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 8, 2024 6:30 AM ET

Afghanistan
Violence in the Mideast, rising threats from Islamic State group in Afghanistan pressure US, allies (AP)
AP [3/7/2024 2:59 PM, Lolita C. Baldor, 6902K, Negative]
Exploding violence in the Middle East, fueled by Iran, presents the most likely threat to the U.S. homeland, and the risk of an attack by violent extremists in Afghanistan on American and Western interests abroad is increasing, the top U.S. commander for the region told a Senate committee Thursday.

Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, said the Islamic State group’s Khorasan affiliates in Afghanistan and Syria “retain the capability and the will” to attack and could strike “in as little as six months and with little to no warning.” Such an attack would be more likely against the U.S. and its allies in Europe, and it will take “substantially more resources” to hit the U.S. homeland.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kurilla painted a dire picture of violence in the Middle East region in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. That assault and Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, has fueled attacks by Iran-backed militant groups in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, threatening maritime traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and targeting U.S. bases and troops across the region.

In response, the U.S. has retaliated with a handful of strikes in Iraq and Syria, and a persistent campaign of attacks against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Asked by Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., about U.S. military surveillance over Afghanistan, Kurilla acknowledged that the U.S. has had to divert intelligence and reconnaissance assets from that region to Iraq, Syria and Yemen to better protect troops and ships under attack.

Kurilla said Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have been launching nearly daily attacks against ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, have not been deterred by American and allied retaliation. But he said the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have been deterred and that it’s been a month since they last launched an attack.

Iran, however, has continued to fund and equip the groups in Iraq and Syria, even though their attacks have stopped, at least temporarily, he said.

“The events of seven October not only permanently changed Israel and Gaza — it created the conditions for malign actors to sow instability throughout the region and beyond,” said Kurilla. “Iran exploited what they saw as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape the Middle East to their advantage.”

Senators quizzed Kurilla on why the U.S. hasn’t taken stronger action against Iran, including against Iranian ships that are delivering weapons, intelligence and supplies to militias.

“Why are we not sinking those Iranian ships if there’s an Iranian spy ship providing targeting information,” asked Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.

Kurilla said deterring Iran requires more than a military solution but said he could provide more details in a closed session.

In other comments, he said the U.S. has been using directed energy weapons to shoot down drones but could use more of those so the Navy doesn’t have to use large, expensive missiles to take out the smaller threats.
Supply of Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans Dwindling (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [3/7/2024 9:50 AM, Catherine Putz, 201K, Neutral]
In a March 6 briefing, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller provided an update on the Afghan special immigrant visa (SIV) program, noting that in the last fiscal year the department has been able to issue more than 39,000 SIVs. That said, Miller pointed out that the State Department is nearing the congressionally set cap.

“… We’re going to hit the cap; we have somewhere around 8,000 [visas] left that we can process this fiscal year,” he said. With the State Department issuing around 1,000 per month, he said, “We are clearly going to hit this cap, and we need statutory approval to raise the cap.”

The SIV program was established in 2009 to resettle Afghans who had worked on behalf of the United States in Afghanistan. It witnessed a surge in interest and attention following the end of the U.S. war in Afghanistan and collapse of the erstwhile Republic government in August 2021.

Even before then, the program suffered from a confluence of problems, from the pandemic to chronic understaffing, not to mention bureaucratic hurdles exacerbated by the Trump administration’s anti-immigration bent.

An August 2023 State Department Office of Inspector General (OIG) review of the program (a follow-up on previous reviews, in October 2022 and June 2020) marked progress on expediting the issuance of SIVs. But although the OIG “found that the Department took actions beginning in February 2021 to streamline Afghan SIV applicant processing and mitigate some processing issues,” as of December 2022 they had not eliminated the backlog, which had only increased following August 2021.

The review noted ongoing challenges, notably the fact that the State Department “relies on Taliban cooperation for SIV applicant relocation from the country because of a lack of a ground presence in Afghanistan.”

One issue outside of State’s control is the topline number of SIVs available, the cap to which Miller referred. That’s in Congress’ dysfunctional hands.

“We have urged Congress to raise the cap and allow us to meet our obligation to those Afghans who put their lives on the line for the United States, make sure that they are not forgotten,” Miller said. “Congress has not acted yet, so we are urging them to do so, because we are going to hit that cap and we want to make sure that we can continue to grant as many of these visas as is appropriate and is possible.”

In June 2023, as Congress grappled over the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024 and other major funding bills, voices urging the SIV cap to be raised by 20,000 were ultimately drowned out. The NDAA (2024) that was signed into law in December 2023 made an additional 3,500 SIVs available in fiscal year 2024, with the additional provision that “For fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, not more than 3,000 visas shall be made available… “

According to a September 2023 State Department report referenced by Reuters, “some 130,000 full or partial applications were awaiting processing.”

While State accelerates its issuance of visas, the available supply is dwindling. Meanwhile, the only body with the power to increase the number of available SIVs, Congress, is mired in its own dysfunction. The looming repeat of the 2020 presidential race, between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, this November will do little to inspire bipartisanship in Congress, and SIV applicants will be among the many to suffer the consequences.
Afghan Woman Award Winner Determined To Struggle For Rights Under Taliban (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [3/7/2024 1:30 PM, Freshta Negah, 223K, Neutral]
Afghan lawyer Benafsha Yaqoobi has been chosen as one of the winners of the U.S. State Department’s 2024 International Women of Courage Award.

Yaqoobi, who is visually impaired, has advocated for human and women’s rights from exile since Taliban militants seized power and forced her to flee Afghanistan in August 2021.

"I am happy to have this prize because it gives me another platform to raise my voice for the world’s most marginalized community," she told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi while alluding to the plight of Afghan women under Taliban rule.

While just about every part of Afghan society has seen an erosion of fundamental freedoms and rights under the militants, women and girls have been the main targets of mounting Taliban bans and restrictions.

Hard-line Taliban leaders have used their interpretation of Islamic Shari’a law to justify banning teenage Afghan girls and women from education, work in most sectors, and draconian restrictions on their mobility and how they can appear in public.

The Taliban has banned women from recreation by outlawing their visits to parks and public baths.

Women’s rights activists who have spoken out, have ended up in jail.

"Every day after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, we are witnessing new restrictions being imposed on Afghan women," Yaqoobi said.

"No one in the world today can beat the oppression that the women suffer in Afghanistan," she added.

The rights campaigner served as a commissioner for the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission before the Taliban’s return to power.

Yaqoobi advocated disability rights by hosting a daily television show. She is still engaged in advocating for the rights of Afghan girls with disabilities.

"The Taliban cannot rule Afghanistan without the consent of the Afghan people because they are the real owners of that land," she said, adding that all Afghans deserve to live in a broad-based and inclusive country.

She called on the Taliban government to immediately release all women rights campaigners who are languishing in its prisons because they spoke out for their rights.

"I am optimistic that Afghan women will get their rights back one day," she said. "We are effective and successful and will one day reach our goals."

Since 2007 the International Women of Courage Award honors activists and practitioners from around the world for demonstrating "exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in order to bring about positive change to their communities."

So far, the State Department has recognized more than 190 women in 90 countries with the award.

For 2024, winners came from 12 countries, ranging from Europe to Asia to Africa, the Caribbean Sea and South America.
Afghan Student Shot at University Begs Taliban to Let Girls Learn (VOA)
VOA [3/7/2024 12:54 PM, Akmal Dawi, 761K, Negative]
Breshna Musazai endured 19 agonizing months in Qatar, anxiously awaiting resettlement to the United States as a refugee.

Forced to flee Afghanistan just two days after the Taliban seized Kabul in 2021, Musazai found herself separated from her parents and her dreams shattered.

A dull ache in her right leg was a physical echo of the trauma she had endured.

A polio paraplegic in the left leg, Musazai took three bullets in her right leg from suspected Taliban assailants in 2016.

“I was praying at a mosque inside the university’s campus when the shooting started,” Musazai said, recalling the attack on the American University of Afghanistan, or AUAF.

Thirteen people, including seven students and a teacher, were killed, and 50 were injured in the complex attack that went on for hours.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, although the Afghan government blamed the Taliban.

A year after the attack, after doctors at First Baptist Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, performed surgery on her bullet wounds, Musazai was able to return to AUAF.

Following her graduation in 2018, Musazai embarked on a career focused on volunteering and advocating for women’s rights.

"Out of my four sisters," Musazai told VOA from her home in Virginia, "I’m the only one who has been to university."

Her parents, although they never went to college, supported her difficult pursuit of education.

“I wanted to be a doctor, but the AUAF did not have a medical school, so I decided to study law,” she said.

Opportunities in the US

Upon arriving in the United States, Musazai sought out paralegal and English legal language classes to continue her education.

"There are a lot of opportunities here," she said, explaining her plans to pursue a master’s degree in law before working as a lawyer.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, the U.S. government has admitted more than 80,000 Afghans.

As special emigrants and refugees, they are entitled to live and work across the United States. Many receive essential support, including medical care, food and other forms of assistance, to aid in their resettlement.

“Most of my classmates have left Afghanistan, but I heard some of them have got married,” she told VOA.

Musazai did not want to leave her home country but feared for her life under Taliban rule.

Despite the grim situation in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, particularly for women, Musazai holds onto the hope that Afghan girls will regain access to secondary education.

"Every other Muslim country lets girls go to school. So, why does Afghanistan deny its girls this basic right?" she asked.

As Afghanistan’s schools reopen for a third year under Taliban rule, there is no sign the regime will lift its ban on secondary and university education for girls.

International human rights organizations condemn the Taliban’s policy of excluding girls from secondary education, calling it gender apartheid.

“I hope [the Taliban] understand that girls’ education is good for Afghanistan and even good for them,” she said. “It makes no sense, and it serves no one’s interest to shut schools for anyone.”
Afghan Women and Girls’ Rights Stifled in the Shadow of International Indifference (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [3/7/2024 4:14 PM, Smriti Singh, 201K, Negative]
When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, it publicly promised a future where women would be active participants in society, free to study and work within a framework outlined by the group. In a world eager for positive change, the international community hoped that this time, perhaps, the regime would be different from its previous iteration.

