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:
Friday, March 29, 2024 6:30 AM ET

Afghanistan
Family fears for U.S. hostage Ryan Corbett’s health in Taliban prison after "deeply disturbing" phone call (CBS News)
CBS News [3/28/2024 2:20 PM, Camilla Schick, 76K, Negative]
The family of Ryan Corbett, an American humanitarian who has been imprisoned without charge by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers since August 2022, said a brief, "disturbing" phone call from him this week has them increasingly concerned about his declining mental and physical health.

Anna Corbett, Ryan’s wife, said in a statement that she and their three children received a "deeply disturbing 12-minute call from Ryan" on Tuesday, "in which Ryan exhibited a significantly deteriorated mental state. His captors have told him that he is forgotten by his country, and it seems he now believes them."

The family, who live in New York, said Ryan told them on the call that he’d suffered from "high fevers last week that went undiagnosed."

Anna and the couple’s three children, 18-year-old Ketsia, 16-year-old Miriam and 13-year-old Caleb, have had just five short phone calls from Ryan, totalling 44 minutes, since he was detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban in August 2022, a year after the Islamic extremists retook control over the country and the U.S.-led international military coalition withdrew.

Taliban intelligence officials told CBS News in December that Ryan, 40, was accused of anti-state activities, a common accusation made against Westerners. Corbett has been determined to be "wrongfully detained" by the U.S. State Department, indicating the government’s assessment that the charges against him are baseless.

The family of Ryan Corbett, an American humanitarian who has been imprisoned without charge by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers since August 2022, said a brief, "disturbing" phone call from him this week has them increasingly concerned about his declining mental and physical health.

Anna Corbett, Ryan’s wife, said in a statement that she and their three children received a "deeply disturbing 12-minute call from Ryan" on Tuesday, "in which Ryan exhibited a significantly deteriorated mental state. His captors have told him that he is forgotten by his country, and it seems he now believes them."

The family, who live in New York, said Ryan told them on the call that he’d suffered from "high fevers last week that went undiagnosed."

Anna and the couple’s three children, 18-year-old Ketsia, 16-year-old Miriam and 13-year-old Caleb, have had just five short phone calls from Ryan, totalling 44 minutes, since he was detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban in August 2022, a year after the Islamic extremists retook control over the country and the U.S.-led international military coalition withdrew.

Taliban intelligence officials told CBS News in December that Ryan, 40, was accused of anti-state activities, a common accusation made against Westerners. Corbett has been determined to be "wrongfully detained" by the U.S. State Department, indicating the government’s assessment that the charges against him are baseless.

"I’m really scared," Anna told CBS News on Wednesday. "Something could happen to Ryan and nobody would even know. He’s often isolated for long periods of time, and with reports of seizures, fainting, discolored extremities and now deep despair, I worry every day that he may not make it home alive."

"I want the president to realize that the lack of action to bring Ryan home could have disastrous consequences," she added, referring to President Biden.

Qatar, which acts as the United States’ Protecting Power for Afghanistan in lieu of formal diplomatic relations between Washington and Kabul, has sent officials to visit Ryan in person twice, first in January 2023, and again in December.

In an exclusive TV interview in December, Anna told CBS News that Ryan had been suffering from a constant ringing in his ears and deteriorating vision, as well as seizures during his imprisonment by the Islamist militants almost 600 days ago. She also said a childhood accident had left Ryan with a collapsed lung, making him more prone to pneumonia while being held "in a damp and cold basement" since his imprisonment.

A Taliban intelligence official told CBS News in December that Ryan’s health was "fine," that he was being held in a "guesthouse" with daily access to sunlight, goat and sheep meat, newspapers, magazines and a small gym. CBS News has not verified those claims.

Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s appointed envoy to the United Nations, also told CBS News: "We don’t torture or mistreat anyone in custody."

A State Department spokesperson told CBS News the government was aware of Ryan’s latest phone call to his family and was "concerned about the well-being of Americans detained in Afghanistan and actively working for their release."

"U.S. officials have continuously pressed, including in meetings with Taliban representatives, for the immediate and unconditional release of Americans detained in Afghanistan, noting that these detentions are a significant obstacle to positive engagement," the spokesperson said, adding that "for privacy, safety, and operational reasons, we won’t speak publicly to their cases."
Wife of American detained by Taliban fears for his well-being (CNN)
CNN [3/28/2024 5:15 PM, Jennifer Hansler, 6098K, Neutral]
The wife of an American detained in Afghanistan is deeply concerned about her husband’s well-being, and pleading for the chance to tell President Joe Biden about the urgency of his case.

Ryan Corbett, who has been detained by the Taliban since August 2022, was able to call his wife Anna and their children earlier this week.

“It was a disturbing call,” Anna Corbett told CNN Thursday. “It was hard to hear Ryan losing hope. He’s been held now almost 600 days and he had a change in his mindset about it.”

This was the fifth call her husband was able to make from detention, and Anna Corbett said there was a marked difference between his demeanor on the last call in late February and the most recent one.

His physical health has been in decline, Anna Corbett described, “and now that his mental health is going down, it’s just super scary for the kids and I.”

She has met with officials from the State Department and the National Security Council, as well as US lawmakers, but Anna Corbett told CNN Thursday that she would like to meet with Biden to press the urgency of the situation.

“I would tell him Ryan has done nothing wrong. All he did was go help the Afghan people, and our family desperately needs him. And Ryan is in danger. His health is declining. His mental health is declining. And he is still alive but we don’t know how long and we need to bring him back home immediately,” she said.

Ryan and Anna Corbett and their three children had lived in Afghanistan for more than a decade prior to the collapse of the Afghan government, doing non-governmental organization work. Amid the Taliban takeover, the family was evacuated in August 2021. Ryan Corbett returned twice in 2022, and on his second trip, he was detained by the Taliban. To the family’s knowledge, he has not been charged with any crimes.

Ryan Corbett has been declared wrongfully detained by the US State Department. Anna Corbett told CNN she wants to see the US government do more to put pressure on the Taliban to release her husband.

US officials regularly say that the loved ones of those detained overseas do not need to meet with the president for work to be done on their cases, and that bringing home Americans who are wrongfully detained abroad is a top priority.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Thursday that he “cannot imagine the pain that they’re going through, and the grief that they’re suffering, and how difficult it must be knowing that their loved one is going through such a tragic hardship.”

“What I can say to the family and what I can say to the American public on behalf of this government is that we are working every day to try and bring Ryan Corbett home,” Miller said at a briefing. “We have continually pressed, including in our meetings with Taliban representatives, for the immediate and unconditional release of Ryan Corbett and other Americans detained in Afghanistan.”

“We have made clear to the Taliban that these detentions are a significant obstacle to positive engagement and we will continue to do that. We are using every lever we can to try to bring Ryan and these other wrongfully detained Americans home from Afghanistan,” he said.
Moscow attack fuels concern over ISIS risk from Taliban’s Afghanistan (CBS News)
CBS News [3/28/2024 12:34 PM, Ahmad Mukhtar, 76K, Negative]
The devastating March 22 terrorist attack on a packed concert hall in the Moscow suburbs brought Afghanistan abruptly back into the spotlight, as suspicions quickly fell on the ISIS branch in the country. While ISIS attributed the carnage to a never-before-mentioned Russian wing, the U.S. had warned about two weeks earlier of intelligence suggesting the Afghan affiliate, ISIS-Khorasan or ISIS-K, was planning attacks in Russia.

Russian officials also said, at about the same time, that they’d thwarted another ISIS-K plot targeting a synagogue in Moscow.

Four men identified by Russia as suspects in the concert hall attack, dragged before a judge bearing signs of significant beatings this week, were all said to be nationals of Tajikistan. That country sits right on Afghanistan’s northern border, and many of ISIS-K’s fighters are believed to be Tajik nationals.

So while Moscow hurls accusations at Ukraine that both Kyiv and Washington say are baseless, and no positive link has been established between the concert hall attack and ISIS’ Afghan franchise, it has renewed concern about the promise made by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to prevent the country from once again becoming a haven for terrorist groups to plot attacks around the world.

What are the Taliban’s relations with ISIS-K?

An array of terrorist groups operated in Afghanistan before and throughout the decades-long U.S. and allied military presence in the country. Since the Taliban regained power nearly three years ago, however, many of those militant groups have ceased operations in the country.

But not ISIS-K. It has continued not only operating, but working hard, through indiscriminate bloodshed, to challenge and erode the Taliban’s authority.

Both are Islamic fundamentalist groups, and both are designated terrorist organizations by the U.S. government, but the Taliban and ISIS-K have different ideologies and goals, and they are at war with each other.

The Taliban’s goal had, for more than two decades, been to topple Afghanistan’s U.S.-backed government and to reimpose its harsh interpretation of what a "pure Islamic" country should be. It has done that.

ISIS-K, in contrast, is considered one of the more outwardly threatening affiliates of the now-global network born out of the wars in Iraq and Syria. The Afghan branch was formed in 2015 along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Its aim is to establish an Islamic caliphate in the region (as it did for several years in parts of Iraq and Syria) and to expand its terror activities around the world.

Over the past couple years, ISIS-K has conducted high-profile attacks against Taliban officials in Afghanistan, killing some important figures along with civilians. Just last week the group conducted a suicide attack in Kandahar province targeting Taliban workers who had gathered outside a bank to withdraw their salaries.

United Nations data reported last year shows that, since 2022 alone, ISIS-K had claimed responsibility for more than 190 suicide bombings in major cities, resulting in some 1,300 casualties.

Can the Taliban stop ISIS-K? Would it?

The Taliban, having returned as Afghanistan’s governing power, is a formidable military force, bolstered by equipment left behind by U.S. and allied forces as they withdrew hastily in 2021. Analysts say the Taliban has demonstrated some determination in combating ISIS-K, and has managed to reduce the threat from its rival within the country.

But analysts and United Nations envoys say a series of ISIS-K-attributed attacks and foiled plots in Iran, Russia and Europe cast serious doubt on the Taliban’s willingness, or ability, to curb the group’s operations outside of Afghanistan.

"The Taliban have been fighting ISIS-K inside Afghanistan, undoubtedly, because ISIS-K is the main armed opposition to their rule," Asfandyar Mir, a South Asia security expert with the United States Institute of Peace, told CBS News.

But he added that the ISIS affiliate’s "plotting in Europe, the attack in Kerman, Iran, and now the Moscow attack, raise serious questions over the efficacy of the Taliban’s ability to degrade ISIS-K’s external attack capability."

In January, the United Nations Security Council monitoring team said the Taliban’s efforts to combat ISIS-K "appear to be more focused on the internal threat posed to them than the external operations of the group."

Has the Taliban’s return handed ISIS a victory, too?

Just a year after the Taliban reassumed power in Afghanistan, the group’s promise to the U.S. — written into the withdrawal agreement brokered by the Trump administration in 2020 — to prevent terror groups from using the country as a base, was pointedly challenged.

Al Qaeda’s top leader, Ayman Al Zawahiri, was killed by a U.S. drone strike in the diplomatic district of Kabul at the end of July 2022.

During the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country the previous year, Taliban forces freed thousands of prisoners, including many ISIS-K fighters. In the mayhem, and without any military air power, those militants found ready access to weapons, and freedom of movement.

"We have seen, in recent months, indications of a growing ISIS-K capacity to project threats far beyond its bastions in Afghanistan," Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, told CBS News. "ISIS-K, like the parent Islamic State and other regional affiliates, is ideologically committed to global activities. It was just a matter of getting the capacity to match the will, and it looks like ISIS-K has now reached that point."

France raised its national security threat level to its highest point Monday after the country’s Interior Ministry said two attempted attacks by ISIS-K, targeting an LGBTQ nightclub and Jewish or Christian religious sites, had been thwarted.

The group "clearly has the capacity to threaten countries in many parts of the world," Kugelman told CBS News. "How much more it can develop an external targeting capacity will depend on various factors: The level of assistance it gets from the parent Islamic State; its ability to secure financing; the number of foreign fighters it’s able to recruit and also the extent to which the international community works to counter this growing, global ISIS-K threat."

Samantha Vinograd, a CBS News contributor and former counterterrorism official for the Department of Homeland Security in the Biden and Obama administrations, told "Face the Nation" after the Moscow attack that ISIS, "despite territorial and leadership losses, has retained its ability to conduct operations, largely through regional affiliates like ISIS-K."

