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, March 26, 2024 6:30 AM ET

Afghanistan
US Adds 12,000 Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans; Advocates Say More Needed (VOA)
VOA [3/25/2024 5:52 PM, Aline Barros, 761K, Positive]
U.S. lawmakers included in the $1.2 trillion package of spending bills an additional 12,000 Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghans who supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and extended the program through the end of 2025. While advocates welcomed the news, they said it is still 20,000 short of what they requested.

President Joe Biden signed the much-awaited spending bills into law Saturday, hours after Congress approved them, avoiding the possibility of a partial government shutdown.

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, a refugee resettlement agency, wrote in a statement that it is "encouraging" to see congressional bipartisanship.

"But it’s still deeply concerning that it took the Biden administration and Congress being on the brink of a government shutdown to take action."

The SIV program is a congressionally authorized program with a limit of 38,500 SIVs available. It offers a path to permanent residence that can eventually lead to U.S. citizenship. The application process for SIVs, including decision-making and approval, takes an average of three years, while resettlement through the refugee program can take up to five years. Applications to either program begin outside the United States.

Representative Michael McCaul, a Republican and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the 12,000 extra SIVs is a "great response" to the promise of evacuating Afghans who worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan.

"Well, we promised them, we will get them out. The Afghan partners, the interpreters, we left them behind,” McCaul told the CBS news show "Face the Nation" in an interview broadcast Sunday. “And that’s the biggest sin of the Afghan evacuation. I think the 12,000 SIVs is a great response and a great start to that.”

The Biden administration and Senate Republican lawmakers had asked for 20,000 SIVs.

"These visas are essential to enable our wartime allies to receive the opportunity they earned to resettle in the United States, and will ensure the SIV program remains viable," Shawn VanDiver, president of the U.S.-based NGO #AfghanEvac, wrote in a statement.

The United States and its allies left Afghanistan in August 2021 after nearly 20 years of war, evacuating nearly 130,000 people in the chaotic last weeks in Kabul. Through Operation Allies Welcome, about 88,500 Afghan nationals arrived in the U.S. and resettled in communities across the country.

VanDiver said there is still work to be done, including passing the remaining provisions in the Afghan Allies Protection Act (AAPA) of 2023 and the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would allow a pathway to permanent residency for tens of thousands of Afghans admitted to the U.S. in 2021 and 2022 for humanitarian reasons.

"While this won’t be enough visas to help all our Afghan allies, this gives us some breathing room and will show our partners in America’s longest war that we won’t leave them behind," VanDiver wrote.

Vignarajah said if the remaining provisions of the AAPA and the Afghan Adjustment Act were in place, it would reduce the demand for Special Immigrant Visas from Afghan evacuees seeking long-term stability in this country.

"The additional Afghan visas are a welcome stopgap measure, but since the budget negotiations are already underway for fiscal year 2025, we call on Congress to continue working to secure protections for vulnerable Afghans who need to seek refuge in the U.S. so that they aren’t living in legal limbo," she added.
Islamic State-Khorasan Criticizes Taliban in Statement Praising Russia Attackers (VOA)
VOA [3/25/2024 6:25 PM, Staff, 761K, Negative]
The Islamic State-Khorasan terrorist group released a statement in Pashto on Monday glorifying Friday’s attack on a concert in Moscow and scolding the ruling Afghan Taliban for seeking relations with the United States, Russia, China and other countries.

The 30-page statement was published on social media platforms and sent to journalists on Monday, but it did not take responsibility for the Moscow attack. Instead, it focused on criticizing and mocking the Taliban in Afghanistan, which has long been an enemy of the IS-K group.

Islamic State-Khorasan, sometimes also called IS-Khorasan, or ISKP, is the regional affiliate of the larger Islamic State militant group, which took credit for Friday’s attack that killed 137 people.

Monday’s statement was titled, “After Moscow’s Attack: The Sorrow and Fear of Militias.” The “militias” is apparently referring to the Afghan Taliban.

The text of the statement is a fierce polemic against the Afghan Taliban. It also labels the Taliban as allies of the United States, Russia, China, Pakistan and Tajikistan. The Taliban condemned the attack in the hours after it happened on Friday, calling it a terrorist attack and a violation of human standards.

IS-K’s statement accuses the Taliban of embracing the values of “infidel” countries.

“Talib militias are now part of the infidel nation. It is, therefore, natural that they will sympathize with them and will share sorrows with the infidels,” the statement says, while referring to the Afghan Taliban’s condemnation of the Moscow attack.

The 30 pages of the text are embedded with pictures of the alleged attackers of the concert, IS-K’s other attacks in Afghanistan, and photos of Taliban leaders and ministers standing with U.S., Chinese, Iranian and Pakistani officials.

The polemic against the Taliban also references Russian attacks on Islamic State targets in Syria, asking why the Taliban expressed sympathy for Moscow.

“Has Russia this right to destroy our Umma [Muslims] mosques, seminaries, homes and towns with blind bombardment?” the statement asks.

ISKP was formed in 2015 by the disgruntled Pakistani Taliban in a region close to Afghanistan. The United Nations has said that as of June 2023, IS-K fighters and family members numbered between 4,000 to 6,000.
How Islamic State rose from the ashes to in Afghanistan (The Spectator)
The Spectator [3/25/2024 10:50 AM, David Loyn, 164K, Negative]
Since America’s disastrous scuttle from Kabul in August 2021, there had been rising concern that Afghanistan would once again become a crucible of international terrorism. The claim by the Islamic State group to have carried out the Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow appears to have justified that fear.

The four gunmen – who are said to have walked casually as they fired into the crowds, leaving more than 130 people dead – were citizens of Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan to the north.

After their defeat in Syria and Iraq, Afghanistan is now Islamic State’s main base, and hundreds of Central Asian fighters have returned to regroup and train there. Intelligence sources say that Tajiks can easily pass in the northeast of Afghanistan as locals, since the people of the region are Afghan Tajiks.

Islamic State’s regional affiliate, Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP), was founded by disaffected Taliban commanders in the mountainous region separating Afghanistan from Pakistan in 2015. ‘Khorasan’ is an old name for a region which took in most of modern Afghanistan as well as eastern Iran, and it has particular resonance because of an Islamic prophecy that when the Mahdi, the messiah, returns to herald the end of the world, he will come bearing black flags in the land of Khorasan. It is no coincidence that IS-KP fly black flags.

Before the attack, the US had picked up indications of increased IS-KP activity in Russia and in Central Asian countries. Earlier this month authorities in Kazakhstan said they stopped an IS-KP attack on a synagogue, killing two gunmen. Just before Christmas last year, Tajik fighters identified as IS-KP were arrested in Germany alleged to be plotting terrorist attacks. And in the largest international attack before the Crocus City massacre, more than 100 people were killed in January in an attack in Iran, again by Tajik IS-KP fighters.

IS-KP survived years of intense fighting by US and Afghan Special Forces before 2021, including the destruction of a cave complex in Afghanistan by the first use of the largest non-nuclear weapon in the US arsenal, the MOAB, the Massive Ordinance Air Blast, or as it came to be known, ‘Mother of all Bombs.’

Several reports from the UN and others have tracked the growth of IS-KP since the fall of Kabul, and how the Taliban have failed to stop them. The former head of Afghan special forces, Lieutenant General Sami Sadat, says that, ‘The Taliban only deal with IS-KP when they see an imminent threat. They have no capacity to defeat them.’ IS-KP have carried out high profile attacks against the Pakistani and Russian diplomatic missions in Kabul, and suicide bomb attacks against civilians particularly targeted at the Hazara minority, who are from the Shia faith.

While the Taliban oppose IS-KP, if ineffectively, they do host other international jihadi terrorist groups, in particular the Pakistani Taliban (the TTP) and al-Qaida. Pakistan’s intelligence service, the ISI, made a major strategic miscalculation in supporting the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. They expected to be able to squeeze the TTP, but the opposite has happened, and Pakistan now faces just the kind of cross-border attacks that it sponsored in the other direction during the years of the western-backed Afghan republic after 9/11.

A number of international reports have tracked the increased growth of al-Qaida, said to have a ‘symbiotic’ relationship with the Taliban according to one UN report. An unpublished analysis by UK-based security firm, reported in Foreign Policy says that al-Qaida are running 11 gold mines in the north of Afghanistan, splitting the proceeds between the two factions of the Taliban, the leadership in Kandahar, and the Haqqani network in Kabul. Al-Qaida’s take is believed to be nearly $200 million in the 18 months of the operation of the mines.

The Taliban’s failure to prevent international terrorism coming from Afghanistan means they have failed to honour one of the only commitments they made to the US in exchange for the withdrawal of international troops. But America continues to turn its back on the evidence gathered by other agencies. US intelligence reports, at least those made public, see al-Qaida as at a ‘nadir’ in Afghanistan, and no threat outside the country. President Biden’s last comments on the subject, reported in The Spectator in July last year, showed that he was in denial.

The Taliban continue to exert their baleful grip ever tighter on this unhappy country. In a rare audio message released this week, the Taliban’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhunzada, called the west ‘Satan’ because of women’s rights, and promised to ensure harsh punishments, such as stoning for ‘adultery,’ are carried out across the country. ‘Mere control over Kabul and the provinces isn’t our goal,’ he said, ‘rather, we are committed to actively implementing Sharia in practice.’ Meanwhile, terrorists have been given free rein across the country.
Taliban leader says women will be stoned to death in public (The Telegraph)
The Telegraph [3/25/2024 7:52 PM, Akhtar Makoii, 13914K, Neutral]
The Taliban’s Supreme Leader has vowed to start stoning women to death in public as he declared the fight against Western democracy will continue.

“You say it’s a violation of women’s rights when we stone them to death,” said Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada in a voice message, aired on state television over the weekend, addressing Western officials.

“But we will soon implement the punishment for adultery. We will flog women in public. We will stone them to death in public,” he declared in his harshest comments since taking over Kabul in August 2021.

“These are all against your democracy but we will continue doing it. We both say we defend human rights – we do it as God’s representative and you as the devil’s.”

Afghanistan’s state TV, now under Taliban control, broadcasts voice messages purporting to be from Akhundzada, who has never been seen in public aside from a few old portraits.