Fast forward two and a half years and the reality facing Afghan women and girls is grim. As the Taliban have tightened their grip on Afghanistan, they have introduced over 50 decrees that directly curtail the rights of women and girls, weaving a tapestry of restrictions that binds women and girls in Afghanistan in a web of oppression. Women and girls are now banned from education beyond primary school. Women continue to face restrictions on their attire, access to public spaces, employment options, ability to seek public office or perform public roles, and their basic freedom of movement and expression.

In his last report, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett expressed concern about the rise in sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls, which rages on with impunity and minimal support for survivors. According to the report, since 2021, the unnatural deaths of over 280 women and children have been reported in the media, the causes ranging from intentional killings, conflict, and suicide bombs to domestic violence. But the actual figures are likely to be much higher as the deaths of women and girls routinely go unreported.

And it doesn’t end there. The Taliban have brutally crushed any attempt by Afghan women to reclaim their rights. Afghan women human rights defenders, activists, and peaceful protesters have been routinely harassed, arbitrarily arrested and detained, and tortured. Their families have been threatened with dire consequences if they continue to challenge the Taliban’s widespread and systematic discrimination and abuse against women and girls.

The Taliban have incrementally stripped away the rights of women and girls, emboldened each time by the lack of tangible response from the global community. As each encroachment on women’s rights goes unchecked, it further solidifies the Taliban’s oppressive regime. Yet the response from the global community has been muted, and with various conflicts now dominating the headlines, Afghanistan risks becoming a forgotten crisis.

Where do we go from here?

The obligations of states to protect the rights of women and girls under international law are unequivocal. The international community must recognize the perilous precedent set in Afghanistan of impunity and zero accountability for the systematic dismantling of women’s rights. It is imperative that the international community holds the Taliban accountable for their crimes and human rights violations and ensures justice for victims and survivors.

Human rights organizations and officials, including Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists, and the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan have presented a compelling case that the widespread and systematic violations against women and girls amounts to the crime against humanity of gender persecution. This provides an opportunity for states to exercise universal jurisdiction over the Taliban leadership to investigate and prosecute suspected perpetrators. Another avenue is strengthening collaboration with the International Criminal Court and other courts to ensure they have the necessary resources to carry out effective ongoing and future investigations into crimes under international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity such as gender persecution.

The global community must make clear that any negotiations or dialogue with the Taliban should not be mistaken for legitimization of their systematic violations of the rights of women and girls. Instead, the international community should reinforce its commitment to the Afghan people, and stress that as the de-facto authorities, the Taliban are responsible for fulfilling the obligations emanating from the international treaties to which Afghanistan is a party.

The international community, including the United Nations and all countries that have engaged with the Taliban, should proactively put women’s rights at the front and center of any diplomatic engagements with the Taliban. Empowering Afghan civil society, especially women-led initiatives, both in and outside Afghanistan, and supporting their efforts to design a governance model that respects human rights would be a powerful counterpoint to the silencing of women’s voices inside the country.

As the world marks International Women’s Day today, let it be more than a symbolic celebration. Let it serve as a call to action for the international community to reevaluate its commitment to protecting the rights of Afghan women and girls. Concrete steps, such as accountability and justice, increased female representation in negotiations, amplifying the voices of Afghan women, and supporting those who are no longer in Afghanistan, are imperative. The time for diplomatic rhetoric is over – now is the time for decisive and collective action to preserve the hard-won rights of Afghan women and girls. In failing to act decisively, the world risks witnessing the normalization of this remorseless dismantling of women’s rights in Afghanistan.
US panel postpones meeting to hold Blinken in contempt over Afghanistan (Reuters)
Reuters [3/7/2024 4:56 PM, Patricia Zengerle and Doina Chiacu, 11975K, Neutral]
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has agreed to provide a congressional committee with documents it sought about the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to the panel chairman who had threatened to hold Blinken in contempt.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday postponed a meeting where it had been due to consider holding Blinken in contempt of Congress for not providing the documents, said the panel’s Republican chairman, Representative Michael McCaul.

McCaul said he spoke with Blinken Wednesday night and received assurances the material would be provided.

"These documents will provide crucial information for our investigation," McCaul said in a statement.

McCaul said last week the panel would meet on March 7 to consider a resolution recommending that Blinken be held in contempt "for his continued refusal to comply with a subpoena served by the committee in July."

A State Department spokesperson responded that it was in touch with the House committee and trying to resolve the issue.

The committee has been seeking more information from the State Department for months over the withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. Republicans - and some Democrats - say there has never been a full accounting of the chaotic operation, in which 13 U.S. service members were killed at Kabul’s airport.

The State Department says it has turned over thousands of pages of documents to the committee and made witnesses available for transcribed interviews.
Why Afghan women are leaving Afghanistan (Al Jazeera – opinion)
Al Jazeera [3/8/2024 4:30 AM, Maryam Ahmadi, 2.1M, Neutral]
It was 4:15am when I arrived at the gate of the passport office. The weather was cold and it was still dark.

There was already a line of women who had come before me. Some were sleeping under a blanket, others were just sitting or standing. I stood in the line and asked one woman how long she had been waiting for. She told me she and her family members had arrived at 1am.

I could understand why they had come that early. I had heard that it would get very crowded at the passport office and if you do not come early, you would be at the end of the line.

Soon another family joined the line behind me: a mother with three girls. We started chatting. The mother, Zarghona, told me her three daughters could not go to school any more after the Taliban ban on secondary education for girls. The eldest was supposed to be in grade 12, the middle one – in grade 10 and the youngest – in grade seven.

The mother told me that they were trying to leave Afghanistan for another country where her daughters could get an education. She told me that they had initially planned to go to Pakistan but after the Pakistani authorities started to expel Afghan refugees, they decided to go to Iran.

She was a kind and outgoing woman; she even invited me to join her and her daughters under their blanket to stay warm.

As dawn began to break, I started to see the faces of the women who were gathering in the long line. I could see many different women: school teachers and university professors, rich and poor, young and old.

As we waited, it started to rain.

At 8:30am, the passport office employees arrived which immediately triggered a commotion. All of a sudden, the line broke as the women rushed to the gate and the crowd somehow moved me farther away.

I had no word of complaint and did not feel upset with these women. I knew they were desperate and they would do anything to get their passports.

After the initial chaos, the line took shape again and I stood waiting again, although much further from the gate than I had initially been.

As I waited, I started chatting with Fahima, a young widow. She had lost her husband many years ago and had moved with her 14-year-old daughter to live with her mother. Then last year, her mother left with her brother to go live in Iran. Fahima and her daughter could not join them because they did not have any passports and it takes a long time to get these documents.

Having nowhere to go, she had to move in with her sister and her family. She told me she feared being identified as a widow with a young daughter and the two being forced to marry Taliban fighters. On top of that, she felt she was a burden to her sister.

“I feel deeply embarrassed every time my sister makes food and my daughter and I eat. But there is no job to do to have an income,” Fahima said

So she decided to leave and seek a safe haven where she and her daughter would be free to work and study. “As soon as we get our passports, we will leave for another country where my daughter and I can live and breathe,” she told me.

After standing in line for many hours, I finally was able to pass the gate. I told one of the employees who was a Taliban member what I needed to do at the passport office and he responded that I needed a burqa in order to enter the building and do the paperwork.

I almost cried. I was wearing a hijab and a mask. Why was that not “modest enough” to do my paperwork? I rushed home where I found out that we did not have any burqas, so my brother went to a relative’s house to borrow one.

I donned the borrowed burqa and rushed to the post office but by the time I arrived, the office was closing and the employees were leaving.

This experience came to my mind, as this year’s International Women’s Day approached. I thought about the desperate women I saw at the passport office and wondered, what do Afghan women have to celebrate on March 8? What is there to stay in Afghanistan for?

Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, they have gradually and systematically discriminated against, humiliated, criminalised and denied women and girls their rights. Half of the Afghan population are women and girls; this means half of the people in the country do not have equal rights. UN experts are calling it “gender apartheid”.

It is very difficult for every Afghan mother and father to watch the suffering of their daughters as they are being deprived of education, an income and a future. It is painful to see their growing trauma and mental health problems as they are removed from society, are no longer able to socialise and are forced be stay at home, out of fear of arrest for “improper hijab” or some other new offense.

The life under this regime is no longer bearable. Women and girls feel they live in a countrywide prison. There is no hope that things will change for the better.

That is why the passport office was crowded and has been crowded for many months now. The women of Afghanistan want to leave because they do not see any future for themselves or for their daughters in this country.

As we mark International Women’s Day, perhaps a pertinent question to ponder is, what happens to a country when its women leave?
Pakistan
IMF backs new programme for Pakistan, urges resolution of electoral dispute (Reuters)
Reuters [3/7/2024 4:18 PM, Ariba Shahid, 5.2M, Neutral]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will support formulating a new economic programme for Pakistan if the new government seeks one, a spokesperson for the lender said on Friday, encouraging fair resolution of all electoral disputes.

The cash-strapped nation grappled with an uncertain Feb.8 election that delayed formation of a coalition government until new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in on Monday, though a new finance minister has yet to be decided.

"We look forward to engaging with the new government to complete the second review under the current stand-by arrangement and, should the government request, support the formulation of a new medium-term economic program," the Fund spokesperson said in an e-mail.

The reference was to a $3-billion standby arrangement Pakistan secured last summer from the IMF, though the country has been struggling with record inflation, currency devaluation and shrinking foreign reserves.

The party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan asked the IMF last month to ensure an audit of the disputed February election before any more bailout talks with Islamabad.

The IMF said that while it did not comment on domestic political developments, it encouraged the fair and peaceful resolution of all electoral disputes, given the importance of the institutional environment for economic stability and growth.

The finance ministry and Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

Sharif has asked his government to open talks with the IMF for a new programme after clearing the stand-by arrangement.

After a new cabinet is formed, the fund stands ready to send a mission for the second review of the stand-by arrangement, IMF communications official Julie Kozack told a briefing.

The focus is to complete the current stand-by program, which ends in April 2024, she added.

Pakistan’s sovereign dollar bonds gained as much as 3 cents on Friday, to hit their highest since early 2022.

The 2036 maturity gained the most, adding 3.3 cents to trade at 76.89 cents, on track for a second week of gains of about 5 cents, Tradeweb data showed.
Pakistan’s Generals Fail to Fix the Election (Time – opinion)
Time [3/7/2024 2:19 PM, Ian Bremmer, 1386K, Neutral]
Pakistan’s worst-kept secret is that its military dominates its government. Whether to safeguard the nation against chaos or to protect their own privileged access to power and wealth, its generals have manipulated the country’s politics for decades. Pakistan’s voters, like voters elsewhere, want change. February’s ugly election fiasco shows that it’s only getting harder for the army to prevent political disrupters from upending their plans but, unfortunately for Pakistan’s future, they have yet again managed to override public demand for a new direction.