"We’ve seen ISIS-K attack American interests outside the Kabul airport during the evacuation, attack the Russian Embassy in Kabul in 2022 and, increasingly, increase the geographic scope of their operations," she said. "We also know that ISIS is relying on its regional affiliates to attack its interests in the West. And from my time advising the Secretary of Homeland Security, I will tell you that we were concerned about the threat that ISIS-K posed to American interests and to the homeland, and we took certain steps to mitigate that."

Vinograd stressed the importance of intelligence-based screening of people trying to enter the United States as one of the best countermeasures against the ongoing ISIS-K threat, and said that’s where she was concerned that "we’re under-resourced in terms of having the information available to make really informed vetting decisions. With our withdrawals in Afghanistan and Iraq, we have lost certain intelligence capabilities."

ISIS-K’s training camps and strongholds are located largely across Afghanistan’s north, northeast and eastern provinces, the U.N.’s monitoring team said in 2023, "with at least five new ones built in 2022."

The Taliban claims, bluntly, to have neutralized the threat from ISIS-K, and it says forces conduct regular operations targeting the group’s hideouts and leaders.

"We have eliminated the threat of ISIS-K in Afghanistan. In the past, during occupation of Afghanistan by U.S. and other allied forces, ISIS-K was holding some areas in their control in Afghanistan, and they had physical presence there, but it is not the case now," Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, told CBS News.
Taliban edict to resume stoning women to death met with horror (The Guardian)
The Guardian [3/28/2024 2:02 PM, Ruchi Kumar, 12499K, Negative]
The Taliban’s announcement that it is resuming publicly stoning women to death has been enabled by the international community’s silence, human rights groups have said.

Safia Arefi, a lawyer and head of the Afghan human rights organisation Women’s Window of Hope, said the announcement had condemned Afghan women to return to the darkest days of Taliban rule in the 1990s.

“With this announcement by the Taliban leader, a new chapter of private punishments has begun and Afghan women are experiencing the depths of loneliness,” Arefi said.

“Now, no one is standing beside them to save them from Taliban punishments. The international community has chosen to remain silent in the face of these violations of women’s rights.”

The Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, announced at the weekend that the group would begin enforcing its interpretation of sharia law in Afghanistan, including reintroducing the public flogging and stoning of women for adultery.

In an audio broadcast on the Taliban-controlled Radio Television Afghanistan last Saturday, Akhundzada said: “We will flog the women … we will stone them to death in public [for adultery].

“You may call it a violation of women’s rights when we publicly stone or flog them for committing adultery because they conflict with your democratic principles,” he said, adding: “[But] I represent Allah, and you represent Satan.”

He justified the move as a continuation of the Taliban’s struggle against western influences. “The Taliban’s work did not end with the takeover of Kabul, it has only just begun,” he said.

The news was met by horror but not surprise by Afghan women’s right groups, who say the dismantling of any remaining rights and protection for the country’s 14 million women and girls is now almost complete.

Sahar Fetrat, an Afghan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “Two years ago, they didn’t have the courage they have today to vow stoning women to death in public; now they do.

“They tested their draconian policies one by one, and have reached this point because there is no one to hold them accountable for the abuses. Through the bodies of Afghan women, the Taliban demand and command moral and societal orders. We should all be warned that if not stopped, more and more will come.”

Since taking power, in August 2021, the Taliban has dissolved the western-backed constitution of Afghanistan and suspended existing criminal and penal codes, replacing them with their rigid and fundamentalist interpretation of sharia law. They also banned female lawyers and judges, targeting many of them for their work under the previous government.

Samira Hamidi, an Afghan activist and campaigner at Amnesty International, said: “In the past two and half years, the Taliban has dismantled institutions that were providing services to Afghan women.

“However, their leader’s latest endorsement of women’s public stoning to death is a flagrant violation of international human rights laws, including Cedaw [the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women].”

Hamidi said Afghan women were now in effect powerless to defend themselves from persecution and injustice.

In the past year alone, Taliban-appointed judges ordered 417 public floggings and executions, according to Afghan Witness, a research group monitoring human rights in Afghanistan. Of these, 57 were women.

Most recently, in February, the Taliban executed people in public at stadiums in Jawzjan and Ghazni provinces. The militant group has urged people to attend executions and punishments as a “lesson” but banned filming or photography.
What’s happened in Afghanistan since the U.S. withdrawal demands a reckoning (MSNBC – opinion)
MSNBC [3/28/2024 5:32 PM, Michael A. Cohen, 902K, Neutral]
Earlier this month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released its annual threat assessment, a compendium of “worldwide threats to the national security of the United States.” On the third to last page of the report, to little fanfare, the report makes a startling statement about the threat to America from “global terrorism”: “al-Qa’ida has reached an operational nadir in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

Last September, Christy Abizaid, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said the same thing to similarly little notice. Al Qaeda’s “revival is unlikely,” she added, in part because of the loss of an “accommodating local environment.”

This should be a reason for celebration, but in reality, it demands a reckoning.

Warnings of potential terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan were a bipartisan exercise not only for presidents, but for legislators as well.

For 20 years after 9/11, the United States spent more than $2 trillion and lost nearly 2,500 soldiers fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. For 20 years, U.S. policymakers argued that the American troop presence in Afghanistan was vital to U.S. national security because it would prevent a Taliban victory and the inevitable return of an al Qaeda safe haven that would again imperil U.S. security. And for 20 years, U.S. officials rarely questioned those dubious assumptions as they sent more and more troops into harm’s way to fight an enemy that posed at best, a marginal threat to the American people.

As early as October 2001, the same month the initial military intervention in Afghanistan began, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld identified one of the key goals of the mission as ending “the use of Afghanistan as a sanctuary for terrorism.”

That goal was achieved two months later when the Taliban were routed from power and al Qaeda operatives, including their leader Osama bin Laden, either fled the country or were killed. Many of those who fled found shelter in Pakistan, where (at least initially) the U.S. military could do nothing to attack them.

Yet, the presence of an actual al Qaeda safe haven in Pakistan, from which the terrorist group did not successfully launch terrorist attacks against the U.S. homeland, failed to convince policymakers that their fears of a potential al Qaeda safe haven in Afghanistan were perhaps unfounded.

In fact, the “safe haven” argument became such a seductive explanation for U.S. military interventions that President George W. Bush began justifying the continued U.S. troop presence in Iraq by arguing, “We’ll deny them the safe haven to replace the one they lost in Afghanistan.”

And as a Taliban insurgency began to ramp up in Afghanistan, the fears of an al Qaeda sanctuary there were used to justify not only maintaining the U.S.’ troop presence in Afghanistan — but expanding it. Soon after taking office in January 2009, President Barack Obama increased troop levels and announced a new “comprehensive strategy” that aimed “to prevent Afghanistan from becoming the al Qaeda safe haven that it was before 9/11.”

“If the Afghan government falls to the Taliban or allows al Qaeda to go unchallenged,” Obama argued, “that country will again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can.”

The first rule of Washington’s foreign policy mandarins is never admit you were wrong — even if the consequences of your misjudgment are dead American soldiers.

Other officials echoed Obama’s words in even more forceful terms. Richard Holbrooke, Obama’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, declared that if the Taliban returned to rule, “without any shadow of a doubt, Al Qaeda would move back into Afghanistan, set up a larger presence, recruit more people and pursue its objectives against the United States even more aggressively.” That, he said, is “the only justification for what we’re doing.”

Warnings of potential terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan were a bipartisan exercise not only for presidents, but for legislators as well. They would be repeated by one military leader after another. To listen to these confident proclamations is to believe that once terrorists cross the border into Afghanistan, they are magically transformed from mere mortals into Jason Bourne-like figures, capable of unprecedented levels of death and destruction.

These talking points were picked up by President Donald Trump, who declared in 2017 that U.S. interests in Afghanistan and Pakistan were clear: “We must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America.”

Eventually, however, Trump signed an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw American troops from the country in return for a pledge that they would not allow “international terrorist groups” to operate inside Afghanistan’s borders.

Critics like Gen. David Petraeus, who commanded U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2010-11, warned again that such a move endangered Americans. After the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in 2021, other U.S. officials, like former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta, confidently declared that the group “will indeed continue to provide a safe haven for terrorists, and that spells trouble for the United States.”

If one is eagerly awaiting a mea culpa from Petraeus, Panetta, et al., don’t hold your breath. The first rule of Washington’s foreign policy mandarins is never admit you were wrong — even if the consequences of your misjudgment are dead American soldiers.

Opponents of the withdrawal might argue that while fears of a new refuge for al Qaeda proved incorrect, there were good reasons to believe that a Taliban return would lead to precisely that outcome. But in reality, the Taliban and al Qaeda had a fractured relationship. Mullah Omar, the Taliban’s founder and Afghanistan’s supreme leader before the U.S.-led invasion, was not aware of the 9/11 plot in advance. Even before the attack, the relationship between Omar and bin Laden — and the movements they led — had become increasingly frayed. All of this was relatively well known — and regularly voiced by critics of the war — but largely ignored.

For hundreds of thousands of Americans who served in Afghanistan — and their millions of loved ones — the scars from that era are permanent.

Common sense might also have led U.S. officials to ask: After spending nearly 20 years as insurgents, why would the Taliban allow the same terrorists back in and invite yet another U.S.-led attack? And it wasn’t as if the U.S. was powerless to act if the Taliban inexplicably set out on the same course that had sent them into exile two decades earlier. In the years after 9/11, the U.S. went to great lengths to prevent a similar terrorist attack from happening again. Airport security was beefed up, and the U.S. government bolstered its ability to share information about potential terrorist plots. What was the point of those reforms if the U.S. continued to treat safe havens thousands of miles away as urgent threats requiring major military campaigns?

American officials could have also listened to the Taliban’s deputy leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani. “It is not in the interest of any Afghan to allow such groups to hijack our country and turn it into a battleground,” he wrote in a 2020 New York Times op-ed. “We have already suffered enough from foreign interventions.” As it turns out, he’s been true to his word.

For most Americans, al Qaeda and the war on terrorism will seem like ancient history: a dark period that has been overtaken by a newer and more pressing set of concerns. But for hundreds of thousands of Americans who served in Afghanistan — and their millions of loved ones — the scars from that era are permanent. Their memory deserves better than a sentence innocuously tucked away in an intelligence report that shows the fight they waged was based on a lazy and untested assumption that politicians of both parties, military commanders, pundits and journalists wrongly accepted and didn’t bother to question.
Pakistan
Amnesty International Calls On Pakistan To Stop Expelling Afghan Girls And Women (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [3/28/2024 11:48 AM, Staff, 223K, Neutral]
Amnesty International has urged Pakistan to halt expelling hundreds of thousands of Afghan girls and women to neighboring Afghanistan.

“The deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan will put women and girls at unique risk,” Amnesty’s South Asia Office wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on March 27.

The global rights watchdog’s plea comes ahead of the beginning of a new phase of the expulsion of Afghan refugees from neighboring Pakistan. Islamabad plans to force some 850,000 documented Afghan refugees back to their country next month if they don’t leave voluntarily.

Since October, Pakistan has already expelled more than 500,000 Afghans who lacked proper documents to stay in the country.

“Forced returns seriously curtail their rights to education, work, movement, and in some cases, expose them to imminent threat of violence,” Amnesty said.

“The Government of Pakistan must halt all deportations and take affirmative measures to ensure the safety of refugee women and girls,” it added.

After returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban’s ultraconservative Islamist government n Afghanistan has banned teenage girls and women from education. It also prohibited women from employment in most sectors.

Afghan women must also wear a niqab -- a strict head-to-toe veil -- in public. Taliban restrictions have severely curtailed women’s mobility by requiring them to be accompanied by a male chaperone outside their homes. Women are also banned from leisure activities, including visits to parks.

“Women and girls will experience serious repression of their rights to education, work, freedom of movement and more if deported,” Amnesty said.

The new warning comes two days after Amnesty called in a new report on Islamabad to reverse forced expulsions of all Afghans.

The report, Pakistan: Human Rights Charter, issued on March 25, asked Islamabad to protect all at-risk "refugees in compliance with Pakistan obligations under the principle of non-refoulement."

