoleum of a Muslim saint to experience the diversity of India. (The French branch of Amnesty International criticized the visit, warning about “the regime’s authoritarian excesses.”)

The Modi government promoted the temple inauguration on Instagram by posting a copy of the original preamble to the constitution, without the words “socialist” and “secular.” The advocates of a “Hindu India” have historically been critical of the word “secular,” which was added in 1976 to protect the interests of minorities. In their worldview, it is appeasement. (While India’s 1.4 billion population is 80 percent Hindu, it also has a Muslim minority of more than 200 million people.)

As I drove around Mumbai the weekend of Republic Day, the Indian tricolor was a rare sight. Instead, in my favorite restaurants and along the roads and seashore was the saffron flag.

Republic Day mornings usually begin with apartment complexes coming together to hoist the national flag with Hindi-language songs blaring through loudspeakers, paying tribute to heroes of our freedom struggle from the British and the unity of the Indian people. This Republic Day, that music was mostly missing, drowned out by the “Jai Shri Ram” cacophony on news channels, social media and loudspeakers.

Before the holiday, in the northern state of Chhattisgarh, a video circulating on X (formerly Twitter) showed a young Muslim priest with blood on his face limping toward the police station. A mob with saffron flags attacked him shouting, “If you want to stay in India, you will have to chant Glory to Lord Ram.”

In Mira Road, a neighborhood with a sizable Muslim population in Mumbai, mobs carrying saffron flags, sticks and swords, went on a rampage after the temple dedication, attacking shopkeepers, residents and drivers, chanting “Jai Shri Ram.” Muslim shops were ransacked. Shops and vehicles with saffron flags were spared. Many of the Muslim families had relocated to the area after the 1992 riots, but now it seemed that the mob was back. On WhatsApp, fearful Muslim families shared a video of a young Muslim woman in an abaya forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram” by a mob.

On the temple inauguration day, an architecture student I know hung India’s national tricolor flag in the veranda of her house. Two hours later, the secretary of her neighborhood association warned the family that if they did not remove the flag, they would be reported to the police for “anti-national” activity. On her WhatsApp, a neighbor posted: “If you have a problem with the saffron flag, why don’t you move to Pakistan?”

This Republic Day, the sentiments enshrined in the Indian constitution were decidedly out of fashion. “Jai Shri Ram” was the slogan of the day. The movies playing in theaters as Republic Day specials, our social media, our public icons and our mainstream media were in sync with a Hindu nationalist India where a historic crime was given a resplendent, celebratory makeover. As hate crimes trended on social media in the background of the Ram temple inauguration, militant supremacists basked in the state-envisioned saffron makeover. The vision of Hindu nationalism, the road map to Hindu supremacy, was fully unveiled.

NSB

Bangladesh reports first death from Nipah virus this year (Reuters)

Reuters [1/29/2024 6:17 AM, Ruma Paul, 5239K, Negative]
Bangladesh reported on Monday its first fatality this year from the brain-damaging Nipah virus when a man died after drinking raw date juice.

The virus, transmitted to humans through contact with bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs or other people, was first identified in 1999 during an outbreak affecting farmers and others in contact with pigs in Malaysia.

Since then it has led to outbreaks in Bangladesh, India and Singapore, killing more than 160 people in Bangladesh.

The nation’s first case of 2024 was reported in Manikganj, some 50 km from the capital Dhaka, said Tahmina Shirin, director of the health ministry’s Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

“The sample was sent for a laboratory test and it turned positive. We came to know that the person drank raw date sap,” she told Reuters.

The health ministry has warned people against eating fruits partially eaten by birds or bats, and consuming raw date juice.

There are no treatments or vaccines for the virus.

A total of 10 people among 14 infected with Nipah virus in Bangladesh died in 2023, the highest number of fatalities in seven years, according to the IEDCR.

The infection can cause fever, headache, cough and difficulty breathing, with brain swelling likely to follow.

Its fatality rate is estimated at 40% to 75%, according to the World Health Organization.

Bhutan: New Government Should Release Political Prisoners (Human Rights Watch)

Human Rights Watch [1/29/2024 6:00 PM, Staff, 190K, Neutral]
Bhutan’s new government should uphold the economic and social rights of Bhutanese people, many of whom are struggling to meet their basic needs, and release all political prisoners, Human Rights Watch said in a letter released today to Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. Tobgay was sworn in as prime minister on January 25, 2024, following his People’s Democratic Party’s victory in recent elections.

Human Rights Watch has identified at least 36 people convicted of political offenses following unfair trials that frequently relied on confessions coerced under torture. They are referred to in Bhutanese law, and by prison officials, as rajbandi (state or royal prisoners), “anti-national,” or “political prisoners.” Many have been imprisoned for decades serving sentences of life without parole and are denied contact with their families or the outside world, in violation of international standards.

“These prisoners’ cases date back to a time before Bhutan’s transition to democracy in 2008, when they received unfair trials that condemned them to spend their lives in prison,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “It is time to end a painful chapter of history, which is at odds with the values espoused by the Kingdom of Bhutan today, and return these prisoners to their families.”

The conditions in which political prisoners are held have declined drastically in recent years. Food rations have been cut, yet prisoners are obliged to sell a portion of their food to police and prison guards to buy medicine and clothes, which the authorities do not provide. Prisoners have inadequate means to stay warm, including inadequate bedding. At least four prisoners in the “anti-national” block at Chemgang Jail are believed to have serious health problems, allegedly resulting from mistreatment while in detention. Other political prisoners are held at Rabuna and elsewhere.

Prisoners in similar cases have been released by the Royal Government of Bhutan in the past. In 1999, His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuck granted amnesty to 40 political prisoners, including some serving life sentences. In 2022, His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck granted amnesty to a political prisoner serving a life term.

The Kingdom of Bhutan is known around the world for espousing enlightened values, including compassion and the pursuit of gross national happiness. The government should uphold those values, as well as international legal standards, and end the suffering of these prisoners and their families by releasing them, Human Rights Watch said.

Prime Minister Tobgay noted in his election campaign that about one in eight Bhutanese are “struggling to meet their basic needs for food” amid “unprecedented economic challenges and mass exodus” of people moving abroad and made a commitment to address these problems.

The Bhutanese government should ensure that all Bhutanese are able to access quality public services including health and education, as well as social security programs that ensure an adequate standard of living, Human Rights Watch said. Major infrastructure projects, such as the proposed new “mindfulness city” at Gelephu, should be caried out in a manner that upholds the rights of local people.

“Bhutan has sought to cultivate its global image by espousing ‘gross national happiness’ and articulating ideals such as compassion,” Pearson said. “We hope that Prime Minister Tobgay’s government will put those principles into practice by releasing political prisoners and pursuing economic policies that advance the welfare of all Bhutanese.”