He is believed to be based in southern Kandahar, the stronghold of the Taliban.

Despite promising a more moderate government, the Taliban quickly returned to harsh public punishments like public executions and floggings, similar to those from their previous rule in the late 1990s.

The United Nations has strongly criticised the Taliban and has called on the country’s rulers to halt such practices.

In his voice message, Akhundzada said that the women’s rights that the international community had been advocating for were against the Taliban’s harsh interpretation of Islamic Sharia.

“Do women want the rights that Westerners are talking about? They are against Sharia and clerics’ opinions, the clerics who toppled Western democracy,” he said.

“I told the Mujahedin that we tell the Westerners that we fought against you for 20 years and we will fight 20 and even more years against you,” he said, emphasising the need for resilience in opposing women’s rights among Taliban foot soldiers.

“It did not finish [when you left]. It does not mean we would now just sit and drink tea. We will bring Sharia to this land,” he added. “It did finish after we took over Kabul. No, we will now bring Sharia into action.”

Women ‘living in prison’

His remarks have incited outrage among Afghans, with some calling on the international community to increase pressure on the Taliban.

“The money that they receive from the international community as humanitarian aid is just feeding them against women,” Tala, a former civil servant, told The Telegraph from the capital Kabul.

“As a woman, I don’t feel safe and secure in Afghanistan. Each morning starts with a barrage of notices and orders imposing restrictions and stringent rules on women, stripping away even the smallest joys and extinguishing hope for a brighter future,” she added.

“We, the women, are living in prison,” Tala said, “And the Taliban are making it smaller for us every passing day.”
Humanitarian Needs in Afghanistan Improve Slightly, Millions Still in Crisis (VOA)
VOA [3/25/2024 3:18 PM, Akmal Dawi, 761K, Neutral]
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has shown preliminary signs of improvement, with the United Nations reporting a significant reduction in the number of people in need of assistance.

Afghanistan’s economic collapse in 2021, triggered by the government’s disintegration, the Taliban takeover, and the subsequent withdrawal of foreign aid, left the landlocked country in crisis.

For two years, aid agencies have warned of mass starvation and famine.

Last year, the U.N. reported that more than 29 million Afghans desperately needed assistance. Despite Afghanistan’s population growing to an estimated 44.5 million, the number of those in need of assistance has since declined to 23.7 million this year.

“In Afghanistan, a fragile progress has tenuously stabilized conditions, reducing immediate needs,” the U.N. Global Humanitarian Overview 2024 states.

The reported decrease in humanitarian needs has led to a significant reduction in the U.N.-led Afghanistan appeal, from $4.6 billion in 2023 to $3.07 billion this year.

Aid agencies, however, warn that the situation remains fragile.

“Although the numbers have improved, the situation is still terrible,” said Becky Roby, advocacy manager with the Norwegian Refugee Council.

The economic stabilization is at an “unacceptably low level and most households remain extremely vulnerable to shocks,” Roby told VOA.

Causes and credit

The U.N. and aid workers attribute the improvements to massive humanitarian operations over the past two years, which have provided food and protection to millions across Afghanistan.

Despite a staggering 53% funding gap in the 2023 humanitarian appeal, the increased contributions from donors like the United States, the Asian Development Bank and the European Union have played a crucial role in mitigating the crisis.

“On a micro level, we’ve seen instances where Afghans step in to help one another, for instance, after natural disasters,” said Ali Latifi, Asia editor at The New Humanitarian, a nonprofit humanitarian news agency.

General licenses from the U.S. Treasury, offering specific waivers for financial transactions to circumvent sanctions, have played a crucial role in enabling the flow of remittances to Afghanistan.

These funds provide a lifeline for many households with relatives abroad.

The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has shown preliminary signs of improvement, with the United Nations reporting a significant reduction in the number of people in need of assistance.

Afghanistan’s economic collapse in 2021, triggered by the government’s disintegration, the Taliban takeover, and the subsequent withdrawal of foreign aid, left the landlocked country in crisis.

For two years, aid agencies have warned of mass starvation and famine.

Last year, the U.N. reported that more than 29 million Afghans desperately needed assistance. Despite Afghanistan’s population growing to an estimated 44.5 million, the number of those in need of assistance has since declined to 23.7 million this year.

“In Afghanistan, a fragile progress has tenuously stabilized conditions, reducing immediate needs,” the U.N. Global Humanitarian Overview 2024 states.

The reported decrease in humanitarian needs has led to a significant reduction in the U.N.-led Afghanistan appeal, from $4.6 billion in 2023 to $3.07 billion this year.

Aid agencies, however, warn that the situation remains fragile.

“Although the numbers have improved, the situation is still terrible,” said Becky Roby, advocacy manager with the Norwegian Refugee Council.

The economic stabilization is at an “unacceptably low level and most households remain extremely vulnerable to shocks,” Roby told VOA.

Causes and credit

The U.N. and aid workers attribute the improvements to massive humanitarian operations over the past two years, which have provided food and protection to millions across Afghanistan.

Despite a staggering 53% funding gap in the 2023 humanitarian appeal, the increased contributions from donors like the United States, the Asian Development Bank and the European Union have played a crucial role in mitigating the crisis.

“On a micro level, we’ve seen instances where Afghans step in to help one another, for instance, after natural disasters,” said Ali Latifi, Asia editor at The New Humanitarian, a nonprofit humanitarian news agency.

General licenses from the U.S. Treasury, offering specific waivers for financial transactions to circumvent sanctions, have played a crucial role in enabling the flow of remittances to Afghanistan.

These funds provide a lifeline for many households with relatives abroad.
The United States’s second retreat from Kabul (The Hill – opinion)
The Hill [3/25/2024 12:30 PM, Harlan Ullman, 1592K, Negative]
When the United States finally left Afghanistan amid the chaos that claimed the lives of 170 civilians and 13 U.S. service personnel on Aug. 30, 2021, at Hamid Karzai International Airport, it was not the most disastrous retreat from Kabul ever suffered.

In January 1842, nearly 16,000 souls, mostly civilian men, women and children, escaped from Kabul under the command of British Maj. Gen. William Elphinstone headed for Jalalabad 90 miles away. Only one survived — the surgeon William Brydon.

But for the Biden administration, this incident brought back memories of the last helicopter lifting off the U.S. Embassy in Saigon as the North conquered South Vietnam. And the incompetence of this noncombatant evacuation will be an issue in the 2024 election.

Unfortunately, that such an outcome would occur was predictable.

The rule of thumb is that any crisis that one administration inherits from its predecessor in which force is used, will only get worse. And if that crisis explodes in the first months of the new administration, it will be a disaster. History is clear.

The Nixon administration inherited the Vietnam War from the Kennedy-Johnson administration. It would take five years before the United States left the field, humbled and humiliated as it fled from Saigon. More than 58,000 U.S. service members died in Vietnam.

Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden all inherited the failed Afghan and second Iraq wars and were unable to undo the damage caused by George W. Bush’s nation and democracy building in both states. Although it vehemently denies any responsibility, the Trump administration’s actions made what followed in Afghanistan inevitable.

Anxious to rid ourselves of the Afghan mess, on Feb. 29, 2020, the Doha Agreement was signed with the Taliban. That agreement specified that the U.S. would leave in 14 months, the Taliban would provide security, and the Taliban and Afghan government would negotiate future terms. The accord was so short-sighted that then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would not sign, directing U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad to handle the honors.

Inexplicably, the Afghan government had not been represented in these proceedings. It would not take a foreign policy genius to predict the consequences. All Afghans who could tried to leave the country before May 1, 2021, and the Taliban takeover. And the Afghan security forces who knew they could neither operate nor survive without foreign contractors understood what lay ahead.

However, the Trump administration obviously did not.

The story only becomes grimmer. President Biden had to extend the deadline to the end of August in an attempt to have as smooth a drawdown as possible. Yet the State Department’s in-house investigation and testimonies from Gens. Mark Milley and Frank McKenzie revealed that no one was in charge. The incompetence was legion.

In fairness, the administration was new, and because of the hideously slow confirmation process had many vacancies in the national security sector. Three groups of people needed to leave: U.S. employees, civilian and military, Americans living or working in Afghanistan and Afghans who worked for the U.S. and whose lives would be in jeopardy after the Taliban takeover.

The situation became untenable. On Aug. 15, 2021, President Ashraf Ghani and his government fled the country leaving the Taliban in charge. An evacuation was essential. As it turns out, the State Department has the sole responsibility for declaring noncombatant evacuation operations.

But who in the White House was watching or informed of these deteriorating conditions? How could evacuations be conducted in a war zone when the U.S. could not provide security?

In a smaller sense, this question mirrors those that should have been answered about the wisdom of nation-building in Afghanistan and the certainty Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. However, history shows that those crucial questions remain unanswered, and the only certainty is that the U.S. continues to make this blunder no matter which party holds the White House.

The State Department’s 2023 investigation and the generals’ responses to members of Congress were scathing. But post-mortems on Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, likewise, were scathing. The only conclusion is that U.S. elected leaders never seem to learn.

Learning why that is the case, however necessary, is less important than taking corrective action. The U.S. should know what to do. But will we ever do it? The retreat from the next Saigon or Kabul will prove that the answer, tragically, is no.
Pakistan
Pakistan to Seek US Sanction Waivers for Gas Pipeline From Iran (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [3/26/2024 3:29 AM, Kamran Haider and Ismail Dilawar, 5.5M, Neutral]
Pakistan plans to ask the US to relax possible sanctions around a natural gas pipeline project from neighboring Iran.
The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is planning to give the US administration “political and technical” reasons to secure waivers, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik told reporters. The pipeline project “cannot bear the burden of sanctions,” he said.

Pakistan has for decades sought to access natural gas from Iran, which has struggled to build up an export industry despite holding the world’s largest reserves of the fuel because of United Nations sanctions on Tehran and restrictions on dollar-denominated transactions. The two nations signed a 25-year supply deal in 2010 but the pipeline has been held up, leading Iran to threaten legal action.