Non-refoulement is a fundamental principle of international law that prohibits a state from returning asylum seekers to a country where they would face persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.

Pakistan lacks a domestic law that offers a path to refugee status. It is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or the 1967 protocol intended to remove constraints on who can be considered a refugee.
Pakistan to Investigate Army’s Meddling in Judiciary, Law Minister Says (Reuters)
Reuters [3/28/2024 10:04 AM, Asif Shahzad, 33671K, Negative]
Pakistan will set up an inquiry commission to investigate accusations by six High Court judges of interference and intimidation by the country’s powerful intelligence agencies in judicial decisions, the law minister said on Thursday.

Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar made the announcement at a news conference in Islamabad, saying the decision was taken at a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa.

Their meeting took place after a letter written by six judges of the Islamabad High Court was sent to Isa’s office. It alleged that the country’s top spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had been intimidating them to seek favourable decisions in political cases.

The Pakistani army’s media office did not respond to a Reuters request for a comment.

"We believe it is imperative to inquire into and determine whether there exists a continuing policy on part of the executive branch of the state, implemented by intelligence operatives who report to the executive branch, to intimidate judges, under threat of coercion or blackmail, to engineer judicial outcomes in politically consequential matters," said the letter, addressed to the Supreme Judicial Council headed by Justice Isa and seen by Reuters.

It mentioned as an example that the ISI’s operatives intimidated through "friends and relatives" two of the judges who had declared against taking up a political case related to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan last year.

It said the six judges had brought such cases in their chief’s knowledge and also met the then chief justice of Pakistan to "share their concerns regarding efforts of ISI operatives to affect judicial outcomes".

They said the interference continued despite their chief assuring them that he had taken up the matter with the ISI head, who gave his word that there would not be any such interference, the letter said.

Khan’s main opponent, the prime minister’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had also accused the ISI of intimidating the same court’s decisions which led to convictions of his elder brother Nawaz Sharif after his ouster from the prime minister’s office in 2017.

The powerful army plays an oversized role in making and breaking governments in Pakistan. The country has been ruled by military regimes for almost half its history since independence from Britain in 1947. Khan and elder Sharif both have alleged that they were ousted by the military after they fell out with the generals.

"We want it to be thoroughly probed because we had also been its victim," Tarar said.

PM Sharif will formally take the decision to set up the commission in a cabinet meeting on Friday, Tarar said.
Pakistan to Probe Military’s Alleged Coercion of Senior Judges (VOA)
VOA [3/28/2024 3:10 PM, Ayaz Gul, 761K, Negative]
Pakistan’s government announced Thursday that it will set up a special commission to investigate allegations the military-run spy agency has been subjecting federal judges to intimidation, torture and other abuses to secure favorable judicial rulings in political cases.

The charges were listed in a letter written by six of eight members of the Islamabad High Court and sent this week to the Supreme Judicial Council, which governs Pakistan’s judiciary under the leadership of the country’s chief justice, Qazi Faez Isa.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told a news conference that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will discuss the letter at a Cabinet meeting on Friday before formally appointing a commission of inquiry to investigate the accusations.

Tarar said that Sharif made the decision after a Thursday meeting with Chief Justice Isa at the Supreme Court in Islamabad.

“This [letter] is an extremely grave matter, and it should be dealt with very seriously,” the minister stated.

Dated March 25, the letter accused the Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, of meddling in judicial proceedings "to seek a certain outcome." An army general runs the spy agency, which is notorious for allegedly orchestrating the making or breaking of elected governments at the behest of Pakistan’s powerful military.

"We believe it is imperative to inquire into and determine whether there exists a continuing policy on part of the executive branch of the state, implemented by intelligence operatives who report to the executive branch, to intimidate judges, under threat of coercion or blackmail, to engineer judicial outcomes in politically consequential matters," the judges wrote.

The document highlighted several instances of attempted coercion and intimidation by ISI officers "to influence the outcome of cases related to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. In one of the cases, ISI operatives intimidated “friends and relatives” of two judges who had refused to hear a state-instituted case against Khan for lacking merit.

"One of the judges had to be admitted to a hospital due to high blood pressure caused by stress," the letter said.

It recounted the abduction of a "brother-in-law" of the Islamabad high court judge by alleged ISI operatives. It added that the abductee "was administered electric shocks" and "tortured into making false allegations" on camera against the judge.

Khan, the cricket hero-turned-prime minister, was ousted from power in April 2021 through an opposition parliamentary vote of no-confidence. Khan denounced the move as orchestrated by the military, allegations the institution rejected.

The military ruled Pakistan for more than three decades through coups against elected governments since the country gained independence in 1947.

Former prime ministers, including Khan and Sharif’s elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, have publicly accused army generals of interference in national politics in violation of the constitution.

"We want it to be thoroughly investigated because we had also been its victim," said Tarar, a senior member of Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling Pakistan Muslim League, or PML-N, party.

Khan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party swiftly rejected the government-proposed commission and demanded that the Supreme Court take up the matter.

“Senior judges incriminating officials working under the government of spying on their private life to pivot away for getting court decisions against former Prime Minister Imran Khan or any other politician, is actually a charge sheet against the government itself,” a PTI statement said.

“Therefore, the formation of an inquiry commission by the incumbent government is nothing but a deflection to avoid a contentious situation,” it said.

The Pakistani military denies it interferes in national politics, but its former chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, acknowledged in a nationally televised speech just days before his retirement in November 2022 that his institution had been meddling in politics for the past 70 years.

In the lead-up to Pakistan’s parliamentary elections last month, the military was constantly accused of influencing judicial proceedings and cracking down on Khan’s party to keep him in jail over controversial convictions.

Eventually, the 71-year-old politician was barred from running in the February 8 vote, and PTI candidates were restricted from winning the majority despite representing the most popular party, according to public surveys.

Khan has been in jail since last August and faces close to 200 lawsuits and prosecutions, ranging from terrorism, sedition, and corruption to murder. He rejects the charges as politically motivated, saying the Pakistani military has orchestrated them to punish him for directly challenging its largely unquestioned powers.
Pakistan Official Says China Halts Work On Two Projects After Deadly Attack (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [3/29/2024 4:27 AM, Lehaz Ali, 304K, Neutral]
Chinese contractors have halted construction on two major dam projects in Pakistan after a suicide bomber killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver this week, a provincial official told AFP on Friday.

The companies have demanded that Pakistan authorities come up with new security plans before reopening the sites where around 1,250 Chinese nationals are working, the official said.

The security of Chinese workers is a major concern to both countries, with nationals frequently targeted by militants hostile to outside influence.

The workers were targeted on Tuesday by a suicide bomber who rammed into their vehicle on a mountainous road near one of the dam sites.

He detonated his explosives on impact, plunging their vehicle into a deep ravine.

A senior official from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa interior department told AFP on condition of anonymity that since Wednesday, China Gezhouba Group Company has halted work on the Dasu dam in the province and Power China has stopped work on Diamer Bhasha dam, which straddles two provinces.

"They have demanded new security plans from the government," he said.

"Around 750 Chinese engineers are engaged in the Dasu Dam project, while 500 are working on the Diamer Bhasha Dam," he added.

He said the movement of Chinese engineers has been restricted to the compounds where they live, close to the sites.

China has not commented, but this week repeatedly urged Pakistan to ensure the safety of its nationals.

Beijing is Islamabad’s closest regional ally, readily providing financial assistance to bail out its often-struggling neighbour.

China has inked more than two trillion dollars in contracts around the world under its Belt and Road investment scheme, with billions pouring into infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

But Pakistanis have long complained that they are not getting a fair share of jobs or wealth created by the projects.

Tuesday’s attack sparked a flurry of diplomatic activity at the Chinese embassy in Islamabad, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the foreign and interior ministers offering condolences in quick succession.

China’s foreign ministry declared the countries "iron-clad friends" but asked Pakistan to "take effective measures to ensure the safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects, and institutions".

Tuesday’s attack came just days after militants attempted to storm offices of the Gwadar deepwater port in the southwest, considered a cornerstone of Chinese investment in Pakistan.

In 2019, gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Balochistan province overlooking the flagship Chinese-backed deepwater seaport in Gwadar that gives strategic access to the Arabian Sea -- killing at least eight people.

In June 2020, Baloch insurgents targeted the Pakistan Stock Exchange, which is partly owned by Chinese companies, in the commercial capital of Karachi.
Pakistan Needs to Get India to Yes on Trade (Bloomberg – opinion)
Bloomberg [3/28/2024 6:00 PM, Mihir Sharma, 5543K, Neutral]
Pakistani Finance Minister Ishaq Dar raised more than a few eyebrows last week when he said — almost as an aside — that his country’s new government would “seriously look into matters of trade with India”. A resumption of trade would be something of a climbdown for Pakistan, which cut off economic ties when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unilaterally withdrew Kashmir’s special constitutional status in 2019. Until now, Pakistani leaders have insisted they wouldn’t restore relations until the decision was reversed.

Dar’s statement should not come as a complete surprise. His party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N, has a very particular class basis: It’s an alliance between the semi-urban petty bourgeoisie and large industrialists such as its leader, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. These constituencies have always seen the benefits — for themselves and for Pakistan — of normalizing trade ties with a large and growing India.

Those gains are potentially substantial, especially for a country as desperate for hard currency as Pakistan is today. The World Bank estimated in 2018 that Pakistan’s exports could increase by as much as 80% — about $25 billion at that point — if trade with India reached its potential.

At this point, Pakistan simply can’t afford to forego billions of dollars. Its economy is on life support, stumbling from handout to handout. It just managed to secure the last tranche of a $3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif — Nawaz’s brother — indicated that more money would soon be needed. Without further cash, he said, restoring macroeconomic stability would be impossible.

The problem is that Pakistan needs India far more than India needs Pakistan. The Indian economy is stable and India remains deeply reluctant to open its markets to other developing countries who might put local producers out of business.

If anything, Indians seem to have collectively decided that we can afford to ignore the nuclear-armed nation of 230 million people on our western border. India’s economy is more than 10 times the size of Pakistan’s. In the 1970s, Pakistan’s per capita income was about twice India’s; today India’s is 50% higher.

When Pakistan does intrude into India’s insular politics, it generally isn’t for good reasons. Modi won re-election in 2019 after he sent fighter jets across the Line of Control in Kashmir following an attack on an Indian army camp.

So, Islamabad is going to have to be very careful about how it attempts to restore the bilateral relationship. Pakistani diplomats should certainly wait, for example, until after India’s general elections wrap up in a few months. If Modi is re-elected — as most expect — that should be a propitious moment to begin the conversation. Modi will likely have one eye on his legacy at that point and could be ready for a grand, magnanimous gesture.

At the same time, Pakistan shouldn’t be too passive. Modi gets along reasonably well with Nawaz Sharif, famously dropping by Sharif’s house for his granddaughter’s wedding on Christmas Day 2015. There’s no reason to suppose that whichever Indian leader follows Modi will be as interested in the international plaudits that would follow peace with Pakistan.

Indeed, aside from Modi, Pakistan currently has few potential advocates in India. Dar pointed out last week that “Pakistani businessmen want trade with India to resume.” There is no equivalent constituency within India; developing one will have to be a priority for Pakistan. India’s dynamic, profit-seeking private sector could be a powerful voice for closer ties if companies believe normalization will be in their interest as well.

For many, it most certainly would be. Moreover, for India, trade can’t just be about profits. It must be viewed strategically, as a method of strengthening the classes in Pakistan that desire stability, not chaos, and weaning the Pakistani economy away from its dependence on China.

Above all, Indian leaders from Modi on down should remember that a Pakistan focused on trade and growth will be one that’s less likely to descend into extremism and militancy. If Pakistan really is ready to climb down, India should meet it halfway.
India
Arrest of Indian Opposition Leader Draws U.S. Scrutiny (Wall Street Journal)
Wall Street Journal [3/28/2024 10:40 AM, Tripti Lahiri, 810K, Neutral]
In his early days as chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal appeared more at home protesting on the street than sitting in his government office. He once briefly ran the government from the pavement in India’s capital, where he was holding a sit-in.

Now, he is trying to run his administration from a much more challenging spot: a prison cell.