A brief recap: The generals and popular leader Imran Khan decided some time ago they could no longer trust one another. The army then removed Khan from his post as Prime Minister and put him in jail, as it has done to many past Prime Ministers who refused to respect their dominance. He now faces more than 150 criminal charges, all of which he denies.

When the brass refused to let him contest February’s national elections, even from prison, aides in Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party created AI-generated Khan speeches that were then broadcast around Pakistan. In a nation where 40% of voters are illiterate, army-dominated courts ruled that ballots could not include the symbol of Khan’s party, a cricket bat to reference Khan’s professional sporting prowess, but the party vowed to press ahead. When the generals refused to allow PTI members to appear on ballots, many ran as independents.

Both the army and a former Prime Minister, the exiled-then-rehabilitated Nawaz Sharif, were confident that destroying Khan’s candidacy would assure a victory for Sharif. It did not. Even after manipulating courts and the media, stuffing ballot boxes, and turning off mobile phone service and social media in areas where Khan voters were setting their get-out-the-vote plans, the nation’s self-appointed overlords could not stop voters from shocking Pakistan and the world by handing victory to the independents who stood for Imran Khan’s PTI. They didn’t win a majority, but they did win more seats than any single party.

It took the army and its political subordinates three weeks to untangle this mess and find a way to keep Khan’s party out of power. On March 4, Pakistan’s newly formed Parliament announced that Shehbaz Sharif—Nawaz’s brother and the interim Prime Minister since the army grabbed power again last August—will again lead a coalition government. All in the name of “stability.”

It’s reasonable to wonder why Sharif, or anyone else, would want the job. Pakistan ranks 161st out of 191 countries in the U.N.’s Human Development Index. Its economic prospects remain poor. About 40% of Pakistan’s people live in poverty, and inflation stands at about 30%. Power outages are a fact of daily life. To pay its foreign debt to avoid default, Pakistan’s government must come up with more than $20 billion. Its current reserves have dwindled to less than $10 billion.

The country is increasingly isolated. China and Saudi Arabia, traditional investors in Pakistan, increasingly see the country as a bad commercial bet. Traditional security partners in the U.S. are less interested, particularly since the U.S. withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan. And though Khan has vowed that PTI lawmakers will sit in opposition, the party’s followers have already demonstrated an ability and willingness to generate major trouble in the streets of Pakistan’s largest cities.

Worse still, the army establishment has shown Pakistan’s voters that their country’s democracy cannot create the change they need. That bodes ill for the nation and all who would lead it, whether they’re elected or not.
India
Modi Holds Rally in Volatile Kashmir Region Before Elections (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [3/7/2024 6:48 AM, Swati Gupta, 5543K, Positive]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his first rally in the main city of Kashmir since his government revoked the region’s special status nearly five years ago, wooing residents just weeks before national elections.

Speaking to a crowd in Srinagar on Thursday, Modi said he had “won your hearts and I will continue to win them more.”

Opposition parties alleged the administration had forcefully bused in the crowd to the rally. The prime minister was in the city to launch 64 billion rupees ($773 million) worth of projects, some of which were earmarked for the region.

Jammu and Kashmir, which was brought under federal control in August 2019, hasn’t held local elections since the government scrapped Article 370 of the Indian constitution that gave the region autonomy and special status. The region is India’s only Muslim-majority one and removing its special status had been a long-held campaign promise of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

“The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been deprived of their rights by previous political parties and today those rights are being returned to them,” Modi said, citing equal rights and opportunities provided by his administration.

Kashmir has long been a volatile region. It has seen decades of separatist violence, and been a source of the dispute between India and neighboring Pakistan since the two gained independence in 1947.

The BJP-led central government hasn’t given a time line for when elections will be held in the region or when statehood will be restored. Late last year, India’s top court upheld the government’s decision to scrap the region’s autonomy, and directed the government to hold elections by September this year.

The government suspended internet and phone services in the Kashmir valley for many months in the aftermath of its decision to revoke Article 370, and arrested many of the region’s political leaders.

In election rallies around the country, Modi has hailed the decision to revoke Article 370 and has said his government will win 370 seats, out of 543, in the lower house of the parliament because of the move.
Modi makes rare pre-election Kashmir trip, but struggles to ‘win hearts’ (Al Jazeera)
Al Jazeera [3/7/2024 9:57 AM, Staff, 2060K, Neutral]
In his first speech in the main city of Indian-administered Kashmir since scrapping its semi-autonomous status in 2019, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed the move had brought development and prosperity to the region’s residents.

“I am working hard to win your hearts,” Modi told a rally on Thursday in Srinagar, where he announced a slew of developmental projects worth $777m, which he said will boost the agro-economy and tourism in the disputed region.

“Today, there is no Article 370, hence the talent of the youth of Jammu and Kashmir is being fully respected and they are getting new opportunities. Today there are equal rights and equal opportunities for everyone here,” he said, referring to the constitutional provision that granted a special status to the Muslim-majority region, also claimed by neighbouring Pakistan.

“The country is seeing these smiling faces of yours … [and] feeling relieved to see you all happy,” he said, concluding his 27-minute address by wishing people well during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that begins next week.

But independent analysts and many Kashmiris said they were left disappointed by the PM’s speech, which many had anticipated might have offered more substantive political messaging aimed at reaching out to a region that New Delhi and Modi’s party have long had a tense relationship with.

The 2019 break

For decades, the abrogation of Article 370 was a core agenda of Modi’s Hindu majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in order to “fully integrate” the region with the rest of India. The article allowed the region to have its own laws and barred outsiders from buying land or getting local jobs.

But Modi’s government split the former state into two territories – Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir – and brought them under New Delhi’s direct rule. To curb street protests against the action, the government launched a security crackdown and curtailed civil liberties and press freedom.

In defence of its controversial move, the government said New Delhi’s direct rule would bring progress to Kashmir and eradicate the armed rebellion against New Delhi’s rule that began in 1989. Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the conflict since, turning the Himalayan territory into one of the most militarised regions in the world.

But the BJP’s move was opposed by Kashmiris, who feared the government was trying to change the region’s demography by allowing people from other parts of India to settle or invest there.

“This is the new Jammu and Kashmir which we had been waiting for decades,” Modi said in remarks made ahead of the national election in April and May in which he is seeking a third straight term.

‘Disappointed the audience’

Residents, however, said they had low expectations for the prime minister’s visit – and that their grievances were not addressed in his speech.

“The highest expectation was the restoration of the statehood. The second could have been the restoration of democracy since the central rule has been far too long. People don’t have a voice here,” said a 33-year-old Kashmiri who did not want to reveal his identity over fears of reprisal by the authorities.

Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir has not had regional elections since 2014. The government formed then was dissolved by the BJP’s central government in 2018.

In December 2023, the Supreme Court, while upholding the scrapping of the special status, said state elections must be held by September this year. But on Thursday, Modi did not give any assurances about holding the vote in his speech.

“Two things people wanted to hear was the dates of elections and statehood,” New Delhi-based academic Radha Kumar, who has worked extensively on the Kashmir conflict, told Al Jazeera.

“On both those points, PM Modi disappointed the audience,” she said. “One would expect he would give reassurance that the elections would be held by the deadline. Surprisingly, there was no reference.”

But Zameer Ahmad, a BJP member from Kashmir’s Kupwara district, defended Modi’s visit, saying it gave the residents a chance to talk about their issues. “We have a future with the BJP because they will win elections. I think the PM will listen to us and solve our problems,” he said.

Government employees mobilised as crowd

Modi’s BJP is not a key player in Indian-administered Kashmir. Multiple government employees, including teachers, said their departments and offices had effectively ordered them — around 20,000 people in all — to attend Modi’s rally. Many schools in the region were closed for the day.

“We hardly got any sleep and left home at 4am. It was a job compulsion,” Ahmad, a 45-year-old employee from Anantnag district, 50km (31 miles) from Srinagar, told Al Jazeera, outside the football stadium in the city where the event was held.

A female teacher from southern Kashmir said she felt no excitement for the event. “I can’t say anything. We were directed by the administration to come.”

Mehbooba Mufti, the last elected chief minister of the region, criticised the government for mobilising its employees for the rally.

“This visit is only meant to address and drum support amongst the BJP’s core constituency in the rest of India for the upcoming parliament elections,” she posted on X.
Kashmir Prospered Since Its Special Status Was Revoked, Says India’s Modi (VOA)
VOA [3/7/2024 8:15 PM, Muheet Ul Islam, 761K, Neutral]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday visited Indian Kashmir for the first time since his government stripped the Himalayan region of its semiautonomous status nearly five years ago.

Amid tight security, Modi told a crowd that had packed the Bakshi Stadium in the region’s capital, Srinagar, that Kashmir has seen significant changes and prospered since his government took action on August 5, 2019.

On that day, the Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government nullified Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution. Kashmir’s loss of its special status led to the division of the region into two federal territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Both areas are ruled by the central government and have no legislatures of their own.

"Today Jammu and Kashmir is touching new heights of development because J&K is breathing freely today. This freedom from restrictions has come after the abrogation of Article 370," Modi said.

"Few political parties used Article 370 for their own political benefits, but that’s over now," he added, apparently referring to the two regional pro-India political parties, the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party, without mentioning their names.

He also alleged that India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, commonly known as Congress, and its allies in the region "deceived people, J&K and the nation for political benefits" under the guise of the now-revoked special status.

Kashmiri politicians have described Modi as divisive and anti-minority and have said that the special status designation was a constitutional guarantee, The Associated Press has reported.

Tight security was put in place ahead of Modi’s visit to the Muslim-majority region.

Government forces dug holes on the main road and placed wooden rafters in them to erect barricades. Local police also declared Srinagar a "red zone" for drones. Access to the secured compound, decorated with Indian flags, was restricted to individuals with government-approved passes.

Thousands of individuals from the Kashmir valley attended the speech. Some, however, said that the local government forced them to join Modi’s gathering as they were government employees.

Their claims were backed by two former chief ministers, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, who shared on social media platform X videos and screenshots of the list of the employees selected by the government to attend.

