epubdos : Afghanistan
SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO:
SCA & Staff
DATE:
Tuesday, June 4, 2024 6:30 AM ET

Afghanistan
UN: Urgent global aid needed for flood-affected Afghan children (VOA)
VOA [6/3/2024 12:48 PM, Ayaz Gul, 4186K, Negative]
The United Nations said Monday that flash floods in Afghanistan, caused by extreme weather events related to climate change, are impacting tens of thousands of children, especially in northern and western provinces.

The impoverished South Asian country has experienced unusually heavy seasonal rainfall and flash flooding over the past month, affecting more than 100,000 people and resulting in loss and damage to houses, infrastructure, and the livelihoods of people in 32 out of 34 Afghan provinces.

The calamity has killed at least 350 people, including women and children, damaging close to 8,000 homes and displacing more than 5,000 families besides destroying crops and agricultural land, according to the U.N. Children’s Fund, or UNICEF.

“The recent extreme weather in Afghanistan has all the hallmarks of the intensifying climate crisis — some of the affected areas experienced drought last year,” the agency noted in a Monday statement.

It attributed the loss of lives and livelihoods and damage to infrastructure to an increase in the “frequency and ferocity” of extreme weather events in the country.

Aid agencies have cautioned that many flood survivors cannot make a living and have been left with no homes, no land, and no source of livelihood.

Tajudeen Oyewale, the UNICEF representative in Afghanistan, urged the international community to redouble efforts and investments to support communities to alleviate and adapt to the impact of climate change on children.

“The growing number and severity of extreme weather events will require UNICEF and other humanitarian actors to step in with even more rapid and large-scale humanitarian responses,” Oyewale added.

He stressed the need for UNICEF and the humanitarian community to prepare themselves for “a new reality of climate-related disasters in Afghanistan.

The war-ravaged country ranks 15th out of 163 countries in the Children’s Climate Risk Index. “This means that not only are climate and environmental shocks and stresses prominent in the country, but children are particularly vulnerable to their effects compared with elsewhere in the world,” UNICEF said.

The Save the Children charity has warned through a recent statement that about 6.5 million Afghan children are forecast to experience crisis-level hunger this year, citing the impact of floods, prolonged drought, and the return of hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans from neighboring Pakistan.

The World Food Program estimates that 3 million Afghan children are malnourished, and it can only reach one-third of them. The decline in international assistance has led to a rise in children’s admissions to malnutrition clinics in Afghanistan, the agency cautioned.

Afghanistan, one of the countries most at risk of global climate crisis, is among the least responsible for carbon emissions.

Afghan children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate and environmental shocks and stresses compared to elsewhere in the world, the statement said.

The return of the fundamentalist Taliban to power in Kabul in 2021 has led to the immediate termination of financial aid to the country, while international humanitarian assistance has recently also declined. This has worsened humanitarian conditions and pushed Afghanistan’s economy to the brink.
Iranian Newspaper Accuses Taliban Consulate Staff Of ‘Torturing’ Photographer (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [6/3/2024 10:19 AM, Staff, 1299K, Negative]
A centrist Iranian newspaper has accused a Taliban representative in Iran of “torturing” a photographer, ultimately leading to his expulsion from the country.

The Jomhuri-ye Eslami newspaper claimed on June 1 that a Taliban representative in the Afghan Consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad had “dragged” the unnamed Iranian photographer into the consulate and “tortured” him.

The paper said the photographer later filed a complaint against the “diplomat,” identified as “Dr. Salim,” which ultimately resulted in him being expelled from Iran and replaced by another Taliban representative.

The newspaper has been a staunch critic of the Taliban since the group seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 and has questioned Tehran’s willingness to maintain relations with the group.

In its report, Jomhuri-ye Eslami alleged that “Dr. Salim” was one of three “diplomats” who had moved into the consulate prior to receiving Iran’s approval. It described the move as a “sign of disrespect toward Iran.”

In the same piece, the newspaper claimed that the same trio had “kidnapped” Qari Eisa Mohammadi, a prominent Afghan opposition figure based in Germany who had traveled to Mashhad several months ago.

According to Mohammadi, he was held “prisoner” in the consulate for several days until Iranian authorities secured his release.

The authorities in Iran have been criticized for maintaining relations with the Taliban after it took control in Afghanistan. The Islamic republic has kept its embassy in Kabul open and handed over the Afghan Embassy in Tehran to the Taliban.

Nevertheless, Iran has not formally recognized the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan and has called for the formation of an inclusive government.

Since the extremist group seized power in Kabul, Iran and the Taliban have had disputes over water rights and engaged in sporadic border clashes.
Pakistan
Imran Khan Acquitted in Pakistan’s Secrets Act Case (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [6/3/2024 8:33 AM, Faseeh Mangi, 24454K, Negative]
A Pakistani court suspended a ten year jail sentence given to former prime minister Imran Khan for violating the nation’s secrecy laws but he is not going to be released.

The former cricket star’s conviction was set aside by the court on Monday, said Sayed Zulfi Bukhari, a spokesperson for Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. A special court handed down the sentence in January for making a diplomatic cable public when he was in power.

Khan was ousted from power as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 after his relationship with the powerful military turned sour. Khan still has more than 170 legal cases —- all of which he says are politically motivated and designed to prevent him from staging a come back. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the military have denied Khan’s allegations.

He has been in jail since August after the courts found him guilty of graft and violating Pakistan’s secrecy laws. Days before national elections in February, the firebrand politician was convicted thrice. An announcement was expected in another case last week that has been postponed.

While the convictions and the dozens of cases effectively kept Khan out of the election race, his party-backed candidates won the most parliamentary seats after a vote marred by allegations of rigging. However they were unable to form a government as Khan’s political rivals formed an alliance.

In the secrecy case, the politician had 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. His former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has also been acquitted in the case, said Bukhari.
Pakistan’s Imran Khan acquitted of leaking state secrets charges, but to stay in jail (Reuters)
Reuters [6/3/2024 1:30 PM, Asif Shahzad and Ariba Shahid, 82990K, Negative]
A high court in Pakistan overturned jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s conviction on charges of leaking state secrets, his lawyer and his party said on Monday, but Khan will remain in prison for now due to a conviction in another case.

Khan, 71, had been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a lower court on charges of making public a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington in 2022. He has been in jail since August last year.

He had challenged the conviction in Islamabad High Court, which said in an order on Monday that, an "instant appeal is allowed", adding Imran Khan was acquitted of the charges.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Khan’s foreign minister during his tenure from 2018-2022, was also acquitted of the charges, in what is a major victory for the jailed leader.

"Thank God, the sentence is overturned," a spokesman for legal affairs from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Naeem Panjutha, said in a post on the X social media platform shortly after the Islamabad High Court announced its decision.

Khan has said the classified cable was proof of a conspiracy by the Pakistan military and U.S. government to topple his government in 2022 after he visited Moscow just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Washington and Pakistan’s military deny that accusation.

The state secrets case was one of four in which Khan was convicted just ahead of Pakistan’s national election in February. In two other of those cases the sentences have since been suspended while he appeals.

But despite Monday’s acquittal, Khan, a former cricket star, will remain in prison serving a seven-year sentence over another case relating to his marriage to his third wife, Bushra Khan, also known as Bushra Bibi, which contravened Islamic traditions.

A ruling on the couple’s appeal against the sentence was postponed last week and the proceedings transferred to another court after a judge recused himself following an accusation of bias made by Bibi’s former husband, according to Khan’s lawyers.

"We will celebrate this victory," another one of his lawyers, Ali Zafar, said in a TV interview, adding that the other cases faced by Khan would result in acquittals too.

‘HUGE VICTORY’

"It’s a huge political and legal victory," journalist and political analyst Mazhar Abbas told Reuters, but cautioned that it would be premature to say that Khan would be released anytime soon.

Khan is also named as an accused in several other cases, including charges of inciting violence against the state.

He has been at odds with the country’s powerful military, accusing it of targeting him and his party.

The military denies this and has called for Khan and his supporters to be tried for attacking state installations during violent protests against Khan’s initial arrest last year.

Khan and his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, was banned from contesting the February election, but candidates backed by the jailed leader still won the most seats. They did not have the numbers to form a government, which was instead led by an alliance of his rivals led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The government, which says Khan broke clauses of the state secrets law by revealing contents of a secret diplomatic cable, said prosecutors were awaiting the detailed decision before deciding if they would appeal against the acquittal in the Supreme Court.

"It is a fact that a national security document was used for political purposes," government spokesman for legal issues Aqeel Malik said in a press conference after the decision, adding that the government would not compromise on national security.
Islamabad court nullifies Imran Khan conviction in state secrets leak (Al Jazeera)
Al Jazeera [6/3/2024 10:33 AM, Abid Hussain, 20951K, Negative]
A court in Islamabad has annulled the sentence of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his close aide, former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in a case related to the leaking of state secrets.

Khan and Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years in prison on January 30 this year by a special court set up in a prison in Rawalpindi, just days before the country’s general elections.

The so-called cypher case pertains to a diplomatic cable that Khan claims proves his allegation that his removal from power in April 2022 was a conspiracy. The court established under the Official Secrets Act found Khan guilty of misusing the confidential cable sent by a former Pakistani ambassador to the United States.

Khan has repeatedly denied the charge, saying the document contained evidence that his removal as prime minister was a plot hatched by his political opponents and the country’s powerful military, with help from the US administration. Washington and the Pakistani army reject the accusation.

Khan, a former cricket star, was Pakistan’s premier from August 2018 to April 2022, when he lost a vote of confidence in the parliament. He has been in jail since August last year, facing trial in multiple cases.

However, despite the Islamabad High Court declaring the sentence void, Khan continues to remain behind bars due to his conviction in another case. On February 3, Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to seven years when a court in Rawalpindi declared that their marriage in 2018 violated Islamic law.

It is not yet clear whether Qureshi will be allowed to walk out of jail or not.

Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, a senior leader of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, said the Islamabad court’s decision was proof that the former PM’s legal troubles were the outcome of trumped-up cases to begin with.

“The court has now not only thrown this case aside, but also proven that it was yet another example of all the frivolous charges against former PM Khan and one by one, all such charges will soon come crumbling down,” he told Al Jazeera.

Khan, who is also the leader of the PTI party, filed an appeal against the verdict in the unlawful marriage case, and the decision was supposed to be announced last week.

However, the judge hearing the case excused himself from announcing the verdict after the complainant in the case, Khawar Maneka, who is also the ex-husband of Bushra Bibi, expressed his “distrust” in the judge. The case will now be heard on June 25 by a different judge.

Khan and Bushra Bibi were also declared guilty on January 31 in a case related to the illegal sale of state gifts, but in April their conviction was overturned by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The former PM, who has been facing several cases, has had some favourable judicial verdicts of late. Also on Monday, both Khan and Qureshi were — along with several other PTI leaders — acquitted in two cases related to vandalism during a protest rally organised by the PTI in May 2022.