The 55-year-old politician, who runs the territory that includes India’s capital, was arrested on corruption charges last week, less than a month before national elections. Kejriwal and his supporters say he has been falsely accused and his arrest is part of a government effort to suppress opponents of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The U.S. and Germany have said they are paying close attention to the arrest.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has said that law-enforcement agencies are merely doing their job and that no one is above the law. The party and the prime minister’s office didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.

“Whether I’m in jail or out, I’ll continue to serve the country,” Kejriwal said in a message read by his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, in a YouTube video after the March 21 arrest. “I am on this earth to wage battles.”

India’s government has rebuffed global scrutiny of the arrest.

In a briefing Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller declined to confirm news reports that India had summoned a senior U.S. diplomat after the U.S. had earlier this week called for “a fair, transparent and timely legal process” for Kejriwal. India said on Wednesday it strongly objected to the U.S. remarks for casting aspersions on its legal process.

“We don’t think anyone should object to that, and we’ll make the same thing clear privately,” said Miller, referring to the U.S. stance.

The U.S. statements followed similar remarks from Germany’s foreign ministry, which come amid growing concerns among rights groups and some political experts who say India, by some measures, is becoming less democratic and increasingly intolerant of dissent.

Congress, the country’s largest opposition party, is facing a tax-recovery action that the party said cut off access to most of its funds and left its national election campaign in tatters. Tax authorities say the action comes after a tax order issued three years ago, and that the party delayed resolving its tax issues.

In India, parties out of power often accuse incumbent governments of turning state investigative apparatuses on their foes. But a minister from Kejriwal’s party said the timing of the arrest made it a striking departure.

“It has never happened just after elections are announced,” said Atishi, an education minister in Kejriwal’s administration and a founder of the party, who goes by her first name. “You hear about all this happening in lapsing democracies. This does not happen in India.”

Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, which means common man party, is a minnow compared with the ruling BJP, which is widely expected to cruise to a third victory in elections that begin in late April. But, by some markers, it is gaining momentum for the long haul.

Aam Aadmi formed about a decade ago out of mass street protests against what was perceived as widespread corruption in the then-ruling Congress Party. To drive home its message of cleaning up politics, Aam Aadmi adopted a broom as its electoral symbol. That sentiment—seen as a revolt by India’s middle classes against corruption—also helped propel Modi and the BJP to national power in 2014, with their promise of a clean government.

In his first stint as Delhi’s chief minister, Kejriwal impressed voters by declining to use a car with a flashing red light on top—which at the time were commonly used by government leaders but seen by many as a symbol of VIP privilege in India. Instead, the former civil servant took the Delhi subway to his inauguration as a state leader.

Kejriwal resigned in January 2014, after two months in office, in protest over political opposition to anticorruption measures. But his party swept to victory in Delhi elections the following year, in an embarrassing setback for Modi’s BJP. Aam Aadmi was re-elected in 2020, and many voters credit it with doing many of the things it said it would—including improving government-run schools and clinics, and providing free electricity to low-volume users.

“I think they were able to run Delhi quite effectively. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been returned to power with such high numbers in 2020,” said Rahul Verma, a political scientist with the Centre for Policy Research, a think tank based in New Delhi. He said Kejriwal has become a “formidable player among opposition ranks.”

In 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in a second state, Punjab—India’s breadbasket. Punjab was one of the few northern states to fiercely oppose Modi and the BJP after he angered farmers with efforts to overhaul India’s agriculture sector.

Last year, Aam Aadmi joined the tiny number of parties officially designated national parties, after it won more than a 10% vote share in local elections in Gujarat—Modi’s home state. Parties need to get at least 6% support and win lawmakers in at least four states to earn such a designation.

But Verma said that not everyone thinks the party has lived up to its early promise.

Prashant Bhushan, a public interest lawyer who was one of the founders of Aam Aadmi, said he was expelled over disagreements with Kejriwal over how to run the party. He said the party has drifted from its roots of keeping money out of politics and he disagrees with some of the candidates it has chosen to field for certain offices.

“It started out as a different kind of party,” said Bhushan. “Now I don’t think it’s very different.”

Still, Bhushan said Kejriwal’s arrest was shocking, calling it a clear abuse of power and a message that every opposition leader has to beware and fall in line.

Aam Aadmi and its leader have long sparred with the BJP, which Kejriwal has frequently said is beholden to India’s largest corporate interests. Once, in a televised news conference, Kejriwal read a letter to Modi accusing him of being under the thumb of big business.

The BJP is seen as close to India’s biggest industrialists, whose firms are at the forefront of expanding India’s infrastructure and economic heft. But government officials and supporters say that such firms don’t get any special favors. Modi’s party has also been facing scrutiny over its financing after India’s Supreme Court in February struck down a mechanism his government introduced that allowed for anonymous donations.

The graft investigation that has enveloped the Aam Aadmi Party, and landed Kejriwal in jail, could tarnish its claims of being a more transparently financed alternative to the BJP.

The Directorate of Enforcement, an agency tasked with implementing an anti-money-laundering law, last week arrested Kejriwal on allegations stemming from an investigation into the state’s effort three years ago to privatize liquor sales in a country where alcohol sales are heavily controlled and often take place at government-run shops. The agency alleges the party sought kickbacks as part of the effort.

The Directorate of Enforcement didn’t respond to questions.

The party says the agency has produced no evidence of wrongdoing despite searching the homes and offices of party leaders, several of whom have also been arrested.

Atishi, the Delhi minister, said Kejriwal remains upbeat, issuing instructions through lawyers to make sure households facing water shortages get water delivered by tankers, and that medicines are being dispatched to public hospitals. Without a conviction, there is no legal prohibition against him carrying out his duties from behind bars, she said.

“These may not be very glamorous projects but these are the things that affect the lives of people in a very day-to-day, bread-and-butter way,” she said.
India calls U.S. remarks on its politics unwarranted, unacceptable (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [3/28/2024 8:05 AM, Swati Gupta and Sudhi Ranjan Sen, 179K, Negative]
India said Washington’s call for fairness in legal cases related to opposition parties was “unwarranted” and “unacceptable”.

“In India, legal processes are driven only by the Rule of Law,” according to a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs. “Anyone who has similar ethos, especially fellow democracies, should have no difficulty in appreciating this fact.”

The US has now twice called for India to carry our a fair and timely legal process following political developments in India just before the country heads for national elections.

The exchange of comments between the two countries comes after the arrest of the Delhi chief minister and the freezing of accounts for the India’s main opposition Congress party.

The US encourages “fair, transparent, and timely legal processes for each of these issues,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington Wednesday. “We don’t think anyone should object to that, and we’ll make the same thing clear privately.”

India’s government this week summoned a top US diplomat in India, Gloria Berbena, over the comments made by the State Department regarding the arrest of opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal, who is also the chief minister of Delhi, Bloomberg News reported. “India has lodged its strong objection and protest with the senior official from the US Embassy with regard to the comments made by the US State Department,” read India’s statement on Thursday.

The diplomatic tensions over India’s opposition could pose a problem for US President Joe Biden. He has been trying to court India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is expected to win a third straight term, as Washington seeks to bring nations together to form a united front against China’s assertiveness in the Asia Pacific.

Miller declined to comment on India summoning Berbena, saying he was not going to talk about any private diplomatic conversations.

India raised similar objections after German officials commented on Kejriwal’s arrest. Germany’s deputy chief of mission was summoned to a meeting to register New Delhi’s disapproval, according to a March 23 statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.

India’s federal anti-money laundering agency arrested Kejriwal last week in relation to a bribery case, triggering a storm of criticism from opposition parties who are accusing Modi’s government of using such agencies to target them. Kejriwal’s party governs Delhi, the capital, and the northern Indian state of Punjab.

Hours before Kejriwal’s arrest, the Congress party held a press conference and accused Modi’s government of trying to cripple them financially after the Income Tax Department froze their bank accounts. Both Congress and Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party have said Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is destroying what should be a level-playing field for the elections.

The BJP has refuted any suggestion of deliberate targeting of the opposition and has defended the government’s actions as necessary to root out widespread corruption.
India summons US State Department official over call for fair legal treatment of arrested opposition leader (CNN)
CNN [3/28/2024 6:18 AM, Lucas Lillieholm, Sania Farooqui, Aishwarya S. Iyer, and Rhea Mogul, 6098K, Neutral]
India’s Ministry of External Affairs summoned a US State Department official after the department called for a fair legal process for opposition leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal following his arrest last week.

“We take strong objection to the remarks of the Spokesperson of the US State Department about certain legal proceedings in India,” the Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

“In diplomacy, states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others. This responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies,” the statement added.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday summoned Gloria Berbena, the State Department Minister-Counselor for Public Diplomacy, according to a diplomatic officer with knowledge of the matter.

At a briefing later on Wednesday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller declined to discuss “private diplomatic conversations” when asked about Berbena’s summoning, but stood by the department’s previous comments.

“We encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes. We don’t think anyone should object to that, and we’ll make the same thing clear privately,” Miller said.

Kejriwal was taken into custody on March 21 following a raid on his home by the federal financial crimes agency, members of his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said, in the latest blow to an alliance of parties aiming to unseat Modi as he seeks a third consecutive term.

He is one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fiercest critics and Kejriwal’s allies have claimed the arrest was politically motivated.

His arrest comes as tensions run high ahead of a crucial nationwide election which begins on April 19, in which Modi is widely expected to leave the opposition languishing despite sharp criticism over his perceived erosion of the country’s democratic founding principles.

India’s main opposition, the Indian National Congress, has also accused the BJP of using the tax department to “cripple” their finances. The party claimed their bank accounts had been frozen by the tax department, leaving them unable to use some $20 million in funds.

Human Rights group Amnesty International warned following the arrest of Kejriwal that a crackdown on Indian opposition figures and parties by the government had reached a “crisis point” ahead of the national elections.

“The arrest of Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of Indian National Congress’ bank accounts a few weeks before India holds its general elections show the authorities’ blatant failure to uphold the country’s international human rights obligations.”
India court extends custody of top opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal for 4 more days (AP)
AP [3/28/2024 8:14 AM, Staff, 6902K, Negative]
An Indian court on Thursday extended custody of a top opposition leader for four more days after his arrest last week triggered protests, as the country gears up for a general election starting next month.

Arvind Kejriwal, New Delhi’s top elected official and one of the country’s most consequential politicians of the past decade, was arrested by the federal Enforcement Directorate on March 21. The agency, controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, accused Kejriwal’s party and ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago.

The Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, has denied the accusations and said Kejriwal will remain its chief minister as it fights the case in court.

In court on Thursday, Kejriwal called his arrest “a political conspiracy.” His political party is part of a broad alliance of opposition parties called INDIA, which is the main challenger to Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the coming election.

Hundreds of Kejriwal’s supporters have been holding protests since he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, the federal agency that probes economic offenses, on Friday.

The agency has accused Kejriwal of being the “kingpin and key conspirator” in the liquor bribery case. Kejriwal has refuted the allegations and accused the directorate of “manipulating investigative agencies for political motives.”

Kejriwal’s case has dominated the news in India ahead of the general election, which starts April 19. India’s opposition parties say the government is misusing its power to harass and weaken its political opponents, pointing to a spree of raids, arrests and corruption investigations against key opposition figures. Meanwhile, some probes against erstwhile opposition leaders who later defected to the BJP have been dropped.

The BJP denies targeting the opposition and says law enforcement agencies act independently.

Kejriwal’s arrest is the latest setback for the bloc, and came after the country’s main opposition Congress party accused the government last week of freezing its bank accounts in a tax dispute to cripple it. Opposition figures have slammed the move as undemocratic and accused Modi’s party of misusing the agency to undermine them.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller this week said Washington was following Kejriwal’s case.

“We are also aware of the Congress party’s allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections,” Miller said, adding that the U.S. encouraged a fair and transparent legal process for each of these issues.

Indian officials objected to those comments on Wednesday and summoned a senior official from the U.S. embassy in New Delhi. India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday the remarks from the State Department were unwarranted.

“In India, legal processes are driven only by the rule of law. Anyone who has similar ethos, especially fellow democracies, should have no difficulty in appreciating this fact,” Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.

New Delhi also summoned a senior official from the German Embassy over the weekend after its Foreign Office spokesperson said they were following Kejriwal’s case and that the opposition leader was entitled to a free and fair trial.
Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal’s Custody Extended Until April 1 in Graft Case (Reuters)
Reuters [3/28/2024 7:01 AM, Sakshi Dayal, 761K, Negative]
An Indian court extended the custody of opposition leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal until April 1 on Thursday in a graft case related to the national capital territory’s liquor policy, local media said.