"Many of us who work for the government had to attend this event at any cost. We were picked up from different places during the middle of the night," a government employee told VOA. He asked not to be named, fearing disciplinary action.

"They made us wear caps in three colors representing the Indian flag when we got into the vehicles. We have been waiting outside since 5 a.m., and we are tired because we haven’t had rest," he added.

Many people who said they traveled to Srinagar on their own voiced disappointment, saying they were not allowed to enter the venue where the prime minister was speaking. They said they hoped Modi would listen to their concerns and address them on the spot.

"I am devastated because security didn’t let me into the stadium to share my grievance directly," Riyaz Ahmad, a resident of the Kangan area of Ganderbal district, told VOA.

"I come from an economically weaker section of society, and I wanted to tell Prime Minister Modi that people like me can’t afford to pay for electricity after the regional government installed smart meters in the valley.”

Manoj Sinha, lieutenant governor of J&K, welcomed Modi and thanked him for re-establishing peace in the valley.

"Thanks to the efforts of Prime Minister Modi, Kashmir, also known as the Valley of Saints, has become peaceful once again," Sinha told the gathering. "Street protests are gone forever."

India and Pakistan have both claimed Kashmir since the two countries gained independence from Britain in 1947. They administer parts of the region with a "Line of Control" as the de facto border. Kashmir has seen clashes involving Indian forces and separatists.

Sinha said that people of J&K have sent a clear message of their huge respect and love for Modi.

"People are standing because there are no seats available in the stadium," the lieutenant governor said. "The figures reveal the affection for the prime minister. Even if there were enough spaces to accommodate 200,000 people, it too would still be overcrowded."

Modi also dedicated "Developed India — Developed Jammu Kashmir," an agriculture development program worth more than $600 million to boost the economy of J&K.

During his speech, Modi announced that he would kick off a campaign to promote J&K as a wedding destination.

"I am starting ‘Wed in India’ campaign. I urge those planning weddings to come and stay here for a couple of days so that locals can earn their bread and butter," he said. "I won’t leave any stone unturned to repay the debt of the love given to me by the people of Kashmir."

Mufti, the former chief minister, while taking a jab at BJP, said that common people in the past thronged venues with great enthusiasm and returned with hope in their hearts.

"But this time Kashmiris know that everything spoken at Bakshi Stadium will be to showcase the so-called benefits of illegal abrogation of Article 370 akin to putting salt to their wounds," she wrote on the X platform.

"This visit is only meant to address and drum support amongst BJP’s core constituency in the rest of India for the upcoming parliament elections," she added. The elections are set for April.
China Says India Bolstering Border Troops Doesn’t Ease Tensions (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [3/8/2024 3:51 AM, Staff, 5.5M, Neutral]
Beijing said New Delhi’s move to free up 10,000 more soldiers to station on their disputed frontier won’t reduce tensions but added that it is willing to work with its rival to keep the peace.

“India enhancing military deployments in the India-China border areas does not help ease the situation in the border areas or in safeguarding tranquility and safety,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

But she added that “China is committed to working with India to safeguard the tranquility and stability of the border areas.”

A unit of Indian soldiers previously assigned to the country’s western border has been set aside to protect a stretch of its frontier with China, Bloomberg News reported Thursday, citing senior Indian officials who didn’t want to be named because discussions are private.

In addition, an existing contingent of 9,000 troops already designated to the Chinese border will be brought under the new fighting command. The combined force will guard a roughly 530 km (330 mile) stretch of border that separates China’s Tibet region with India’s northern states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

India’s unprecedented assignment of troops — backed by their own artillery and air support — to the stretch of the border highlights both the region’s strategic importance and its growing sensitivity in the eyes of India’s leaders.

China’s Defense Ministry didn’t respond to a faxed request for comment on Friday.

In 2021, India repositioned an extra 50,000 soldiers to patrol the border after a deadly clash the year before left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead and seriously strained ties.

Beijing and New Delhi have since upgraded military-related infrastructure, moved missiles and aircraft to either side of their border and placid more troops in the area.

Ties between India and China sank after the confrontation and haven’t substantially improved. As many as 21 rounds of military-diplomatic talks have made incremental progress.
More Indian troops at border won’t ease tensions, says China foreign ministry (Reuters)
Reuters [3/8/2024 2:39 AM, Andrew Hayley, 5.2M, Neutral]
China believes that India’s move to add more troops at a disputed border with India is "not conducive to easing tensions", a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday at a regular news briefing.

The Indian government has freed a contingent of 10,000 soldiers, previously deployed at its western border, to strengthen its disputed border with China, according to several media reports.

The two countries have previously agreed to maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels.
India says it busts trafficking racket duping people into fighting for Russia in Ukraine (Reuters)
Reuters [3/7/2024 4:10 AM, Sakshi Dayal, 5.2M, Positive]
India said it had busted a "major human trafficking network" which lured young men to Russia with the promise of jobs only to force them to fight in the war in Ukraine.

About 35 people have been sent to Russia in the scheme so far, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said late on Thursday, almost double the figure of 20 people that the Indian foreign ministry had earlier mentioned.

At least two men who went to Russia expecting to work as "helpers" in the army have died while fighting at the front, their families have said. The Indian Embassy in Russia confirmed one of those deaths.

The traffickers, operating across several Indian states, targeted people using social media platforms and through local agents, the CBI said in a statement.

"The trafficked Indian nationals were trained in combat roles and deployed at front bases in Russia-Ukraine War Zone against their wishes," the statement said, adding that some of the victims were also "grievously injured" in the war zone.

The CBI said searches were being conducted at a number of locations, including in the capital New Delhi and financial capital Mumbai, and cash amounting to 50 million rupees($605,000) had already been seized along with some documents and electronic records.

"Certain suspects have also been detained for questioning at various locations," it said.
The foreign ministry has said that every case of Indians being duped into fighting in the war had been "strongly taken up" with Moscow.

The Russian foreign ministry has not responded to requests for comment on the issue.
Thousands of people have died on both sides since Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022 in what Moscow termed a "special military operation".

New Delhi and Moscow have enjoyed a close relationship for decades and India has refused to condemn Russia over the war with Ukraine, urging the two sides to end the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

India has also stepped up its purchase of cheap Russian oil, much to the frustration of Western capitals.
Japan and India agree to step up security and economic cooperation amid regional security concerns (AP)
AP [3/7/2024 9:45 AM, Mari Yamaguchi, 6902K, Positive]
Japan’s and India’s foreign ministers on Thursday agreed to step up security and economic cooperation as the two Asian countries look to boost their ties in the face of China’s growing influence in the region.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told a joint news conference after talks with her Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar that they reaffirmed their countries would expand bilateral security cooperation, including in the field of defense equipment and technology transfers.

She also said they agreed to look for possibilities to extend their cooperation to new areas of space and cybersecurity.

Japan and India, members of the Quad grouping that also includes the United States and Australia, have rapidly intensified bilateral ties amid shared concern about China’s increasingly assertive economic and military activities in the region.

“India and Japan, as two major Indo-Pacific nations sharing values, history and interests, have an abiding stake in the peace, security, and prosperity of our region, and are ready to play a responsible role commensurate to the needs of our times,” said Jaishankar, who is on a three-day visit in Tokyo to meet with Japanese government and business officials.

Noting rapidly changing strategic relations and a worsening security environment on the global stage where divisions and contention are deepening, Kamikawa said Japan wants to work with India in resolving common issues through dialogue and cooperation.

“Japan especially places importance on its relations with India, which has nurtured its own democracy and history and represents the Global South,” Kamikawa said.

“In light of the increasingly severe security environment of today, we confirmed the need for our defense and security cooperation,” she said.

The two ministers welcomed expanding joint military exercises.

Jaishankar said their countries would work together to enhance economic security and supply chain resilience, and discussed cooperation in areas such as semiconductor, green technology and digital transformation.

Japan has also been supporting infrastructure development in India, and Kamikawa reaffirmed Tokyo’s continued help in high-speed rail projects.
Modi Faces ‘Pandora’s Box’ If No Majority, India Opposition Says (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [3/7/2024 8:52 PM, Sudhi Ranjan Sen, 5543K, Neutral]
India’s opposition alliance is well behind in the polls ahead of an election set to be announced shortly. One key member is warning that Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces trouble if his ruling party wins the most seats but fails to secure a majority in parliament.

Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) — one of 30 opposition parties that have banded together for the elections — said in an interview the anti-Modi alliance faces a “tough battle” and he “can’t really quantify” how many seats the group can win. But they can do well enough to trigger disarray in Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, he said.

“They are mortally afraid that the BJP may not get a majority on its own,” Yechury said at the party’s office in New Delhi on Thursday. “In which there’s a Pandora’s Box that will open within them.”

“The supremacy of Modi in that sense will be challenged, and that is Modi’s fear,” Yechury said, adding that “all those who have been sidelined” in the BJP would then seek to challenge the prime minister.

In politics for decades, the 71-year-old Yechury is critical to keeping the opposition alliance intact. However, the influence of the left-wing parties in India has waned while Modi and his Hindu-first agenda becomes more ingrained in domestic politics.

Modi appears poised to extend his decade in power in an election set to take place over the next few months. Surging economic growth, handouts for the poor and moves appealing to the Hindu majority have all but cemented Modi’s grip on power in the South Asian nation of 1.4 billion people.

The opposition is seeking to crack into Modi’s base with a state-by-state campaign aimed at celebrating India’s religious diversity and offering support to low-income households in the form of a universal basic income, urban employment programs and more free food rations, Yechury said.

“It is not a level playing field at all,” he said. “The focus therefore is direct access and contact to the people.”
India’s Congress vows ‘first job’ for all graduates if voted into power (Reuters)
Reuters [3/7/2024 9:53 AM, Krishna N. Das, 11975K, Neutral]
India’s main opposition Congress party said on Thursday it would guarantee paid apprenticeships to every graduate under 25 if it wins the upcoming election, as it tries to tap into voter concerns over high unemployment, even among the well educated.

Opinion polls predict another big defeat for the party that has ruled India for much of its independent history but was thrashed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the last two general elections.

National elections are likely to be held in the coming weeks.

"We are going to ensure your ‘first job’ of Rs 1 lakh ($1,209) per year," former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, said on X social media. "This historic plan of ours is a forever cure for the disease of unemployment."