Last month, the IHC also granted Khan bail in a high-profile land-deal case. Khan was accused of colluding with Malik Riaz, one of the country’s biggest property tycoons, in an alleged quid pro deal that caused the national exchequer a loss of more than $239m.

Khan was ousted from power through a vote of no confidence in April 2022. But tensions between Khan and the country’s traditional political and military establishment exploded after his supporters went on a rampage in May last year, attacking — among other facilities — military installations, following Khan’s arrest. That sparked a crackdown from security forces: Many PTI supporters and leaders were arrested; others went into hiding.

Khan himself was released in less than 48 hours, but was subsequently arrested and convicted in several other cases. He was declared ineligible to contest in the country’s February election because of the convictions. Election authorities also denied the PTI the use of its electoral symbol – the cricket bat.

Still, PTI-backed candidates won 93 seats, emerging as the largest political bloc in parliament. They currently lead the opposition.
Improving energy supply in Pakistan could save 175,000 lives, says Unicef (The Guardian)
The Guardian [6/4/2024 12:00 AM, Haroon Janjua, 86.2M, Neutral]
A study by the UN children’s agency has found that developing resilient energy systems to keep the power on in health facilities in Pakistan could prevent more than 175,000 deaths in the country by 2030.

The study comes as Pakistan is experiencing a blistering heatwave that has overstretched an already poor healthcare system. Last week, temperatures in various parts of the country reached highs of 49C (120F), causing a huge demand for power.

Unicef’s Powering Progress report said steps that could be taken to make energy provision better equipped to handle climate crisis conditions would contribute $296m (£232m) to Pakistan’s economy by 2044, through reducing infant and adult mortality and a lower disease burden.

Abdullah Fadil, Unicef’s representative in Pakistan, said: “Children depend on schools, health centres and safe drinking water for their survival, yet these facilities often don’t have the electricity supply to function optimally. As the current heatwave grips the country, electricity needs have skyrocketed leading to shortfalls that can endanger children’s health.

“This research underscores the importance of implementing resilient energy solutions. Clearly, this a win-win for everyone in Pakistan: children, families, teachers, private sector and the economy. And the urgency to turn to renewable energy is greater than ever before, especially for our children, who suffer the impacts of climate change daily.”

The report’s authors said “resilient energy” meant a reliable, flexible, accessible and quality power supply that can withstand grid outages and floods. More resilient energy across health, education and water services can also bring substantial gains for children and return triple the investment, Unicef said.

The climate crisis is taking a serious toll on power generation and the distribution of energy in Pakistan. In 2022, floods triggered by climate-induced monsoon rains killed 1,739 people and damaged half of the water infrastructure, including storage tanks, wells and supply lines.

This year, Pakistan recorded its wettest April since 1961 with more than double the usual rainfall for the month. Daytime temperatures in May have soared to 8C (14F) above average temperatures recorded for the month over the past 20 years, raising fears of flooding in the north-west parts of the country because of glacial melting.

Pakistan is also battling worsening forest fires. The authorities have urged people to stay indoors, hydrate themselves and avoid unnecessary travel in the daytime.

“Pakistan has an abundance of renewable resources and by investing in them we are tapping into a goldmine to help children,” Fadil said. “We need the private sector to play a bigger role as public sector resources will not be enough. This is everybody’s business.”
A Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy and attacked by a mob has died of injuries (AP)
AP [6/3/2024 6:53 AM, Babar Dogar, 27514K, Negative]
A Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy and attacked by a mob last month died of his injuries on Monday, a police official said.

Police in eastern Punjab province arrested more than 100 Muslim men and charged them under anti-terrorism laws for attacking a Christian father and son over allegations they desecrated pages of Islam’s holy book.

Nazir Masih, 72, suffered severe head injuries during the May 25 violence and was taken to a Rawalpindi hospital.

He died despite twice undergoing surgery and was buried in the city of Sargodha amid tight security, said district police officer Assad Ijaz Malhi.

Videos from Sargodha showed Christians carrying Masih’s coffin through the street. They shouted “Praise to Jesus” and “Jesus is great.” The casket was draped in black cloth and bore a small crucifix.

Malhi said police have registered cases against 500 people for attacking Masih’s home.

The mob went on the rampage after locals said they saw burnt pages of the Quran outside the house and accused Masih’s son of being behind it.

The violence brought back memories of one of the worst attacks on Pakistani Christians in 2023, when thousands of people set ablaze churches and homes of Christians in Jaranwala, also in Punjab.

Muslim residents at the time also claimed they saw two men desecrating the Quran.

Blasphemy accusations are common in Pakistan and under the country’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic figures can be sentenced to death.

While no one has been executed on such charges, just an accusation can cause riots and incite mobs to violence, lynchings and killings.
Pakistani Christian man dies from blasphemy mob assault injuries (VOA)
VOA [6/3/2024 10:33 AM, Ayaz Gul, 4186K, Negative]
Police and relatives in majority-Muslim Pakistan reported Monday that a Christian man who was severely injured in a mob attack a week ago over disputed blasphemy allegations has died due to his injuries.

Nazir Masih, the 70-year-old victim, was receiving treatment for severe head injuries at a military-run hospital near the capital, Islamabad, after being rescued, along with family members, from angry protesters gathered outside his residence in the city of Sargodha on May 25. He underwent multiple surgeries but could not survive, a police official said.

The mob ransacked Masih’s house and burned down his shoe shop, claiming he had desecrated Islam’s holy book, the Quran, allegations his relatives rejected as baseless.

Social media videos from Sargodha showed Christians carrying Masih’s coffin through the street, shouting “Praise to Jesus” and “Jesus is great.” The coffin was covered in black fabric and had a small crucifix on it.

Christian community leaders lamented the latest mob lynching and urged the Pakistani government to ensure the protection of religious minorities and to punish those responsible for inciting mob violence in the name of religion over controversial blasphemy charges.

“Yet again, hate has brought us to the place where we must ask questions,” Bishop Asad Marshall, the president of the Church of Pakistan, said in a statement posted on X Monday.

“The question is when will those who make a change and those who pursue justice seek truth and cry for a more just and fair world? When will those lives rise up for the sake of Pakistan’s own?” Marshall asked. ‘‘We lift our voices in lament, regret, solidarity, and for an honest plea for justice.”

Police have arrested dozens of suspects in connection with the mob attack under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism law. They had also launched an investigation into the blasphemy charges against Masih.

Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan, and mere allegations have led to mobs lynching dozens of suspects — even some in police custody. Insulting the Quran or Islamic beliefs is punishable by death under the country’s blasphemy laws, though no one has ever been executed.

The Sargodha incident revived memories of one of the worst attacks on Christians in August 2023 in Jaranwala, another city in the central Punjab province, the country’s most populous.

That attack involved thousands of Muslim protesters attacking a Christian settlement and burning 21 churches as well as damaging more than 90 properties over allegations two Christian brothers had desecrated the Quran.

The violence prompted several Christian families to flee their homes. A subsequent police crackdown arrested scores of people, including the Christians accused of blasphemy.

Critics have long called for reforming the blasphemy laws, saying they are often misused to settle personal scores. Hundreds of suspects, mostly Muslims, are languishing in jails in Pakistan because external pressures deter judges from moving their trials forward.

"While the majority of those imprisoned for blasphemy were Muslim, religious minorities were disproportionately affected,” the U.S. State Department noted in its recent annual report on human rights practices in Pakistan.

The report noted that Pakistani courts often failed to adhere to basic evidentiary standards in blasphemy cases. The U.S. report attributed the lack of adherence “to fear of retaliation from religious groups if they acquitted blasphemy defendants, and most convicted persons spent years in jail before higher courts eventually overturned their convictions or ordered their release.”
At least 11 Pakistan coalminers suffocate in gas build-up, official says (Reuters)
Reuters [6/3/2024 12:24 PM, Saleem Ahmed, 82990K, Negative]
At least 11 coalminers suffocated to death in a build-up of methane gas in a mine outside the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Monday, a government official said.

The miners died in the Sanjdi coalfield, about 60 km (40 miles) from Quetta, according to Abdul Ghani Kakar, the chief inspector of mines for the provincial Balochistan government.

"Methane gas accumulated which caused the deaths," he said.

The miners were working about 1,500 feet (450 metres)underground and rescue teams retrieved their bodies after hours of work, he added.

The chief inspector said an inquiry has been ordered to work out the cause of the incident, and to see whether there was any negligence.
India
India’s Narendra Modi Projected to Win Historic Third Term (Wall Street Journal)
Wall Street Journal [6/4/2024 12:03 AM, Shan Li and Vibhuti Agarwal, 810K, Neutral]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is projected to win a third term in India’s national elections with a mandate for his right-wing Hindu nationalist party that paves the way for more economic overhauls, after a campaign driven increasingly by religious-identity politics.

Modi rose from modest beginnings to become one of the country’s most powerful leaders by foregrounding the country’s Hindu identity. If forecasts are correct, he would become only the second leader in India’s history, after Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister, to win three straight terms.

The prime minister declared victory on Saturday night after the final phase of six weeks of voting—days ahead of the actual ballot counting on Tuesday.

“I can say with confidence that the people of India have voted in record numbers to re-elect” our government, Modi wrote on the social-media platform X.

Most exit polls over the weekend showed that his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party could this time top the 303 seats it won in the 2019 general elections.

Including wins by allies, a BJP-led bloc could capture a two-thirds majority out of 543 seats in the lower house of parliament, several polls indicated, allowing the government to push harder on contentious economic and cultural policies. Earlier this year, the prime minister was at the center of the inauguration of a Hindu temple on a site long contested by Hindus and Muslims.

On Monday, markets surged in response to the exit polls, with a benchmark index closing at a record high.

Exit polls in India aren’t always accurate. The official vote counting takes place Tuesday, with final results expected late the same day.

Sanjay Kumar, an expert in Indian electoral politics, said that a big win for the BJP would be a testament to Modi’s enduring appeal.

“That would once again put a stamp on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity, his ability to pull votes for his party,” said Kumar, co-director of a program focused on Indian democracy at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, a New Delhi research institute.

Kumar said a repeat victory would owe more to the party’s rigorous campaign groundwork than the hard-line speeches heard over the campaign.

Modi began the campaign by touting his economic bona fides and promising a supermajority in parliament, but the Hindu nationalist leader quickly shifted his rhetoric to focus increasingly on attacking Muslims and accusing the main opposition Indian National Congress party of being pro-Muslim. In an April speech in Rajasthan, Modi called Muslims “infiltrators” and “those who have too many children.”

Political experts said that change likely indicated that the BJP felt the need to mobilize its Hindu nationalist base after lower-than-expected voter turnout sparked concerns that Modi’s party could fail to top its previous big wins. Surveys ahead of the election showed voters voicing concerns around economic issues, in particular unemployment.

As companies have looked beyond China amid its tensions with the U.S., Modi has sought to turn India into a manufacturing hub and boost employment. But the country isn’t creating jobs at the scale it needs to, particularly for young people.