The south Asian nation will soon start building an 80-kilometer (50-mile) link from the Iranian border to the port of Gwadar, which was approved by the caretaker government last month, Malik said. A draft of the request is ready to submit to the US, The News newspaper reported citing the minister.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden’s administration will uphold all sanctions related to Iran, Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu said last week in a congressional hearing. The administration has sought to help Pakistan source non-Iranian natural gas to address the nation’s energy deficiency, said Lu.
Pakistani trade delegation visits Kabul in sign of easing tensions over cross-border attacks (AP)
AP [3/25/2024 7:47 AM, Munir Ahmed, 22K, Neutral]
A delegation from Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce arrived in Kabul on Monday to meet its Afghan counterparts to discuss how to improve trade relations, after tensions have risen over cross-border militant attacks.

Last week, Pakistan’s military carried out rare airstrikes against suspected hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban inside Afghanistan, killing eight people and prompting Afghan forces to return fire.

The March 18 exchange came after seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing and coordinated attack in northwest Pakistan. It had further strained ties between the sides, and officials believe that Monday’s visit by a senior bureaucrat, Mohammad Khurram, will play a role in easing tensions.

In Kabul, Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesman for the Afghan Commerce Ministry, said that the Pakistani delegation had arrived at the invitation of Afghan Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said the visit was aimed at promoting trade and people-to-people ties with Afghanistan.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained in recent years mainly because of Kabul’s backing for the Pakistani Taliban, who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, and are a separate organization from the Afghan Taliban. However, TTP is an ally of the Afghan Taliban and it has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 as the U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout.

The Afghan Taliban say they do not allow TTP to use Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan.

Tensions between the neighbors mainly affect trade because of the closure of the key border crossings of Torkham and Chaman. Trucks carrying goods from Pakistan to Central Asian countries are also blocked from transiting through Afghanistan.

Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, a director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan currently stands at $1.4 billion. He said the trade could reach $5 billion if Pakistan and Afghanistan cooperate.

He said Pakistan requires Afghan truck drivers to get a visa before entering Pakistan. A relaxation of the rule expires March 31.
Pakistani security forces kill 4 militants in operations in northwest bordering Afghanistan (AP)
AP [3/26/2024 2:29 AM, Staff, 456K, Neutral]
Pakistan security forces killed four insurgents in an overnight raid on a militant hideout in the country’s northwest bordering Afghanistan, the military said Tuesday.

Troops found a cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives in the intelligence-based operation conducted at the hideout in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement.

Though security forces often conduct such raids, the latest one came hours after insurgents from an outlawed Baluchistan Liberation Army or BLA tried to sneak into a navy air base in Baluchistan province.

A soldier and four attackers were killed in the ensuing shootout in Turbat district, the military said on Tuesday. No damage was caused to the Siddiqui air station.

BLA claimed responsibility for the attack. The group was designated a terrorist group by Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States years ago.
Five Chinese nationals killed in suicide bomb attack in Pakistan (Reuters)
Reuters [3/26/2024 5:48 AM, Mushtaq Ali, 6902K, Negative]
Five Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion when their convoy was attacked by a suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, a top police officer said.

A suicide bomber rammed an explosives laden vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers which was on its way from Islamabad to their camp in Dasu in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Mohammad Ali Gandapur, the regional police chief, told Reuters.

"Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack," Gandapur said.

Dasu is the site of a major dam and the area has been attacked in the past. A blast on a bus had killed 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, in 2021.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police had reached the spot and started relief operations. The rest of the people in the convoy have been protected, Gandapur said.
Six killed in militant attack on Pakistan naval base, say officials (Reuters)
Reuters [3/26/2024 1:46 AM, Saleem Ahmed, 5.2M, Neutral]
Militants attacked a Pakistan naval airbase killing at least one paramilitary soldier while security forces killed all five of the assailants in retaliatory fire, officials said on Tuesday.

Monday’s attack on the Turbat base in southwestern Pakistan was the second assault by ethnic Baloch militants on a military facility in the past week.

"We escaped a huge loss," said a statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office.

A Pakistan Navy spokesman said all five attackers were killed after they tried to break into the base.

One paramilitary soldier was also killed, said a military statement.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most prominent of several separatist groups in Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the assault in a statement.

The BLA has previously been involved in attacks on Pakistani and Chinese interests in the region and elsewhere.

China has invested heavily in the mineral-rich southwestern province of Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, including developing the port of Gwadar, despite a decades-long separatist insurgency.

The naval base is significant to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that also encompasses roads and energy projects and is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Pakistani security forces said last week they repulsed a gun and bomb attack by the BLA militants on a complex outside Gwadar, which in which two soldiers and all eight militants were killed.
India
India seeks cooperation with Philippines including in defence and security, foreign minister says (Reuters)
Reuters [3/26/2024 2:26 AM, Neil Jerome Morales, 5.2M, Neutral]
India supports the Philippines upholding its sovereignty and hopes to find new areas of cooperation including in defence and security, its foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was speaking at a press conference during a visit to Manila. His Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo said the two countries were exploring ways of ensuring the Indo-Pacific stayed free and peaceful.
Delhi Boosts Security Near Modi Home as Police Detain Protesters (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [3/26/2024 3:08 AM, Swati Gupta, 5.5M, Neutral]
Police in Delhi increased security around Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence and detained protesters after an opposition group called for demonstrations outside his home Tuesday following the arrest of their leader last week.

Delhi police detained the demonstrators and removed them from a nearby protest site by making them board buses, according to video footage from Indian media outlets. The prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata Party held its own counter-protest with no police action taken against them, the footage showed.

The protests are a reaction to the federal anti-money laundering investigative agency arresting Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, on March 21 in relation to a bribery case. Kejriwal, who is also the chief minister of Delhi, appeared at a district court the next day and was remanded in custody.

His party said he hasn’t resigned his post as chief minister and will continue to conduct official business from jail. The BJP is demanding his resignation.

Kejriwal’s arrest, coming just weeks before India’s elections kick off on April 19, sparked a backlash from opposition groups accusing Modi’s government of using federal agencies to target them. The BJP has denied the allegations.

The Delhi traffic unit issued an advisory Tuesday of road restrictions and diversions near Modi’s home, making the location inaccessible.

“There is no permission for the protests and we have delegated required security,” Devesh Kumar Mahia, Delhi deputy police commissioner, told reporters. The police has 50 vehicles patrolling the city and protesters will be detained, he added.

The AAP, which governs the capital and the northern Indian state of Punjab, have also called for nationwide protests on March 31, which it said will draw members of the opposition alliance.

“There are protests everywhere on the streets of the country and in the coming days, it will pick up pace,” Gopal Rai, a Delhi cabinet minister, told reporters Sunday.
Indian opposition supporters detained ahead of protest at Modi’s home (Reuters)
Reuters [3/26/2024 4:35 AM, Sakshi Dayal, 5.2M, Neutral]
Police in the Indian capital detained dozens of opposition supporters on Tuesday as they attempted to march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence to protest against last week’s arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal, a key opposition leader whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has governed the national capital territory for a decade, was arrested by the financial crime-fighting agency on corruption charges relating to the city’s liquor policy, weeks before India begins voting in general elections on April 19.

He was remanded to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate until March 28, with the lawyer for the agency arguing he was the "kingpin" in the case and needed to be interrogated.

Kejriwal’s party, all of whose main leaders are now imprisoned in connection with the case, says he has been "falsely arrested" in a "fabricated case". The federal government and Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deny political interference.

On Tuesday, Kejriwal’s supporters attempted to march to Modi’s residence, but were stopped by police at a location where they gathered about 5 km (3 miles) away.

Television visuals showed several protesters sitting on the ground and chanting slogans as police personnel tried to haul them into buses.

Elsewhere in the city, police used water cannon to disperse BJP supporters trying to march to the Delhi Secretariat to demand Kejriwal’s resignation, and detained some of them.

"The chief minister of Delhi is corrupt and dishonest ... he will have to resign," state BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva told news agency ANI.

AAP leaders said Kejriwal would not resign and protests demanding his release would continue.

"I want to tell the federal government, this fight, this movement, will not stop because of the force of your police, this voice is reaching the entire nation," Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai told reporters.

Multiple metro stations were closed "until further notice" due to "security reasons", the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said on messaging platform X on Tuesday morning.

Delhi Police issued a notice warning traffic would be affected "in view of special Law & Order arrangement" in the city.

AAP is part of the ‘INDIA’ bloc, an alliance of more than two dozen political parties formed last year to jointly challenge the BJP in the general elections.

The group plans to hold a joint rally in Delhi on March 31 to protest against Kejriwal’s arrest, hoping to renew their unity after bickering and failed attempts at sharing seats to field common candidates against the BJP.

The arrest of the high-profile Kejriwal, whose party also rules the northern Indian state of Punjab, has drawn international attention, with Germany and the U.S. appealing for a "fair" and "impartial" trial in the case in line with "basic democratic principles".
India’s BJP aims to win first Kashmir seats along with ‘hearts and minds’ (Nikkei Asia)
Nikkei Asia [3/26/2024 4:00 AM, Quratulain Rehbar, 293K, Neutral]
India’s upcoming general election marks the first major ballot-box battle in Jammu and Kashmir since the territory was stripped of its limited autonomy in 2019, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party aiming to make unprecedented inroads.

But while voters in the region will have their say in the national polls, they are still waiting for local elections that have not been held in a decade. Meanwhile, the campaign highlights dueling narratives: The Hindu nationalist BJP argues it has brought stability and economic development to the region, while its critics say that normalcy is an illusion and that rights are under threat, particularly those of Kashmir’s majority Muslim population.

The BJP has never won Kashmiri seats in the Lok Sabha, or lower house. But the party is going all out to change that once India starts voting in the world’s largest election, which runs from mid-April to early June. Modi himself recently paid his first visit to Kashmir since the 2019 revocation of its special status under Article 370 of the constitution, proclaiming a new era of "peace" in the region and unveiling development projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

In a rally at a stadium, Modi pledged to keep "winning the hearts and minds" of Kashmiris and took aim at the major Indian opposition Congress party, its INDIA coalition and regional parties for "misguiding not only people of Jammu and Kashmir but the entire nation on Article 370."