Gandhi, who is in the middle of a cross-country march exhorting young people to vote for Congress, said the party would enact a ‘Right to Apprentice Act’ guaranteeing a one-year apprenticeship in a government or private institution, with the opportunity to continue in the job.

"This revolutionary scheme will change the face of Indian industries and the destiny of the youth by closing the skill gap between industry and India’s workforce," he said.

According to a report by Azim Premji University last year, the unemployment rate for graduates under 25 was 42.3%. This fell to less than 5% for those aged 35 and above. India’s overall unemployment rate increased to 8% in February from 6.8% in January, according to data from the independent Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.

Economists and business leaders have often complained about the employability of young graduates in the world’s most populous country because of a lack of suitable skills. A recent study, opens new tab showed that less than half of India’s young graduates who apply for jobs are employable.
India’s Rahul Gandhi bets on 6,700km trek to stop Narendra Modi’s election juggernaut (Financial Times)
Financial Times [3/7/2024 7:51 PM, John Reed, 1.9M, Neutral]
Rahul Gandhi — scion of the Indian National Congress, perpetual political underdog and opposition hope for reclaiming national leadership — is taking his political message straight to the public with a dramatic ploy: a 6,700km trek through 15 states.

Gandhi embarked in January on his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (Unite India for Justice March), starting in the conflict-torn eastern state of Manipur and due to finish in mid-March in western Mumbai. The journey, undertaken just months before an expected general election, is intended to lift the fortunes of an opposition front widely seen as a waning force.

The trek is Gandhi’s second — last year, he completed a more than 4,000km south-to-north walk from Kerala to Kashmir, drawing large crowds with off-the-cuff speeches that lamented India’s increasing divisions under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This year, Gandhi’s message is focused resolutely on the economy. While Modi has lauded India as the world’s fastest-growing large economy, Gandhi has dwelled on the grievances of farmers, lower caste Indians, small business owners and unemployed youth who feel left behind by the ruling Bharatiya Janata party’s brand of muscular Hindu nationalism.

He has also hammered the BJP on issues where the opposition sees the governing party as vulnerable, such as its close ties to billionaires who have profited from India’s growth, among them Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani.

“Three to four per cent of the population has taken control of the entire wealth and power structure,” Gandhi told a roadside crowd as he passed through the town of Shajapur in central Madhya Pradesh state this week. “Adani and Ambani are the ones sitting at the top who have control of it,” he added.

Congress party officials insist the trek is not a campaign event. But they acknowledge it is one of their best hopes of connecting directly with voters in an increasingly BJP-dominated public square. The ruling party is much better funded and has a commanding presence on both conventional and social media.

Gandhi, the fourth-generation dynast of the family behind Congress, has been mobbed by supporters and welcomed by roadside banners featuring him, his mother Sonia Gandhi and other party figures. After suffering knee problems on last year’s walk — and with a tight schedule before the general election, which is expected in April and May — he now travels in a red jeep.

Along the way, he has highlighted the limited career choices available to young Indians, who he said faced obstacles including caste discrimination in the military and government bureaucracy, scarce credit for small businesses, and cutbacks in military recruitment.

“How many people from backward or lower castes are there in management positions?” Gandhi said. Congress has vowed to make apprenticeships a legal right for young people in its draft election manifesto and for a caste census to fully account for the majority of Indians who come from lower or “backward” castes or tribal groups.

The limited available polling data points to a strong BJP election lead. But Congress officials believe marginalised voters could help tip the vote in their favour, including in India’s populous and poorer north where Modi’s party is strongest, and where the opposition is trying to chip away at the narrative that prime minister is undefeatable.

However, Congress faces punishing odds against the BJP, which has strong backing from business, a strong grassroots network and a powerful identity as the protector of Hinduism.

Congress lost seats to the BJP in elections in 2014 and 2019 and has suffered mass defections to the governing party. The BJP is now aiming to win with its allies a “supermajority” of 400 out of 543 seats in the lower house of parliament.

Gandhi himself has been an easy target for Modi, who has derided him as the entitled heir of a party that was swept from power in part because of rife corruption.

Jairam Ramesh, a Congress MP who joined Gandhi on the trek this week, draws encouragement from the 2004 election, when Congress, then led by Sonia Gandhi, defeated the BJP. “It’s very challenging because we’re out-funded,” Ramesh said. “But anyone who writes the epitaph of the Congress party now is forgetting history.”

In Ujjain, a Hindu pilgrimage site, Gandhi visited the Mahakaleshwar temple and bemoaned to a large crowd the “social, political and economic injustice” meted out to disadvantaged Indians.

At an overnight camp, Gandhi sat in a circle with chartered accountants as part of Congress’s outreach to professional groups who largely back the BJP, taking questions on taxation, small business and Modi’s “demonetisation” drive in 2016. Demonetisation — which saw the prime minister withdraw 500 and 1,000 rupee banknotes from circulation overnight — was billed as targeting black money, but triggered financial turmoil.

“The goal of demonetisation was to cripple small and medium-size enterprises, disturb their cash flow, so he [Modi] could reshape the Indian economy and make it based on a couple of monopolies,” Gandhi told the group. “And I think he was quite successful in that.”

Some observers see Gandhi’s trek as a metaphor for the grim slog that the opposition faces under a system increasingly dominated by a single party. Unlike the BJP, which draws strength from the cadres of the world’s largest political party, Congress’s fortunes are driven almost entirely by the personas of its leaders, especially the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that produced three generations of prime ministers.

Congress’s current president Mallikarjun Kharge is seen as a wily politician but firmly beholden to the Gandhis, who still wield considerable power behind the scenes.

“Kharge is an appointment of the family,” said Sugata Srinivasaraju, author of a book about Gandhi, who stepped back as Congress leader after its last defeat in national elections in 2019. “If the party is to stay united, the family is seen as having to serve as the glue.”

Ramesh, the MP, insisted Congress had a chance of a comeback. “People are very concerned, people are fed-up,” he said. “Our challenge is to make sure that these people, the silent majority, that a good portion of them come back to Congress.”
UK trade minister doesn’t see India election as a deadline for trade deal (Reuters)
Reuters [3/7/2024 10:40 AM, Alistair Smout, 5239K, Positive]
Britain’s trade minister Kemi Badenoch on Thursday said she did not see a forthcoming election in India as a deadline for securing a trade agreement between the countries, saying it would be "challenging" to secure a deal by then but possible.

Britain and India have held stop-start talks over a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) for two years, and both countries are set to hold national elections in 2024 that could complicate the timeline for negotiations.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking to win a third term, with the official election campaign expected to begin in the coming weeks.

"We can actually sign an agreement before the Indian election. I suspect that that is not necessarily going to be the case because I don’t want to use any election as a deadline," Badenoch said at an event at Chatham House in London.

"It is possible that we can sign, but I’m not using it as a deadline."

Ministers in British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government have said that the content of the deal matters more than the date it is delivered, marking a contrast with his predecessors who had suggested deadlines for a deal that were then missed.

Badenoch cited India’s negotiations with the EU, which launched over a decade ago, and said the size of India and the differences between the two economies made talks more complex.

"India is still very protectionist, whereas we are very, very liberalised," Badenoch said, adding she was interested in "high-quality trade deals", with Britain pulling for better coverage on services and digital trade, and not just goods.

"It has to be something that is commercially meaningful," she said. "Trying to do something that’s going to make sense for the UK as it is in 2024, not 1984 or 1954, is challenging."

Vikram Doraiswami, High Commissioner of India to the UK, said it was natural that each side in a trade negotiation brought their own particular interests to the table, but that a deal with Britain was being prioritised.

"We are negotiating one (an FTA) which we hope we can bring to a conclusion soon," Doraiswami said later at the same event.

"The FTA with the UK for us is obviously of great importance as an affirmation of the strategic depth that we seek to develop with this important partner country."
Worsening water shortage in India’s Bengaluru hurts businesses (Reuters)
Reuters [3/7/2024 12:22 PM, Chandini Monnappa, Varuvyas Hebbalalu, and Haripriya Suresh, 5239K, Negative]
Bengaluru’s acute water shortage is slowing production at its garment factories, doubling restaurant water bills and forcing managers at some global firms in "India’s Silicon Valley" to accommodate unusual employee demands.

The southern Indian city is home to about 14 million people, thousands of startups and international firms from Walmart (WMT.N), opens new tab to Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google.

"My team is skipping meetings to chase water tankers," a senior employee at Dell (DELL.N), opens new tab said on condition of anonymity, lamenting the hit to productivity.

The shortage, caused by weak southwest monsoon rains that failed to replenish depleted groundwater and the Cauvery River basin reservoirs, has already forced residents to ration water use and pay almost double the usual price to meet their daily needs.

"This is just the beginning of summer, we don’t know how it is going to turn out," said Chethan Hegde, head of the Bengaluru arm of the National Restaurants Association of India.

Some restaurants are considering using disposable plates to save on washing-up, while others are putting up advisories in restrooms and training staff on how to operate with less water.

Larger companies are changing tack too.

Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab is using tap aerators to control water flow and recycling water in the washrooms at its office in Bagmane Constellation Business Park, an employee said, citing a memo sent to workers.

Walmart, which implemented similar water conservation measures well before the crisis, said it was also encouraging landlords to use recycled water for landscaping and gardening.

Some employees who live in water-scarce areas prefer to work in the office, a senior Accenture (ACN.F), opens new tab employee said.

Microsoft, Dell and Accenture did not respond to requests seeking comment.

The crisis has reached Bengaluru’s factories too.

"Manufacturers cannot afford to stall production, they are trying their best to go on, but work has slowed down," South India Garment Association President Anurag Singhla said.

TENSIONS RISE

The situation worsened this week when some providers of water tanks - which the city relies on when river and groundwater levels are too low - went on strike after the state government moved to regulate them.

Dealers hiked prices for a 12,000-litre tanker of water to as much as 2,000 rupees ($24.19) in February, from 1,200 rupees ($14.51) in January, Reuters found last month.

The city has capped the price of such tankers commissioned by the government at 1,200 rupees per unit, according to a March 6 order seen by Reuters.

The government has also allocated 5.56 billion rupees ($67.24 million) to deal with the water shortage but some industry captains are not very hopeful.