Priyanshu Singh, a first-time voter in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state and a key Modi power base, said his parents support the prime minister because of his policies promoting a Hindu identity. But for him “the biggest issue is unemployment.”

“Modi has done a good job on the international level. But he has to take up some other issues, such as the issues of the youth,” said Singh, alluding to the perception among many Indians that the country’s global standing has risen under Modi. “You can’t run a government only on the basis of faith.”

An opposition bloc led by the Congress party, which remains centered on Nehru’s descendants, is looking to that economic dissatisfaction to help it pull off a better showing than in 2019. The party ruled India for decades after independence in 1947, but its popularity has plunged in recent years.

Parties in the bloc have faced hurdles ahead of the election that included intensified actions by tax authorities against Congress, and the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, the head of a relatively new political party who has become a prominent opposition figure in recent years.

Kejriwal, who was granted bail to campaign, returned to jail on Sunday after voting ended. His arrest just ahead of the elections on corruption charges in connection with a liquor licensing plan by his government sparked expressions of concern from the U.S.

The government has said agencies were following due process in pursuing corruption investigations. Kejriwal and his party deny wrongdoing.

BJP officials said that Modi would renew his focus on the economy in a third term, continuing heavy spending on infrastructure, and pushing forward with simplifying labor rules.

Political analysts see the government continuing with welfare programs, including a pandemic-era move to hand out free food grains to a majority of Indians. Under Modi, social security programs that existed before he became prime minister began delivering directly to individual bank accounts, increasing the perception of an expanded net.

The 73-year-old leader will likely also go ahead with some items leftover on his Hindu nationalist agenda. That includes pushing for standardized laws on marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance, which have largely been governed for decades by relevant religious laws. Critics say that the codification could have an outsize impact on religious and tribal minorities who have had the freedom to follow a range of cultural or religious practices.

“The BJP will continue to project political hegemony,” said Rahul Verma, a fellow with the Centre for Policy Research, a think tank in New Delhi. “They will continue with some of their ideological social projects.”
Modi’s party well ahead in Indian elections in early vote count but opposition stiffer than expected (AP)
AP [6/4/2024 4:14 AM, Krutika Pathi and Sheikh Saaliq, 31180K, Neutral]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party showed a comfortable lead Tuesday, according to early figures reported by India’s Election Commission, but was facing a stronger challenge from the opposition than had been expected.

The counting of more than 640 million votes cast over the past six weeks in the world’s largest democratic exercise was expected to take all day, with Modi widely expected to be elected to a third five-year term when the final result is declared.

If the 73-year-old Modi wins, it would only be the second time an Indian leader has retained power for a third term after Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister.

Some four hours into the counting, early leads reported by the Election Commission showed Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party comfortably ahead of the main opposition Congress party.

The preliminary figures showed the BJP ahead in 240 constituencies out of 542 and winning one uncontested race. Congress was leading in 94 constituencies.

Modi’s National Democratic Alliance group was leading in 287 constituencies, while the opposition INDIA alliance, led by the Congress party and its main campaign leader, Rahul Gandhi was leading in 225.

The Election Commission does not release data on the percentage of votes tallied, but counting was to go on throughout the day and early figures were expected to change.

Exit polling from the weekend had projected the NDA to win more than 350 seats. Indian markets, which had hit an all-time high on Monday, were down sharply in midday trading Tuesday, with benchmark stock indices — the NIFTY 50 and the BSE Sensex — both down by more than 7%.

Some 642 million people voted in the election, with an average 66% turnout across the seven phases, according to official data.

Extreme heat struck India as voters went to the polls, with temperatures higher than 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some parts of the country. The chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar said officials had learned a valuable lesson. “We should have completed the election at least one month before,” he said. “We shouldn’t have let it continue into so much heat.”

Temperatures were somewhat lower on Tuesday for the counting, but election officials and political parties still took precautions, hauling in large quantities of water and installing evaporative coolers for people outside the buildings where votes were being tallied and party headquarters.

On Tuesday, BJP workers outside the party’s office in New Delhi performed a Hindu ritual shortly after the counting began. Meanwhile, supporters at the Congress party headquarters appeared upbeat and chanted slogans praising Gandhi, the party’s campaign face.

In his 10 years in power, Modi has transformed India’s political landscape. His popularity has outstripped that of his party’s, and has turned a parliamentary election into one that increasingly resembles a presidential-style campaign. The result is that the BJP relies more and more on Modi’s enduring brand to stay in power, with local politicians receding into the background even in state elections.

“Modi was not just the prime campaigner, but the sole campaigner of this election,” said Yamini Aiyar, a public policy scholar.

His supporters see him as a self-made, strong leader who has improved India’s standing in the world, and credit his pro-business policies with making the economy the world’s fifth-largest.

But a decade of his leadership has also left the country deeply divided. Modi’s critics and opponents say his Hindu-first politics have bred intolerance, hate speech and brazen attacks against the country’s minorities, especially Muslims, who comprise 14% of the population.

India’s economy, one of the fastest-growing, has become more unequal under Modi. While stock markets reach record-highs and millionaires multiply, youth unemployment has soared, with only a small portion of Indians benefitting from the economic boom.

The country’s democracy, Modi’s critics say, is faltering under his government, which has increasingly wielded strong-arm tactics to subdue political opponents, squeeze independent media and quash dissent. The government has rejected such accusations and say democracy is flourishing.

As polls opened in mid-April, a confident BJP initially focused its campaign on “Modi’s guarantees,” highlighting the economic and welfare achievements that his party says have reduced poverty. With him at the helm, “India will become a developed nation by 2047,” Modi repeated in rally after rally.

But the campaign turned increasingly shrill, as Modi ramped up polarizing rhetoric that targeted the Muslim minority, a tactic seen to energize his core Hindu majority voters.

His opposition, the INDIA alliance led by the Congress party, has attacked Modi over his Hindu nationalist politics. It hopes to benefit from the simmering economic discontent, and its campaign has rallied around issues of joblessness, inflation and inequality.

But the broad alliance of over a dozen political parties has been beset by ideological differences and defections, raising questions over their effectiveness. Meanwhile, the alliance has also claimed they’ve been unfairly targeted, pointing to a spree of raids, arrests and corruption investigations against their leaders by federal agencies they say are politically motivated. The government has denied this.

Another victory would cement Modi as one of the country’s most popular and important leaders. It would follow a thumping win in 2019, when the BJP won 303 out of 543 parliamentary seats.
Early India vote count shows Modi alliance in majority but short of landslide (Reuters)
Reuters [6/4/2024 4:08 AM, YP Rajesh, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, and Shivam Patel, 42991K, Neutral]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alliance was winning a majority of seats in early vote counting trends in the general election on Tuesday, but well short of the landslide predicted in exit polls, TV channels showed.

The trends spooked financial markets which had expected a hefty win for Modi, with stocks falling steeply. The blue-chip NIFTY 50 (.NSEI) was down 5.5% and the S&P BSE Sensex (.BSESN) was down 5.3% at 0800 GMT.

The rupee also fell sharply against the dollar and benchmark bond yields were up.

The markets had soared on Monday after exit polls on June 1 projected Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would register a big victory, and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was seen getting a two-thirds majority and more.

At 0800 GMT, TV channels showed the NDA was ahead in nearly 300 of the 543 elective seats in parliament, where 272 is a simple majority. The opposition INDIA alliance led by Rahul Gandhi’s centrist Congress party was leading in over 220 seats, higher than expected.

TV channels showed BJP accounted for nearly 240 of the seats in which the NDA was leading, short of a majority on its own, compared to the 303 it won in 2019.

A third Modi term with a slim majority for BJP - or having to depend on NDA allies for a majority - could introduce some uncertainty into governance as Modi has ruled with an authoritative hold over the government in the last decade.

However, politicians and analysts said it was too early to get a firm idea of the voting trends since a majority of ballots were yet to be counted.

"It’s a fair assessment to say 400 at the moment certainly looks distant," BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli told the India Today TV channel, referring to some projections that gave 400 seats to the NDA.

"But we need to wait...to have a final picture of the seats because the exit polls speak of a massive sweep, (and) the counting trends currently don’t seem to match that," he said.

"The BJP-NDA will form the government, that trend is very clear from the start," he added.

TV exit polls broadcast after voting ended on June 1 projected a big win for Modi, but exit polls have often got election outcomes wrong in India. Nearly one billion people were registered to vote, of which 642 million turned out.

However, if Modi’s victory is confirmed even by a slim margin, his BJP will have triumphed in a vitriolic campaign in which parties accused each other of religious bias and of posing a threat to sections of the population.

SOME PANIC IN MARKETS

Investors had cheered the prospects of another Modi term, expecting it to deliver further years of strong economic growth and pro-business reforms, while the anticipated two-thirds majority in parliament would allow major changes to the constitution.

"The sharp drop in Nifty is because the results, although (in) early trends, present a picture that is a lot different from what the exit polls had shown," said Siddhartha Khemka, head of retail research at Motilal Oswal Financial Services in Mumbai.

"This is what has led to some panic, some concern. These trends are early trends, to be honest. The market does not want a hung parliament or a coalition government, where you will have a lot of delays in decision making," he said.

The seven-phase, seven-week poll that began on April 19 was held in searing summer heat with temperatures touching nearly 50° Celsius (122° Fahrenheit) in some parts.

More than 66% of registered voters turned out, just one percentage point lower than the previous election in 2019, squashing pre-poll concerns that voters might shun a contest thought to be a foregone conclusion in Modi’s favour.

Modi, 73, who first swept to power in 2014 by promising growth and change, is seeking to be only the second prime minister after India’s independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru to win three straight terms.

He began his campaign by showcasing his record in office including economic growth, welfare policies, national pride, Hindu nationalism and his own personal commitment to fulfilling promises which he called "Modi’s Guarantee".

However, he changed tack after low voter turnout in the first phase and accused the opposition, especially the Congress party, which leads an alliance of two dozen groups, of favouring India’s 200 million Muslims - a shift analysts said made the campaign coarse and divisive.

They said the pivot may have been aimed at firing up the Hindu nationalist base of Modi’s BJP to draw them to vote. Modi defended himself against criticism that he was stoking divisions between Hindus and Muslims to win votes and said that he was only faulting the opposition campaign.

The opposition INDIA alliance denied it favoured Muslims in the Hindu-majority country and said Modi would destroy the constitution if he returned to power and end affirmative action enjoyed by the so-called backward castes. The BJP rejects this.
How Modi Capitalized on India’s Economic Rise (New York Times)
New York Times [6/4/2024 12:15 AM, Alex Travelli, 831K, Neutral]
Ten years after Narendra Modi was first elected prime minister, India’s economy is roughly twice as large. That is what happens when a country grows at 7 percent a year, as India has been doing, on average, since it opened its markets to international competition in 1991.

That steady growth has been skillfully repackaged to promote an image of one man’s leadership making it all happen. Along with nationalism and Hindu pride, the idea that Mr. Modi can make the economy move has been central to his appeal since the beginning.