India’s financial crime-fighting agency arrested Kejriwal last week in connection with corruption allegations related to the city’s liquor policy and he was remanded to its custody until Thursday, weeks before India begins voting in general elections on April 19.

Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) says the case is fabricated and politically motivated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and his Bharatiya Janata Party deny political interference and say law enforcement agencies are doing their job.

All the main leaders of AAP were already imprisoned in the case before Kejriwal was arrested.

Terming his arrest a "political conspiracy", Kejriwal, 55, told reporters outside court on Thursday that "the public will respond to this". Speaking in court later, he said the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has arrested him, aims to crush AAP.

ED lawyers told the court that they needed Kejriwal in custody for another seven days as he was "deliberately not cooperating" and needed to be interrogated further.

Kejriwal’s arrest has sparked protests in the national capital and the nearby northern state of Punjab, which is also governed by AAP, over the last few days.

Dozens of AAP supporters were detained on Tuesday as they attempted to march to Modi’s residence to demand his release. Some AAP workers protesting and distributing leaflets to commuters outside a busy metro station in central Delhi were also detained on Thursday.

"This is the time when we campaign (for elections), our leaders are being put in prison, arrested ... they (federal government) are stopping us from campaigning, (but) nobody can stop us from winning," a protester told news agency ANI.

A joint rally of the ‘INDIA’ alliance, consisting of more than two dozen political parties including AAP, is planned in the capital on Sunday to protest against the arrest.

The issue has also drawn international attention with the U.S. and Germany calling for a "fair" and "impartial" trial in the case, causing New Delhi to tell Washington and Berlin that India’s legal processes are based on an independent judiciary and that they should stay away from its internal affairs.
US Unfazed as India Engages Taliban (VOA)
VOA [3/28/2024 2:52 PM, Akmal Dawi, 761K, Neutral]
Just two weeks after senior Indian diplomat J.P. Singh visited Kabul to meet with Taliban officials, a senior U.S. official landed in New Delhi to discuss Afghanistan.

Thomas West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, urged Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra to develop “a unified diplomatic approach in support of collective interests” in Afghanistan.

Unlike India, the United States has severed diplomatic ties with Kabul since the United States’ withdrawal from war-torn Afghanistan in 2021.

Washington maintains a policy of sanctions and isolation toward Taliban leaders.

Some analysts criticize that approach as ineffective, but U.S. officials maintain there will be no change until the Taliban reverse their bans on women’s education and work and form a more inclusive government.

“The United States is going to continue to pursue policies in Afghanistan that protect our national interests and support the Afghan people,” a State Department spokesperson wrote to VOA.

India takes a different approach.

It views the Taliban as having brought a measure of stability to Afghanistan after 20 years of civil war, according to Rustam Shah Mohmand, a former Pakistani ambassador to Kabul.

“India eyes Afghanistan’s mineral wealth, and it wants transit access for trade and energy to Central Asia,” Mohmand told VOA.

In the meeting with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, Singh and other Indian delegates also talked about “enhancing trade via Chabahar port,” according to a statement by the Taliban foreign ministry. Chabahar is a seaport in southeastern Iran. India has hoped to use the port to establish a trade route.

The U.S. has no such interest.

However, the State Department spokesperson expressed respect for India’s need to pursue its national interests by engaging with the Taliban.

Counterterrorism

Terrorism threats emanating from Afghanistan have long been a primary concern for the U.S. and India.

U.S. officials frequently warn the Taliban against harboring al-Qaida and other militant groups that could endanger U.S. interests.

Similarly, New Delhi fears groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and their alleged acts of terrorism against India.

The Taliban maintain that they do not, and will not, allow any group to use Afghan territory to threaten other countries.

“While both Washington and New Delhi claim to share an interest in countering radicalization, neither of them has crafted policies toward countering this phenomenon,” said Raghav Sharma, a professor of international affairs at India’s O.P Jindal Global University.

Despite its geographical distance, the U.S. relies on "over the horizon" capabilities such as drones and satellite imagery to counter terrorism threats in Afghanistan, according to U.S. officials.

Lacking comparable resources, India chooses to directly engage with the Taliban to mitigate potential security risks emanating from Afghanistan.

Regional interests

Over the past two years, the U.S. has largely focused its public diplomacy on Afghan women’s rights, criticizing the Taliban for their misogynistic policies.

Countries surrounding Afghanistan, however, have taken a more pragmatic approach, maintaining diplomatic and trade relations despite concerns about human rights.

While no country has officially recognized the Taliban government, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban’s official name) has diplomatic missions in 38 countries.

That includes close U.S. allies such as Italy, Japan, Norway and Turkey, which have kept diplomats in Kabul.

U.S. officials say there is a broad international consensus against recognizing the Taliban government.

The Taliban accuse the U.S. of using its leverage to deny them Afghan representation at the United Nations and other international platforms.

“India is likely to grant de facto recognition to them [the Taliban] by accrediting their diplomats” after India holds general elections in April, Sharma told VOA. This would put the country “broadly in line with actions of most major actors in the region.”

Amid growing tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, India sees an opportunity to be on good terms with Kabul. India and Pakistan have a long history of strained relations, dating back to the partition of Indian subcontinent in 1947.
Ukraine urges India to rethink ‘Soviet legacy’ of Russia ties (Financial Times)
Financial Times [3/28/2024 9:38 PM, John Reed, 5239K, Positive]
India’s close ties with Russia are based on a “Soviet legacy” that is “evaporating”, Ukraine’s foreign minister warned as he urged New Delhi to stand by Kyiv.

On a visit to the India, Dmytro Kuleba also said it should be concerned about Russia’s deepening ties with China, which is locked in a tense border conflict with its southern neighbour India.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Kuleba said “the co-operation between India and Russia is largely based on the Soviet legacy. But this is not the legacy that will be kept for centuries; it is a legacy that is evaporating.”

India and China have an unresolved border dispute that last flared into deadly violence in 2020, killing at least 24, and prompting a build-up of tens of thousands of troops in forward positions in the Himalayas on both sides. India says regular ties with China will not be restored until the status quo at the border is restored.

In a nod to the tensions, Kuleba said: “The Chinese-Russian relationship should be of particular attention for India in light of its national security prerogatives.”

Ukraine has struggled to win sympathy from India and many other countries in the so-called Global South. These states have mostly avoided taking sides in a war they see as the business of rich nations, and whose economic price they have paid in disrupted trade and higher costs.

Russia remains India’s biggest arms supplier, despite a recent push by New Delhi to diversify its imports to France, the US and other countries. India also became a leading buyer of discounted Russian crude oil after Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month extended “warm congratulations” to Putin after his re-election in a race the opposition was given no meaningful chance to contest.

Kuleba said the world’s most populous nation had much to gain from expanding trade and technology ties with Ukraine, as he offered Indian companies a role in postwar reconstruction.

“After the war Ukraine will probably become the largest construction site in the world, and Indian companies are welcome to participate in the recovery,” Kuleba said.

Ukraine was now looking to “restore trade” with India, the minister said, resuming exports of agricultural products like sunflower oil and buying more Indian goods itself. “We are interested in importing some of the heavy machinery items that India is producing,” he added.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kuleba stated that every barrel of Russian crude India bought had “a good portion of Ukrainian blood in it” — a blunt rebuke over the Russo-Indian relationship.

Kyiv has since sought to smooth relations with New Delhi as it tries to win over more countries to its cause.

Ahead of Kuleba’s visit, Modi and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, spoke by phone last week. On Friday, Ukraine’s foreign minister is due to meet India’s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar.

Kuleba’s visit to India comes at a time when Ukraine is enduring the most difficult phase since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, with Moscow’s forces gaining the initiative at the front lines and further US military support frozen over opposition from Donald Trump and his supporters in Congress.

However, Kuleba voiced confidence that Washington would come through with a new assistance package, regardless of the outcome of this year’s presidential election.

“The question is not whether, the question is when and how,” he said.

The majority of both Democrats and Republicans were in favour of supporting Ukraine, he added.

“Trump himself said that he’s not against helping Ukraine,” Kuleba said. “He just wants to change the way this help is provided, from grants to zero interest loans.” Kyiv was willing to explore the option, Kuleba said, but “the devil hides in details”.
Indian politics roiled as huge donations are linked to investigated firms (Washington Post)
Washington Post [3/29/2024 2:00 AM, Gerry Shih and Anant Gupta, 6.9M, Neutral]
Mahendra Kumar Jalan was an Indian millionaire with a diversified portfolio of food processing plants, dairy farms and commercial real estate. As he faced scrutiny from the Indian government’s financial crimes investigators in 2019, he began to put money in something else.

Jalan’s companies confidentially donated millions to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, newly released records show. Jalan eventually gifted a total of $42 million to the BJP while he was under federal investigation.

Jalan’s case was one of many subplots that have burst into public view and roiled Indian politics and business after the Indian Supreme Court forced a state-owned bank to disclose the buyers and recipients of “electoral bonds,” an arrangement introduced in 2017 that allowed companies to give unlimited campaign contributions under a cloak of confidentiality.

The resulting data dump has provided a rare glimpse into the machinery of Indian politics, revealing how $2 billion have been secretly funneled by Indian companies into political parties since 2018, with roughly half going toward the ruling BJP. And the disclosures have caused a public furor just weeks before the country votes in a national election that political scientists predict could be the world’s most expensive, at a cost of $15 billion, outstripping even the expected price tag of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

In many instances, the records show, Indian companies gave donations just as they received major government contracts — a familiar practice around the world. But there was a more striking pattern: Almost half of the top 30 corporate donors were facing government investigations around the time they purchased electoral bonds. The unsettling conclusion reached by Indian political observers is that either Indian business titans have been regularly seeking to bribe their way out of trouble — or the BJP-controlled government has been using investigative agencies to extort them.

Neelanjan Sircar, an expert on Indian politics at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi, said Indian political parties have been known for decades to “weaponize their enforcement and policing capabilities.”

“Where things have changed in the last 10 years is that the tools of repression and harassment through financial investigations has strengthened,” he said. “Even if quid quo pro cannot be proven legally, the new data is, at a minimum, consistent with the idea that money is being given by businesses to prevent further legal action by agencies under government control.”

While the BJP was hardly the only party that raked in electoral bonds, the disclosures have sharpened questions about the health of the world’s largest democracy and whether April’s elections — in which Modi is expected to clinch a third term — will be considered fair.

As the campaign season heated up in recent weeks, the Modi government has arrested several opposition leaders on graft charges and frozen large sums of money in the bank accounts of the biggest opposition party, the Indian National Congress. Now, Modi’s critics say, the recently unveiled donation data show that the ruling party holds an unfair advantage in the fundraising race.

Atishi, a minister of the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that rules New Delhi and Punjab state, likened the campaign contributions to “protection money.”

“It’s like a 1980s Bollywood movie where the Bombay don sends his street goons to say, ‘You pay us and nothing will happen to you,’” said Atishi, who goes by one name. “Elections were designed so that no ruling party could exercise its existing authority to keep winning elections, but this framework is being dismantled piece by piece.”

Of the $1.5 billion in electoral bonds purchased between April 2019 and this January, the BJP received $728 million, exceeding what the next seven parties received combined. Its overall financial advantage is expected to be even larger, because the electoral bonds account for just a fraction of total campaign financing, with far more coming in the form of cash.

The mounting criticism has forced the BJP, which usually banks on Modi’s clean and business-friendly image, to respond. At a campaign rally, Modi said he remained committed to rooting out corruption and his investigative agencies were pursuing cases without ulterior motives.

“If the opposition feels we are misusing central agencies, they should go to the courts instead of crying foul in front of the media,” BJP spokeswoman Shazia Ilmi told The Washington Post. “We are the biggest party in the country, so it is obvious why more people bet on us.”

To be sure, corruption has been endemic in Indian politics long before Modi rose to power in 2014. In 2017, Modi’s finance minister Arun Jaitley proposed the electoral bond plan in response to the influx of untraceable cash in elections. But a group of concerned citizens calling themselves the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), along with Common Cause India and a communist party, filed lawsuits that year challenging it, arguing that anonymous bonds would in fact degrade political transparency, not improve it. This January, the Supreme Court sided with them and ordered the transaction details revealed.