Apprehensions in India as Chinese Survey Ship Heads to Maldives (VOA)

VOA [1/29/2024 10:07 AM, Anjana Pasricha, 761K, Neutral]
A Chinese research ship due to dock in the Maldives has raised apprehensions in India, where concerns have been growing about the potential military use of the data collected by such vessels.

The Maldives foreign ministry said last week that it has given permission to the ship, Xiang Yang Hong 3, following a request by China to “make a port call, for rotation of personnel and replenishment.” It said the ship will not be conducting any research in Maldivian waters.

The announcement comes at a time when diplomatic tensions have spiked between India and the Maldives following the election of President Mohamed Muizzu, who is seen as pro-China.

The Maldives gave clearance to the ship weeks after India’s other small neighbor in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka placed a one-year moratorium on foreign research ships entering its waters.

The suspension was put in place apparently due to objections raised by India after at least two Chinese research and surveillance ships docked in the island nation in the last year and a half. Last year, the research ship Shi Yan 6, conducted a maritime survey in Sri Lankan waters.

Analysts say New Delhi’s concerns about Chinese research ships such as the one due to dock in the Maldives in the coming days arise from fears that the data collected could be used to deploy Chinese submarines in the region.

“Our suspicion is that this vessel, although it is an oceanographic research vessel, is gathering information that could be used by China to expand its undersea military operations and improve its anti-submarine warfare capabilities, as it studies the Indian Ocean environment, the seabed, temperature profile, eddies, currents, etc. That means China will have an edge militarily in the Indian Ocean in times to come,” Abhijit Singh, Head of Maritime Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi told VOA.

Amid rising geopolitical tensions, the Indian Ocean has become a hugely strategic waterway for India and China, the Asian giants whose rivalries have deepened following a four-year long military standoff along their Himalayan borders.

“Beijing has profound interest in the Indian Ocean because vital sea-lanes of communication pass through here carrying energy, oil, trade etc. What they are doing is reconnoitering the high seas, studying the hydrographic or hydrological conditions because their submarines will operate here one day,” India’s retired navy chief Arun Prakash told VOA. “China is preparing the ground for a major maritime deployment in the years to come So it is of concern to India.”

The Maldives and Sri Lanka are placed strategically along key shipping routes. Although the Maldives foreign ministry said that the Chinese ship, Xiang Yang Hong 3 would not be conducting research, analysts said that was unlikely to reassure New Delhi.

“Once the vessel is there, it is very hard for Maldives to make sure that it is not doing the work it intends to do,” according to Singh.

A report by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies released earlier this month said that Chinese surveys in the Indian Ocean have “clear military value - especially to submarine operations.”

According to the report, China, whose surveying operations had been concentrated along its periphery in the South China Sea and Western Pacific Ocean, has also set its sights on the Indian Ocean.

"While scientific and commercial benefits may accrue from Chinese oceanographic research, these activities may also prove crucial for the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] in expanding its operational reach and capabilities in the Indian Ocean," the report said.

"This expansion poses a significant challenge to key regional players like India, as well as to the United States and its allies."

Following the report’s release, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, said that China’s marine scientific research fully complied with the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

"We hope that the relevant parties will take an objective view of China’s marine scientific research activities and refrain from speculating through colored glasses," Mao said on January 11.

In the Maldives, permission to the Chinese vessel was granted weeks after both sides committed to stronger ties during a visit this month by the Maldivian president, Muizzu, to Beijing.

“The Chinese are going to leverage these growing ties with Maldives by conducting surveys in these waters,” said Singh.

Indian Ocean countries such as Sri Lanka and the Maldives have witnessed a geopolitical tug of war between India and China for a strategic presence over the past two decades.

"The Maldives has always been a welcoming destination for vessels of friendly countries, and continues to host both civilian and military vessels making port calls for peaceful purposes," the Maldivian foreign ministry said last week, referring to the Xiang Yang Hong 3 visit.

“The deployment of such research ships in the Indian Ocean is going to increase, it is not going to get any less in the years to come,” said Prakash.

Central Asia

Corruption Watchdog Warns Of ‘Troubling Picture’ In Central Asia (Radio Free Europe)

Radio Free Europe [1/30/2024 3:14 AM, Staff, 235K, Neutral]
Transparency International says its 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) paints a "troubling picture" of Central Asia as the region struggles with "dysfunctional rule of law, rising authoritarianism, and systemic corruption."

The corruption watchdog released its annual survey on January 30, noting that the average score of 35 out of 100 makes it the second lowest-scoring region in the world.

"Widespread democratic backsliding and weakening justice systems are undermining control of corruption, as institutions like the police, prosecutors, and the courts are often unable to investigate and punish those who abuse their power," a report on the index said.

"Leaders urgently need to strengthen the rule of law, rights, and democracy, but many are systematically attacking them," it added.

Ranking at the bottom in the region, Azerbaijan (23), Tajikistan (20), and Turkmenistan (18) continue to struggle with "severe" corruption issues, Transparency International said. The three countries, along with Afghanistan (20), were in the bottom 36 of the 180 countries surveyed.

The report highlighted the deteriorating situation in Kyrgyzstan (26), which it says has turned from "a bastion of democracy with a vibrant civil society to a consolidated authoritarian regime that uses its justice system to target critics."

The report shows Kyrgyzstan’s score going down by five points since 2020.

President Sadyr Japarov’s "repressive and authoritarian governing style defies legal procedures and constitutional norms [and] erodes civil liberties," it said.

"Undue influence on justice – coupled with the ineffective implementation of anti-corruption legislation – is undermining the rule of law and hindering the effective handling of corruption cases. This fosters a culture of impunity for abusers of power throughout the public sector," it added, noting a decline in government transparency and the prevention of journalists and the public from exposing wrongdoing are increasing corruption risks..

Transparency International pointed to Uzbekistan as a bright spot in the region, with the country’s score having risen by 15 points over the past decade to 33, with the government being credited for taking key steps include the creation of an anti-corruption agency, strengthening legislation, and liberalizing the economy.

The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories around the globe by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, scoring on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

China shaping Central Asia into auto export hub (EurasiaNet)

EurasiaNet [1/29/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K, Neutral]
After wrapping up the political section of his recent working trip to China, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took the long way home from Beijing by passing through the southern city of Shenzen.

He traveled there to visit the headquarters of leading Chinese automaker BYD, which has just overtaken Elon Musk’s Tesla as the world’s best-seller of electric vehicles.

And then, together with BYD chief executive Wang Chuanfu, he oversaw a remote launch ceremony for an assembly plant of hybrid and electric cars to be built in Uzbekistan’s Jizzakh region. Once completed, the factory will turn out 50,000 units per year.