And Mr. Modi has burnished India’s economy in ways that count the most with voters: He made visible infrastructure expansions and distributed welfare benefits to the majority of Indians, who remain poor by global standards even as the country’s higher-income groups learn to flex their spending power.

Most of the rest of the world — especially the United States and other Western countries that hope to persuade India to join them in constraining China’s and Russia’s strategic ambitions — wants India’s economy to accelerate.

Part of that story could be a shift in manufacturing, like the one Apple has underway in South India. And the world’s investment professionals are eager for India’s successes under Mr. Modi to start paying dividends that they can’t find elsewhere.

But even the most eager investors can’t overlook some of the problems that confront India as it becomes the world’s newest heavyweight. While Mr. Modi basked in the glow of a successful moon landing and the country’s innovative “digital public infrastructure,” the political opposition tried to speak past him to the frustrated masses who clamor for more and better jobs.

The opposition also tried rousing public anger over Mr. Modi’s ties with the country’s biggest tycoons. That seems not to have worked, neither in politics nor in the markets, in the case of Gautam Adani. Last year the billionaire’s empire was accused, with much flash and fury, of stock manipulation. But the claims hardly broke through, and Adani stocks went back to soaring.
How Modi’s Supporters Used Social Media to Spread Disinformation During the Elections (Time)
Time [6/3/2024 11:06 AM, Astha Rajvanshi, 22914K, Neutral]
In early May, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to the podium at a political rally in Madhya Pradesh and launched an attack on the opposition party while campaigning in this year’s election, where a seven-phase voting period concluded on June 1. Observing that India was at a turning point in history, Modi told voters they would have to choose carefully between “Vote Jihad” —a term repeatedly used by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its supporters to describe votes from Muslims—and “Ram Rajya,” which translates to “governance under Ram,” referring to the Hindu deity.

The term “Vote Jihad” first entered the Indian public sphere after a local opposition politician, Maria Alam, used it while campaigning in the state of Uttar Pradesh a month earlier, where she asked the minority community to “Vote Jihad” to defeat the BJP. The local police charged Alam with civil disobedience for trying to seek votes based on religion, but the ruling party nevertheless latched onto the term to criticize leaders from opposition parties like the Congress Party—who ran in the election by forming an alliance called “INDIA”—and to amplify divisive rhetoric between Hindus and Muslims through social media.

So frequent was the BJP’s use of the term that a new report published May 31 by The London Story (TLS), an Indian diaspora-led nonprofit foundation based in the Netherlands, documented at least 21 instances in March and 33 in April where the BJP’s Facebook page, which has 19 million followers, along with other affiliated accounts, posted claims that Muslims are waging “Vote Jihad” in this year’s election. In one example, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a militant Hindu nationalist organization with several verified accounts on Facebook and over 100,000 followers, posted a recorded press statement where the spokesperson referred to Indian Muslims as “Jihadis” and blamed them for allegedly committing “Vote Jihad.”

The group says these efforts are part of a sustained disinformation campaign designed to disenfranchise India’s 200 million Muslim voters. “We looked at how the BJP uses disinformation narratives around ‘jihad’ to rationalize policymaking,” Ritumbra Manuvie, the Executive Director of TLS, tells TIME. “This is an imminent danger because we have seen how similar instances have led to actual disenfranchisement in the past.”

But these instances are just the tip of the iceberg. India’s 970 million eligible voters include over 750 million active internet users, a sharp 43% increase in users since the last general elections in 2019, according to the Economic Times, which cites data from the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and KANTAR. That includes 314 million users on Facebook, 362 million on Instagram, and 535 million on WhatsApp—all of which are owned by Meta.

Across all platforms, Islamophobic narratives and other hate speech spread by pro-BJP pages, have become a “ubiquitous part of Indian election campaigns as political parties and their leaders seek to directly connect with their followers,” notes Usha M Rodrigues, a professor at the Charles Sturt University. As a result, “misinformation, manipulated messages, malicious claims, and AI-enabled fabrications are being circulated online with impunity,” Rodrigues writes.

Since the BJP first came to power in 2014, disinformation on social media has played an important role in election campaigns. For example, the 2014 election was dubbed the “Twitter election,” while the 2019 election was called the “WhatsApp election.” This year, election campaigning moved beyond X (the platform formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, and WhatsApp to include YouTube and other short-video channels, according to a study by Oxford University. The BJP was dominant in using the platforms as a key route to connect with voters, while other parties have “simply not responded to the challenge of developing strong digital and offline campaign organizations,” the study’s authors write.
Rampant electoral disinformation

A recent investigation by Civil Watch International and Ekō, a corporate accountability organization, found that Facebook had approved adverts containing known slurs towards Muslims such as “let’s burn this vermin” and “Hindu blood is spilling, these invaders must be burned,” as well as Hindu supremacist language and disinformation about political leaders. In February, Meta pledged to prevent the spread of AI-generated or manipulated content on its platforms during the Indian election, but all the approved adverts featured AI-manipulated images, which Meta’s systems failed to detect.

In response, Meta told TIME that while it removes severe forms of misinformation and content that violates platform policies, it does not “fact-check politicians due to our commitment to free expression and the belief that political speech is heavily scrutinized in mature democracies with a free press,” according to a company spokesperson. In the last decade, India’s press freedom has declined significantly, dropping to 161 out of 180 countries surveyed in the World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders in 2023.

The BJP and its supporters aren’t the only ones using social media platforms to gain votes this election; others have also harnessed AI and WhatsApp to engage voters. AI-generated content including campaign videos impersonating political candidates (in some cases, even dead politicians), personalized audio messages, and automated calls steadily reached voters’ smartphones. Notably, two AI-generated deepfake videos of Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh and Aamir Khan criticizing the prime minister and asking people to vote for the opposition Congress went viral at the start of the election and drew half a million views. Despite two police investigations, similar videos are still floating online.

And with nearly 400 million Indians forming WhatsApp’s largest user base in the world, the messaging platform has been the primary source of political news and information for voters since the last election in 2019. This year, political parties and campaign teams once again reached out to potential voters by enrolling them in WhatsApp groups and constantly circulating a stream of election-related messages. “Disinformation and hate speech are rampant, while the grey market of personal information fuels targeted propaganda,” noted a report by the Mozilla Foundation.

Little accountability, widespread effects

The proliferation of electoral disinformation in India is usually governed through overlapping laws and regulations, as well as content moderation policies designed by the platforms themselves. While India’s Information Technology Act usually governs online platforms, the Election Commission of India specifically regulates communications during elections. In light of recent reports on the rampant spread of disinformation in the 2024 elections, the ECI has issued instructions to officials across India to be “proactive in debunking fake news on social media.”

Yet, as noted by the Mozilla Foundation, the ECI has not been effective in regulating the use of social media or messaging platforms during the elections, particularly in ensuring that platforms were compliant with its established “voluntary” code of ethics.

Similarly, the policies established by messaging platforms to monitor the spread of hate speech and disinformation have limited effectiveness. Manuvie from TLS told TIME that META responded to the group’s concerns by saying that such posts did not warrant removal as they pass the Rabat Principle, a Plan of Action developed and adopted by experts at the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner to prevent violence and discrimination through open dialogue, rather than censorship.

But Manuvie warns that free speech, particularly in the form of hate speech and ‘jihad’ narratives, can also have dangerous long-term effects like institutionalized violence against Muslims, as well as result in regulatory and state legislative actions. For example, the spread of ‘love jihad’ narratives—a conspiracy that Muslim men seduce Hindu women to convert them to Islam— on X has contributed to widespread Hindu-nationalist support for criminalizing interfaith marriage, with several states in northern India passing laws to that effect. Several instances of state-sanctioned violence against Muslims married to Hindus have also been documented in the past few years.

“These divisive narratives are being allowed and used by political parties for their election campaigns, but they clearly violate the ECI’s Model Code of Conduct,” says Manuvie. More than that, she continues, “they are contributing to segregation in Indian society by dehumanizing, caricaturing, and demonizing Muslims during the elections.”
In Delhi’s Parched Slums, Life Hangs on a Hose and a Prayer (New York Times)
New York Times [6/3/2024 4:14 PM, Sameer Yasir, 831K, Negative]
Before the water tanker rolled into one of New Delhi’s largest slums, Arvind Kumar was pacing between the gate of a public school and a tea seller’s stall hundreds of yards from his home, where he lives with nine members of his family.

“There, it is coming,” Mr. Kumar shouted to a woman waiting on the slum’s edge. With their last stored drops now spent, and a heat wave searing the city, the two neighbors had decided to make sure the truck reached its destination.

The woman boarded the 5,000-gallon tanker and guided its driver through a tight lane, past houses lined with thousands of jerrycans, many chained in place, and onto a stony plateau.

“Sometimes, you need to kidnap the driver,” Mr. Kumar, a salesman, said with a smile, “or you will see your children dying of thirst in this killing heat.”

Over the past few days, temperatures in parts of northern India have hovered well above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, or more than 43 degrees Celsius. More than 60 people, including several working or participating in the country’s general election, whose results will be announced on Tuesday, have died, according to news media reports.

In Delhi, the streets feel like an oven. Work output and mobility have been reduced. Parks usually filled with joggers are thinly populated. Outside the gardens of Humayun’s Tomb, lemonade sellers complained of a drop in business.

“I have been drinking more glasses of water myself than selling them,” said one vendor, Sham Yadav.

With the intense heat, water — piped or trucked to residents — is now in short supply for some 25 million people in the Delhi national capital region.

Every summer, the water table in Delhi is reduced because of the huge demand. But this year’s crisis has also exposed the increasing dysfunction of India’s national governance, with states often stuck in political battles with one another or with the central government. The Delhi regional government has appealed to the country’s top court to force a neighboring state to release surplus water that a second state had provided for Delhi.

As officials have been forced to ration water across the capital region, the crisis has hit nearly everyone, regardless of status. But the challenges are particularly severe for the poor.

The slum where Mr. Kumar lives, Kusumpur Pahari, has no piped water connections. The government defines the slum as an illegal settlement of migrant workers, though people have lived there for three generations. It is a maze of narrow streets and shanties surrounded on one side by glittering shopping malls and on the other by upscale residential enclaves.

Inside its walls are more than 50,000 people. Many work as cleaning staff for nearby embassies, drivers for diplomats, maids for the rich. Their lives are punctuated by the horn of the water tanker.

All day long, the slum’s residents struggle to fill their jerrycans with water for drinking, washing clothes and bathing.

“It is worse this summer,” said Monika Singh, 23, a political science graduate, who was born in Kusumpur Pahari and said she would perhaps “die here.”

Throughout her life, before breakfast, before preparing for class, before choosing what to wear, she has worried about how and where to store water. “Slowly, as the population increases, the war over water has become worse,” she said. “This year, it is really, really bad.”