The region is at the heart of the animosity between India and Pakistan, stretching back to partition in 1947. Each country controls part of the territory but claims all of it. India blames Pakistan for stoking an insurgency, a charge Islamabad denies. Modi’s government considered Kashmir’s former special status as an impediment to development and the unity of the country, as separate laws meant, for example, that citizens from other regions were not allowed to buy land there.

"Kashmir has long been portrayed as a distinct entity within India. But [now that] Article 370 is gone, no one says that it is a disputed territory," said Kavinder Gupta, a former deputy chief minister and BJP executive member. "It was the BJP that addressed issues of militancy, separatism, nepotism and corruption in governance."

The party is expanding its outreach in Kashmir, opening offices and claiming increased membership.

It also recently expanded affirmative action policies to an additional tribal group in the region, a move seen by many as an effort to strengthen its Hindu vote bank. This change is expected to benefit the BJP in the Anantnag-Rajouri belt, a unique electoral constituency spanning the Kashmir and Jammu areas. "These communities acknowledge that we have given rights to everyone irrespective of their background," Gupta said.

But others are skeptical of the BJP’s claims as well as its political tactics in the region.

The election will be the first since the region’s constituencies were reconfigured through a delimitation process, which some local political parties see as "gerrymandering" to favor the BJP.

Opposition leaders do not buy claims that everything is normal in Kashmir.

As a sign that enthusiasm for the BJP is limited, they point to reports in local media that the Jammu and Kashmir administration -- effectively controlled by New Delhi -- ordered around 7,000 employees to attend Modi’s rally. Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, told Nikkei Asia that the BJP can claim anything, "but we know that employees attended the rally without their free will and we saw the orders." Nikkei Asia could not independently confirm this.

Late last year brought a violent reminder that resentment lurks beneath the surface. Four Indian soldiers were killed in an ambush in Kashmir, which led to a roundup of suspects and allegations by families that three men died under torture.

And the wait for local polls continues. India’s Election Commission ruled out immediate regional legislative elections, the absence of which has raised concerns about disenfranchisement and unelected government officials operating without accountability. The Supreme Court late last year upheld the end of Kashmir’s special status but ordered that local polls should be held by September 2024.

Viqas, a 25-year-old Kashmiri student, said what Kashmiris lack now is "representation and democratic rights." He said many young people are reluctant to get involved in politics due to a lack of trust in New Delhi. "Joining politics in Kashmir offers limited scope for independent thinking due to laws used against people raising [local] issues," he said. "We have seen how regional governments have historically worked under New Delhi’s dictation."

Regional political parties see narrowing space. Waheed Para, a leader of the People’s Democratic Party’s youth wing, said, "The political landscape looks entirely different now."

But Para sees youth interest in politics "because they want someone to represent them in the parliament. There is a question of dignity. People feel unheard."

Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, thinks that while the BJP is optimistic about its electoral chances in Kashmir, when it comes to trumpeting its achievements, the real target audience is and has always been a global one.

"New Delhi’s core goal with Kashmir, post-Article 370 repeal, has been to project normalcy and show that the region is stable and not worthy of concern," Kugelman said. "Kashmir isn’t a major concern for most foreign governments besides Pakistan."
Millions in India are celebrating Holi. Here’s what the Hindu festival of colors is all about. (CBS News)
CBS News [3/25/2024 1:43 PM, Arshad R. Zargar, 76K, Neutral]
Millions of Indians in parts of the country’s north and central regions celebrated the Hindu festival of Holi on Monday.

The festival of colors, as it’s known as, marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring and is celebrated on the last full moon day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Falgun.

The celebrations primarily involve families and friends smearing powdered colors on each others’ faces and drenching each other in colored water, singing and dancing to drum beats at private parties and in public. In fact, it’s not rare for strangers to attack you on the streets with colored water.

The origin of the festival is traced in Hindu mythology legends, one of which tells the story of a female demon, Holika, and her brother, King Hiranyakashipu.

The King Hiranyakashipu claimed to be a god but his son, Prahlada, refused to worship him. The king and his sister Holika — after which Holi is named — plotted to kill Prahlada and lured him onto a pyre to burn him to death. But miraculously, Prahlada survived and Holika was burned to death instead.

For this reason, the festival is also celebrated as the victory of good over evil. On the eve of Holi, some Hindus light up bonfires to signify the burning of Holika.

In a village in the western state of Gujarat, a huge bonfire of 200 tons of wood was lit on Sunday night.

Holi is a public holiday in India and one of the country’s most celebrated Hindu festivals, besides the festival of lights, Diwali. Huge celebrations were held in several parts of the country on Monday. The festival is also celebrated in Nepal, which has a significant Hindu population.

The celebrations even extend to cities around the world, including New York.
Indian refiners buy more US crude as Russia sanctions tighten (Reuters)
Reuters [3/25/2024 10:38 PM, Arathy Somasekhar, 5239K, Negative]
More than 250,000 barrels per day of U.S. crude is set to arrive in India next month, the highest in more than a year, ship tracking data showed, amid tighter enforcement of sanctions on Russian crude.

India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, is looking to diversify its oil supplies as fresh U.S. sanctions on Moscow threaten to dent Russian oil sales to India, the biggest buyer of Russian seaborne crude.

About 7.6 million barrels of oil, or 256,000 barrels per day (bpd), were headed to India on three very large crude carriers and three Suezmax vessels, according to ship tracking firm Kpler.

The ships, which were largely headed to India’s west coast, were chartered by Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), opens new tab, Vitol (VITOLV.UL), Equinor (EQNR.OL), opens new tab and Sinokor (SINKM.UL), among others, according to data from financial firm LSEG.

India was the top buyer of Russian oil last year after other groups retreated from purchases following Western sanctions on Moscow for its invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.

Last month, the U.S. tightened efforts to reduce Russia’s oil trade adding sanctions on state-owned shipping firm Sovcomflot and 14 crude oil tankers involved in Russian oil transportation.

India’s Reliance, operator of the world’s biggest refining complex, will not buy Russian oil loaded on tankers operated by Sovcomflot after recent U.S. sanctions, sources told Reuters last week.

More Indian refiners plan to shun Sovcomflot vessels, which may weigh on imports of Russian oil and leave Russia with fewer outlets for its flagship product, sources said.
NSB
Sri Lanka Renews Policy Easing With Cut in Benchmark Rates (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [3/25/2024 11:34 PM, Anusha Ondaatjie, 5543K, Positive]
Sri Lanka’s central bank unexpectedly renewed its monetary easing cycle to support a rebound in the economy after inflation eased for the first time in five months.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka lowered the standing lending facility rate by 50 basis points to 9.50%. Most economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecast monetary policy to be left unchanged. The deposit facility rate was also cut by 50 basis points to 8.50%.

The monetary authority weighed subdued demand conditions, favorable near-term inflation dynamics and the absence of external sector pressures in deciding to cut the rates, according to a statement.

“A further easing of monetary policy would provide the required space for market interest rates, particularly lending rates, to adjust downwards further to levels conducive to continued expansion of credit to the private sector,” the central bank said.

Sri Lanka’s inflation eased for the first time in five months in February on the back of a stronger currency and slower gains in food prices.

The central bank “seems to be comfortable with inflation and the FX reserves position, and since the rupee is strong, there was the space to ease,” said Sanjeewa Fernando, senior vice president of research at Asia Securities Pvt Ltd in Colombo.

It also shows “they are really serious to support the economy and drive revenue in line with the International Monetary Fund program criteria,” he added.

The central bank said on Tuesday that it also was moving away from administrative measures, and going toward market-based instruments “as the economy normalises.” The monetary authority had decided to remove the remaining restrictions on the usage of the standing deposit facility from April 1, given the improvements in domestic money market activity and liquidity conditions.

Sri Lanka’s annual growth is expected to turn positive this year and Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe has said the monetary policy stance will remain accommodative for the economy to reach its full potential.

The economy expanded for the second straight quarter in the three months to December, buoyed by an IMF bailout and cheaper borrowing costs.

Last week, the South Asian nation secured an initial nod for a $337 million payout from the IMF, while the government separately negotiates restructuring $12 billion in defaulted global bonds. President Ranil Wickremesinghe said earlier in March that the nation is seeking relief from payments through 2027.
Sri Lanka unexpectedly cuts policy rates by 50 bps to spur growth (Reuters)
Reuters [3/25/2024 11:02 PM, Uditha Jayasinghe, 5239K, Neutral]
Sri Lanka’s central bank lowered interest rates by 50 basis points in an unexpected move on Tuesday as policymakers prioritised boosting growth and steering the economy out of its worst financial crisis in decades.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) reduced the Standing Deposit Facility Rate to 8.50% and the Standing Lending Facility Rate to 9.50%, catching markets by surprise as 11 out of 16 economists and analysts polled by Reuters had expected rates to remain unchanged.

The latest move brings the total interest rate cuts to 700 basis points since last year as Sri Lanka began a painful recovery after slipping into its biggest economic crisis since independence from the British in 1948.

"The possible upside risks to inflation in the near term would not materially change the medium-term inflation outlook, as economic activity is projected to remain below par for an extended period," the central bank said in a statement.

The decision to lower rates would help maintain inflation at the targeted level of 5% over the medium term, while enabling the economy to reach its potential, CBSL added.

The bank had kept its policy rates unchanged in January to tame inflation after a 3% sales tax increase at the start of the year pushed up prices and boosted inflation to 5.9% in February.

The central bank stressed the need for market interest rates to continue to move down, and said demand conditions remain subdued while the recent tax policy change was having a lower-than-expected impact on inflation.

"The decision seems to be very much driven by a desire to support demand conditions and boost growth further, taking advantage of the impact of electricity tariff reduction and appreciation of currency," said Thilina Panduwawala, head of research at Frontier Research.

The rate reductions bolster the positive sentiment after the International Monetary Fund staff agreement but is unlikely to have an impact on the debt restructuring talks this week, he added.

Sri Lanka is due to start talks with private bondholders to restructure $12 billion of debt, which the country defaulted on in May 2022 after its foreign reserves fell to catastrophic lows leaving it unable to pay for essentials such as fuel, cooking gas and medicine.