As far as Mirziyoyev is concerned, this is just the start. The range of models slated for production in the Jizzakh region plant needs be expanded “in the near future” to accommodate market demand and annual production capacity should be increased to 300,000 units, he said.

The groundwork on making the production facility a reality has been years in the laying. BYD and Uzbek government-controlled car company UzAuto signed an initial agreement in August 2022 on developing the plant as a joint venture later dubbed BYD Uzbekistan Factory. That took a firmer shape in October 2023, when the parties signed an investment agreement.

The plan for now is for the factory to make BYD Song Plus DM-i and BYD Chaser 05 hybrid models (the latter model is marketed as BYD Chazor in Uzbekistan). Significantly, as a BYD press release from October notes, the Jizzakh factory will handle the entire production cycle, from welding and painting to assembly.

“The agreement also provides the joint venture the right to export BYD vehicles that are manufactured in Uzbekistan to Central Asian countries,” the statement read.

Russia may be another destination for Uzbek-made BYDs in the fullness of time.

When he was at the Shenzen HQ, Mirziyoyev was ceremonially handed the keys to a YangWang U8, a BYD luxury SUV that retails at around $150,000. It may have been that model he had in mind when he spoke about diversifying production.

While that price tag is out of range for most Uzbek buyers, demand is red-hot in Russia. BYD announced it would begin selling YangWang U8s in Russia in September. By the first week of October, it had racked up pre-orders for 4,000 units. By the end of that same month, the number was more than 30,000.

BYD is only the latest Chinese automaker to set up shop in Uzbekistan. Uzbek vehicle distribution company Roodell began assembling cars for Wuhu-based Chery Automobile in September 2022, also at a plant in Jizzakh.

When those cars began retailing the following month, Chery offered customers preferential loans so they might be able to manage prices ranging from $26,000 for their Tiggo 7 Pro model to $40,000 for the Tiggo 8 Pro Max.

A healthy number of Chery models are ending up on Kazakhstan’s market too.

According to the most recent data released by the Association of Kazakhstan Automobile Business, Chery has become the country’s fourth most-popular vehicle brand. In the first seven months of 2023, car dealers sold almost 7,000 Chery cars, a 269 percent increase on the same period a year earlier.

Already sensing that sales were only scratching the surface, auto dealer Astana Motors in November 2022 got to work on a plant that will eventually produce models by Chery and other Chinese automakers, Changan and Haval. The plant was reported at the time to have a design capacity to produce more than 90,000 units per year and was slated to start operating in the fourth quarter of 2024.

It isn’t just small vehicles that Chinese companies are making in Central Asia.

A joint venture between China’s Yutong and Kazakh company QazTehna in September 2021 began producing buses of various dimensions, including electric models, at a manufacturing facility in the town of Saran, near Karaganda. Production capacity at the time of the launch was said to stand at around 1,200 buses per year.

“Our products are designed for the markets of Kazakhstan and the Eurasian Economic Union,” QazTehna general director Argulan Maykonov said at the opening, referring to the Russia-dominated trading bloc.

With cities across Central Asia trying to turn their urban transport systems green, Yutong is in a prime position to profit.

Uzbekistan’s Ecology Ministry announced earlier this month that Samarkand is poised to buy 100 electric buses from Yutong as part of a major upgrade of the city’s public transport system. Money to install the required infrastructure is coming in part from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

It has not been spelled out, however, if the specific vehicles in question are coming from the Kazakhstan plant.

Central Asia has now also notoriously become a conduit for the export of Chinese vehicles in less formal ways too.

Russian car market analytics company Avtostat revealed in December that Kyrgyzstan had since the start of 2023 exported 60,000 cars to Russia. With 80 percent of new cars in Russia arriving from China, it is not difficult to make the connection.

This bonanza for Kyrgyz re-exporters has been made possible by Russia’s withering economic ties with the West.

But there are indications this window may be closing. When Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, it loosened the rules by which consumers and traders could import and then register cars bought from abroad. With the relaxed rules set to expire in coming weeks, Kyrgyzstan’s re-export model may be adversely affected.

But Chinese automakers that have sold their products – likely unwittingly – via Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, will have a fallback in the form of their partners in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

People smugglers recruiting skippers from central Asia on Turkey to Italy route (The Guardian)

The Guardian [1/29/2024 7:52 AM, Lorenzo Tondo, 12499K, Negative]
People smugglers are increasingly recruiting people from former Soviet republics in central Asia to pilot boats carrying migrants from Turkey to Italy, say NGOs and lawyers.

The migrants are taken by sea from Turkey to Italy, often using sailing boats, as an alternative to the longer overland route through the Balkans where border guards in Croatia and Slovenia have engaged in illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers at the EU border.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 7,153 migrants, paying more than €8,000 each, arrived on one of the coasts of Sicily, Puglia or Calabria from the Turkish ports of İzmir, Bodrum and Çanakkale in 2023.

A report released by the Italian NGO Arci Porco Rosso and the nonprofit Borderline Europe said of 68 boat drivers arrested in 2023 by Italian police on the route on charges of illegally transporting asylum seekers from Turkey, at least 18 had come from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan.

The central Asian boat drivers have largely replaced Ukrainian and Russian skippers who were previously recruited by the Turkish smuggling gangs who run the route. “In the past, criminal organisations aimed to recruit professional Ukrainian fishermen and sailors,” Olesya Dzedzinska, an Italian-Ukrainian lawyer who has defended numerous foreign skippers, told the Guardian.

“But over time, smugglers started looking elsewhere, in the countries of central Asia. The war in Ukraine and the impossibility for men to leave the country influenced this choice, but also the fact that the news of skippers being arrested and ending up in prison had spread in Ukraine, and fewer and fewer Ukrainians were accepting the risk of going to jail.”

When the boat enters Italian waters, authorities ask passengers to identify the driver, who is then arrested under Italian law and can be charged with offences including aiding and abetting illegal immigration, trafficking in migrants, or criminal association. They can face prison sentences from 15 years or, in the event of passengers dying, life.

Five boat drivers were arrested after a shipwreck on the night of 25 February 2023 when an overcrowded wooden vessel carrying as many as 200 people fell apart in stormy seas just a few metres from the beach of Cutro, in Calabria. The bodies of at least 90 people were recovered, including dozens of children from Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Pakistan and Iraq seeking refuge in Europe. Normally, two boat drivers are recruited to pilot a sailing boat carrying migrants, but their number can increase based on the size of the vessel or the number of people on board.

At least 40 people currently detained in Italian prisons, accused of aiding and abetting illegal immigration from Turkey to Italy, come from the central Asia republics, according to the report.

“The majority of these skippers are unaware of the law and have no idea about the risks they face when accepting to pilot these boats,” Dzedzinska said. “Some of these men are only 20 or even 19 years old. Italian law often fails to consider that they too are victims of criminal organisations exploiting them for their profit […] many of the boat drivers from central Asia were forced to learn how to pilot a yacht in less than a week.”