For decades, people in Kusumpur Pahari and other slums have fought over drops of water pouring from the water tankers. This summer is no different; a video of residents running after, jumping onto and crowding around a water tanker in a slum near the U.S. Embassy spread widely on Indian social media.

“People can kill you for water here, if you don’t listen to them,” said Surinder Singh, the driver of the water tanker that Mr. Kumar and his neighbor waited for over the weekend in Kusumpur Pahari.

When another truck approached to make the second of the two water deliveries that one portion of the slum receives each day, men and women crowded around it, forcing the driver to stop.

“If you come close, I will slit your throat,” a broad-shouldered woman named Neetu shouted toward three women trying to snatch a water hose from her hand.

“Give me first,” cried a housewife, Geeta, who pushed Neetu to the ground.

“You have a grown-up family; my two children haven’t had a bath for days,” another woman, Sarita, said while snatching the hose from Geeta.

“If you don’t give it to me,” she continued, “I will break this bucket on your head, then you won’t be able to fill your bucket.”
Heat Wave-Related Deaths in India Climb as Delhi Faces Water Crisis (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [6/3/2024 5:17 AM, Lou Del Bello and Rajesh Kumar Singh, 24454K, Negative]
Heat-related deaths in India are mounting after a brutal summer wave laid bare the country’s poor preparedness during the weeks-long national elections.

The state of Odisha recorded 99 deaths in the past three days through June 2, of which 20 have been confirmed as cases of heat strokes, Satyabrata Sahu, the eastern state’s special relief commissioner, said Monday. The remaining casualties are being investigated, he said.

The nation witnessed maximum temperatures touching 50.5C (123F) in Rajasthan last month, just shy of an all-time high of 51C for the country. The extreme weather condition, which scientists say has been exacerbated by climate change, coincided with the world’s biggest democratic exercise calling almost a billion Indians to the polls.

Mindful of the risks for voters and staff, the Election Commission of India issued detailed recommendations in March on how to heat proof polling stations, including ensuring the presence of cooling appliances and water. However, the Indian Express reported Saturday that at least 18 officials staffing polling stations during the last phase of elections had died of heat-related issues.

The world’s most populous nation saw 46 deaths and more than 19,000 suspected heat stroke cases during the hottest month of May, ThePrint website reported, citing health ministry’s data it had seen.

The health ministry said it has issued heat preparedness guidelines, but did not comment on the deaths.

In Delhi, scorching heat comes with mounting water stress as chronically scarce reserves deplete further. The local government appealed to India’s apex court for neighboring states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh to release additional supplies.
Modi 3.0 offers limited opportunities for the West (Reuters – opinion)
Reuters [6/3/2024 6:03 PM, Hugo Dixon, 42991K, Neutral]
Many Western leaders see India as a bulwark against China. Their fear of the People’s Republic outweighs their concerns about Narendra Modi’s authoritarian tendencies. Now that India’s prime minister is on the cusp of winning a third term in office, exit polls suggest, the United States and Europe may double down on the idea that their enemy’s enemy will be a steadfast friend. But the overlap of interests is not large, while the two sides’ values are diverging. The scope for working together will be limited.

During his second term, Modi benefitted from warm welcomes in the West. Last June Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet for him during his state visit to Washington. The U.S. president and the Indian prime minister hailed a new era in their countries’ relationship and signed a clutch of defence and other deals designed to counter China’s global influence.

Shortly after, French President Emmanuel Macron made Modi his guest of honour at the country’s Bastille Day military parade. They agreed in principle deals for India to buy French-made jets and submarines, though these are still under negotiation. Modi in turn welcomed Macron as the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January.

Western governments have also promoted India as an alternative supplier of manufactured goods that will help cut their dependence on China. Janet Yellen, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, has described the country as a destination for “friend-shoring”, a plan to build up supply chains with friendly countries.

Meanwhile, the United States, India and various other countries last September announced a multibillion-dollar rail, port, energy and communications “corridor” to link India to Europe via the Middle East. Israel’s war with Gaza has delayed this project.

Relations are not entirely friendly, though. The U.S. government is worried that Modi’s government is cracking down on Muslims, independent media and opposition politicians. The Indian government has responded that such criticism is “misplaced”, “deeply biased” and “unwarranted”.

Washington is also concerned that New Delhi was involved in a failed plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the United States. And the Canadian government has said there are “credible” allegations linking Indian agents to the murder of another Sikh separatist in Canada.

ENEMY’S ENEMY

Despite these concerns, it is in the West’s interests to work with India to stop China throwing its weight around. But U.S. and European leaders need to be clear-eyed about what they can get from Modi, and what they can offer in return.

The main worry for U.S. leaders is that the People’s Republic will invade Taiwan or bully other countries in the region, especially the Philippines, Japan and South Korea, with which the United States has defence treaties. India’s fear is that China may grab parts of its territory near the vast land border the two countries share in the Himalayas.

New Delhi is not going to risk Beijing’s wrath by joining any campaign against China in East Asia. Nor are the United States and its allies likely to do much to fend off any attack by China on India – though they could provide the South Asian giant with useful intelligence.

The West can also sell India military equipment. That may cause China to put armed forces in the Himalayas instead of its large eastern sea frontier. Western governments can also help wean India off its dependence on arms from Russia, traditionally its main supplier.

Now that Vladimir Putin has deepened his alliance with Chinese President Xi Jinping, there’s an opportunity to get Modi to downgrade his own alliance with the Russian leader. But New Delhi is not going to cut ties with Moscow, not least because India is making a lot of money by importing Russian crude oil at a discount and then re-exporting refined products.

The West should therefore be wary about supplying its most sophisticated military kit to India and transferring technology that would allow New Delhi to build and develop advanced systems on its own.

MIDDLING MANUFACTURER

Western governments and companies are eager to build up alternative manufacturing hubs as they reduce their dependence on goods made in China. But they should not expect India to fill much of the gap. Though India is expected to grow faster than other major countries and will become the world’s third-largest economy by 2027, according to the International Monetary Fund, that does not make it a new China.

For a start, India’s economic output of $3.6 trillion last year was only 20% of the People’s Republic.

What’s more, its prowess is in services rather than manufacturing. Decades of protectionism, which Modi has continued, mean India does not export much of what it produces. Though the country has an increasingly large internal market, it accounted for only 1.7% of global exports in 2021, ranking 18th in the world behind smaller emerging economies such as Mexico and Vietnam.

Despite its growth, India has also struggled to attract foreign direct investment. Last year it secured $28 billion, below Brazil and Mexico and roughly on a par with Sweden, according to the OECD.

There are other areas where the West and India could, theoretically, cooperate – notably on climate change. The United States and its allies could help India fast-track its green transition – for example by providing it with cash to close coal-fired power plants before the end of their useful life.

Modi showed little enthusiasm for such a deal when it was discussed in recent years. But if he changes his mind, the West has a strong interest in stopping the upward trajectory of India’s carbon emissions.

Relations between large countries will always be complicated by geography, economics and geopolitics. India’s prime minister appears to view India’s relations with the West as transactional. Western leaders would be wise to take the same approach.
NSB
Bangladeshi garment workers fall ill as temperatures soar (Reuters)
Reuters [6/3/2024 9:34 PM, Md. Tahmid Zami, 85570K, Neutral]
In the factory where Aysha Talukder Tanisa stitches jeans and children’s clothes for Western brands, the cooling system has been no match for Bangladesh’s longest heatwave in 70 years.

"Some of us - mostly girls - fall sick, vomiting or swooning due to the boiling heat," the 22-year-old told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Ashulia, a town near the capital, Dhaka.

Temperatures soared to more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in late April, taking a particularly heavy toll on factory workers including most of Bangladesh’s four million garment industry employees, 60% of whom are women.

Around the world, more than two-thirds of workers have been exposed to excessive heat while doing their jobs, a U.N. report said in April.

Bangladesh loses $6 billion a year in labour productivity due to the effects of extreme heat, according to a study published by the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center.

As climate change fuels the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, leaders of the country’s crucial garment industry are scrambling to implement measures to protect workers.

"Heat poses a serious business risk for the apparel industry," said Manirul Islam, deputy director at Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS).

Islam, who surveyed more than 400 garment workers, said one in five workers had to go on sick leave at least once during the hottest months due to the effects of heat, and 32% said their working abilities sank due to the sweltering conditions.

Some leading clothing manufacturers are taking steps to keep workers safe, but labour rights activists say protecting workers’ health and productivity requires more money and commitment from suppliers, brands, and the government.

The DBL Group, which employs about 35,000 workers and supplies some of the world’s biggest clothing retailers, has been ensuring employees have drinking water on hand and oral hydration salts, said Mohammed Zahidullah, chief sustainability officer at the family-owned conglomerate.

Water sprinklers are being used to cool the roofs of factories that get particularly hot during the summer, he added.

Team Group, another leading clothing supplier in Bangladesh that employs about 23,000 people, uses exhaust fans to keep indoor temperatures 4-5 C (7.2 F-9 F) cooler than outside, said Md. Monower Hossain, head of sustainability at the group.

"We also use double-glazed glass at one side of the factories which allows in sunlight but wards off the heat - keeping the inside cool and well-lit," he added.

In factory compounds, the company is trying nature-based cooling solutions, such as planting trees and installing water features such as ponds and fountains.

SWELTERING COMMUTES, CROWDED HOMES

But keeping factories cool does not protect workers during their commutes, or at home, where many live in tiny, crowded houses with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities, said Guy Stuart, executive director of the Global Worker Dialogue (GWD) who runs regular surveys into workers’ conditions.

The minimum monthly wage for a seamstress in Bangladesh is about 13,300 taka ($113), putting costly air conditioning and generators out of reach.

Yousuf Bin Ibrahim, a garment worker in his early 30s from the central city of Narayanganj, said frequent power cuts render useless the electric fans he bought for his rented flat.

"(It) gets too hot to bear for me and my kids in the summer days," he said, adding that it was often more comfortable at work.

Nearly 19,000 people die every year due to workplace injuries attributed to excessive heat, and an estimated 26.2 million people are living with chronic kidney diseases linked to workplace heat stress, according to last month’s report by the U.N.’s International Labour Organization (ILO).

As climate change increases the risk of extreme heat, Zahidullah said manufacturers will need to make big changes to existing factories and climate-proof newly built premises.

"Going forward, we should consider a scenario when summer heatwaves will climb to, say, 45 C (113 F)," he said.

As head of operations at energy technology firm Grit Technologies Limited, Sudip Paul has spent years helping factories address climate-related challenges. He said simple, inexpensive steps can make a difference.

They could include starting shifts at 6 a.m. rather than 8 a.m., so workers can go for lunch before the midday heat peaks, providing them light cotton clothing and white parasols for the walk home, besides proper maintenance of cooling fans, Paul said.

Such measures are welcome, but the government and investors must do more to tackle the threat of rising heat, said Zahangir Alam, who has worked for three decades with top global brands - including H&M, Walmart and Denmark’s Bestseller - on labour issues and sustainability.