The island nation received a confidence boost when it reached a staff level agreement with IMF last week, taking it a step closer to securing the next tranche of a $2.9 billion bailout package from the global lender.

Sri Lanka’s economy shrank 2.3% in 2023 but grew 4.5% in the fourth quarter setting the stage for a recovery this year.

"This growth momentum is expected to continue in the upcoming quarters," CBSL said.
Sri Lanka cabinet approves 40% hike to minimum wage (Reuters)
Reuters [3/26/2024 5:46 AM, Usitha Jayasinghe, 6902K, Positive]
Sri Lanka’s cabinet has approved increasing the minimum wage by 40%, a top official said on Tuesday, to support workers struggling with living costs as the economy slowly shakes off its worst financial crisis in decades, helped by an IMF bailout.

Sri Lanka’s economy collapsed in early 2022 after its foreign exchange reserves dwindled to record lows triggering soaring inflation, currency depreciation and a default on its foreign debt.

Revision of the minimum wage from 12,500 rupees ($42) to 17,500 rupees was approved by cabinet to support people living in poverty, said cabinet spokesman and Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana.

"This is a very important decision. Under this the national daily wage will also be increased by 200 rupees," he told a weekly briefing.

The average monthly household income of the poorest 20% of the population is 17,572 rupees, while 90% of overall households had increased their expenditure due to the crisis, latest government data showed.

Helped by a $2.9 billion program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) the island of 22 million people has seen its economy slowly stabilise with inflation reducing to 5.9% in February from a high of 70%.

But multiple energy price increases and a 3% sales tax hike in January have raised the cost of living and hit the poor hard. University students and trade unions have held protests for months in Colombo demanding the government lower costs.
‘Waiting for a call from Daddy’: Sri Lankans die in Russia’s Ukraine war (Al Jazeera)
Al Jazeera [3/26/2024 4:00 AM, Saroj Pathirana, 2.1M, Neutral]
Badly wounded from a Ukrainian attack on a Russian bunker in the Donetsk region, Sri Lankan fighter Senaka Bandara* tried to carry his fellow countryman, Nipuna Silva*, to safety.

Senaka*, 36, was bleeding from his legs and hands. Nipuna’s condition was worse – he had sustained injuries to his chest, hands and legs, according to Senaka.

As the two Sri Lankans retreated under fire, another wave of Ukrainian drones struck their bunker in the occupied Donetsk region where the two served with the Russian military.

“While I was carrying [Nipuna], there was another huge drone attack at the last bunker and Nipuna fell to the ground,” Senaka said earlier this month while being treated for his injuries in a hospital in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

Senaka said he had no option but to leave Nipuna behind as the Ukrainian drones rained down death.

“We didn’t know that it would be this dangerous,” Senaka told Al Jazeera, in a series of voice messages sent over WhatsApp. “In Donetsk, we were told to go to ‘bunker duty’,” he said.

“But we weren’t aware that there was an attack under way,” he added, recounting how the pair from Sri Lanka had joined a Russian “auxiliary force” and received two “training courses” before being sent to the front line.

Nipuna – whose body was later identified by other Sri Lankans fighting with Russian forces – was the second recruit from the tropical South Asian island to die in recent months fighting for Russia in the bleak Dontesk battlefield, according to Senaka.

The two reported deaths add to the three Sri Lankans who were killed last year while fighting for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.

Hundreds of Sri Lankans are now serving with the Russian military in Ukraine, most lured into combat by Russia’s offer of salaries up to $3,000 a month and the prospect of Russian citizenship, several Sri Lankans living in Russia told Al Jazeera.

Many more – mostly retired Sri Lankan soldiers – are also desperately trying to join the Russian army, willing to risk death at the hands of Ukrainian forces in exchange for Moscow’s money amid dire poverty at home in Sri Lanka.

‘I begged him not to join the war’

The decisions that led 27-year-old Nipuna Silva to leave his young family in southern Sri Lanka to fight and die for Russia in Ukraine tell a larger story of contemporary Sri Lanka, where economic collapse and political upheaval in 2022 led to a hunger crisis last year among the island nation’s 22 million people.

Spiralling inflation and unpayable foreign debt saw fuel, medicine and food shortages amid months of protests that eventually removed then-President Gotabaya Rajapakspa, whose government was accused of gross mismanagement of the country’s finances.

Gotabaya and his brother and former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, as well as their younger brother, former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa, were all found guilty by the country’s Supreme Court in November of causing the financial mismanagement that has hobbled their nation.

Poverty drove Nipuna, a nine-year veteran of the Sri Lankan military, to swear allegiance to Russia.

He could not provide for his own young family after the recent death of his father left him responsible for his widowed mother and younger sister, too, Nipuna’s wife Wasanthi* told Al Jazeera.

Nipuna had borrowed 1.9 million Sri Lanka rupees (about $6,300) to build a house for his family, Wasanthi said, and he was struggling to repay that loan and cover other costs on his effective earnings from the army – 28,000 rupees ($92) per month.

Nipuna retired from the army and approached an employment agency looking for a job in Singapore. The agency charged him 250,000 rupees ($830) but never got him the job. Eventually, he managed to get half the money back and approached another agency which offered him a job in Russia.

To get to Russia and the promise of a better income, Nipuna first had to sink deeper into debt, his wife said. He borrowed 1.2 million rupees ($4,000) to pay the employment agency to secure him work and cover his travel expenses to Russia.

He travelled to Moscow on June 2 last year, and was employed at a farm in a remote village in Russia. There, he worked 14-hour days, often without a single proper meal. He was paid about 160,000 rupees ($530) a month.

Unhappy, Nipuna left the farm and moved to Moscow to work in a restaurant. There he received 150,000 rupees ($500). The conditions were better than at the farm but Nipuna was desperate to settle his debts as quickly as possible. While working in Moscow, he found out about the opportunity to join the military.

“I begged him not to join the war there,” Wasanthi said. “But Nipuna said it was safe as he was not deployed on the front line.”

The family was desperate, she said. On Nipuna’s income, it was impossible to feed the household: Wasanthi, Nipuna, their 18-month-old son Kethuka Yehas, and Nipuna’s mother and sister. “We could never buy new clothes or toys for our son,” she said.

“It is because we were so helpless that he took that decision [to join the Russian army].”

After signing up to serve in Ukraine in January, this year, Nipuna started to call his wife and young son daily on the phone.

The calls stopped suddenly on February 21, just two days after his wife received a first payment from the Russian military of approximately $1,640 for her husband signing a one-year contract to fight in Ukraine.

Then the phone silence was broken by a call from his comrade in arms, Senaka, who told Wasanthi that Nipuna had died in the drone attack.

“He told me that my husband succumbed to injuries in Donetsk,” Wasanthi recounted, the memory still causing her to weep.

“I don’t know what to do or where to go,” she told Al Jazeera.

“My son always grabs my phone, waiting for a call from Daddy.”

‘At least my wife and children will get compensation if I die’
Despite the deaths of Sri Lankans in Ukraine, many others are willing to take their places on the Russian front lines, according to retired and current members of Sri Lanka’s military.

“At least my wife and children will get compensation if I die on the battlefield. At least they will have a better life in Russia. They can travel to Russia and get citizenship,” a retired Sri Lankan soldier, frustrated with his living conditions, told Al Jazeera, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A resident of Anuradhapura, about 200km (120 miles) north of the capital, Colombo, he said he was less worried about the prospect of losing his life by joining the Russian army than he was about the economic hardships in Sri Lanka.

A serving Sri Lankan soldier also told Al Jazeera that he would consider deserting his post if he had an opportunity to join the Russian military.

“I know it is dangerous but I have no other option,” said the soldier who said he made just 20,000 Sri Lankan rupees ($65) to live on each month after the government made deductions for taxes and other purposes.

Unlike previous conflicts, such as the Spanish Civil War when people from around the world volunteered to fight against the spread of fascism, those joining the fight in Ukraine are doing so primarily for money, said Gamini Viyangoda, a Sri Lankan writer, political analyst and columnist.

“Many prominent writers and intellectuals such as George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway joined the Republicans to fight against Franco during the civil war in Spain. They did it for a cause, not for money,” Viyangoda said. Hemingway’s classic For Whom the Bell Tolls captures the war he observed in Spain, though he did not actually fight in it.

“But in Sri Lanka it is different,” Viyangoda said.

“During Sri Lanka’s Civil War, a vast majority of those who joined the military were from poverty-ridden families. The whole purpose was to find employment,” he said, referring to the bloody conflict between the Sri Lankan army and Tamil separatists from 1983 to 2009 that the United Nations estimates killed between 80,000 and 100,000 people.

“Joining the Russian military is an extension of that trend. They think they’ll get compensation even if they die on the battlefield. It is purely for economic purposes, due to current economic hardships.”

Sri Lankans have also died fighting for Ukraine’s freedom.

In December Captain Ranish Hewage, who commanded a special unit of fighters, and MM Priyantha and Rodney Jayasinghe – two other Sri Lankan men – were killed fighting against Russian forces. Hewage was buried on December 15 with several Ukrainian soldiers at Mlynov, 400km (240 miles) east of Kyiv but the bodies of the other two Sri Lankans were never recovered.

About 20 other Sri Lankans who were serving with the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine left the unit after Hewage’s death, according to Lahiru Hathurusinghe, 25, who carried injured Ranish Hewage for several kilometres despite his own injuries. Hathurusinghe, who deserted from the Sri Lanka army to fight for Ukraine, is believed to be the only Sri Lankan still attached to the Ukrainian side in the war with Russia.

Treated for the injuries he suffered along with Nipuna in late February, Senaka has now been sent back to the barren wastelands of Russia’s front line in Donetsk.

There is no way out, Senaka told Al Jazeera through voice messages on WhatsApp.

“I don’t know what will happen to Nipuna’s body or whether he’ll receive any compensation,” Senaka said.

Another former Sri Lankan soldier is with Senaka now: Neither wants to be involved in the war any more. But they feel they have no other option but to stay, due to their contracts. “We only have two of us now. Nobody else would help us,” he told Al Jazeera.