"(The water board) had promised us treated water, but we don’t expect to get that until next year," Peenya Industries Association President H.M. Arif said. "Already, micro industries are on oxygen and higher costs will lead to losses and they will have to be closed if the situation continues."
NSB
Maldives: Indian troops to exit country as China gains foothold (BBC)
BBC [3/7/2024 8:48 PM, Anbarasan Ethirajan, 14192K, Neutral]
India is set to pull its first batch of military personnel from the Maldives on Sunday as the island nation moves closer to China.

The phased withdrawal of about 80 Indian troops must meet a May deadline set by President Mohamed Muizzu, who is widely seen to be pro-China.

India has said its military personnel were stationed in the Maldives to maintain and operate two rescue and reconnaissance helicopters and a small aircraft it had donated years ago. Removing Indian troops was an election promise made by Mr Muizzu, who came to power in November.

India has long wielded influence over the Maldives, whose strategic location in its backyard allowed it to monitor a crucial part of the Indian Ocean. But the relationship between the countries has soured over the past few months, partly due to Mr Muizzu’s strong rhetoric against Delhi. It’s a gap China is looking to exploit as the Asian powers jostle for influence in the region.

Even then, Delhi and Male (the capital of the Maldives) managed to agree that Indian civilian technical staff would replace military troops to operate the aircraft - the first team has already reached the islands.

"The aircraft will remain in the Maldives, and Indian [civilian] personnel will continue to be there to maintain them. So both sides seem to have reached a compromise," says Shyam Saran, a former Indian foreign secretary.

Some in the Maldives see the replacement of troops by civilians as a climbdown by Mr Muizzu after his high-voltage ‘India Out’ campaign.

Mr Muizzu’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Some analysts warn that the Maldives, a nation of just over half a million people, faces the risk of being caught up in the Asian power rivalry.

China has loaned more than a billion dollars to the Maldives over the years, mostly for infrastructure and economic development.

Both Beijing and Male elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in January when Mr Muizzu went to China on a state visit - he is yet to visit India, unlike previous Maldivian leaders.

Earlier this week, the Maldivian government signed a "military assistance" agreement with China that has caused some concern in Delhi.

The Maldivian defence ministry said the agreement was "gratis" (without payment) without providing more details. But addressing a public meeting on Tuesday, Mr Muizzu said China would offer non-lethal weapons for free as well as train the Maldivian security forces (both India and the US have trained the Maldivian military so far).

"This is unprecedented. It’s the first time the Maldives has signed a defence agreement with Beijing to provide military assistance," Azim Zahir, a Maldivian political analyst, told the BBC.

"We knew that Mr Muizzu would forge closer ties with China in terms of investment and capital, but no one expected him to go to this extent," he said.

But Beijing denies having any long-term military plans in the Maldives.

"It’s a normal relationship between two countries. If China wants to have a military presence in the Indian Ocean, maybe it has better choices than the Maldives," says Dr Long Xingchun, president of the Chengdu Institute of World Affairs think-tank.

Despite Beijing’s assurances, many believe that China is moving swiftly to take advantage as the previous government, led by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, had an "India-first" approach.

During his election campaign, Mr Muizzu had accused the previous administration of not disclosing the fine print of Male’s agreements with Delhi. He now faces similar criticism.

"We don’t have any details of most of the agreements he signed during his visit to Beijing. Mr Muizzu is no better than the previous government when it comes to disclosing details of such accords," says Mr Zahir.

Last month, Mr Muizzu’s administration allowed a Chinese research ship, Xiang Yang Hong 3, to dock at Male despite opposition from Delhi. Male argued that it was a port call "for rotation of personnel and replenishment".

But that did not convince some Indian experts who feared it may be a mission to collect data which could be used by the Chinese military later in submarine operations.

Amid the ongoing irritants in relations, Delhi has commissioned a new naval base in the Indian archipelago Lakshadweep, close to the Maldives.

The Indian navy said the INS Jatayu in the Minicoy island would enhance its efforts in "anti-piracy and anti-narcotics operations in the Western Arabian Sea".

While some have read it as a message to Male, Indian experts say the move is not a response to the current tensions.

"I don’t think that is something new. As far as I am aware, this has been in the works for some time," said Mr Saran, the former Indian diplomat.

Mr Muizzu’s anti-India moves have also worried many in his country. The Maldives depends on India for imports of essential food items, medicines and construction material. Post the Covid pandemic, India was also sending the highest number of tourists to the Maldives.

But this has changed after a recent controversy which led to a social media call for Indians to "boycott" the Maldives after some officials made controversial comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The controversy broke while Mr Muizzu was in Beijing, and he asked Chinese authorities to start sending more tourists to regain the top spot the country held before the pandemic.

Since then, Chinese tourists have started visiting in sizeable numbers. According to tourism ministry data, of the nearly 400,000 tourists who visited the Maldives in the first two months of the year, 13% were from China. India has slipped to the fifth position.

Some also expect Mr Muizzu’s rhetoric to intensify as the parliamentary elections on 21 April draw closer and he aims for a majority in the house.
Six Sri Lankans knifed to death in Canadian capital in rare case of mass murder (Reuters)
Reuters [3/7/2024 2:25 PM, Blair Gable, 951K, Negative]
Six people from Sri Lanka, including a mother and four young children, were knifed to death in the Canadian capital Ottawa late on Wednesday, police said on Thursday, rocking a country where mass murders are rare.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was horrified by what he called a "terrible tragedy." The father of the family was also wounded in the attack and is in hospital.

Police said Febrio De-Zoysa, a 19-year-old male student from Sri Lanka, had been arrested and charged with six counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder. De-Zoysa knew the family and had been living in the house, they said.

The victims killed were a 35-year-old woman and her children aged 7, 4, 2 and 2 months, as well as a 40-year-old man who was an acquaintance of the family.

"This was a senseless act of violence perpetrated on purely innocent people," Ottawa police chief Eric Stubbs told a televised news conference. Police said they had had no previous dealings with the suspect or the family.

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, in a social media post, said it was "one of the most shocking incidents of violence in our city’s history".

Ottawa, which has a population of one million, saw 14 murders in 2023 and 15 in 2022.

Wednesday’s victims were found inside a house in the southwestern suburb of Barrhaven. Police arrived on the scene following emergency calls shortly before 11 p.m. on Wednesday.

Mass killings in Canada are infrequent. In December 2022, a man shot five people in a Toronto suburb before being gunned down by police.

In September that year, a man stabbed and killed 11 people in the western province of Saskatchewan. He died of a cocaine overdose shortly after being arrested.
The India Factor in Sri Lanka’s Renewable Energy Sector (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [3/7/2024 6:26 AM, Rathindra Kuruwita, 201K, Neutral]
On March 1, the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority, the Government of Sri Lanka, and U-Solar Clean Energy Solutions from India signed an agreement for the construction of hybrid renewable energy systems on Nainativu, Delft (Neduntheevu), and Analaitivu islands situated in the Palk Bay. The three facilities which will have a combined renewable energy capacity of 2,230 kilowatts will be funded by a $11 million grant from the Indian government.

A statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Colombo said that the project which integrates solar and wind energy will address the energy requirements of the three islands, which are currently not connected to the national grid.

The energy sector has been identified as a priority in the India-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership Vision document, a commitment established during President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to India in July 2023.

The hybrid energy project was initially awarded to China. In January 2021, the Sri Lankan cabinet approved a collaborative effort involving China’s Sinosoar to implement “hybrid renewable energy systems” in the aforementioned three islands in Palk Bay. The joint venture deal, secured through a competitive bidding process adhered to the procurement guidelines of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a pivotal supporter of the project.

However, India strongly objected to the deal as the three islands are located barely 50 km from the southern Indian coast.

New Delhi then proposed undertaking the same project, offering a grant instead of a loan from the ADB. Under pressure, the Sri Lankan government scrapped the agreement with the Chinese and is proceeding with the project in collaboration with India.

India has expressed heightened sensitivity toward foreign-funded development initiatives in Sri Lanka, particularly in the Northern and Eastern provinces. India has an interest in maintaining a foothold and dominating the two provinces given the proximity to India as well as Trincomalee harbor, which is located in a strategic area.

Notably, the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, perceived by some as an agreement pushed on Sri Lanka by India, stipulates that if Sri Lanka engages in the development of Trincomalee Oil Tanks with a foreign partner, that partner must be India.

During the 1980s, when India was aligned with the Soviet Union, there existed a palpable concern that the J.R. Jayewardene administration would permit the United States to establish a foothold in Trincomalee.

Over the last couple of decades, India’s apprehensions have shifted to China, which it perceives as its primary strategic rival in Asia. It is concerned over China’s growing presence and influence in its neighborhood.

In this context, Sri Lanka’s mounting dependence on China has been a matter of grave concern to India. New Delhi has identified integrating Sri Lanka into a common energy architecture as vital to its geopolitical aims and made it clear to successive Sri Lankan governments that establishing energy projects in the north and east with other partners is out of the question.

Since Sri Lanka slipped into a severe economic crisis in 2022, India’s role in its recovery has been substantial. By extending the cash-strapped country loans and grants India has strengthened its hold over its renewable energy sector. It appears to have managed to completely sideline China in this sector, as evident from the way in which it was able to snatch the project to build hybrid renewable energy systems in three islands off the coast of Jaffna, from China.

The latest renewable energy deal is the third India-backed energy project coming up in Sri Lanka’s north and east. While the National Thermal Power Corporation is implementing a solar energy project in the eastern town of Sampur, where India had previously hoped to build a controversial coal power plant, the Adani Group is setting up renewable energy projects in Mannar and Pooneryn in the north.

Indian projects in Sri Lanka have often triggered controversy. This has been the case particularly with contracts handed to the Adani Group. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya, Sri Lanka’s main opposition party, had slammed the Rajapaksa administration for allowing the Indian company to gain entry through a “backdoor” approach. The Rajapaksa administration was accused of favoring Gautam Adani, a close associate of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In June 2022, M.M.C. Ferdinando, chairman of the state-run Ceylon Electricity Board, informed Parliament’s Committee on Public Enterprises that the Sri Lankan government faced pressure from the Indian prime minister to grant tenders for renewable energy projects to the Adani Group.

Following the wind power plant’s completion, Sri Lanka is set to procure a unit of electricity from Adani at a rate of U.S. 7.55 cents per unit which is twice the rate determined through competitive tendering. Ferdinando’s revelation came shortly after Sri Lanka amended its Electricity Act, eliminating the requirement for competitive bidding for energy projects, thereby facilitating the Adani Group’s involvement in renewable energy projects within the country.