Bangladesh needs to put in place a clear legal standard on what temperature is permitted inside factories, rather than simply saying it should be "within tolerable limits" as it does at present, Alam said.

"The government should up its game and set down a national strategy to deal with the heat risk in industry - while brands should step up to financially support actions to protect workers," he added.
‘Nothing left for me’ as thousands of Bangladeshi workers lose everything in failed bid to work in Malaysia (South China Morning Post)
South China Morning Post [6/3/2024 6:30 AM, Redwan Ahmed, 9587K, Negative]
The motorbike courier carrying Saiful’s ticket to the future screeched to a halt outside Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal airport just an hour before his flight to Kuala Lumpur was due to take off.

Saiful, 30, was among several thousand anxious Bangladeshis who crammed into the airport on Friday, desperate to make it to Malaysia but up against a midnight deadline for entry that was instituted to end a criminal jobs market which has duped tens of thousands of poor migrant workers.

As the clock ticked, fine margins decided who would travel and become a “remittance warrior” – as Bangladesh’s overseas workers are known – and who would be left at home.

Clutching his few possessions and necessary documents, Saiful and his family hurried to the departure hall.

“We are immensely relieved … Thanks to Allah, we secured his ticket at the last minute,” Saiful’s father told This Week In Asia, his voice thick with emotion as he embraced his son in a tearful, tight hug.

Saiful’s family paid nearly US$1,000, triple the standard airfare to Malaysia. They hope Saiful will find work in Malaysia’s migrant-labour dependent construction sector, with a promised monthly salary of 1,500 ringgit (US$320) – comparable to an entry-level white-collar job in Bangladesh.

However, in the chaotic days and hours leading up to the deadline, many others who had already paid similar prices to recruitment agencies could not secure a seat. Some were duped into buying counterfeit tickets, or abandoned by agents who had dangled false promises of being fast-tracked to the Malaysian job market.

“I sold everything to pay for this and now the agency has stopped picking up my calls,” said Abdur Rahman, a three-wheeler taxi driver from Bogra in northern Bangladesh, who mortgaged his family land and sold his vehicle, handing over 540,000 taka (US$4,600) to a recruitment agency in Dhaka.

“What will I do? There’s nothing left for me to do here.”

Deadline debacle

To get to Malaysia, Bangladeshis require a migrant worker visa issued by the Malaysian embassy in Dhaka. The government-set cost per worker is nearly 79,000 taka, as determined by an agreement between the two countries in 2021.

A March 28 letter from a panel of UN labour analysts to Bangladesh and Malaysia said migrants were routinely misled and charged exorbitant recruitment fees of US$4,500 to US$6,000.

Malaysia set the May 31 deadline after the criminal market for Bangladeshi migrants in Malaysia unspooled earlier this year. Well-connected syndicates in both countries sent thousands of Bangladeshis to Malaysia for fake jobs, labour advocates say, forcing them into illegal overstay as they sought new jobs to pay debts and leaving them open to detention by immigration authorities.

Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Haznah Md Hashim, told reporters in Dhaka last Wednesday that the syndicates involved in recruiting Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia were “beyond the control of the two governments”.

The UN in April urged Malaysian authorities to protect migrants who had fallen into debt bondage. “We received reports that certain high-level officials in both governments are involved in this business or condoning it,” UN labour analysts said in an April 19 statement. “This is unacceptable and needs to end.”

The labour market for Bangladeshis in Malaysia has frequently been mired in controversy. Over the past 15 years, Malaysia’s labour market for Bangladeshi workers has faced three closures due to corruption and exploitation by alleged labour syndicates.
Initially shut in 2009, the Malaysia labour market reopened briefly for Bangladeshis in 2016 before closing again in 2018. Despite reopening in 2022 to replace jobs lost during the Covid-19 pandemic, corruption and exploitation prompted Malaysian authorities to close off entries, but not before an estimated 500,000 Bangladeshis entered Malaysia.

The rush to beat the deadline began on May 20 as more than four times the number of daily arrivals from Dhaka landed in Kuala Lumpur. Migrant workers say unscrupulous agents and brokers in Bangladesh took advantage of the last-minute rush to raise prices for flights to Malaysia for those who had already spent fortunes to secure visas.

“I got my e-visa and all necessary permits by early May, paying about 540,000 taka … we relied on the agency for ticket bookings,” said Mohammad Farid as he waited for his ticket confirmation at the airport on Friday.

“Last week, I was told to pay an extra 120,000 taka for my ticket, three times the original amount – and learned about the deadline.”

His father sold three cows to raise the funds, yet Farid did not manage to board an aircraft.

The Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies said it was calculating the exact number of workers who could not travel despite completing the bureaucratic hurdles. But there are reports that up to 17,000 people have been affected.

Recriminations have followed Friday’s chaotic deadline.

“The Malaysian authorities issued visas as late as May 28, just three days before the deadline,” said Ali Haider, secretary general of the recruiting association.

He said checks to root out companies offering scam jobs had also slowed the process on the Bangladesh side.

“Our government has blacklisted certain companies known for scams or exploiting our workers. We screen these entities to prevent our workers from falling into the wrong hands.”

Shakirul Islam, chairperson of a grass-roots organisation for migrant workers’ rights, told This Week in Asia that anyone with completed documents should still be allowed to travel to work.

“The Malaysian government should extend time to allow workers who have been issued visas to enter and work.”

Bangladesh’s low-skilled migrant workers remitted nearly US$2 billion in April, according to data from Bangladesh’s central bank. Malaysia was the sixth-highest source of monthly remittance, with US$132 million that month.
Maldives bans Israelis from entering country during war in Gaza (FOX News)
FOX News [6/3/2024 10:53 AM, Greg Norman, 49149K, Negative]
The Indian Ocean tourist destination Maldives is now banning Israelis from entering its territory in an apparent retaliatory move over the war in Gaza.

The government of the predominantly Muslim island nation announced that President Mohammed Muizzu enacted the ban this week following a recommendation from his cabinet.

"The Cabinet decision includes amending necessary laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the Maldives and establishing a Cabinet subcommittee to oversee these efforts," his office said in a statement, adding that "the President decided to appoint a special envoy to assess Palestinian needs."

"The President further decided to set up a fundraising campaign to assist our brothers and sisters in Palestine with the help of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and to conduct a nationwide rally under the slogan ‘Falastheenaa Eku Dhivehin,’ which translates to ‘Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine’ to show support," the statement also said.

UNRWA has recently faced allegations that some of its employees participated in Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which launched the war in Gaza.

Israel’s foreign ministry responded to Muizzu’s ban by urging Israelis to stay away from the Maldives.

"For Israeli citizens already in the country, it is recommended to consider leaving, because if they find themselves in distress for any reason, it will be difficult for us to assist," the ministry said, according to Reuters.

The U.S. State Department, which said last year that it has provided $36 million in bilateral foreign assistance to the Maldives since 2018, did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The State Department says the constitution of the Maldives "designates Islam as the state religion, requires citizens to be Muslim, and requires public office holders, including the President, to be followers of Sunni Islam."

"The law states that both the government and the people must protect religious unity, and propagation of any religion other than Islam is a criminal offense," it adds.

Last year, around 11,000 Israelis visited the Maldives, around 0.6% of its total tourist arrivals, The Associated Press reported.

Jonathan Schanzer, the senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, told Fox News Digital that "The Maldives government now aligns itself with the likes of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Syria, Algeria, Kuwait and other authoritarian Muslim world states," which also ban Israeli passport holders.

"This will not likely bode well for the Maldives over time. Joining this alliance is often a sign of corruption, radicalization and even exploitation by outside actors," he added.

Rev. Johnnie Moore, president of The Congress of Christian Leaders, also responded to the ban on X by saying, "If the Maldives aren’t safe for Israelis then they aren’t safe for any of us."

"The Congress of Christian Leaders is issuing a global travel warning: no Christian should feel safe in a country where Islamic extremists determine national policy," he also said.
Central Asia
Kazakhstan Takes Taliban Off Of Its Terrorist List (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [6/3/2024 8:33 AM, Staff, 1299K, Neutral]
Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev said on June 3 that his country has taken the Taliban off of its terrorist list. Addressing a session of the parliament speakers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Almaty, Toqaev stressed the move was made to develop trade and economic ties with Taliban-led Afghanistan. Toqaev also called on the parliament speakers of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan to support Kazakhstan’s proposal to establish a UN regional center for the stable development of Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Kazakh President Explains Decision to Take Taliban off Terrorist List (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [6/3/2024 10:04 AM, Catherine Putz, 847K, Neutral]
In late December 2023, when Kazakhstan removed the Taliban from its list of banned organizations, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative explained the decision to a Kazinform correspondent as being in line with U.N. practices.

In a June 3 meeting with parliament speakers from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Almaty, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev explained his government’s decision in more detail, commenting that “Kazakhstan removed the Taliban regime from the terrorist list, based on the importance of developing trade and economic cooperation with modern Afghanistan and the understanding that this regime is a long-term factor.”

Although more than 100 individuals associated with the Taliban – from deceased leaders like Mullah Omar to current ministers like Mullah Abdul Latif Mansour (previously Agriculture, now Energy and Water) and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar – are named on the United Nations’ “Consolidated List,” the Taliban as an entity never has been. Likewise, the Taliban itself has never been listed as a “foreign terrorist organization” by the U.S. Department of State, although it was designated as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT)” by a 2001 executive order.

Kazakhstan added the Taliban to its list of “terrorist organizations” in 2005.

Russia, which labeled the Taliban a terrorist organization in 2003, is reportedly moving in the same direction as Kazakhstan.

Late last month, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov commented to TASS, the state-run news agency, that “Without this [removal of the ban on the Taliban], it will be premature to talk about recognition… Therefore, work on this issue continues. All considerations have been reported to the top leadership of Russia. We are waiting for a decision.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov characterized the effort to de-list the Taliban as reflecting an “awareness of reality.”

In a curious instance of following rules even as they disintegrate, TASS sent out a Telegram update on May 27 stating that “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation reported to Putin that the Taliban (the Taliban movement is banned in the Russian Federation) can be excluded from the list of prohibited organizations, Kabulov told TASS.”

Russian authorities invited the Taliban to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), scheduled to take place June 5-8. Kabulov confirmed that the Taliban’s labor minister and the head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry would attend.

“I expect that they and the accompanying Afghan business people will agree with Russian and other foreign partners on establishing cooperation,” Kabulov said. “I expect that the Afghan delegation will make the most of this chance to strengthen and expand cooperation both with Russian business and with other friendly countries.”

In the years since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, SPIEF – the “Russian Davos” – has seen attendance by Western figures, both business and government, dwindle. And so the “friendly countries” the Taliban may meet will swirl decidedly in the Russian sphere.