Back in Sri Lanka, Wasanthi is grappling with unanswered questions.

With no official communication from Russian authorities, Wasanthi has asked Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for information about the whereabouts and status of her husband.

“I don’t know what to do or what to believe,” she told Al Jazeera.

It has already been about two weeks since she approached the ministry but she has not heard back from them so far, she said. Last weekend, she went to a horoscope reader, who told her that her husband was not well, but was still alive.

“I still can’t believe that he isn’t alive. I don’t want to think that he is no longer with us.”
Central Asia
Kyrgyz NGOs Urge Japarov To Veto ‘Foreign Representatives’ Bill (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [3/25/2024 10:04 AM, Staff, 223K, Negative]
More than 100 nongovernmental organizations in Kyrgyzstan have urged President Sadyr Japarov not to sign into law a controversial bill modeled on Russia’s repressive "foreign agent" laws that they say will negatively affect operations of NGOs in the Central Asian nation.

Kyrgyz lawmakers approved the legislation requiring nonprofit organizations receiving foreign funding to register with the government as foreign representatives in its third and final reading without debate on March 14 and Japarov is widely expected to sign the bill into law.

Chinara Aitbaeva, the chairwoman of Bizidin Kylym (Our Century) foundation told RFE/RL on March 25 that the NGOs warned Japarov that if the measure comes into force, organizations involved in helping Kyrgyz citizens obtain medical equipment and medicine for numerous diseases, including cancer and HIV, as well as groups involved in educational programs, human rights, and anti-corruption activities, may have to stop their operations.

Earlier statements by human rights groups regarding the controversial bill stated that the legislation will negatively affect the freedom of expression in the former Soviet republic.

Since the law was first introduced last year, civil society activists have warned of the consequences of approving such legislation, especially given that similar legislation in Russia laid the groundwork for the systematic dismantling of civil society.

According to the bill, noncommercial organizations and media outlets that receive foreign funding and are engaged in broadly defined "political" activities will be obliged to report their activities to the authorities. The legislation will also introduce wide oversight powers by the authorities and potential criminal sanctions for undefined criminal offences.

Since 2012, Russia has used its foreign agent law to label and punish critics of government policies, including the February 2022 full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

The vague laws have been used to persecute organizations working in diverse fields such as education, culture, health care, environmental protection, human rights, and independent media.

For many years Kyrgyzstan stood out in the Central Asian region for independent journalism, intrepid reporting, and media innovation. But in Reporters Without Borders’s most recent global ranking, Kyrgyzstan -- once called an "island of democracy" in the region -- fell fully 50 places, sitting at 122nd place, only 12 spots above its longtime authoritarian neighbor, Kazakhstan.

That plunge was in large part due to the authorities’ decision to put severe restrictions on RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Radio Azattyk, including freezing its bank accounts, in October 2022.
Kyrgyzstan Calls On Citizens Not To Travel To Russia (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [3/25/2024 7:42 AM, Staff, 223K, Negative]
Kyrgyzstan has called on its citizens not to travel to Russia, where Central Asian migrant workers and visitors are facing enormous pressure following last week’s deadly attack near Moscow that left 139 people dead.

Russian officials said earlier that 11 suspects, including four men who allegedly attacked the Crocus City Hall entertainment center, were detained. Late on March 24, the four men, all ethnic Tajiks, were sent to pretrial detention until at least May 22.

On March 25, three other Tajik men residing in Russia were sent to pretrial detention for at least two months.

The self-exiled leader of the opposition Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), Muhiddin Kabiri, doubts that Tajiks were involved in plotting and implementation of the terrorist attack.

"There were definitely some intelligence agencies and experienced people behind this attack. If the Tajik men were indeed involved in it, then they were most likely used as a tool. They were just second or third-level people in this provocation," Kabiri told RFE/RL on March 25.

Although Russian authorities have not described the suspects as migrant laborers, many of the hundreds of thousands of Tajiks living in Russia are part of the country’s migrant labor work force, which Kabiri said has been left vulnerable to various influences since Tajikistan’s authoritarian leader, Emomali Rahmon, sidelined and jailed all migrant leaders and lawyers and activists protecting Tajik workers’ rights because he saw them as political rivals.

“What is happening to Tajik migrants today -- whether they were involved in this attack or not, or if they’re being targeted [for xenophobic attacks] -- all of these are the result of the…policies of the Tajik government," said Kabiri, who left Tajikistan after his party was banned in 2015 by the Supreme Court as a terrorist organization.

Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry official Bakyt Kadyrov told RFE/RL on March 25 that Russian authorities have been conducting anti-terrorist operations and are therefore increasing their checks of individuals arriving to and leaving Russia after the March 22 attack.

"All [Kyrgyz] diaspora organizations in Russia are being informed about the situation. We do not have information about the length of the anti-terrorist operations [in Russia]. [Kyrgyz] citizens who are blacklisted or broke the law in the past are being barred from entering [Russia]," Kadyrov said, adding that hotlines at the ministry and the Kyrgyz Embassy in Russia are working around the clock.

Russian human rights defender Valentina Chupik told RFE/RL on March 24 that "in the last 36 hours we received 1,018 complaints" from citizens of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan who said they were "illegally detained by police."

"Police beat some of them; some were deported from Russia," Chupik said.

Bishkek-based rights defender Aziza Abdirasulova also told RFE/RL that Central Asian migrant workers in Russia had found themselves under restrictions and checkups after the terrorist attack.

Several Kyrgyz nationals told RFE/RL by phone on March 24 that they were detained on their arrival to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and were being held in the airport’s detention center along with scores of Central Asian citizens, of which at least 11 were Kyrgyz citizens.

"They put us in some kind of jail. They did not answer our question about the reasons for the detainments. Our documents are in order, but those who came to Moscow for the first time were not allowed to enter the country. There are guys from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan among us. The authorities took away our telephones.... They forced us to sign some papers," one of the detained Kyrgyz nationals told RFE/RL.

The Kyrgyz Embassy in Moscow issued a statement on March 24 saying, "Kyrgyz nationals who had violated Russia’s migration regulations in the past will be sent back to Kyrgyzstan by the closest flight to Bishkek."

Meanwhile, the leader of Russian Muslims, Mufti Ravil Gainutdin, said on March 23 that he will hand the For Merit medal during his next Friday sermon to Islam Khalilov, a 15-year-old from Kyrgyzstan who worked in the cloakroom at Crocus City Hall. Khalilov reportedly managed to save more than 100 people by leading them out of the building via the employees’ exit during the attack.
Russian investigators query families of shooting suspects in Tajikistan, sources say (Reuters)
Reuters [3/26/2024 4:00 AM, Nazarali Pirnazarov, 5.2M, Neutral]
Russian investigators were in Tajikistan on Tuesday, questioning the families of four men charged with carrying out a deadly attack on a concert hall near Moscow, three Tajik security sources told Reuters.

The sources, who were not authorised to comment publicly, said Tajik security officials had brought the families to the capital of Dushanbe from the towns of Vakhdat and Gissar, and from the Rudaki district.

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon was personally overseeing the investigation on the Tajik side, the sources said.

On Monday, making his first public comment on the attack, Rakhmon called it a "shameful and terrible event" and urged Tajiks to protect their children from harmful influences.

Four men of Tajik origin have been remanded in custody on terrorism charges, on suspicion of carrying out the attack. Three others, also of Tajik origin, were remanded on suspicion of complicity.

Islamic State has said it was responsible for the attack and has released video footage that it says shows the massacre.
Jihadist Risks Shake Tajik Society After Moscow Attack (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [3/26/2024 3:00 AM, Staff, 307K, Neutral]
The alleged involvement of four Tajiks in a deadly attack in Moscow has shaken Tajik society, highlighting the risks posed by Central Asia’s jihadist legacy.

The region’s five former Soviet republics, led by Tajikistan, have had thousands of their citizens going to Syria and Iraq in the 2010s to fight for the Islamic State group (IS).

Friday’s attack in Moscow, which killed 139 people and was claimed by the Islamic State in Khorasan (IS-K) in Afghanistan, Tajikistan’s neighbour that regularly supplies fighters to IS.

"This is a great tragedy for our country," artist Daniel Rustamov told AFP in the capital Dushanbe.

Rustamov fears that "a few criminals will harm the entire Tajik people" and that "Tajiks will be persecuted in Russia," where millions of them work to feed their families back home, against a backdrop of rising anti-migrant rhetoric.

Tajikistan, home to 9.7 million people, made the fight against terrorism a priority after it was bruised by a civil war between 1992 and 1997 involving Islamist fighters.

Cross-border clashes from Afghanistan involving jihadist groups continue to plague the mountainous country, which has also suffered several attacks claimed by IS.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, Tajikistan has been one of the regime’s main critics, concerned about the potential spread of its ideology.

Several million ethnic Tajiks live in Afghanistan.

Dushanbe has regularly highlighted the upsurge in jihadist activity along its 1,375-kilometre (850-mile) border with Afghanistan and has organised anti-terror exercises with the Russian and Chinese armies.

Last year, Tajik authorities announced that they had shot dead five members of the Jamaat Ansarullah jihadist group on the Afghan border.

For businessman Bakhtior Akhmedov, 32, "a terrorist has no nation or religion".

"All the people of Tajikistan are in mourning," he told AFP.

President Emomali Rahmon echoed this in an official message broadcast by media in Tajikistan, where information is tightly controlled.

Tajiks support their "brotherly Russian people... terrorists have no nationality" said the leader, who has been in power since 1992 and whose giant portraits are displayed across the country.

This is a mantra often repeated by the regime when Tajiks are involved in attacks, including an early January attack in Iran that killed more than 90 people and was also claimed by IS-K.

A June 2023 UN report described the IS-K branch as the greatest terrorist threat in Afghanistan and Central Asia and estimated it comprised of between 4,000 and 6,000 jihadists, including their families.

Tajikistan has taken radical measures to crack down on religious fundamentalism, such as banning women from wearing the hijab.

According to Rahmon, 2,300 Tajiks have joined IS since 2015, including the high-profile case of a former Tajik police commander who defected to IS.

"Over the past three years, 24 of our citizens have committed terrorist acts in 10 countries," the Tajik leader said in early March.