Given Adani’s close ties with Modi the average Sri Lankan is suspicious of these projects and some opposition politicians have been quick to capitalize on this. On the other hand, the government has not been transparent about any of the power and energy agreements with Indian companies, which has deepened public suspicion.

In the intricate realm of strategic agreements with foreign nations, transparency emerges as a linchpin, particularly when steering crucial developments such as renewable energy initiatives. Sri Lanka’s forays into developing sustainable energy projects in its Northern and Eastern provinces underscore the critical need for clear, open communication in such ventures.

As it navigates partnerships with influential neighbors like India, the importance of transparency becomes paramount to build trust and mitigate concerns surrounding foreign involvement.

Sri Lanka’s north and east have significant potential for renewable energy and given that we can’t harvest these resources without Indian approval, the task at hand is to determine what a win-win situation is for the two countries.
Central Asia
Saudis make big wind power strides in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [3/7/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K, Positive]
When it comes to wind power in Central Asia, companies from the Persian Gulf have taken the lead.

This week, Riyadh-based green energy company ACWA Power made the news in two countries in the region for it efforts in laying the ground for major projects to come.

In Uzbekistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed off on March 5 on a decree on the construction of two wind power plants, or WPP — both projects are being implemented by ACWA Power.

One 500-megawatt WPP, along with associated power lines, will be built in the autonomous Karakalpakstan republic, near the remote western town of Kungirot. Another 300-megawatt capacity plant is set to appear in the Bukhara region’s Gijduvan district.

An agreement signed by ACWA Power and the Uzbek government in November envisions $1.1 billion in investments.

ACWA Power has committed to selling the electricity produced at the WPPs to the Uzbek national grid for a period of 25 years.

Mirziyoyev’s office stated in November that ACWA Power is currently implementing projects collectively worth $7.5 billion.

The company is doing more than just wind. In March 2020, it signed an agreement with Uzbekistan on investing $1.2 billion into the development, construction and operation of a 1500-megawatt combined cycle gas-turbine power plant in the Syrdaryo region. ACWA Power claims the benefit of that plant will be that its design will enable twice as much power to be produced with gas as is done at existing electricity-generation facilities.

In neighboring Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met on March 7 with the visiting Energy Minister of Saudi Arabia, Abdulaziz Al Saud. The encounter produced an agreement on the implementation of a project to construct a 1-gigawatt wind power plant in the southeast of the country, in the Jetisu region.

The work there too will be done by ACWA Power. Company chairman and founder Mohammad Abunayyan was on hand in Astana to talk about ACWA Power’s role in this project and other green energy initiatives in Kazakhstan.

This is all of a part with the commitment by both countries to dramatically increase how much electricity they produce with renewables.

Uzbekistan’s stated goal is to increase the share of renewable energy sources in its total electricity production to 25 percent by 2030. In 2022, the figure was 10 percent. The plan for the coming decade is to install solar power plants with a total capacity of 5,000 megawatts and wind power plants with a total capacity of 3,000 megawatts. On the wind front, most of the running is being done by ACWA Power and its Abu Dhabi-based peer Masdar.

Kazakhstan’s renewables agenda is on paper more modest than that of Uzbekistan in the short term. Under current plans, at least 15 percent of all electricity generated must be provided by renewable energy sources by 2030. The grander target is for that share to reach at least 50 percent by 2050.
Kyrgyz Medics Endure Attacks By Angry Relatives Of Patients (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [3/7/2024 8:07 AM, Farangis Najibullah, 223K, Negative]
Zharkynai Taalaibekova was working a nightshift as a neurologist at a Bishkek hospital when a young woman arrived in an ambulance accompanied by four relatives.

Taalaibekova says the patient -- a university student -- showed symptoms of having a respiratory-tract infection. After a check-up, the doctor told the relatives to take the woman to the infectious diseases department.

It was a busy night with many patients in the neurology department -- some suffering from stokes -- and all awaiting for care from Taalaibekova. The only physician on duty in the ward – she was also tending to 10 patients in the intensive care unit.

But the student’s relatives insisted that she treat the ill student in the neurology ward. Taalaibekova refused and they attacked her.

Security camera footage at the National Hospital shows three women dragging the doctor and pulling her by the hair, while several other bystanders tried to rescue her.

“The patient’s sister beat me, kicked me, and I had marks from her shoes on my uniform,” said Taalaibekova, describing the December 2023 attack. “The attackers fled when we called the police.”

That violent incident was unfortunately not isolated.

Physical violence against doctors and nurses has surged in Kyrgyzstan in recent months, with some of the victims needing medical treatment after being beaten by the friends or relatives of patients, officials say.

There are no official statistics for the number of attacks on health-care workers in Kyrgyzstan. But the spike in such incidents prompted 14 doctors at the National Hospital to submit their resignations in February to protest what they see as an inadequate response by authorities, according to the Independent Trade Union of Health-Care Workers in Kyrgyzstan.

The head of the union, Bermet Baryktabasova, says lawmakers must add a new article to the Criminal Code for assaulting medical workers, so that attackers are charged both with obstructing medical activities in addition to the assault charges.

Lawmaker Zhanar Akaev proposed in parliament on February 8 that Kyrgyzstan follow the example of neighboring Kazakhstan and introduce jail terms for those who attack medical workers.

Underpaid Medics, Frustrated Patients

In Bishkek’s Birinchi May district, a doctor suffered a traumatic brain injury in September when the husband of a patient attacked the medics treating her in the emergency room.

“Three medical personnel suffered injuries as a result of the attack -- one was hospitalized with a concussion and two others received outpatient treatment,” Bishkek emergency hospital officials said.

In the most recent attack, a 24-year-old pregnant nurse was beaten by a female visitor in the trauma department of the National Hospital in late February, according to the State Committee for National Security.

The nurse -- who asked for anonymity due to privacy concerns -- told RFE/RL that the woman apparently got angry when she asked the visitor to leave her hospital room, where the medic needed to patch up a wound on a patient.

“She hit me against the wall several times…and knocked me to the floor,” the nurse said. “I was just doing my job.”

The nurse was hospitalized and the attacker was detained on hooliganism charges, officials said.

In the southern city of Osh, police detained a man on suspicion of beating doctors at the regional hospital for psychiatry and narcology on February 4. The suspect allegedly targeted the doctors treating his brother, who was hospitalized a day before the attack, police said.

No reasons have been given for the attacks.

Baryktabasova said the violence is adding to the stress on underpaid and overworked Kyrgyz health-care workers in state-run medical facilities.

Most Kyrgyz who can’t afford private health care have to deal with long lines and relatively mediocre-quality care in state hospitals, which often have a chronic shortage of staff and lack modern equipment. The health-care sector is also notorious for widespread bribery.

New Measures Introduced

Bakyt Tologanov, the head of the National Hospital, said it is taking measures to ensure the staff’s safety following the attacks.

The hospital signed a contract with police to hire security personnel, he said. Also, panic buttons have been installed in all departments that allow the staff to alert security guards if they are in danger.

Doctors say the panic buttons are not enough to solve the problems as they don’t prevent the attacks.

“Besides, this button is functional only between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. I was attacked during the nightshift,” Taalaibekova said.

Taalaibekova’s attackers have not yet been brought to justice. Police had initially announced they had opened a probe into the attack. But they later told the doctor that the woman who beat her has fled to Russia and the case has been closed.
Twitter
Afghanistan
Abdul Qahar Balkhi
@QaharBalkhi
[3/7/2024 12:00 PM, 232.5K followers, 66 retweets, 357 likes]
Today, the MEA Joint Secretary of the Republic of India for Af-Ir-Pak, Mr. J.P. Singh called on IEA-Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi. The meeting focused on in-depth discussions on bilateral Afg-India relations, economic and transit matters.

Abdul Qahar Balkhi
@QaharBalkhi
[3/7/2024 12:00 PM, 232.5K followers, 3 retweets, 15 likes]
Calling relation the two countries historic, Mr. Singh said that India has provided humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in various areas in the last two and a half years. Moreover, commending IEA’s efforts in ensuring overall security & stability, countering narcotics,

Abdul Qahar Balkhi
@QaharBalkhi
[3/7/2024 12:00 PM, 232.5K followers, 5 retweets, 19 likes]
fighting ISKP & corruption in the country, Mr. Singh said that India is interested in expand political & economic cooperation with Afghanistan, & enhancing trade via Chabahar port. Extending gratitude to India for its humanitarian assistance, FM Muttaqi said that in line with

Abdul Qahar Balkhi
@QaharBalkhi
[3/7/2024 12:00 PM, 232.5K followers, 4 retweets, 24 likes]
our balanced foreign policy, IEA seeks to strengthen political & economic relations with India as an important actor in the region. In the end, FM Muttaqi urged India’s Joint Secretary to facilitate visa issuance process for Afghan businessmen, patients & students.

UNAMA News
@UNAMAnews
[3/8/2024 12:30 AM, 304.1K followers, 3 retweets, 7 likes]
In observance of #InternationalWomensDay, witness the poignant story of an Afghan woman who, after a life-altering event, becomes a staunch advocate for disability rights and inclusion. Join our global call to ‘Invest in women: Accelerate progress’. #IWD2024 #InvestinWomen https://twitter.com/i/status/1765973218848919710

Heather Barr
@heatherbarr1
[3/8/2024 1:19 AM, 62.3K followers, 15 retweets, 25 likes]
On this #IWD24 one small but important thing diplomats, aid workers, and @UN @UNAMAnews officials should do to stand with Afghan women is stop calling the Taliban “the de facto authorities”. This euphemism kowtows to Taliban demands for normalization.

Heather Barr
@heatherbarr1
[3/8/2024 3:09 AM, 62.3K followers, 12 retweets, 18 likes]
Every step toward normalizing the Taliban—every time they walk a red carpet, or send a new ambassador, or host a meeting w/smiling foreigners—sends a message to the Taliban that what they’re doing to women & girls is fine and they are free to carry on.