The drivers have often fled their own countries to avoid military service or to escape poverty by finding work in Turkey. Other pilots on the route include Pakistanis and Tunisians.

A 20-year-old man from Uzbekistan sentenced to three years in 2021 for smuggling 48 people from Turkey to Calabria, told the Guardian he had no idea he would be arrested. “I thought it was just like any other job,” the man, who asked to remain anonymous, said. “In Uzbekistan, there were no job opportunities. First, I went to Russia, where I worked as a courier, and then to Turkey. When they proposed that I take those people in a sailboat to Italy, I accepted because I had no job at the time, but I didn’t know it was illegal.”

Italy arrested approximately 250 boat drivers in 2023, according to the report, with the majority Egyptian nationals piloting vessels carrying migrants from Libya or Tunisia.

A previous report by Arci Porco Rosso and the NGOs Alarm Phone and Borderline Europe said an estimated 3,250 boat drivers had been arrested by Italy since 2013 and found evidence of police officers offering immigration papers and other incentives to migrants to persuade them to testify against the suspects, who in some cases were asylum seekers forced at gunpoint by traffickers to navigate refugee boats.

Although the number of arrests of boat drivers has fallen in recent years, charities and human rights organisations have raised concerns about the practice.

“Arresting boat drivers is a central part of Europe’s racist border policies, as we can see from the increasingly draconian laws being passed in Italy and elsewhere,” said Richard Braude of Arci Porco Rosso. “There are more than 1,000 people in Italian prisons for this so-called crime, and there will only be more until this absurd law is abolished.”

Wanted, Again: Matraimov Once More Sought by Authorities in Kyrgyzstan (The Diplomat)

The Diplomat [1/29/2024 11:56 AM, Catherine Putz, 201K, Negative]
Raimbek Matraimov is again a wanted man.

Last week, Kyrgyz media reported sources stating that the State Committee on National Security (SCNS) had placed the infamous deputy customs head on a wanted list on suspicion of abducting and illegally incarcerating unnamed individuals.

No further details have been offered about the charges.

If anything proves that time is a flat circle, it’s Matraimov. For many outside of Kyrgyzstan, their first encounter with him was likely the investigative report released in November 2019 by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service, and Kloop – published soon after a key source, Aierken Saimaiti, was assassinated in Istanbul. The report unveiled a massive scheme that allegedly saw through the transfer of more than $700 million out of Kyrgyzstan, right under the nose and with the assistance of the customs service.

Instead of heaping thanks on the media for exposing the massive corruption, Kyrgyz authorities sat in stunned silence as Matraimov filed lawsuits against the media outlets that had published or shared the reporting, accusing them of libel in early 2020. By that summer, the SCNS was in parliament claiming that Saimaiti (the murdered money launderer-turned-informant) had actually paid the RFE/RL journalists and provided falsified documents. That accusation faded into the ether as the reporters published additional articles as well as a database of evidence.

And then the fall of 2020 saw Kyrgyzstan’s third revolution usher President Sadyr Japarov, and SCNS head Kamchybek Tashiev, into power. In a far-too-smooth chain of events, Matraimov was arrested, promised to pay 2 billion Kyrgyz som to the government, and then was released. It was the opening act of what is now called kusturizatsia, an “economic amnesty” as Japarov first described it, in which the corrupt could come clean, pay back (some) of what they’d stolen, and go merrily on their way. In December 2020 Matraimov was designated for sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act by the United States, a clear signal of U.S. displeasure at how easily he had wriggled off the hook.

In February 2021, his corruption trial began and ended in a single session, with Matraimov pleading guilty and testifying against two other customs officials. He was given an embarrassingly paltry fine of 260,000 Kyrgyz soms, with the court claiming he had paid back the 2 billion soms as agreed.

Mere days later he was rearrested on new charges, but a few months later, in April 2021, the money laundering charges were dropped.

The point in recounting this history is to underscore that the Kyrgyz authorities have had their chances to bring Matraimov to justice before. The long winding road to the present is necessary context.

There was a change in the wind in early October 2023, when another notorious, internationally wanted, criminal kingpin named Kamchybek Kolbaev was killed by state security officers in a shootout in a Bishkek bar. Within a month, Tashiev was railing against organized crime in Kyrgyzstan, proclaiming that “from now on there will be neither Kolbaev’s mafia, nor Matraimov’s mafia, nor other mafias in Kyrgyzstan.”

Matraimov’s brother, Iskender – a member of parliament – told media that “the Matraimov clan does not exist.”

Kaktus, a Kyrgyz media outlet, cited several unconfirmed reports that Matraimov had left the country in late October 2023 and further claimed that law enforcement sources said that while he had promised to pay “several hundred million soms” into the state budget, he’d failed to do so and thus hit the road.

When letting Matraimov off in 2021, the Kyrgyz court had claimed he had paid the state back.

One of the chief complaints about kusturizatsia is its opacity, the lack of accounting and accountability. As I wrote earlier this month when another beneficiary of the kusturizatsia system claimed that security officials had tried to extort more money from him, “The problem with paying a blackmailer is that they can always ask for more.”

While the authorities search for Matraimov and Tashiev thunders on about confiscating the family’s property, it’s worth noting that the Kyrgyz media have doggedly followed the Matraimov story over the years despite the risks and despite pressure from both criminals and the state. In light of Bishkek’s latest moves to pressure media – the arrest of 11 journalists and the sealing of 24.kg’s offices – it’s worth asking what could have been if back in 2019 Kyrgyz authorities had taken the investigative reports seriously. The 11 journalists currently in pre-trial detention all either currently, or previously, worked with Bolot Temirov – whose bailiwick of investigative reports targeting Tashiev, Japarov, and their families got him arrested on trumped-up drug charges and then stripped of citizenship and deported in 2022.

Bishkek is on the one hand pursuing an anti-corruption campaign, but at the same time cracking down on the very media that expose such corruption. Ultimately, it seems that it’s not the corruption that matters – what matters is whose corruption is politically expedient to hide, and whose it is useful to expose.

Tajikistan’s president urges public to stockpile food for two years (again) (EurasiaNet)

EurasiaNet [1/29/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K, Neutral]
Tajikistan’s president has held to a now 15-year-strong tradition by urging the public to ensure they stock up on food supplies for at least two years in case of a calamity striking.

Emomali Rahmon delivered the appeal in a January 27 speech marking Sada, a traditional Persian mid-winter festival that signals the start to preparations for the spring sowing season.

“I emphasize that every family in the country should have the necessary food supply for two years,” he said.

Rahmon cited the crowding challenges of climate change, population growth, and the unpredictability of the global food supply chain among the reasons to follow his advice.