"The number of young people who have joined terrorist organisations, including IS, has increased."

Rahmon pointed to "extremist propaganda" that strikes "when these young people work abroad".

Around one million Tajiks travel to Russia every year, and the number is growing.

Vulnerable migrants are also used by the Russian army, with many reports of Central Asians being recruited to fight against Ukraine.
Influential Uzbek Crime Boss Sentenced To 6 Years In Prison (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [3/25/2024 1:17 PM, Staff, 223K, Negative]
A court in Uzbekistan has sentenced influential crime boss Salim Abduvaliev to six years in prison on charges of illegal possession and transportation of arms and explosives. The 73-year-old Abduvaliev, who is also known as Salimboi, was sentenced last week, according to Tashkent courts’ joint press service. Abduvaliev is believed to have ties with top Uzbek officials and leaders of the so-called Brothers’ Circle, a Eurasian drug-trafficking network that included late Kyrgyz kingpin Kamchybek Kolbaev (aka Kamchybek Asanbek), who was killed during a police operation in Bishkek in October.
The C5+1 Critical Mineral Dialogue: What It Means and How We Got Here (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [3/25/2024 10:51 AM, Charley Ward, 201K, Neutral]
On February 8, the U.S. Department of State hosted the inaugural meeting of the C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue (CMD) alongside senior officials from all five Central Asian countries. The event represented the first step in implementing the CMD, announced in September during U.S. President Joe Biden’s historic summit with the Central Asian heads of state during the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Representatives from all sides expressed an interest in exploring opportunities for U.S. investment in the mining and processing of critical minerals across the region.

The CMD represents part of a broader U.S. strategy to counter China’s dominance over critical mineral supply chains. Minerals such as nickel, cobalt, palladium, and rare earth elements (REEs) are essential for high-tech industries and defense systems, and preserving reliable access to these materials has become integral to the economic and national security of major powers. Critical minerals are also essential to the green transition because minerals such as lithium, manganese, and chromium are vital components of renewable energy technologies. In September, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev described critical minerals as the “new oil.”

The United States’ Dependence on China

As the China-U.S. rivalry grows, the U.S. dependence on China for critical minerals becomes an ever larger strategic vulnerability. China is the undisputed leader in critical mineral supply chains, controlling nearly 60 percent of rare earth mining operations and more than 85 percent of global processing capacity. Should it choose to, China can use its near-monopoly on critical minerals to hamstring the United States’ high-tech industries and military-industrial capacities. Beijing has already revealed an interest in doing so, announcing export restrictions on several minerals and extraction and processing technologies in December.

On February 14, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CNBC she is “very concerned” about China’s grip on the critical mineral supply chain. The Department of Defense has sought to alleviate the problem by onshoring production, issuing tens of millions of dollars in grants to firms building domestic critical mineral extraction and processing facilities. However, domestic supplies alone will never be enough to rival China’s level of extraction and refinement. Granholm said the United States will be “partnering with friends” to meet rising demand for critical minerals.

The Geopolitics of the CMD

The Critical Mineral Dialogue is an indication that the United States wants to include the five Central Asian countries amongst its friends. Central Asia sits on a veritable ocean of rare earth and other minerals, reportedly holding 38.6 percent of global manganese ore reserves, 30.07 percent of chromium, 20 percent of lead, 12.6 percent of zinc, 8.7 percent of titanium, and significant reserves of other materials. A 2018 USGS report showed 384 “occurrences” of REEs and rare metals across the five countries.

The region’s critical minerals industry is growing with or without U.S. support: In 2020, Kazakhstan earned more revenue from copper than from natural gas exports for the first time. Since then, its copper industry has only continued to grow.

The CMD is also evidence of increased U.S. engagement with Central Asia, enabled by the region’s souring relations with Russia and wariness toward China. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused trade and supply chain disruptions in Central Asia and weakened Russia militarily, economically, and geopolitically. Meanwhile, a decade of splashy, large-scale Chinese infrastructure projects has landed Central Asian countries in large debts without always delivering a useful or finished product. While both have existing relationships with Central Asian mining firms, neither Russia nor China has staked an inexorable interest in developing Central Asia’s critical minerals sector.

History and geography mean the Central Asian countries will always maintain substantial economic relationships with Russia and China, but these ties do not preclude commercial relations with the West. Central Asian leaders have taken a pragmatic approach, balancing the influence of great powers to promote their development agendas. The Biden administration has been clear-eyed about Central Asia’s geostrategic realignment, seeing a window of opportunity to forge productive, mutually beneficial relations. The CMD emerged from these dynamics as an opportunity to develop Central Asia’s vast mineral wealth and help the United States break its dependence on China’s critical minerals.

Moving Forward

While the CMD represents a productive first step, there is still much to do to capitalize on this window of opportunity. At the CMD’s first meeting this month, the United States emphasized financing opportunities via the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) and the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII). However, these initiatives will struggle to provide finance on the scale of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The United States must find other ways to compete, such as by including technology transfer and technical assistance alongside its funds.

The CPC’s 2022 policy brief recommends offering the services of the U.S. Geological Survey to help Central Asian countries utilize and profit from their critical mineral resources. The CMD should also seek to mobilize private finance by using its expertise to develop private investment opportunities and by facilitating interactions between U.S. and Central Asian firms.

Conversely, Central Asian states need to build the physical and legal infrastructure to accommodate Western investment and technical assistance. The legal framework for foreign investment in critical minerals should be clear, well-publicized, and guided by the rule of law. Likewise, Central Asian countries must overcome their traditional secretiveness around natural resources because Western partners will need to access up-to-date, digitalized geological data. Transport routes that bypass Russia and China are another prerequisite for Western investment, and the development of the Middle Corridor will be essential in transporting Central Asia’s critical minerals to global markets.

It is promising that the CMD met just months after it was announced, seeming to indicate that all involved are serious about scaling up Central Asia’s role in global critical mineral supply chains. However, the United States has yet to commit funds to the CMD or pledge any investments on its behalf.

The initiative has the potential to catalyze public and private partnerships that develop Central Asia’s mineral resource base and, in doing so, reduce the U.S. dependence on China for technology production. But both sides must take proactive steps to ensure that increased engagement results in real investments. If talk translates into action, U.S. collaboration with Central Asia can foster a greener, more secure future for all involved.
Twitter
Afghanistan
Suhail Shaheen
@suhailshaheen1
[3/25/2024 2:27 PM, 726K followers, 11 retweets, 80 likes]
1/2 I and my team from the Political Office had a fruitful meeting with HE Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator and his delegation about UN humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.

Suhail Shaheen
@suhailshaheen1
[3/25/2024 2:27 PM, 726K followers, 1 retweet, 16 likes]
2/2 Other topics of interest and continuation of positive engagement between IEA and UN also came up for discussion.

Shaharzad Akbar
@ShaharzadAkbar
[3/25/2024 5:07 AM, 175.2K followers, 29 retweets, 40 likes]
Women in Afghanistan are detained & tortured 4 protesting on streets,they are threatened & arrested 4 running home schools,they are publicly flogged 4 running from abusive homes.A list of some of these horrific violations by Taliban in the period of March 2023-2024 @rawadari_org

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[3/25/2024 8:52 PM, 23K followers, 2 retweets, 1 like]
ISIS-K’s Monday statement in Pashto glorifies Friday’s attack in Moscow, scolds the Afghan Taliban for seeking relations with the US, Russia, China, Pakistan and Tajikistan.

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[3/25/2024 1:18 PM, 23K followers, 2 retweets, 2 likes]
The leader of Afghanistan’s fundamentalist Taliban government has said it is determined to enforce the Islamic criminal justice system, including the public stoning of women for adultery. @VOANews

Brahma Chellaney
@Chellaney
[3/25/2024 4:20 AM, 262.8K followers, 94 retweets, 341 likes]
The remnant ISIS-K has no allies and no state sponsors, controls no territory, and has no organization to claim responsibility, let alone to stage a horrific terror attack in the distant capital of a major power, which it never before targeted. After the Doha deal, Afghanistan attacks were almost routinely pinned on ISIS-K so as to present the brutal Taliban as largely abiding by that accord. Such scapegoating sought to paint the Taliban as “good” terrorists and ISIS-K as “bad” terrorists. But after Biden’s catastrophic withdrawal decision helped bring the Taliban to power, the new regime has worked systematically, especially over the past year, to wipe out ISIS-K through killings.
Pakistan
Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office
@amnestysasia
[3/25/2024 9:57 AM, 79.5K followers, 93 retweets, 133 likes]
Pakistan’s plans to continue deportations of Afghan refugees put many lives at risk. @amnesty urges the international community to expedite the asylum and resettlement cases of Afghans in Pakistan. The @GovtofPakistan must halt mass deportations and protect the rights of refugees as per international human rights law.

Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office
@amnestysasia
[3/25/2024 8:12 AM, 79.5K followers, 223 retweets, 329 likes]
PAKISTAN: Human Rights Charter - RECOMMENDATION 1 Amnesty International urges the Government of Pakistan to uphold the right to freedom of expression by lifting blanket bans on social media platforms, including X, and amend laws used to target free speech. Read the Charter: https://amnesty.org/en/documents/asa33/7868/2024/en/

Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office
@amnestysasia
[3/26/2024 3:55 AM, 79.5K followers, 11 retweets, 13 likes]
PAKISTAN: Human Rights Charter - RECOMMENDATION 2 Amnesty International calls on the Government of Pakistan to put an end to enforced disappearances, immediately disclose the whereabouts of forcibly disappeared people, and accede to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance without any reservation. Read the Charter here: https://amnesty.org/en/documents/asa33/7868/2024/en/

Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office
@amnestysasia
[3/25/2024 8:00 AM, 79.5K followers, 346 retweets, 565 likes]
PAKISTAN: Human Rights Charter Amnesty International’s ten-point Human Rights Charter calls on the newly elected @GovtofPakistan, Prime Minister @CMShehbaz and respective provincial governments, to put Pakistan’s international human rights commitments at the forefront of future policies and decisions. Read the Charter: https://amnesty.org/en/documents/asa33/7868/2024/en/.