Jagdeep Chhokar, a retired management professor who is part of ADR, called for an independent investigation into how money and favors have been traded in recent years. “Quid quo pro is frowned upon in most countries,” he said. “But in India, it had been given a cloak of legality. Now, that has come off.”

Already, Indian political researchers and journalists in recent days have uncovered a long list of what they call questionable donations that implicated not just the BJP but many of its rival parties, and involved energy tycoons and telecom conglomerates, engineering firms and a “lottery king.”

There was Sarath Chandra Reddy, a pharmaceutical businessman who was accused by federal investigators in 2022 of bribing the AAP in exchange for liquor licenses. Days after Reddy was taken into custody, donation records showed, he bought the first tranche of $6.6 million in bonds that he would eventually gift the BJP.

Reddy was later pardoned. He became the star witness in the Modi government’s case against the AAP, paving the way for the arrest of several AAP leaders. Arvind Kejriwal, a key opposition figure, was jailed last week just as he was preparing to hit the campaign trail. Deepti Kshatri, a spokeswoman for Reddy’s company Aurobindo Pharma, did not respond to requests for comment.

Other major political donors have included Qwik Supply Chain, an obscure Mumbai firm that shared key personnel and email addresses with the Reliance conglomerate owned by Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani. Qwik reported little profit in its quarterly reports but donated $50 million to the BJP, records show. A Reliance spokesman said Qwik is “not a subsidiary of any Reliance entity” but did not answer questions about the conglomerate’s relationship with the donor firm.

Underscoring how widespread the financing practice had become, the top purchaser of electoral bonds turned out to be a gambling mogul based in Tamil Nadu state who lavished money not on BJP, but on its smaller rivals. Santiago “Lottery King” Martin, who has faced charges of bribery, fraud and land seizure in multiple states, gave $60 million each to the Trinamool Congress party in West Bengal and Martin’s local Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party, and just $12 million to Modi’s party. Martin’s corporate secretary did not respond to requests for comment.

Finally, there was Jalan, who turned a modest steel trading business into a sprawling conglomerate that included eastern India’s top dairy company. The businessman was well-known in Kolkata for his 11th-floor penthouse — featuring a 4,700-square-foot rooftop garden with bonsai trees and cactuses — and his proximity to the local Trinamool Congress. But in 2019, after he came under official scrutiny for alleged money laundering, he started giving generously and became the BJP’s bigger donor of electoral bonds during that year’s national election.

Suparna Mucadum, a spokesperson for Jalan’s Keventer Group, did not respond to emails seeking comment.
Indian State Part of China ‘Since Ancient Times,’ Beijing Says (Newsweek)
Newsweek [3/29/2024 4:12 AM, Aadil Brar, 2.2M, Neutral]
Asenior official in Beijing on Thursday doubled down on Chinese territorial claims to a state in northeastern India, before criticizing Washington for "provoking disputes" by backing New Delhi.

"Zangnan has been China’s territory since ancient times. This is an undeniable fact," Col. Wu Qian, China’s Defense Ministry spokesperson, said of the region the Indian government calls the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

China says the area is part of Zangnan, or South Tibet, citing historical rights. It has renamed the region on its official maps and issues separate visas to Indian citizens from the area in a bid to assert sovereignty.

Wu’s remarks were a direct response to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the strategic region in the Himalayas earlier this month, when he inaugurated the Sela Tunnel on March 9.

This tunnel is seen as a vital infrastructure development, boosting all-weather connectivity to the Tawang region in the west of Arunachal Pradesh, where Indian and Chinese troops clashed in December 2022. Construction began in October 2020.

The statement from China’s defense spokesperson comes amid recent activities that have heightened tensions along the disputed 2,100-mile Line of Actual Control (LAC), which separates the two Asian powerhouses.

China and India have been locked in a four-year military stand-off, which began after their armies were involved in a deadly melee in June 2020 in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh, on the western edge of the LAC bordering China’s Xinjiang region.

The ongoing dispute between China and India over Arunachal Pradesh has historical roots, with the two countries having engaged in a brief, bloody conflict in the 1960s over the territory.

Newsweek contacted India’s Ministry of External Affairs for comment.

Meanwhile, the United States has irked China by backing India against China’s criticism of the Sela Tunnel.

"The United States recognizes Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory, and we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by incursions or encroachments, military or civilian, across the Line of Actual Control," Vedant Patel, a U.S. State Department spokesperson, said last week.

Wu, the Chinese official, said in response: "The United States has a poor historical record of provoking disputes with other countries and pursuing its own selfish interests, and the international community sees this clearly."

Earlier this month, the Chinese Foreign Ministry lashed out at the U.S. for wading into border tensions between India and China.

"China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this. The China-India boundary has never been delimited. Zangnan has always been China’s territory, a basic fact that is undeniable," said ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.

"The China-India boundary question is a matter between the two countries and has nothing to do with the U.S. side," Lin said.

The State Department did not immediately return Newsweek’s request for comment.

The public war of words continues against a backdrop of attempts to deescalate at the border. Chinese and Indian representatives held a 29th round of dialogue in Beijing on March 27 in an attempt to resolve the ongoing standoff.

"The two sides agreed to strictly abide by the agreements and guiding principles of the relevant common understandings reached between the two sides, avoid flare-ups in the situation on the ground, and continue to consolidate the previous disengagement outcomes, in a bid to safeguard peace and tranquility in the border area," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

At the border, China and India’s military leaders have also held 21 rounds of talks, but deployments continue on both sides.
India keen on trade deals with Britain, Oman early in Modi’s probable third term, sources say (Reuters)
Reuters [3/29/2024 2:11 AM, Shivangi Acharya, 5.2M, Neutral]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to prioritise completion of free trade deals with Britain and Oman in the first 100 days of the next government if he wins upcoming elections as opinion polls predict, two government sources said.

Modi has asked Indian ministries to set annual goals for the next five years that will fit into a 100-day action plan as he chalks out a strategy to fuel further growth in Asia’s third-largest economy.

Among its goals for the 100-day plan, the trade ministry aims to feature the pacts with Britain and Oman, as talks on both deals are in their final stages, said the sources, who have direct knowledge of the discussions.

They sought anonymity as details of the plan are private.

This month Modi identified integrating India into world trade as a key priority area in talks with senior government officials, according to a document seen by Reuters.

Some of the objectives will be discussed on May 1, when India will be in the middle of its seven-phase election, set to start on April 19 with vote-counting due on June 4, at which Modi will be seeking a rare third term.

The trade ministry and Modi’s office, which will make a final decision on the priorities, did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for Britain’s department for business and trade said the two countries were "continuing to work towards an ambitious trade deal".

The spokesperson added, "Whilst we don’t comment on the details of live negotiations, we are clear that we will only sign a deal that is fair, balanced and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the economy."

Ahead of India’s elections, both nations this month put on hold their two-year long negotiations without a deal, while reaffirming their commitment to a new pact aimed at doubling their trade by 2030. Britain also holds elections this year.

Reuters could not immediately contact an Oman official. The trade ministers of India and Oman met in December and said they had asked their negotiators to wrap up talks on a comprehensive pact so as to hasten signing of a deal.

Trade between the countries has more than doubled in two years to $12.39 billion in the last fiscal year.
NSB
US Assistant Secretary Donald Lu Praises Bangladeshi Americans’ Role in Strengthening Bilateral Ties (BNN Breaking)
BNN Breaking [3/28/2024 6:58 AM, Salman Akhtar, Positive]
On a significant evening in Washington DC, US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, highlighted the pivotal role of Bangladeshi Americans in nurturing the dynamic relationship between the United States and Bangladesh. During a reception hosted by the Bangladesh Embassy to commemorate Independence and National Day of Bangladesh, both Lu and Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Muhammad Imran lauded the contributions of the Bangladeshi diaspora in America.

Bridging Nations Through Diaspora Excellence

Donald Lu voiced his admiration for Bangladeshi Americans, crediting their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit as foundational to the excellent bilateral relations shared by the two countries. He underscored the significant number of Bangladeshi Americans whose innovative ideas and business acumen have made notable impacts across various sectors. Ambassador Imran, reinforcing Lu’s sentiments, highlighted the long-standing partnership and shared visions for a free and open Indo-Pacific region, emphasizing the importance of continued cooperation for mutual prosperity.

Celebrating Independence and Fostering Relations

The event, which took place at the Bangabandhu Auditorium of the Mission, saw the presence of esteemed guests including ambassadors, diplomats, and prominent members of the Bangladeshi community in the United States. The celebration began with the national anthems of both countries, followed by a documentary screening on Bangladesh’s Liberation War, showcasing the country’s journey towards independence and development. The gathering served not only as a commemoration of Bangladesh’s National Day but also as a testament to the strong ties between the US and Bangladesh, fostered significantly by the Bangladeshi diaspora.

Looking Forward to a Prosperous Future

In his concluding remarks, Lu’s birthday wishes for Bangladesh, ‘Happy Birthday Bangladesh and Joy Bangla,’ encapsulated the festive spirit and the anticipative outlook towards strengthening bilateral relations further. The event underscored the vital role of the Bangladeshi American community in bridging cultures and fostering economic and social connections between the two nations. As Ambassador Imran invoked the dream of transforming Bangladesh into ‘Sonar Bangla’ (Golden Bengal), the event vividly highlighted the collective aspiration for a hunger-and poverty-free prosperous Bangladesh, supported by its friends, including the United States.
Bangladesh Opens Mosque For Transgender Hijra Community (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [3/29/2024 12:00 AM, Shafiqul Alam, 304K, Neutral]
Kicked out of other prayer services, members of Bangladesh’s transgender hijra community have been welcomed at a new mosque in the Muslim-majority nation with the promise of worship without discrimination.

The humble structure -- a single-room shed with walls and a roof clad in tin -- is a new community hub for the minority, who have enjoyed greater legal and political recognition in recent years but still suffer from entrenched prejudice.

"From now on, no one can deny a hijra from praying in our mosque," community leader Joyita Tonu said in a speech to the packed congregation.

"No one can mock us," added the visibly emotional 28-year-old, a white scarf covering her hair.

The mosque near Mymensingh, north of the capital Dhaka on the banks of the Brahmaputra river, was built on land donated by the government after the city’s hijra community were expelled from an established congregation.

"I never dreamt I could pray at a mosque again in my lifetime," said Sonia, 42, who as a child loved to recite the Koran and studied at an Islamic seminary.

But when she came out as hijra, as transgender women in South Asia are commonly known, she was blocked from praying in a mosque.

"People would tell us: ‘Why are you hijra people here at the mosques? You should pray at home. Don’t come to the mosques,’" Sonia, who uses only one name, told AFP.

"It was shameful for us, so we didn’t go," she added. "Now, this is our mosque. Now, no one can say no."

Hijra have been the beneficiaries of growing legal recognition in Bangladesh, which since 2013 has officially allowed members of the community to identify as a third gender.

Several have entered Bangladeshi politics, with one transgender woman elected mayor of a rural town in 2021.

But hijra still struggle for basic recognition and acceptance, lacking property and marriage rights.

They are also often discriminated against in employment and are much more likely to be victims of violent crime and poverty than the average Bangladeshi.

Hardline Islamist groups have also lashed out at the recognition of transgender Bangladeshis in school textbooks, leading rallies to demand the government abandon its push to include them in the curriculum.

Mufti Abdur Rahman Azad, founder of a hijra charity, told AFP that the new mosque was the first of its kind in the country.

A similar endeavour planned in another city was stopped last month after a protest by locals, he added.

Dozens of local hijra women donated time and money to build the Dakshin Char Kalibari Masjid for the Third Gender, which opened this month.

It also has a graveyard, after a local Muslim cemetery last year refused to bury a young hijra woman inside its grounds.

The mosque’s imam, Abdul Motaleb, 65, said that the persecution of the hijra community was against the teachings of his faith.

"They are like any other people created by Allah", the cleric told AFP.

"We all are human beings. Maybe some are men, some are women, but all are human. Allah revealed the Holy Koran for all, so everyone has the right to pray, no one can be denied."

Motaleb said that other Bangladeshis could learn from the faith and strength of the hijra.

"Since I have been here at this mosque, I have been impressed by their character and deeds," he said.