Both Tokayev’s comment and Lavrov’s – referring to the Taliban as a “long-term factor” and a “reality” – broadly illustrate government sentiment toward the group across Central Asia. From Uzbekistan, which has hosted countless Taliban delegations over the last three years, to Tajikistan, which is the region’s lone critic of the group and hosts former Afghan Republic officials and opposition, Central Asia broadly views its southern neighbor in pragmatic terms. There’s no changing the reality of the neighborhood, and so governments across the region have shifted toward engagement, with a strong emphasis on transit and trade.

Tokayev’s comments, which have sparked headlines despite the fact the news actually broke six months ago on Astana’s decision to de-list the Taliban, nevertheless mark the continued evolution of Taliban relations with Central Asia. The ongoing normalization of relations – remarking on the Taliban as a “long-term factor” and highlighting areas for cooperation – is a short hop and skip away from recognition, a notoriously squishy term.

The Taliban, as nearly every article about Afghanistan since August 2021 states, have not been “formally recognized” as the legitimate government of Afghanistan by any country. And yet, a number of countries – including most prominently China, but also Kazakhstan – have dispatched ambassadors to Kabul and welcomed Taliban-appointed ambassadors in their own capitals. More have allowed Afghan embassies to operate under Taliban direction. If it walks like a recognized government, and talks like a recognized government, and is welcomed to conferences and summits like a recognized government, at what point does the distinction cease to matter?
Kazakhstan: Government taking action to promote Kazakh language (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [6/3/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K, Neutral]
Kazakhstan has amended its immigration and naturalization framework, imposing a history and language test as a condition for obtaining citizenship. The changes are part of a broader government effort to promote the use of Kazakh.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev placed his signature on the amendments in May. Anyone wishing to become a naturalized citizen will now have to demonstrate proficiency in the Kazakh language, as well as have a basic understanding of the country’s history and constitution. The amendments also outline criteria for prohibiting an individual from obtaining citizenship. The new rules additionally discourage dual citizenship by stipulating that an individual can be stripped of Kazakh citizenship if it is determined that he or she is also a citizen of another state.

Officials, including Interior Ministry spokesman Shyngys Alekeshev, contend the amendments will facilitate the rapid integration of newcomers into Kazakh society. “Knowledge of the language is necessary,” Alekeshev told journalists, adding that the legislation conforms with generally accepted international practice. He asserted the new Kazakh framework was similar to those existing in such countries as Germany, Canada and Turkey.

The changes may be practical in nature, but they also are being made within a somewhat tense geopolitical context. In the post-Soviet era, Russian political leaders and intellectuals have at various times made territorial claims against Kazakhstan, or called into question the legitimacy of Kazakh statehood. Sensitivities about Moscow’s designs have only heightened since Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine in 2022. With this in mind, the naturalization amendments can be seen as an effort to bolster Kazakh sovereignty against potential encroachment by the country’s northern neighbor.

Not surprisingly some bloggers in Russia have assailed the amendments as a manifestation of anti-Russian nationalism. Kazakh commentators, meanwhile, have countered that Russia itself has long had similar requirements for obtaining Russian citizenship.

“Logic dictates that ‘horrible nationalist stories’ about Kazakhstan are created exclusively for internal consumption in Russia itself – that is, for the average person there,” one analyst, Anton Yarovoi, wrote in a commentary published by the news website 365info.kz, referring to the Russian criticism. “Such an agenda is, in principle, typical for a warring state, when the atmosphere is constantly whipped up, and almost everyone is branded as an enemy according to the old principle, ‘those who are not with us are against us.’”

Since gaining independence, Kazakhstan’s demographic makeup has changed significantly. Kazakhs were a minority in their own state in 1991, but now, according to official government statistics, they comprise 70 percent of the country’s estimated population of over 20 million. About 80 percent of citizens over five years of age can speak at least some Kazakh.

Nevertheless, the Russian language continues to exert tremendous influence over daily life for many Kazakhs, especially in urban centers. Russian remains the primary means of communication within the business community and in governmental offices. Especially in cities, it is possible for residents to rely on Russian exclusively.

In late 2023, the government took action to address the situation, approving a Concept for the Development of Language Policy for 2023-2029. The concept seeks to significantly expand the use of Kazakh in everyday interactions. In addition, regulatory changes for mass media under consideration by Kazakhstan’s senate contain a provision mandating that at least 55 percent of content on television and radio in Kazakhstan be in Kazakh starting in 2025. The percentage would increase to 60 percent in 2027, under the bill. Similarly, all labeling on goods is already in Kazakh.

According to the state concept, the use of Russian predominates in northern regions of the country, while Kazakh is the preferred language in western and southern regions.

One legacy of the Soviet experience is that a significant share of ethnic Kazakhs is unable to speak the titular language. “The Russian language has a much wider geography of use – it’s not only Kazakhstan, but the entire post-Soviet space, and in general, Russian-speaking people live in every corner of the world,” one such exclusive Russian speaker, Arman Baigozhin, the owner of an Almaty coffee shop, explained to Eurasianet.

Some ethnic Kazakh Russian speakers report feeling bullied when they are unable to switch to Kazakh. The expression ‘Qazaqsha soyle’ (Speak Kazakh) now can often be heard in Almaty on the streets, in a supermarket or on public transport. It has also become a popular Internet meme. One such meme slide depicts a man in a boat at sea who, trying to save a drowning man, addresses him in Russian: “Give me your hand.” The flailing man reacts angrily, saying ‘Qazaqsha soyle’!
Bishkek Court Deems Closure Of Independent Kloop Website As Legitimate (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [6/3/2024 10:14 AM, Staff, 1299K, Negative]
The Bishkek City Court on June 3 ruled that a move by Kyrgyzstan’s Culture Ministry to shut down the website of the independent investigative media outlet Kloop is legitimate.

Kloop’s lawyer, Fatima Yakupbaeva, said the ruling will be appealed to the Central Asian nation’s Supreme Court.

In March, the Bishkek Administrative Court canceled the ministry’s move to block Kloop’s Russian-language site, after which the ministry appealed the ruling to the Bishkek City Court.

Separately, Kloop’s Kyrgyz-language website was blocked in November amid a government campaign to pressure the Kloop Media Public Foundation.

The ministry said it disrupted the sites after the State Committee of National Security (UKMK) claimed that Kloop distributed false information.

The claim referred to a report that appeared on Kloop’s website in September about jailed opposition politician Ravshan Jeenbekov and a statement he made about being tortured while in custody.

The ministry demanded Kloop remove an article about the alleged torture of Jeenbekov from its Russian-language website or face being blocked.

Kloop refused to remove the material, saying the story in question attributed all information about the situation faced by Jeenbekov while in custody to actual individuals and sources.

Kloop said at the time that it was officially informed of the lawsuit against it and that the move was taken after an audit by the UKMK determined its "published materials are aimed at sharply criticizing the policies of the current government" and that "most of the publish materials are purely negative, aimed at discrediting representatives of state and municipal bodies."

On February 9, a court in Bishkek ordered the closure of the Kloop Media Public Foundation, saying that the group’s website was distributing "false information aimed at damaging the reputation of Kyrgyz officials."

Established in June 2007, Kloop is a Kyrgyz news website whose main contributors are students and graduates of the Kloop Media Public Foundation School of Journalism.

As an independent media entity, it is known for publishing reports on corruption within various governmental bodies and for providing training to Central Asian journalists in fact-checking and investigative techniques.
Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General Kurmankul Zulushev Steps Down (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [6/3/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 235K, Neutral]
Kyrgyz presidential spokesman Askar Alagozov told RFE/RL on June 3 that the Central Asian nation’s Prosecutor-General Kurmankul Zulushev has stepped down. According to Alagozov, the move was made by Zulushev on his own accord. It is unclear who will replace Zulushev or when someone will be appointed. Zulushev served as the Prosecutor-General since October 2020, right after President Sadyr Japarov took over the country following antigovernment protests sparked by irregularities during parliamentary elections. Last month, Japarov publicly reprimanded Zulushev amid reports about the alleged involvement of some prosecutors into the activities of the Mineral Resources Ministry’s license issuing agency.
Turkmenistan’s balance of trade with China tilting heavily in Ashgabat’s favor (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [6/3/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K, Neutral]
Turkmenistan occupies a unique position in Central Asia as the lone state in the region enjoying a trade surplus with China. Nevertheless, Beijing’s diplomatic signals suggest that Turkmenistan isn’t a high priority for Chinese diplomats.

According to a report published by the Turkmen government-connected website, Business Turkmenistan, first quarter trade turnover in 2024 between Ashgabat and China totaled almost $2.6 billion. Turkmenistan accounted for almost 92 percent of that figure, or $2.39 billion, via sales of natural gas to Beijing.

All other Central Asian states are running huge deficits in their bilateral trade with China. Meanwhile, the value of Chinese-Turkmen trade appears to dwarf that between Turkmenistan and Russia. In comments published by Azerbaijan’s Trend news agency, Russia’s envoy in Ashgabat, Ivan Volynkin, revealed that annual bilateral trade turnover in 2023 was just over $1.6 billion, far less than just the first quarter Turkmen-Chinese figures.

Despite Turkmenistan’s surplus, the country doesn’t seem to receive due diplomatic respect from Beijing. For example, China sent a noticeably low-level delegation to Ashgabat in mid-May, headed by a Chinese parliamentary functionary, for a Turkmen state celebration marking the 300th anniversary of the birth of the nation’s national poet, Magtymguly Fragi. Despite the apparent snub, the Chinese delegation received red-carpet treatment from Turkmen leaders, including a meeting with President Serdar Berdymuhamedov.

In late May, Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, speaking at a governmental meeting, characterized China as a key strategic partner. Without delving into specifics, Meredov said relations with China are “effectively developing” in all spheres – political, commercial, cultural and humanitarian.
Twitter
Afghanistan
Bilal Sarwary
@bsarwary
[6/3/2024 2:07 PM, 253.7K followers, 21 retweets, 83 likes]
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai is attending the funeral of his elder brother, Qayum Karzai, in the. This is the first time that President Karzai is visiting the US since the collapse of the former Republic. He visits the US after a long time, this time for a deeply personal reason and it must be an emotionally difficult one. All his previous visits to the US were always politically important. This trip underscores how circumstances have changed over time for Afghanistan where prominent families prefer their deceased relatives to be buried in foreign lands.

Jahanzeb Wesa
@Jahanzi12947158
[6/3/2024 2:41 PM, 2.5K followers, 3 retweets, 7 likes]
Reports: number of Afghan girls and women suffering from mental illness has increased in Herat province. Some girls with this disease say that the continued closure of schools and universities has depressed them and they suffer from mental illness. #Afghanistan #Education #UN

Kate Clark
@KateClark66
[6/3/2024 8:08 AM, 31.5K followers, 10 retweets, 34 likes]
I love this story: #Afghan girl, should be in grade 12, but IEA’s closed her school, tries the local madrasas, but finds the religious education well below what she was learning at school. Suggests to Dad they open a quality madrasa and he agrees. @AANafgh https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/context-culture/the-daily-hustle-why-one-afghan-girl-decided-to-open-her-own-madrasa/
Pakistan
Shehbaz Sharif
@CMShehbaz
[6/4/2024 12:08 AM, 6.7M followers, 301 retweets, 757 likes]
There is zero tolerance for corruption, inefficiency and incompetence. My decision to abolish Pakistan Public Works Department (PWD) is a step towards removing the rot that is eating our system like a cancer from within. I am fully committed to building a more honest, dedicated and efficient bureaucracy that will deliver high quality public service and raise standards of governance.