This year, as always, however, Rahmon failed to explain where Tajikistan’s impoverished population is either supposed to procure so much food or, for that matter, where they are meant to store it.

The average salary in Tajikistan is around $130, and most families rely for survival on remittances from seasonal laborers in Russia. Increasing numbers of Tajiks are moving to cities to live in apartments where space is at a premium.

In 2022, independent newspaper Asia-Plus published an article offering readers tips on how food could be stored for two years. But even it had to concede, drawing on data produced by the country’s Nutrition Institute, that the amount of essential food needed by a family of five for a period of five months would weigh 1.4 tons.

The state standards agency, meanwhile, advises that food items suitable for storage for up to 24 months include sugar, honey, pasta, canned vegetables, jam, dried fruits, powdered milk, tea, coffee, cocoa, vegetable oil, rice, and flour.

Advice to rush out and buy large amounts of food is impractical for other reasons, though.

A Tajik economic affairs expert who spoke to Eurasianet on condition of anonymity said that if the wider public were able to heed Rahmon’s words, it would precipitate chaos in the food markets.

“Can you 10 million people rushing to the markets to buy food for two years? Our traders’ warehouses are not equipped to instantly supply the population for two months, let alone two years. Prices would immediately skyrocket, and food products would simply disappear from the markets and store shelves,” the expert said.

Events from recent history are a guide. As in many countries around the world, a run on food sparked by the spread of COVID-19 led to chronic shortages. Flour prices soared to $100 for 50 kilograms, up from $25 in normal times. The clamor was so great that the government had to step in to appeal to the public not to panic and listen to rumors.

Uzbekistan: Court jails pair for propagating gender discrimination (EurasiaNet)

EurasiaNet [1/29/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K, Neutral]
A court in Uzbekistan has sentenced two people to 15 days in jail for producing a video for social media that appeared to justify violence against women.

The Shayxontoxur district court in the capital, Tashkent, found in its January 27 ruling that the pair, identified only by the initials Sh.O and R.A., had produced and disseminated material promoting violence, cruelty and gender discrimination.

The offending one-minute video, which was uploaded to social media platforms earlier this month, opens with the scene of a husband punching his wife. When the woman goes to seek refuge with her parents, she initially receives a sympathetic hearing. But upon reflection, the father worries that his daughter will struggle to find another suitable partner if she leaves her husband. He concludes accordingly that the woman provoked the argument and that she should return to her husband.

Publication of the video sparked widespread condemnation. The clamor was so great that its producers were compelled to issue an apology.

“We posted a video on our social media that suggested that a woman must unconditionally obey her husband. [But] the situation depicted in the video contradicts Uzbekistan’s laws on gender equality,” they are reported as having said by news website Kun.uz.

The authorities in Uzbekistan have been eager to be seen as taking a firm stand against gender-based violence.

Last April, parliament adopted legislation aimed at providing women and children with greater legal protections from physical abuse. The long-anticipated legislation, which was promptly signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, was the first of its kind in Uzbekistan to so specifically target domestic violence.

Under that law, fines or prison time are envisioned for people found guilty of assaulting a current or former spouse, a cohabitant, or the parent of a shared child. Another provision bars individuals with a criminal record for sexually abusing a minor from holding jobs involving contact with children.

Women in Uzbekistan are often targeted with other, equally insidious, forms of gendered abuse, however.

Last May, police announced that they had arrested a group of people on suspicion of running a Telegram channel that published nude photographs of women as part of a blackmail campaign. The public Telegram channel created by the suspects was titled “Hello Tashkent, Salam Tashkent” and featured intimate images and videos of women. Victims of this invasion of privacy were invited to pay money to have the images removed.

And the theme of violence against women is still often played off as a joke.

In another episode from earlier this month, an online household appliances store released an advertisement showing a shopper punching his female companion in the face and then subsequently appearing to have placed her body in a freezer.

News website Fergana, which reported on this advertisement, noted that while the company that produced it had pulled the video, the footage is still freely circulating online.

Navigating New Horizons: Uzbekistan’s Role in Global Connectivity (The Diplomat)

The Diplomat [1/30/2024 4:14 PM, Alouddin Komilov, 201K, Neutral]
On January 29, the delegations of the European Union and the five Central Asian countries convened in Brussels for the two-day Global Gateway Investors Forum. This event aimed to build upon the findings of the EU-commissioned study on sustainable transport connections between Europe and Central Asia and translate political commitments into concrete actions, fostering enhanced connectivity between the EU and Central Asia.

What made the gathering even more significant was the active involvement of a U.S. delegation, led by Nicholas Berliner, the special assistant to the president and senior director for Russia and Central Asia on the National Security Council. The U.S. team is keen on strengthening coordination with both Central Asian and EU partners, highlighting Biden’s commitment to supporting investments and the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (also known as the “Middle Corridor”) through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.

The meeting comes at a time of disruptions in the Red Sea shipping route, a crucial artery handling 10 percent of global trade. Beginning in November 2023, attacks by Houthi rebels on merchant ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea, have led to significant disruptions in global shipping. Compounding the issue, the U.S. and Britain have initiated strikes on Yemen, further exacerbating the situation. As a result, ships find themselves stranded in the Mediterranean or Arabian Seas, seeking alternative routes due to the suspension of transit through the Suez Canal. The recent geopolitical shocks have had a significant impact on seaborne trade routes via the Indian Ocean, known as the “Southern Corridor.”

These shocks, combined with ongoing conflicts, such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s in Gaza, have resulted in a substantial surge in logistics costs and food prices. Unfortunately, these challenges are occurring just as the global economy, particularly in developing nations, is still in the process of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, ships are now altering their routes and opting for the longer journey around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, adding 30 percent more distance from Asia to Europe. This shift in routes highlights the vulnerabilities of maritime chokepoints. Whether it be the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, Russia’s grain blockade in the Black Sea, or potential conflicts in the South China Sea near the Strait of Malacca, these incidents underscore a concerning reality. In this era of pervasive mistrust and unpredictable crises, it is crucial to establish alternative avenues along the Middle Corridor to mitigate the risks associated and match supply with demand.

In the prevailing circumstances, Uzbekistan has the potential to emerge as a potential linchpin in the expansion of supply chains. By encouraging and expediting the development of crucial transport routes, such as the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan route and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway within the Middle Corridor, Uzbekistan can position itself as a proactive player and contribute to the establishment of additional pathways for matching supply with demand.

In October 2023, Tashkent took the initiative, bringing together representatives from China, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and other countries to discuss expediting the development of the “Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan route.” This initiative will not only bypass the Northern Corridor, reducing reliance on Russia, but also link China to the Gulf countries through Iran. A significant milestone was achieved during the state visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Beijing on January 23-25, where China expressed support for launching the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway at the earliest opportunity.