The new mosque is already tackling prejudice. Local resident Tofazzal Hossain, 53, has offered Friday prayers there for a second week in a row.

He said living and praying with the hijra community has changed his "misconceptions" about them.

"When they started to live with us, many people said many things," he told AFP.

"But we’ve realised what people say isn’t right. They live righteously like other Muslims".

Tonu hopes to expand the simple mosque to be big enough to cater for more people.

"God willing, we will do it very soon," she told AFP.

"Hundreds of people can offer prayers together."
Sri Lanka March Inflation Cools, Backing Case for Easing Policy (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [3/28/2024 5:41 AM, Anusha Ondaatjie, 5543K, Neutral]
Sri Lanka’s inflation cooled for the second straight month in March, backing the central bank’s move to resume easing monetary policy to help support a rebound in the economy.

The consumer price index in Colombo rose 0.9% from a year ago, the Statistics Department said on Thursday. That compares with a 3.1% climb seen in a Bloomberg survey, and a 5.9% reading in February.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka earlier this week unexpectedly lowered the standing lending facility rate by 50 basis points to 9.5%, after pausing in January. The monetary authority slashed borrowing costs by 650 basis points in 2023 to resuscitate the economy from an unprecedented crisis and a historic default.

In the latest move, the central bank said it had assessed subdued demand conditions, favorable near-term inflation dynamics and the absence of external sector pressures before deciding to renew its monetary easing cycle.

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 International Monetary Fund bailout and cheaper borrowing costs.

Last week, the South Asian nation secured an initial nod for a $337 million payout from the IMF even though further progress on debt restructuring remains key for the additional funding.
Central Asia
China’s Xi Jinping to Visit Kazakhstan in July, Tokayev Says (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [3/28/2024 11:03 AM, Nariman Gizitdinov, 5.5M, Neutral]
Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to visit Kazakhstan for the second time since he resumed travel abroad after the pandemic, according to the Kazakh leader.

“We are looking forward to his state visit in the beginning of July,” Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said of his Chinese counterpart during a meeting with the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Zhao Leji, at the Boao forum in China. The remarks were posted Thursday on the Kazakh president’s press office website.

Kazakhstan, which currently holds the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, will host a summit of that regional security grouping July 3-4 in Astana, according to Russia’s state-run Tass news service. The SCO also includes Russia.

Xi traveled to neighboring Kazakhstan, which counts China and Russia as its main trading partners, in September 2022 in his first foreign trip in more than two years.

The Central Asian country is the world’s largest miner of uranium, an increasingly important resource as developed nations turn to atomic energy as a longer-term source of power.

“We continue to work with international partners on the most effective ways to develop our large deposits of uranium, lithium, titanium and other rare earth elements,” Tokayev told the forum, according to a separate statement. China makes 80% of its land shipments to Europe via Kazakhstan, he said, praising Xi’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative.

Kazakhstan also borders the Chinese region of Xinjiang, where Beijing has been accused of aggressive policies to suppress its mostly Muslim ethnic minority Uyghur population.
Kazakh Man Sentenced For Killing 4-Year-Old During 2022 Unrest (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [3/28/2024 8:43 AM, Staff, 223K, Negative]
A man was sentenced to seven years in prison in a high-profile trial related to the death of a 4-year-old girl during deadly unrest in Kazakhstan in January 2022.

The military court in Astana on March 28 annulled serviceman Arman Zhuman’s acquittal from November and sentenced him after finding him guilty of abuse of power.

Aikorkem Meldekhan was shot dead in the Central Asian nation’s largest city, Almaty, by what the court concluded was military personnel, when she and other members of her family were in a car on their way to a grocery store on January 7, 2022.

The vehicle was sprayed with at least 20 bullets, also wounding Aikorkem’s 15-year-old sister.

Zhuman’s lawyer, Oksana Musokhranova, said the court’s decision will be appealed.

Aikorkem’s father, Aidos Meldekhan, said he is not satisfied with the court’s decision, insisting that the charge should have been changed from abuse of power to murder of a minor and attempted murder.

At least 238 people are believed to have been killed by Kazakh security forces during a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters in January 2022.

With the country in the throes of unrest, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev gave police and military troops the controversial order to "shoot to kill without warning." He justified the move by saying "20,000 extremists trained in foreign terrorist camps" had seized Almaty airport and other buildings.

No evidence of foreign-trained terrorists was ever presented.

The order sparked an outcry and Aikorkem’s picture turned into an image symbolizing the victims of the crackdown, many of whom were killed -- some under torture -- by police, security forces and military personnel, including troops of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, whom Toqaev invited into the country "to restore law and order."
Nuclear Power Plant Construction and Uranium Mining in Kyrgyzstan Pose Unacceptable Risks (The Diplomat – opinion)
The Diplomat [3/28/2024 8:14 AM, Ilgiz Kambarov, 201K, Neutral]
Since January 2022 the Kyrgyz government has been considering the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP) as a means to address the country’s growing energy needs. At the time, then-Kyrgyz Minister of Energy Doskul Bekmurzaev (later in 2022 he was charged with abuse of power and dismissed) and the general director of Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear power company, Alexey Likhachev, signed a memorandum of cooperation for the construction of low-capacity nuclear power plants in Kyrgyzstan. The agreement involves assistance in the development of Kyrgyzstan’s nuclear infrastructure and joint work to improve the qualifications of scientific and technical personnel in various areas of the peaceful use of atomic energy. The NPP’s construction was presented by some as an alternative to hydroelectric power plants.

However, such a decision comes fraught with peril, with the potential consequences far outweighing any perceived benefits. The risks associated with nuclear power are well-documented, and for a country like Kyrgyzstan, the dangers are even more pronounced.

The government should reconsider its stance on nuclear power plant construction in light of the clear risks.

First, it is crucial to take seriously Kyrgyzstan’s geological vulnerability. Kyrgyzstan lies in a seismically active region, making it highly susceptible to earthquakes and other geological hazards. The construction of a nuclear power plant in such an area significantly amplifies the risk of catastrophic events. Even with stringent safety measures in place, the threat of seismic activity cannot be completely mitigated, as evidenced by past nuclear disasters like Fukushima in Japan or Chernobyl in Ukraine.

Second, Kyrgyzstan lacks sufficient infrastructure and technical expertise to safely operate a nuclear power plant. Establishing and maintaining a robust regulatory framework, as well as ensuring the availability of skilled personnel for plant operation and maintenance, is essential for safe nuclear energy production. Without adequate resources and capabilities, the likelihood of accidents and incidents increases dramatically.

It is furthermore important to note the environmental impact of nuclear power plants and uranium mining. Radioactive waste produced by such power plants remains dangerous for thousands of years, posing a long-term environmental threat. The disposal of nuclear waste requires specialized facilities and strict protocols to prevent contamination of soil, water, and air. At present, Kyrgyzstan lacks a viable plan for the long-term storage and disposal of nuclear waste. In fact, Kyrgyzstan still faces issues related to uranium tails (remnants) from Soviet-era uranium mining sites. In a country like Kyrgyzstan, where natural resources are precious and ecosystems fragile, the introduction of nuclear waste or resuming of uranium mining could have devastating consequences for both the environment and public health.

Security concerns are paramount for Kyrgyzstan as well. The proliferation of nuclear technology raises serious security concerns, especially in regions prone to political instability and conflict. A nuclear power plant could become a target for terrorist attacks or sabotage, with potentially catastrophic consequences. Safeguarding nuclear facilities against such threats requires significant investment in security infrastructure and personnel, further straining the resources of the government.

Additionally, geopolitical dependence will grow as relying on a foreign entity like Rosatom for nuclear technology and fuel creates a dependency that could compromise Kyrgyzstan’s sovereignty and national security. Rosatom actively lobbies the nuclear agenda as green energy not only in Kyrgyzstan, but elsewhere too.

Nuclear power plants often face strong opposition from local communities due to concerns about safety, health, and environmental impact. This is true in Kyrgyzstan. Instead of imposing a nuclear facility on unwilling residents, Kyrgyzstan should prioritize renewable energy projects that have the support of local communities and stakeholders.

President Sadyr Japarov says uranium is not harmful, but in this he is blatantly misleading people. But unfortunately, voicing opposition openly has become more dangerous. The space for civil liberties is shrinking in Kyrgyzstan; oppression is increasing.

In conclusion, the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kyrgyzstan poses an unacceptable risk to public safety, the environment, and national security. Instead of pursuing this perilous path, the government should prioritize investments in renewable energy infrastructure and explore alternative solutions to meet the country’s energy needs. By embracing clean and sustainable energy sources, Kyrgyzstan can pave the way for a safer and more prosperous future for its citizens and generations to come.
Tajikistan: Education collapse shattering dreams (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [3/28/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K, Neutral]
Ever since he was a child, Alisher, 52, dreamed of becoming an art teacher.

He grew up when Tajikistan was still part of the Soviet Union. In those days, teachers and artists were deemed elite representatives of society.

Alisher studied, entered university, took part in art competitions, even won a few prizes.

Before his time in college was through, the Soviet Union collapsed. Shortly after that, a civil war broke out. It would grind on for five years.

“When I graduated from university, nobody needed the arts and teachers. Since I did not have a wife or children, or any particular family responsibilities, I began teaching at the university. On the side, I painted pictures in the hope of selling them and earning some extra money,” said Alisher.

Some of the people interviewed for this story spoke to Eurasianet on condition their name not be used in full.

But there was no market for Alisher’s paintings. Any spare money that people had went on food. His teacher’s salary was meager. Sometimes it was not paid at all.

“At the age of 27, I got married. Later on, we had a son. I inherited an apartment from my father, but I still had to support my family. Our needs mounted gradually, but my earnings were not enough,” Alisher said.

For a long time, Alisher put off the idea of migrating in search of work. He had taken such painstaking efforts to pursue his dream that he was reluctant to give it up altogether.

In 2010, he threw in the towel. He went to Russia for work; first to Samara, then to St. Petersburg.

“It was hard for me to get used to the idea that I had to throw away my diploma, leave my children, and migrate. I had just spent 35 years of my life trudging on, so I needed to learn some kind of craft in a foreign country to feed my family,” he said.

There are countless thousands of trained teachers in Tajikistan who have been forced, like Alisher, to migrate because of low salaries.

According to the state statistics agency, average salaries for educators in 2023 were a little more than 1,600 somoni ($150). There are few jobs that pay less.

The teaching profession has become almost entirely female. Many of the men that enlist in teaching training courses at the Pedagogical University do so to get exemption from obligatory military service — an experience that entails two years of hazing and dismal rations.

The Education and Science Ministry has said that it was around 3,400 teachers short of requirement in 2022. This problem has worsened rapidly in just the last few years. In 2021, officials said the teacher shortfall was 1,124.

Deputy Education Minister Ziedullo Abdulzoda noted in August that the worst-affected subjects are things like mathematics, physics and chemistry.

Abdulzoda said the government is working to create incentives to attract more people to the profession, but those are hard to see. The factors repelling prospective teachers are legion, meanwhile.

Daler, also a teacher, lives in Thailand nowadays. Back in Tajikistan, he tired of the constant time-consuming inspections from the Education Ministry, the Interior Ministry, and the General Prosecutor’s Office, among others.

“My physics students won prizes at international Olympiads,” Daler, 35, told Eurasianet. “Sometimes we stayed in school dormitories to understand what children were learning in the West. But when we returned [to Tajikistan], nobody from the Education Ministry would meet us, congratulate the children, or give us any support. It’s like they think that is how it should be.”

Daler said it dismayed him and his students that a sporting medal would always be valued so much more than any prize they managed to win at an academic tournament. Education Ministry inspectors obsess over administrative and bureaucratic issues, but give little heed to scholastic achievements, he said.

“We constantly have complaints about … the school clothes [of pupils] not meeting the requirements of the ministry, about how their hair isn’t cut or tidy. But successes entirely elude their attention,” Daler said.

Weary of these frustrations, Daler applied for vacancies at international schools outside the country. He was hired by a school in Kyrgyzstan, and then later moved to Thailand.

The shortage of teachers is a problem even in the capital, Dushanbe.

Firuza Akobirova is looking for a decent school for her daughter, who is poised to enroll in first grade later this year. At the school near her house, the younger children arrive for classes at 8 a.m. and leave at 10:40 a.m., she said.