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[3/25/2024 9:48 AM, 209.8K followers, 116 retweets, 705 likes]
Pakistan has said it is looking into resuming trade with India. This isn’t surprising: A key PMLN constituency (traders in Punjab) and economic imperatives are at play. But with India having zero political or economic incentives to pursue trade, I doubt we’ll see any movement.

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[3/25/2024 9:48 AM, 209.8K followers, 1 retweet, 49 likes]
Pakistan may pull back-there are notable constituencies at home (business interests but also the army, I imagine) that have little interest in trade with India. We are seeing here the influence of Nawaz, who wants better ties with India. But this isn’t a rapprochement attempt.

Hamid Mir
@HamidMirPAK
[3/26/2024 1:35 AM, 8.4M followers, 9 retweets, 66 likes]
Warning from @mosharrafzaidi both from Nawaz Sharif 2014-17 circa and Gen Bajwa circa 2019 to 2022. would indicate no hesitation among the Pakistani elite to engage India in such dangerous ‘diplomacy’. Of course, it could just have been nothing. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1172273-china-the-neighbour-in-a-way
India
Brahma Chellaney
@Chellaney
[3/25/2024 1:58 AM, 262.8K followers, 95 retweets, 335 likes]
China claims that India’s Arunachal state is part of Tibet, though the Dalai Lama says this assertion has no historical basis. Should India continue to recognize Tibet as part of China when Beijing openly seeks to extend its Tibet annexation to Arunachal? https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/China-s-Indian-land-grab-has-become-a-strategic-disaster

Hamid Mir
@HamidMirPAK
[3/26/2024 3:01 AM, 8.4M followers, 12 retweets, 69 likes]
Kashmiri leader Dr Faktoo rejected a deal with Indian Govt. twice and completed 31 years in jail.Why is he a victim of judicial violence?Why many political rivals of @narendramodi like @ArvindKejriwal may face the same? My latest article https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1172390-from-kashmiri-nelson-mandela-to-arvind-kejriwal

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[3/25/2024 12:28 PM, 209.8K followers, 5 likes]
This was a great discussion on the foreign policy implications of India’s upcoming elections (which begin on April 19), and on India’s role in the world more broadly. I always learn a lot from @tremblay_reeta and @tvpaul1. Thanks to @AsiaPacificFdn for including me.
NSB
Awami League
@albd1971
[3/26/2024 12:28 AM, 637.1K followers, 23 retweets, 48 likes]
HPM #SheikhHasina and the leaders of the Central Working Committee of Bangladesh #AwamiLeague have paid their respects to the heroes and the martyrs of the #LiberationWar celebrating the 54th #IndependenceDay of Bangladesh today. #Bangladesh #March1971 Video: @joy_yeasin

Awami League
@albd1971
[3/25/2024 10:48 AM, 637.1K followers, 27 retweets, 92 likes]
HPM #SheikhHasina said that the #AwamiLeague government proved that a country can be taken forward with #political will and proper plans amid limited resources. She also said AL is the only obstacle on the way of the anti-liberation forces. https://unb.com.bd/category/Bangladesh/take-the-country-forward-foiling-conspiracies-pm-hasina-urges-in-independence-day-speech/133087#google_vignette #26thMarch #IndependenceDay

Awami League
@albd1971
[3/25/2024 9:30 AM, 637.1K followers, 32 retweets, 77 likes]
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the nation celebrating Independence Day 2024. #26thMarch #MonthOfIndependence

Tshering Tobgay
@tsheringtobgay
[3/25/2024 11:45 AM, 97.9K followers, 26 retweets, 330 likes]
With Mr Parameswaran Iyer, Executive Director of the World Bank for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka. We talked about Nitti Ayog, Swachh Bharat, Jal Jayanti, and politics and governance. We had to make time to talk about our growing partnership with the World Bank as well!

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives
@MoFAmv
[3/25/2024 6:35 SM, 53.6K followers, 17 retweets, 29 likes]
Pre-Posting Orientation session of FOSIM for the fifth batch of diplomats began this morning. The session on Corporate Affairs was conducted by Director General Ahmed Nasir and Director General Hussain Shareef.

Moosa Zameer
@MoosaZameer
[3/25/2024 1:59 PM, 12.8K followers, 32 retweets, 48 likes]
#Maldives welcomes the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire for the holy month of Ramadan. We deem the adoption of this resolution as a crucial step towards ensuring a lasting and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and ultimately, towards establishing peace and stability in the region. The resolution must now be fully implemented and the people of Palestine must receive the humanitarian aid they so urgently need.

Moosa Zameer
@MoosaZameer
[3/25/2024 5:02 AM, 12.8K followers, 36 retweets, 52 likes]
Delighted to sign two Exchange of Notes for the Donation of a Customs Patrol Vessel and for the Grant of 260 Million JPY for implementation of the Project for the Enhancement of Ability in Maritime Safety and Security in the #Maldives. This assistance is tailored to strengthen the operations of the craft, providing vital resources and support.

Moosa Zameer
@MoosaZameer
[3/25/2024 5:02 AM, 12.8K followers, 10 retweets, 11 likes]
Delighted to sign the Exchange of Notes for the Grant of 56 Million JPY for the Provision of Equipment to support operations of patrol vessels to the Maldives Customs Service, under the Economic and Social Development Programme. This assistance will strengthen the overarching mandate of the Maldives Customs Service in safeguarding our nation’s borders and maritime interests. @MofaJapan_en @JapaninMaldives

MOFA of Nepal
@MofaNepal
[3/25/2024 8:48 AM, 257K followers, 10 retweets, 48 likes]
Hon’ble DPM & FM Mr. Narayan Kaji Shrestha had a meeting with H.E. Mr. Wang Huning, Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau.

MOFA of Nepal
@MofaNepal
[3/25/2024 8:48 AM, 257K followers, 3 retweets, 7 likes]
Both the leaders expressed happiness over the excellent state of relations between the two nations and expressed commitment to cooperate further for strengthening the bilateral relations.

MOFA of Nepal
@MofaNepal
[3/25/2024 8:48 AM, 257K followers, 2 retweets, 6 likes]
The discussion was focused on economic development and prosperity.

Harsha de Silva
@HarshadeSilvaMP
[3/26/2024 3:39 AM, 357.6K followers, 6 likes]
The biggest block in unlocking #SriLanka digital stack is the government. Talking about a #DigitalSriLanka is useless unless we get moving with the UniqueID and establishing 3 pillar Digital Public Infrastructure. Lot to learn from @pramodkvarma presentation+ on the Indian story.
Central Asia
Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[3/25/2024 1:23 PM, 23K followers, 1 like]
#Stateless @UNHCR: As of mid-2023, there were 8,266 registered stateless people in Kazakhstan. Like Natalya, most are ex-citizens of the former Soviet Union, or their descendants, who have not yet acquired or confirmed citizenship of Kazakhstan. Others are born stateless or became stateless due to gaps in nationality laws, international migration, and mixed marriages. https://unhcr.org/asia/news/stories/i-was-born-here-my-motherland-statelessness-in-kazakhstan

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[3/25/2024 11:21 AM, 23K followers, 1 retweet, 1 like]
In a phone call with Putin on Sunday, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon condemned the Moscow concert hall attack, while the two leaders said their security services were working together on counterterrorism, the Kremlin said in a statement. @VOANews https://www.voanews.com/a/suspects-in-russia-concert-hall-attack-charged-with-terrorism/7540628.html

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[3/26/2024 12:32 AM, 162K followers, 3 retweets, 16 likes]
The President was introduced to a suite of 17 significant projects totaling $2.3 billion, a slice of the broader initiative encompassing 47 ventures valued at $4 billion, all set for execution in the Namangan region. In a move to bolster economic momentum, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev interacted personally with each investor and project lead, critically evaluating the financial merits of the projects and issuing commands to hasten their completion.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[3/26/2024 12:03 AM, 162K followers, 2 retweets, 8 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev visited "Nam Motor Servis" in the #Namangan district, highlighting the enterprise’s alignment with "IE2" energy efficiency class and adherence to international standards. Its products are integral to local mining and metallurgy complexes and water management entities, and also enjoy a robust export market across Central Asia.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[3/25/2024 11:14 PM, 162K followers, 1 retweet, 11 likes]
The revitalization and advancement of age-old professions and crafts in the mahallas are now a priority on the national agenda, with the goal of turning them into catalysts for increasing employment and incomes among residents. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev underscored this initiative with a visit to the "Kumtepa" youth small industrial zone in the Uychi district, Namangan region. Additionally, he explored the Kumtepa mahalla center to review the amenities established for the betterment of the community there.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[3/25/2024 1:51 PM, 162K followers, 2 retweets, 20 likes]
Shavkat Mirziyoyev began his visit to the Namangan region by touring the "Gavhar Group" facility in the Yangi-Namangan district, which is capable of industrially producing 1,200 kilograms of jewelry per year.

Bakhtiyor Saidov
@FM_Saidov
[3/25/2024 2:22 PM, 3.4K followers, 6 retweets, 15 likes]
Met with the Ambassadors of the #G7 countries - H.E. @alan_hamson of #Canada, H.E. Aurelia Bouchez of #France, Dr. Tilo Klinner (@germanyinuz), H.E. Agostino Pinna (@ItalyinUZB), H.E. Takashi Hatori of #Japan, H.E. Timothy Smart (@UKAmbUZ), H.E. Jonathan Henick (@UsAmbUzbekistan), and H.E. Charlotte Adriaen (@EUambUz). It is important to consolidate our joint efforts towards removing trade barriers, creating new production and logistics chains, attracting investments in cooperation projects, and more.

Bakhtiyor Saidov
@FM_Saidov
[3/25/2024 9:57 AM, 3.4K followers, 4 retweets, 3 likes]
Together with the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister of #Turkmenistan H.E. Rashid Meredov we had a comprehensive talk over the phone. Further expanding deep strategic partnership between our two nations, the rich agenda for 2024, as well as collaboration within international institutions were at our focus.

{End of Report}
To subscribe to the SCA Morning Press Clips, please email SCA-PressOfficers@state.gov. Please do not reply directly to this email.