The combined impact of these two transit-trade routes could establish a secure and reliable path along the Middle Corridor, especially considering the absence of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. By the same token, the relationship between Russian and Georgia is, to a large extent, unpredictable and worrying. Heightened hostilities or their spread could lead to increased freight insurance rates in the region, diminishing the attractiveness of the Middle Corridor for shippers. This is why it is in the interests of all countries in the region, including Kazakhstan to support the development of these two transit-trade routes.

While the prospects for the expansion of the Middle Corridor are promising, especially in light of Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the Houthi attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea, there is still work to be done. Despite the impressive growth in trade volume along the Middle Corridor, reaching approximately 1.5 million tons in 2022, it only represents a small fraction of the 144 million tons transported by Russia’s Trans-Siberian railway in 2020. In stark contrast, the traditional maritime route through the Indian Ocean transported well over 1 billion tons in 2023.

In conclusion, the Global Gateway Investors Forum presents a crucial opportunity for the EU and Central Asian countries to strengthen their collaboration in the face of evolving geopolitical challenges affecting global trade routes. As they work toward enhancing connectivity along the Middle Corridor, the active involvement of Uzbekistan in developing alternative transport routes signifies a proactive approach to mitigating risks and fostering supply chain resilience in a volatile global landscape. The ongoing efforts to establish secure paths for transit-trade routes demonstrate the potential for transformative regional cooperation, but continued commitment and strategic actions are imperative to fully realize the Middle Corridor’s potential in a rapidly changing world.

Central Asia could help the West break its dependence on China’s critical minerals (The Hill – opinion)

The Hill [1/29/2024 2:30 PM, Edward Lemon and Bradley Jardine, 1592K, Neutral]
After the COP28 climate summit, the world cautiously celebrated the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era. But many are starting to worry about the emerging contest over the critical minerals essential for this green future. Surging demand for chromium, copper, germanium, lithium and uranium — core components for batteries, wind farms, nuclear plants and electric vehicles — will force the U.S. and its allies to reckon with China, a near monopolist on their production, refinement and distribution.

The International Energy Agency estimates that there will need to be a quadrupling of mineral requirements for clean energy technologies by 2040 in order to achieve the 2°C goal of the Paris Agreement. Demand for nickel and cobalt should rise by 60-70 percent. Copper and rare earth elements are expected to see a 40 percent increase in demand. Demand for uranium could double by 2040.

The dominance of China and Russia in this sector is formidable. China controls a staggering 60 percent of worldwide production and 85 percent of processing capacity. It refines 70 percent of the world’s cobalt, 58 percent of lithium and 35 percent of nickel, all of which are used in batteries for electric vehicles. Russia controlled 43 percent of the palladium market in 2020 and a quarter of vanadium production. Palladium is used in catalytic converters and vanadium in batteries.

The United States is far behind and remains heavily reliant on imports for more than half of its critical mineral needs. Of these, the U.S. imports nearly three-quarters of its rare earth compounds and metals from China. Washington is aware of the national security dilemmas this poses. It has pursued cooperation with allies to secure supply chains and attempted to bolster domestic production. The Biden administration launched the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) and signed the Minerals Security Partnership to produce and process critical minerals with its G7 allies in June 2022. In August, the Department of Energy announced a $30 million fund to help lower the costs of onshore production. But both policies cannot meet rising U.S. demand for critical minerals.

Central Asia offers an opportunity to challenge China’s monopoly and rebalance international supplies. The region holds 38.6 percent of global manganese ore reserves, 30.07 percent of chromium, 20 percent of lead, 12.6 percent of zinc, 8.7 percent of titanium, as well as significant reserves of other critical materials. Kazakhstan is the world’s largest supplier of uranium, with 43 percent of world supply in 2022.With the U.S. House of Representatives passing a bill that would ban imports of Russian uranium in December 2023, as well as increasing interest around the world in nuclear energy in efforts to decarbonize, Kazakhstan is in the spotlight.

In his meeting with the five Central Asian presidents in September 2023, Biden proposed the creation of a C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue to develop Central Asia’s vast mineral wealth and advance critical minerals security. At present it is unclear what this dialogue will do. But ideally it could serve as a platform for government and private sector stakeholders to build partnerships that will provide benefits to both sides, while ensuring investments provide value to the local communities.

China has a significant head start on the United States, however. It is the main destination for most of the region’s critical minerals. For example, imports of molybdenum, which is used in the production of wind turbines, from Kazakhstan to China quadrupled between 2017 and 2020. Kazakhstan became the second-largest exporter of chromium to China after South Africa in 2019. Chinese companies own the majority of licenses for the extraction of critical minerals in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The region’s proximity to China and the lack of other external investors mean that exports to China look set to increase.

Investing in Central Asia’s mining and processing capabilities could significantly de-risk the world’s clean energy supply chain. To be effective, the U.S. needs to move beyond financial investment to include technology transfers and expertise. Increased cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey, for example, could help authorities in the region better understand the resources at their disposal and how best to utilize them. The U.S. should establish a sustainable partnership that ensures the benefits of mineral wealth translate into broader economic growth and stability for the region. Critical minerals are already starting to compete with hydrocarbons as the region’s most-valuable export, with sales of Kazakh copper bringing in more revenue than natural gas in 2020 for the first time. In Tajikistan, critical minerals accounted for 37 percent of exports in 2019, consisting of aluminum, zinc, and lead. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have both seen the sector surpass 10 percent of their total exports.

This reset in relations around critical minerals would also align with broader U.S. strategic interests in the region. It offers a genuine counterbalance to the growing influence of both Russia and China, ensuring a more multi-polar regional order. Total Chinese investments in the region ballooned from $40 billion 2020, to over $70 billion in 2022, making it the largest economic actor in the region. Russia, which accounted for 80 percent of the region’s trade in the 1990s, now accounts for less than two-thirds of Beijing’s trade. Lurking beneath these big numbers is a growing asymmetry, particularly between China and the countries of the region. In 2020, an estimated 45 percent of Kyrgyzstan’s external debt, and 52 percent of Tajikistan’s was owed to China. Meanwhile, 75 percent of Turkmenistan’s exports depend on Chinese consumers. U.S. engagement should be multifaceted, encompassing diplomatic outreach, economic ties, and infrastructural development that weaves the region into the global economic fabric and weakens regional dependence on Russia and China.

However, this approach is not without its challenges. The U.S. will have to navigate a complex geopolitical terrain, dealing with a potentially restive Afghanistan, as well as intra regional border skirmishes and political instability. The region’s human rights record continues to worsen. In 2022, government forces in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan massacred hundreds of protesters between them.