“What can you teach children in two-three hours? As well as learning their ABCs and numbers, children need to do some creative activities so they can develop innovative thinking,” Akobirova said. “This really worries me, so I need to find another school, I cannot send her to the nearest one.”

Akobirova said she is contemplating going private, but monthly fees at the places she is looking at can range anywhere between $80 and $150.

“I work as a nurse in a hospital, my husband works part-time as a laborer. Our total monthly income is $250-300. With our salaries, the cost of private schools is beyond our means. But in ordinary schools, there is no normal basic education,” she said.

Madina Muso, a ninth-grade student in Dushanbe, has experienced all this first hand. There are so few teachers, they do only two or three classes, each lasting 45 minutes, every day, she said.

“Sometimes the teacher arrives and she talks about who has or has not paid for some fee,” Muso said. “Or we sit around and chat among friends. By 11 a.m., I am back home helping my mother with the household chores.”

Once she is done with ninth grade, Muso plans to get into studying computer programming.

“I don’t want to waste two more years at school. There’s nothing to do there. I’m bored. It feels like time is just being wasted and we’re not learning anything,” she said.

High school beckons all the same. There is no getting around it.

“I hope that there will be some interesting and useful classes in high school. And just in case, I’ll study Turkish. Ever since I was small I have dreamed of becoming a translator,” Muso said. “I dream of finding my place in this world. I look at my cousins stuck in their everyday routine. Their life seems to have ended after marriage. That makes me scared.”
Twitter
Afghanistan
Lina Rozbih
@LinaRozbih
[3/28/2024 5:21 AM, 407.2K followers, 8 retweets, 30 likes]
The Taliban are actively threatening #Pakistan & Pakistan is also reacting to their comments. Is Pakistan losing its control over the #Taliban? Is the Taliban losing their only devoted ally in the region? Can this tension lead to the beginning of the end for Taliban’s regime?

Lina Rozbih
@LinaRozbih
[3/28/2024 10:21 AM, 407.2K followers, 25 retweets, 76 likes]
To foreign women who paint a rosey picture of Afghanistan by posing n pics with the Taliban..this 17 year old girl, in Ghor, was taken from her house by force by the Taliban and they are taken her to marry her to one of their militants. This is the reality of life under d Taliban
Pakistan
Prime Minister’s Office
@PakPMO
[3/28/2024 1:03 PM, 3.7M followers, 10 retweets, 37 likes]
A delegation of All Pakistan Newspapers Society calls on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on 28 March 2024.

Prime Minister’s Office
@PakPMO
[3/28/2024 12:37 PM, 3.7M followers, 15 retweets, 49 likes]
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chairs a meeting on Anti-Power Theft Campaign on 28 March 2024.

The President of Pakistan
@PresOfPakistan
[3/28/2024 7:30 AM, 733.2K followers, 66 retweets, 124 likes]
President Asif Ali Zardari has called for focusing on the development of the Gems and Jewellery sector of the country, saying that exporting value-added products can help Pakistan earn valuable foreign exchange.

The President of Pakistan
@PresOfPakistan
[3/28/2024 7:30 AM, 733.2K followers, 2 likes]
He also urged the need for better marketing and projection of gemstone products from Pakistan to tap into the global gem and jewellery market.

The President of Pakistan
@PresOfPakistan
[3/28/2024 7:30 AM, 733.2K followers, 2 likes]
The President expressed these views during a meeting regarding the development of the Gems and Jewellery sector in Pakistan, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, today. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Development Company (PGJDC),

The President of Pakistan
@PresOfPakistan
[3/28/2024 7:30 AM, 733.2K followers, 2 likes]
Mr Muhammad Alamgir Chaudhry, and senior government officials attended the meeting. CEO of PGJDC apprised the meeting about the strategic plan for the development of the Gems and Jewellery sector, besides highlighting various challenges and opportunities in this regard.

The President of Pakistan
@PresOfPakistan
[3/28/2024 7:30 AM, 733.2K followers, 2 likes]
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that Pakistan’s gems and jewellery sector had huge potential which needed to be fully exploited for the country’s development. He underlined the need to encourage foreign companies to invest in this sector which would not only

The President of Pakistan
@PresOfPakistan
[3/28/2024 7:30 AM, 733.2K followers, 5 retweets, 11 likes]
help improve the country’s economy but would also open up opportunities for the local population through employment generation

The President of Pakistan
@PresOfPakistan
[3/28/2024 7:30 AM, 733.2K followers, 5 retweets, 9 likes]
The President urged the need to focus on the training and skill enhancement of the local workforce, besides promoting diversification and industrialization of the gems and jewellery sector to increase its contribution to the country’s economy.

Imran Khan
@ImranKhanPTI
[3/29/2024 2:06 AM, 20.6M followers, 3K retweets, 5.9K likes]
27 March 2022 marked the beginning of our struggle for Pakistan’s Haqeeqi Azadi. In the last 2 years, despite facing oppression and injustice at the hands of the predatory class and status quo forces, PTI has evolved into an unstoppable force. This has been made possible by the relentless struggle and efforts of our party workers, volunteers, and the ordinary citizens of Pakistan, particularly the youth and the women of this country. Insha’Allah, our efforts will soon bear fruit, and we will establish Pakistan on the basis of our three guiding principles: rule of law, self-esteem & humanity.

Husain Haqqani
@husainhaqqani
[3/28/2024 11:35 PM, 460.4K followers, 550 retweets, 2.4K likes]
Some in Pakistan are complaining about hardening Indian attitudes towards Pakistan. It is result of Kashmir insurgency (1989-2019), Kargil (1999), Parliament attack (2001), Mumbai terror attack (2008), & much more. Accepting that might make dialogue honest & easier.

Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office
@amnestysasia
[3/29/2024 12:36 AM, 79.6K followers, 31 retweets, 59 likes]
#PAKISTAN: HUMAN RIGHTS CHARTER Recommendation 6: Safeguard rights of religious minorities Religious minorities in Pakistan face:
- Weaponization of blasphemy laws.
- Attacks on places of worship, grave sites and businesses with no accountability or justice.
- Religious and caste-based discrimination, and stigmatization of professions.
- Forced conversions.
India
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/28/2024 11:31 PM, 96.6M followers, 6.2K retweets, 21K likes]
An insightful interaction with @BillGates. Do watch! https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1eaJbgYYMRrxX

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/29/2024 2:20 AM, 96.6M followers, 1.5K retweets, 8.5K likes]
I look forward to ‘Enathu Booth Valimaiyana Booth’, an interaction with our hardworking @BJP4TamilNadu Karyakartas, through the NaMo App at 5 PM this evening. It is commendable how our Karyakartas in Tamil Nadu are working among the people and ensuring that our Party’s good governance agenda is communicated effectively across the state. It is equally true that TN is fed up of DMK misrule and is looking towards our Party with great hope.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[3/29/2024 2:44 AM, 3.1M followers, 104 retweets, 1.2K likes]
Welcome FM @DmytroKuleba of Ukraine to Hyderabad House. Look forward to our discussions today.

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[3/28/2024 9:38 AM, 209.8K followers, 15 retweets, 73 likes]
Arrests of rivals. Curbs on opposition finances. A new law that gives the PM more influence over India’s election commission. I argue this week in @ForeignPolicy that Modi government recent moves reflect confidence about the election rather than concern. https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/03/27/india-modi-elections-opposition-figure-arrest-kejriwal/

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[3/28/2024 9:38 AM, 209.8K followers, 1 retweet, 10 likes]
And that’s because "Whether the prime minister genuinely seeks to curb corruption within the political ranks or is simply using it as a pretext to sideline his rivals, he knows that his actions won’t hurt him politically."

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[3/28/2024 12:23 PM, 209.8K followers, 39 retweets, 201 likes]
During an Indian TV panel I was on today on the US-India Kejriwal kerfuffle, a guest accused the US of backing the Indian opposition. It’s not backing the opposition (or any party). But this perception is the latest reminder why the US values-based foreign policy is problematic.

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[3/28/2024 9:29 AM, 209.8K followers, 113 retweets, 598 likes]
Who would have thought that Arvind Kejriwal of all people would become the trigger for a US-India diplomatic row.

Brahma Chellaney
@Chellaney
[3/28/2024 4:33 AM, 262.9K followers, 153 retweets, 510 likes]
Despite taking flak at home for losing Ladakh areas to Chinese encroachment, Modi continues to seek a negotiated end to the border crisis. India thus has imposed no sanctions against the PRC beyond banning apps like TikTok and limiting some PRC investment.

Brahma Chellaney
@Chellaney
[3/28/2024 4:48 AM, 262.9K followers, 11 retweets, 57 likes]
Despite four years of talks, the two giants remain locked in a dangerous military standoff. China has used the talks to take India round and round the mulberry bush, thus buying time to cement its encroachments. Every round of talks produces an anodyne statement, like this one.

Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office
@amnestysasia
[3/28/2024 8:52 AM, 79.6K followers, 4 retweets, 27 likes]
Many women workers in South Asia face descent-based discrimination resulting in even poorer working conditions. Read more of what Sashana*, a #Dalit woman working as a thread cutter in #India, has to say! Stand in solidarity with Sashana and others like her by calling for #JusticeForGarmentWorkers, as we wrap up the month of #InternationalWomensDay #GenderEquality #FairLabour
NSB
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives
@MoFAmv
[3/28/2024 1:15 PM, 53.6K followers, 10 retweets, 19 likes]
#FOSIM concluded Pre-Posting Orientation Sessions for the 5th batch of diplomats. Today’s sessions on Maldives’ stand on important issues, Social Media for Diplomats and Bilateral Relations, were conducted by Amb. Shiaan, Amb. Shabeena and Joint Secretary Shiuneen, respectively.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives
@MoFAmv
[3/28/2024 7:39 AM, 53.6K followers, 19 retweets, 30 likes]
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, @SherynaSamad met the President of Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS), Dr. Chen Dongxiao. Potential cooperation between the Foreign Service Institute of Maldives (FOSIM) and SIIS were discussed, during the meeting.

Namal Rajapaksa
@RajapaksaNamal
[3/28/2024 11:37 AM, 437.4K followers, 1 retweet, 12 likes]
Meeting with party members of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna in Beliatta and Mulkirigala electorates, Hambantota district.

Karu Jayasuriya
@KaruOnline
[3/28/2024 7:27 AM, 53.4K followers, 18 likes]
The school meals programme now reaches 1.7 million students. It’s a crucial step amid food accessibility challenges. Now, local production & sourcing of high-protein foods must be prioritised. Efforts must be made to cover all schiool children under the food programme.
Central Asia
Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[3/28/2024 10:48 AM, 23K followers, 2 retweets, 5 likes]
Great to see and listen to @colleenwood_ discussing #CentralAsia reactions to Israel’s war in Gaza. Some video from @CentralAsiaProg Annual Security Workshop

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[3/28/2024 8:17 AM, 23K followers, 5 retweets, 5 likes]
Gazprom-Kazakhstan: Annual volume of Russian gas transportation to Uzbekistan to increase from 1.28 billion to 3.8 billion cubic meters this year.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[3/28/2024 1:49 PM, 163K followers, 5 retweets, 33 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev, received a delegation from the People’s Republic of #China led by Erkin Tuniyaz, the chairman of the People’s Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The meeting focused on the priority areas for further expansion of multifaceted Uzbek-Chinese cooperation, including the development of practical interactions between regions of Uzbekistan and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[3/28/2024 7:46 AM, 163K followers, 4 retweets, 16 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev hosted US delegations led by Senator @SteveDaines and House Committee Chairman, Congressman @RepMikeRogersAL Discussions focused on further fortifying the strategic partnership and amplifying multifaceted interactions between #Uzbekistan🇺🇿 and the #USA🇺🇸 #UzbekistanUSRelations #StrategicCollaboration #InternationalDiplomacy #BilateralCooperation #PoliticalDialogue

Joanna Lillis
@joannalillis
[3/28/2024 8:10 AM, 28.8K followers, 7 retweets, 29 likes]
Great news that #Uzbekistan is protecting its cultural heritage of Soviet mosaics https://gazeta.uz/ru/2024/03/26/mosaic/ If only it showed same urge to protect the architectural heritage of Samarkand and Bukhara, whose areas around the historical sites are being destroyed by rampant development

{End of Report}
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