Heather Barr
@heatherbarr1
[3/8/2024 3:12 AM, 62.3K followers, 7 retweets, 21 likes]
The Taliban’s abuses cannot continue indefinitely — they will end, and women and girls will lead the building of a just and equitable society in Afghanistan. #InternationalWomensDay2024

Nilofar Ayoubi
@NilofarAyoubi
[3/7/2024 6:19 PM, 64K followers, 225 retweets, 516 likes]
As a woman from Afghanistan and Iran, we endure imprisonment, lashings, rape, being blinded, execution, and constant terror simply because I seek freedom, equality, and dignity. Indeed, under the rule of the Taliban and the Islamic regime in Iran, being a woman is perceived as a crime. Today, on International Women’s Day, I Stand Firm and united with my sisters in Afghanistan and Iran against gender apartheid, and I am determined to share our stories to encourage the free world to join us in our call to criminalize gender apartheid. #UnitedAgainstGenderApartheid

Heather Barr
@heatherbarr1
[3/7/2024 4:26 AM, 62.3K followers, 17 retweets, 101 likes]
I was very honored to have a chance to speak with @RukhshanaMedia about deepening women’s rights crisis in Afghanistan this #IWD2024

Shaharzad Akbar
@ShaharzadAkbar
[3/7/2024 10:27 AM, 175.1K followers, 7 retweets, 21 likes]
Good to see this solidary with Afghan women by @amnestyfrance on IWD. Hope many protests and gatherings around the world on this occassion remember & highlight the struggle of women in Afghanistan

Bilal Sarwary
@bsarwary
[3/7/2024 1:34 PM, 251.5K followers, 2 likes]
Antonio Gutters’ recent mention of the Taliban’s internal rift over governance primarily stems from a disagreement concerning the ban on opium cultivation. This divide has emerged due to several factors: Firstly, the Taliban’s resources, including income from the sales of weapons and ammunition leftover from the previous republic, are diminishing, prompting concerns about their future viability once these revenue streams dry up. Secondly, the Taliban’s opium stockpiles, amassed after their 2021 takeover, are already depleting. Additionally, individuals involved in narcotics production and trade are deeply embedded within the Taliban leadership, making it exceedingly difficult to disentangle the two. In a recent development, Iran conducted a major drug seizure, prompting inquiries into the origin of the drugs from the Taliban. The Taliban “claimed that the drugs originated from their existing stockpiles.” Furthermore, it was revealed that regions such as parts of northern Helmand and areas in Badakhshan are effectively exempt from the Taliban leaders’ ban on opium cultivation, highlighting inconsistencies in their enforcement efforts.

Bilal Sarwary
@bsarwary
[3/7/2024 11:59 AM, 251.5K followers, 33 retweets, 88 likes]
As the news of Indian officials meeting with the former President Karzai swirls there are reports that the Indian government is quite keen to open a consulate in Kandahar. The aim is to engage with the senior Taliban leaders who are considered to be the real rulers of the country. They have also reportedly promised Taliban’s ministry of foreign affairs that India will accept Taliban diplomats post-General elections in less than two months. India abandoned the former Afghan republic diplomats, who were almost forcefully expelled in Nov 2023, raises questions on their reliability as a regional partner. In addition India has issued less than 300 visas in 30 months to a nation of 40 million people. That’s 10 visas a month to 40 million people. The strategic partnership with the former Afghan government stirred animosity with Islamabad at a huge cost for many thousands Afghans, leading to a grim chapter of violence against many tribal, political leaders and senior government officials.

Yalda Hakim
@SkyYaldaHakim
[3/8/2024 3:11 AM, 218.6K followers, 84 retweets, 192 likes]
On this #InternationalWomensDay thinking of all the Afghan women and girls who continue to be deprived of their basic rights. It’s been 900 days since the Taliban prevented Afghan girls from going to school #LetAfghanGirlsLearn

Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office
@amnestysasia
[3/7/2024 11:55 PM, 79.2K followers, 26 retweets, 30 likes]
AFGHANISTAN: This International Women’s Day, see the myriad challenges faced by Afghan women and girls, from denial of education to erasure of their voices. Each word represents a struggle endured; a battle fought by women and girls since the Taliban’s return to power.  Share and amplify your solidarity with Afghan women who are bravely standing against the oppression and injustices they face under the Taliban regime. #Taliban #IWD #WomensRights #HumanRights #Amnesty #Dari #Pashto #Afghanistan #InternationalWomensDay
Pakistan
BilawalBhuttoZardari
@BBhuttoZardari
[3/8/2024 2:46 AM, 5.1M followers, 140 retweets, 281 likes]
On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate the strength and spirit of Pakistani women. Without them there can be no true progress or hope for equality. My mother, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, taught us that we must strive for a world ‘free from exploitation and maltreatment of women. A world in which women have opportunities to rise to the highest level in politics, business, diplomacy, and other spheres of life. Where there are no battered women. Where honor and dignity is protected in war and conflict. Where we have economic freedom and independence. Where we are equal partners in peace and development.’ Together, we can make this dream a reality. #InternationalWomensDay
India
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/7/2024 10:11 PM, 96M followers, 6.4K retweets, 29K likes]
Today, on Women’s Day, our Government has decided to reduce LPG cylinder prices by Rs. 100. This will significantly ease the financial burden on millions of households across the country, especially benefiting our Nari Shakti. By making cooking gas more affordable, we also aim to support the well-being of families and ensure a healthier environment. This is in line with our commitment to empowering women and ensuring ‘Ease of Living’ for them.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/7/2024 10:08 PM, 96M followers, 1.7K retweets, 8.5K likes]
Greetings on International Women’s Day! We salute the strength, courage, and resilience of our Nari Shakti and laud their accomplishments across various fields. Our government is committed to empowering women through initiatives in education, entrepreneurship, agriculture, technology and more. This is also reflected in our accomplishments in the last decade.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/7/2024 12:37 PM, 96M followers, 1.6K retweets, 5.8K likes]
A landmark day for tech and innovation! The Cabinet’s approval for the IndiaAI Mission will empower AI startups and expand access to compute infrastructure, marking a giant leap in our journey towards becoming a global leader in AI innovation. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2012375

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/7/2024 12:37 PM, 96M followers, 1.2K retweets, 4.1K likes]
The Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialisation Scheme, 2024, which has been approved by the Cabinet will enhance the growth trajectory of the Northeast and create many opportunities for the youth. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2012362

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/7/2024 10:34 AM, 96M followers, 4.1K retweets, 13K likes]
Addressing the @republic Summit. https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1MYxNoOzXYOKw

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/7/2024 4:03 AM, 96M followers, 4.9K retweets, 18K likes]
Elated to be amongst the wonderful people of Srinagar. Numerous projects are being dedicated today which will boost development of Jammu and Kashmir.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/7/2024 2:05 AM, 96M followers, 22K retweets, 84K likes]
Upon reaching Srinagar a short while ago, had the opportunity to see the majestic Shankaracharya Hill from a distance.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[3/7/2024 8:17 PM, 3M followers, 113 retweets, 765 likes]
Warm greetings on #InternationalWomensDay as we celebrate our nation’s Nari Shakti. Applaud their talent, strength and many accomplishments. Nari Shakti is indispensable to achieving the goals of Viksit Bharat.
NSB
NP Saud
@NPSaudnc
[3/7/2024 10:40 PM, 3.2K followers, 3 retweets, 22 likes]
As we mark the important occasion of International Women’s Day, we celebrate the incredible achievements, resilience, and strength of women worldwide. Under the framework of a democratic and inclusive Constitution, Nepal has made significant strides in creating a society based on justice, fairness and equality. There is still much more to do. International Women’s Day is an occasion to make even a stronger resolve to continue working to end all forms of discrimination against women and ensure that men and women have equal opportunities to realize their full potential.

The President’s Office, Maldives
@presidencymv
[3/7/2024 10:02 AM, 107.3K followers, 72 retweets, 84 likes]
First Lady Sajidha Mohamed Inaugurates Anbalan 2024 Fundraising Event Organized by @SHE_Maldives. The two-day event is held at the Artificial Beach.

Abdulla Shahid
@abdulla_shahid
[3/7/2024 8:28 AM, 117.2K followers, 56 retweets, 73 likes]
Strongly condemn the attack on @MDPSecretariat #Majlis20 candidate for the #Faresmaathodaa Constituency, Ahmed Zaeem, who had crude oil thrown at him as he arrived for the parliamentary election debate today. I call on the government to investigate and prevent such attacks, and ensure a peaceful political environment that is free of fear and intimidation- the cornerstone of any democratic society. We will not be silenced, nor deterred. Our journey continues! #MisraabuHamaMagah

Namal Rajapaksa
@RajapaksaNamal
[3/7/2024 10:20 PM, 438K followers, 1 like]
Visited Narahenpita Sri Abhayarama Viharaya, Wellawatta Sri Dharmodaya Pirivena, Borella Sri Dharmadutha Viharaya, Rajagiriya Gotamipura Gotami Viharaya, and Kirulapana Sri Wimalarama Viharaya, and received blessings from esteemed monks alongside Moulavi MM Abdullah.

M U M Ali Sabry
@alisabrypc
[3/7/2024 9:51 PM, 5.1K followers, 3 likes]
Sri Lanka has recorded an over 16 percent increase in workers’ remittances while tourism earnings has increased by nearly 114 percent in February 2024 compared to the previous year. https://www.colombotimes.net/income-from-migrant-workers-remittances-and-tourism-up-in-february/

M U M Ali Sabry
@alisabrypc
[3/7/2024 9:40 PM, 5.1K followers, 1 retweet, 1 like]
Deeply shocked and saddened by the horrific murder of 6 Sri Lankans in Ottawa, #Canada. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims. The Sri Lankan Mission in #Ottawa is in contact with the family, community & Canadian authorities and is assisting them. @MFA_SriLanka
Central Asia
MFA Tajikistan
@MOFA_Tajikistan
[3/7/2024 4:35 AM, 4.5K followers, 1 like]
Meeting with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Central Asia https://mfa.tj/en/main/view/14552/meeting-with-the-special-representative-of-the-un-secretary-general-for-central-asia

Uzbekistan MFA
@uzbekmfa
[3/7/2024 9:27 AM, 6.9K followers, 1 retweet, 3 likes]
On March 7, 2024, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Bobur Usmanov met with Vice President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Ludger Schuchnecht. https://mfa.uz/35463

Saida Mirziyoyeva
@SMirziyoyeva
[3/8/2024 2:39 AM, 17.1K followers, 3 likes]
Happy holiday, dear ladies, girls! Happy International Women’s Day! I am proud that this year, Uzbekistan entered the top 5 countries with the best progress in gender equality! Always be as happy, surrounded by attention and love as you are today.

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