But after three decades of independence, America’s strategy toward the region needs a reboot. The shift from hydrocarbons to minerals offers a chance to reset the region’s economy away from the opaque governance, corruption, and state violence that oil and gas have fueled. The U.S. and its allies should work to wean the region off hydrocarbons and toward mineral extraction practices that respect Central Asia’s ecological riches and support the well-being of its inhabitants. Engaging with Central Asia is not only an option, but a necessity for breaking China’s monopoly on future technology production and securing a greener, more equitable future.

Twitter

Afghanistan

Suhail Shaheen
@suhailshaheen1
[1/29/2024 2:58 PM, 722.1K followers, 9 retweets, 67 likes]
Today I met Mr Robert Chatterton Dickson, Chargé d’Affaires of the UK to Afghanistan and discussed with him various topics including bilateral relations. Meeting of the special envoys for Afghanistan which is scheduled to be held in Doha on 18-19 Feb also came under discussion.

Hafiz Zia Ahmad
@HafizZiaAhmad
[1/29/2024 10:18 AM, 83.5K followers, 41 retweets, 184 likes]
The meeting of special representatives and ambassadors of neighboring and regional countries (Afghanistan’s Regional Cooperation Initiative) convened by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan has ended successfully. The details have been shared with the media by IEA-MoFA

Heather Barr
@heatherbarr1
[1/30/2024 1:49 AM, 62.1K followers, 2 retweets, 9 likes]
This article makes an important point about how thoroughly @UNAMAnews has ignored Taliban persecution of LGBTQI+ people in Afghanistan. Waves of hatred, persecution, and violence against the LGBTQI+ community in Afghanistan - Zan Times https://zantimes.com/2024/01/29/waves-of-hatred-persecution-and-violence-against-the-lgbtqi-community-in-afghanistan/

Nilofar Ayoubi
@NilofarAyoubi
[1/29/2024 6:18 PM, 63K followers, 55 retweets, 138 likes]
In a touching video, a young girl from Afghanistan shared images of her school before and after Taliban accompanied by a heartfelt caption: "You never know, maybe we will laugh together again in our classrooms and work together to achieve our dreams, you never know..

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[1/29/2024 10:58 PM, 22.5K followers, 1 retweet]
The Taliban’s Neighborhood: Regional Diplomacy with Afghanistan https://crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/afghanistan/337-talibans-neighbourhood-regional-diplomacy-afghanistan via @crisisgroup

Pakistan

BilawalBhuttoZardari
@BBhuttoZardari
[1/29/2024 7:33 AM, 5.1M followers, 7.1K retweets, 8.1K likes]
It was a pleasure engaging with the bright, young minds in Islamabad. The youth of Pakistan are worried about their futures. Economic instability, the climate crises, and political polarisation have thrown their hopes for a better tomorrow into doubt. The PPPs manifesto lays out a framework to pull Pakistan back from the precipice. We recognise the most pressing issues of our country will not be resolved by continuing with old politics. A new way forward is needed. Join us and we can build a better future together. Visit http://voteteer.com to learn more about our plans.

Hamid Mir
@HamidMirPAK
[1/30/2024 1:30 AM, 8.3M followers, 13 retweets, 95 likes]
Not many knows that @CMShehbaz was once a big fan of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and he met him in Lahore during his college days. Shehbaz changed his heart when Bhutto nationalised their industry in 1972. My new column https://www.geo.tv/latest/528775-shehbaz-sharif-what-lies-ahead-for-nawazs-saviour

Kamran Khan
@AajKamranKhan
[1/30/2024 2:23 AM, 5.6M followers, 90 retweets, 384 likes]
10 years imprisonment each. Just 10 days before the elections, former Prime Minister, Imran Khan and former foreign minister. Shah Mahmood Qureshi have been convicted in Cipher case for the breach of official secret act

Husain Haqqani
@husainhaqqani
[1/30/2024 1:07 AM, 459.7K followers, 29 retweets, 73 likes]
I described IK’s support base in 2018 as ‘military middle class’ - former Musharraf supporters rallying to new savior out of hatred for traditional/dynastic democratic politicians. Relevant as they now position themselves as champions of democracy. https://theprint.in/opinion/imran-khans-pakistan-is-only-for-the-military-middle-class-not-for-everyone/102070/?amp

Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office
@amnestysasia
[1/29/2024 11:00 AM, 76.8K followers, 5K retweets, 8.4K likes]
PAKISTAN: Restrictions on peaceful assemblies must not be used to stifle political opposition Amnesty International is concerned by the blanket bans on protests across the country through use of laws such as Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and the unlawful use of force, arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention of protesters and media personnel, gathered across the country, particularly associated with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement in Lahore on 28 January 2024. Under international human rights standards, blanket prohibitions of peaceful assemblies are presumptively disproportionate and impermissible. There should be no blanket prohibitions on peaceful assemblies in any specific public places. Peaceful assemblies must be allowed to take place within sight and sound of their target audience. Blanket prohibitions impair the essence of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. In the lead up to the 8 February General Election, @amnesty calls on the Pakistani authorities to: - ensure that all laws and regulations are in line with international human rights law and standards, - ensure that any responses (including restrictions) are lawful, necessary, proportionate, and in line with international standards, and that all arrests are carried out in line with due process safeguards and in accordance with international human rights law and standards.

Madiha Afzal
@MadihaAfzal
[1/29/2024 10:55 AM, 41.7K followers, 113 retweets, 438 likes]
Pakistan’s (perennial) problem: an unelected institution thinks it can best run the country.

India

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[1/30/2024 2:24 AM, 94.9M followers, 1K retweets, 7.7K likes]
I am delighted that Rashtrapati Ji has nominated Shri Satnam Singh Sandhu Ji to the Rajya Sabha. Satnam Ji has distinguished himself as a noted educationist and social worker, who has been serving people at the grassroots in different ways. He has always worked extensively to further national integration and has also worked with the Indian diaspora. I wish him the very best for his Parliamentary journey and am confident the Rajya Sabha proceedings will be enriched by his views. @satnamsandhuchd

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[1/29/2024 9:52 AM, 94.9M followers, 4.4K retweets, 28K likes]
Attended the Beating Retreat Ceremony earlier this evening.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[1/29/2024 10:50 AM, 3M followers, 156 retweets, 1.1K likes]
Spent the day in Kevadia. Great to see the continuing development and progress.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[1/29/2024 9:51 AM, 3M followers, 179 retweets, 2.3K likes]
Visited the Primary Health Centre, Lachras in Nandod. Handed over the first of three ambulances from MPLADS funds. Will take healthcare to hard to reach areas.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[1/29/2024 7:19 AM, 3M followers, 128 retweets, 1.3K likes]
Delighted to visit the Children Home for Girls in village Vavdi in Nandod. The computer lab, smart classroom, science lab, sports facilities and music room enabled by MPLAD funds have made a real difference to the girls living there. Was so nice to hear from them and spend time in their company.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[1/29/2024 6:42 AM, 3M followers, 194 retweets, 1.9K likes]
Visited the Sub District Hospital at Garudeshwar. Glad to contribute to facilities and services using my MPLAD funds in the hospital’s laboratory, labour room, operation theatre and waiting room. Interacted with patients and doctors and appreciated their feedback.