Anas Mallick
@AnasMallick
[6/4/2024 12:24 AM, 73.4K followers, 15 retweets, 61 likes]
A Pakistani business delegation of 126 people from 79 companies has arrived in China’s Shenzen -- Pakistan’s PM @CMShehbaz will depart on his 5 day China visit today, in a short while from Lahore -- PM Shehbaz will meet Pres Xi on 07th June in Beijing. #Pakistan #China

Anas Mallick
@AnasMallick
[6/3/2024 7:37 AM, 73.4K followers, 2 retweets, 38 likes]
For Imran Khan, the cipher verdict eases his troubles to an extent but doesn’t write them off, IK’s last conviction in the Iddat case is still being argued therefore Imran Khan will continue to remain behind bars and won’t be out atleat until Iddat case is settled. #Pakistan

Anas Mallick
@AnasMallick
[6/3/2024 7:35 AM, 73.4K followers, 28 retweets, 90 likes]
Following the Acquittal in Cipher case, Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi can walk free from the jail after today’s acquittal that is if he is not arrested in any other case, there are no other convictions against Shah Mahmood Qureshi. #Pakistan

Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad
@AfghanembassyI1
[6/3/2024 5:29 AM, 24.8K followers, 29 retweets, 298 likes]
H.E. Sardar Ahmed Shakeeb, acting Amb of Afg met with prominent journalist & analyst, Mr. Hamid Mir @HamidMirPAK. Afg-Pak bilateral relations, people-to-people links, opportunities & the significant role of media & journalists in addressing current challenges were discussed.

Hamid Mir
@HamidMirPAK
[6/3/2024 6:47 AM, 8.5M followers, 35 retweets, 373 likes]
It was a pleasure to speak with the media students of different universities in the final session of a training workshop organised by Women Media Centre in Islamabad.Questions by the students were full of courage and commitment with journalism. Females will rule journalism soon.

Kamran Khan
@AajKamranKhan
[6/3/2024 3:10 AM, 5.6M followers, 42 retweets, 259 likes]
Pakistan inflation is currently down from 38% last to 11.77% .Golden opportunity in the hand of State Bank Of Pakistan and Shahbaz Sharif government to stimulate economy business Aland salvage, it’s sinking ratings by immediately cutting the interest rate by at least 3% . Today in historic development During May’24, inflation declined by 3.2% MoM, the largest decline in 47 years, last seen in May’77 at -4.58%. This also marks the second-largest MoM decline in Pakistan’s history
India
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[6/3/2024 4:55 AM, 98.3M followers, 7.1K retweets, 81K likes]
I pay tributes to Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji on his 100th birth anniversary. In his long years in public life, he worked towards the development of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil people. He is widely respected for his scholarly nature. I fondly recall my several interactions with him, including when we both were Chief Ministers of our respective states.

Vice-President of India
@VPIndia
[6/3/2024 8:29 AM, 1.5M followers, 54 retweets, 410 likes]
Hon’ble Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed the 2022 batch Officers of the Indian Administrative Service at Vice-President Enclave in New Delhi today. @IASassociation @DoPTGoI

Shashi Tharoor
@ShashiTharoor
[6/3/2024 11:23 AM, 8.4M followers, 75 retweets, 719 likes]
Lok Sabha Results 2024: @ShashiTharoor says ‘exit polls are laughable…’ https://www.livemint.com/elections/lok-sabha-election-results-2024-shashi-tharoor-says-exit-polls-are-laughable-11717422406703.html

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[6/4/2024 12:06 AM, 210K followers, 14 retweets, 150 likes]
India’s Election Commission says 642 million people cast their votes. If true, that’s 2/3 of the total voter base-a similar figure to 2019, and quite impressive especially given the severe heat throughout the election. Also a figure that defies reports of voter apathy/fatigue.

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[6/3/2024 9:53 PM, 210K followers, 22 retweets, 153 likes]
Amid an increasingly polarized Indian political environment, and given relentless opposition criticism of the election commission, a looming question about this year’s election will be if the losers accept the results. That question didn’t arise during the previous few elections.

Richard Rossow
@RichardRossow
[6/3/2024 1:51 PM, 28.7K followers, 13 retweets, 70 likes]
As bad as India’s heat is - most every summer hereafter will be hotter. Let that sink in.

Richard Rossow
@RichardRossow
[6/3/2024 9:55 AM, 28.7K followers, 6 retweets, 27 likes]
India’s services exports cross $30b in April. $345b exports in last 12 months, and a surplus of $165b. https://bit.ly/4bVxbgM
NSB
Awami League
@albd1971
[6/4/2024 12:00 AM, 638.4K followers, 9 retweets, 31 likes]
Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the National Tea Day and National Tea Award 2024 ceremony #SheikhHasina https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1RDGllgBZYoGL

Awami League
@albd1971
[6/3/2024 10:07 AM, 638.4K followers, 16 retweets, 68 likes]
Miniter for @BDMOFA Hasan Mahmud criticised the recent @dwnews documentary on @UNPeacekeeping , suggesting it was intentionally made to undermine the contributions of #Bangladeshi peacekeepers. ""There is nothing substantial. It is very difficult to understand its essence because it was not made based on facts", he said. https://tbsnews.net/bangladesh/dw-documentary-done-intentionally-undermine-our-peacekeepers-contributions-fm-hasan

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives
@MoFAmv
[6/3/2024 1:06 PM, 54.1K followers, 7 retweets, 13 likes]
#FOSIM conducted day one of Orientation briefing for diplomats. During today’s briefing session, participants were briefed on topics such as Role of a Diplomat, Diplomatic Language and Communication, Consular Issues and Social Media Etiquettes.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives
@MoFAmv
[6/3/2024 11:06 AM, 54.1K followers, 28 retweets, 38 likes]
Foreign Minister @MoosaZameer arrives in #SriLanka, on an Official Visit at the invitation of his counterpart @alisabrypc. Foreign Minister Zameer was received by the State Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. @TharakaBalasur1 and senior officials at the @MFA_SriLanka

Moosa Zameer
@MoosaZameer
[6/3/2024 10:01 AM, 13.4K followers, 37 retweets, 83 likes]
Arrived in the lively city of Colombo. Was honored to be warmly received by the State Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Tharaka Balasuriya. @Tharakabalasur1 Looking forward to the bilateral engagements and discussions during this visit. @MFA_SriLanka

Moosa Zameer
@MoosaZameer
[6/3/2024 8:05 AM, 13.4K followers, 43 retweets, 82 likes]
Departing to #SriLanka on an Official Visit. Looking forward to meet my counterpart @alisabrypc and discuss avenues for further strengthening the excellent bilateral relations between our two countries

MOFA of Nepal
@MofaNepal
[6/3/2024 6:07 AM, 257.9K followers, 8 retweets, 30 likes]
Hon DPMFM @nksthaprakash addressed the 74th Annapurna Day in Pokhara today. Also participating in the event were Foreign Secretary @sewa_lamsal, Ambassadors and members of diplomatic corps in Kathmandu.

MOFA of Nepal
@MofaNepal
[6/3/2024 6:06 AM, 257.9K followers, 7 retweets, 40 likes]
Ambassadors and members of diplomatic community in Kathmandu hiked from Dhampus to Astam in Kaski today on the eve of 74th Annapurna Day, as part of a diplomatic retreat, organized jointly by the Ministry and Nepal Tourism Board. @sewa_lamsal @amritrai555

MFA SriLanka
@MFA_SriLanka
[6/3/2024 10:23 AM, 38.2K followers, 9 retweets, 14 likes]
Foreign Minister of #Maldives @MoosaZameer who is on a three-day official visit to #SriLanka was received on arrival at the airport this evening by State Minister of Foreign Affairs @TharakaBalasur1. #DiplomacyLK #lka

Ranil Wickremesinghe
@RW_UNP
[6/3/2024 12:52 PM, 318.6K followers, 16 retweets, 136 likes]
I visited Kolonnawa, Kelaniya, and Ambatale to assess the welfare of those affected by the floods. Officials have been directed to be vigilant about illegal landfills and any new construction in the Kelani River valley that could contribute to increased flooding risks. I ordered the relocation of the Mulleriyawa and IDH hospitals to alternative locations. Relevant Divisional Secretaries have been instructed to initiate food distribution and prioritise the health and sanitation needs of flood-affected individuals. Swift relocation from flood-prone areas and the use of aqueducts to divert floodwaters were also recommended. Funding will be allocated for relief efforts, cleaning operations, epidemic prevention measures (such as dengue), and the repair of damaged infrastructure including bridges, bays, and roads. I have also instructed the rebuilding of all houses that have been completely destroyed by the disaster, with support from the government, armed forces, and police, within the next two months. We are currently discussing the development of a proactive flood control program.
Central Asia
UNODC Central Asia
@UNODC_ROCA
[6/3/2024 11:00 PM, 2.4K followers, 2 retweets, 9 likes]
|@MittalAshita, UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia, met with Major General Zafar Samad, Director of Tajikistan Drug Control Agency. The parties discussed collaboration in countering illicit drug trafficking & future cooperation under @UNODC initiatives. @UNinTajikistan

UNODC Central Asia
@UNODC_ROCA
[6/3/2024 11:03 AM, 2.4K followers, 3 likes]
|@MittalAshita, UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia & Mr. Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, discussed key areas of cooperation between @UNODC & Tajikistan. They emphasized the importance of the partnership in maintaining peace & security in the region.

MFA Tajikistan
@MOFA_Tajikistan
[6/3/2024 10:26 AM, 4.8K followers, 5 retweets, 8 likes]
Meeting of the Minister with the Regional representative of the UNODC in Central Asia https://mfa.tj/en/main/view/15153/meeting-of-the-minister-with-the-regional-representative-of-the-unodc-in-central-asia

Furqat Sidiqov
@FurqatSidiq
[6/3/2024 10:42 PM, 1.4K followers, 4 retweets, 11 likes]
It is my honor to host the Congressional Staff Dinner, with over 60 staff members of senators & congressmen in attendance. A special thanks to @RepDonBacon for joining us today. Updated all our guests on the ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan across all areas & current UZ-US relations.

Saida Mirziyoyeva
@SMirziyoyeva
[6/3/2024 12:43 PM, 18.2K followers, 1 retweet, 29 likes]
Today, the President signed a decree revoking exclusive rights of several major SOEs. This decree is a testament to our commitment to establishing a free market and demonstrates dedication to reforms.This move again underscores our priorities in pursuing membership in the @wto

{End of Report}
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