Richard Rossow
@RichardRossow
[1/30/2024 1:02 AM, 28.8K followers, 3 retweets, 4 likes]
India’s High Level Committee to combine national & state elections holds fourth meeting. Consultations ongoing. Hon. N.K. Singh offers new report on macroeconomic impact of simultaneous elections. https://bit.ly/3SBNmbT

NSB

Awami League
@albd1971
[1/29/2024 9:31 AM, 635.8K followers, 33 retweets, 114 likes]
Prime Minister #SheikhHasina has directed the authority concerned to reduce import duty on four essential items – rice, edible oil, sugar and date– ahead of the upcoming #Ramadan. PM also asked all the authorities concerned to monitor the market so that there would be no deficit in the supply of the goods against the demand in the market. https://unb.com.bd/category/Bangladesh/pm-directs-to-reduce-import-duty-on-rice-edible-oil-sugar-date-before-ramadan/129972 #CommodityPrice #Bangladesh

Awami League
@albd1971
[1/29/2024 6:06 AM, 635.8K followers, 39 retweets, 128 likes]
#China has invited Prime Minister #SheikhHasina to pay an official visit to #Beijing as the country is ready to work with the new government of #Bangladesh to further deepen mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation in all fields. https://link.albd.org/4h2cv

Sabria Chowdhury Balland
@sabriaballand
[1/29/2024 12:46 PM, 5K followers, 6 likes]
Some 242 global leaders including more than 125 Nobel Laureates expressed their alarm over the "continuous judicial harassment and potential jailing" of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus in a third open letter to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. #Bangladesh Global Leaders and Civic Courage Demand Justice for Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus https://prn.to/3SDQZ1j

Sabria Chowdhury Balland
@sabriaballand
[1/29/2024 9:34 PM, 5K followers, 3 likes]
In their letter, the leaders, including Barack Obama, 44th President of the U.S., expressed concern "….that the recent election in #Bangladesh held on January 7, 2024, was tarnished by the suppression and imprisonment of opposition leaders, the media, and independent voices, which have been extensively documented by many human rights and other pro-democracy groups in Bangladesh and abroad." @Yunus_Centre https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-leaders-and-civic-courage-demand-justice-for-nobel-laureate-muhammad-yunus-302046778.html

Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office
@amnestysasia
[1/29/2024 12:55 PM, 76.8K followers, 7 retweets, 28 likes]
Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard, along with 242 other global leaders have expressed their alarm over the continuous judicial harassment and potential jailing of Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus and three of his colleagues in an open letter to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. @amnesty reiterates that initiating criminal proceedings against Muhammad Yunus and his colleagues for issues that belong to the civil and administrative arena is a blatant abuse of labor laws and the justice system, and a form of political retaliation for his work. The abuse of laws and misuse of the justice system to settle vendettas is inconsistent and incompatible with international human rights treaties. https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-leaders-and-civic-courage-demand-justice-for-nobel-laureate-muhammad-yunus-302046778.html

The President’s Office, Maldives
@presidencymv
[1/30/2024 2:41 AM, 106.7K followers, 25 retweets, 27 likes]
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs of the US State Department pays a courtesy call on President Dr Muizzu https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/29706

Moosa Zameer
@MoosaZameer
[1/29/2024 9:58 PM, 12.6K followers, 40 retweets, 54 likes]
It was a pleasure to meet @State_SCA Assistant Secretary Donald Lu and reflect on the strong ties between the #Maldives and the United States. We discussed further enhancing cooperation on defence, climate action and economy. The Maldives-US relations continue to grow, especially with frequent high-level exchanges, and we remain committed to build this partnership even further.

Moosa Zameer
@MoosaZameer
[1/30/2024 12:36 AM, 12.6K followers, 13 retweets, 30 likes]
Congratulations to H.E. D.N. Dhungyel on his appointment as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Bhutan. I am confident that, under his able leadership, the friendly relations and cooperation between the #Maldives and #Bhutan will continue to be further strengthened in the years to come.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives
@MoFAmv
[1/29/2024 8:03 AM, 53.4K followers, 14 retweets, 25 likes]
UNHCR @Refugees Chief of Mission for Maldives Ms. Areti Sianni called on Foreign Secretary H.E. Fathimath Inaya on an introductory visit to Maldives and exchanged views on potential areas of cooperation to address emerging issues such as trafficking of persons & illegal migration

Brahma Chellaney
@Chellaney
[1/29/2024 4:19 AM, 262K followers, 211 retweets, 730 likes]
Xiang Yang Hong 3, the Chinese spy ship headed for Maldives after Sri Lanka said no to a port call, has a record of “going dark” by turning off its Automatic Identification System (AIS). "Running dark" led Indonesia’s coast guard to intercept it near Sunda Strait in mid-January.

MOFA of Nepal
@MofaNepal
[1/29/2024 6:05 AM, 256.3K followers, 8 retweets, 41 likes]
Foreign Minister Hon @NPSaudnc received Nobel Laureate Mr. Kailash Satyarthi at his office today. During the meeting, the two dignitaries discussed various initiatives on child rights, elimination of child labour and child education. @sewa_lamsal @amritrai555

Central Asia

Uzbekistan MFA
@uzbekmfa
[1/30/2024 1:24 AM, 6.9K followers, 2 likes]
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Rakhmatulla Nurimbetov held a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic Musa Jamanbaev. https://mfa.uz/35309

Uzbekistan MFA
@uzbekmfa
[1/30/2024 1:23 AM, 6.9K followers, 1 retweet, 3 likes]
Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan Ismatulla Irgashev met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran @Bagheri_Kani. https://mfa.uz/35306

Uzbekistan MFA
@uzbekmfa
[1/29/2024 12:54 PM, 6.9K followers, 2 likes]
On January 29, 2024, Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan Ismatulla Irgashev held an online meeting with the Special Representative of the British Prime Minister for Afghanistan and Pakistan Andrew McCoubrey. https://mfa.uz/35300

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[1/29/2024 8:27 PM, 22.5K followers, 2 retweets, 6 likes]
#religiousfreedom experts shared recent #Uzbekistan findings today. Noting "significant changes," they outlined 4 key recommendations for the Uzbek govt to expand the space for freedom while enhancing security. @UZEmbassyDC @nadinemaenza @wadekusack

{End of Report}

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