epubdos : Afghanistan
SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO:
SCA & Staff
DATE:
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 6:30 AM ET

Afghanistan
‘My whole body was praying for my death’: LGBTQ Afghans say they face abuse in detention as Taliban crackdown intensifies (CNN)
CNN [11/19/2024 12:01 AM, Billy Stockwell, 24.1M, Negative]
It was the early hours of the morning when a guard entered Sohrab’s cell – a small, dark room with a barred window and a blanket on the floor – in Kabul’s sprawling Pul-e-Charkhi prison last August.

The 19-year-old was escorted to another room in the complex, where he heard a Taliban member order the prison guards to leave and stop anyone else from entering. Panic set in, for Sohrab knew what these words often preceded. He had experienced physical violence at the hands of the Taliban before.

“He grabbed me from behind, tore my clothes apart and raped me,” Sohrab – whose name has been changed for security reasons – told CNN in October. “For several days after that I had severe pain and bleeding.”

Sohrab was being detained at Pul-e-Charkhi on the charge of sodomy, after family members found out about his and his boyfriend’s clandestine romance last year, he said. News of their relationship had spread through their tight-knit community, leading to his arrest and forced confession.

Sohrab spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity, following his release from prison after two months. On his release, Sohrab said the Taliban warned that if he was arrested again, he would face execution.

Human rights monitors have told CNN that since 2021, when the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan, LGBTQ citizens have faced widespread sexual and physical violence in detention amid a systematic clampdown on minority groups. CNN has spoken to five LGBTQ Afghans who say they experienced physical abuse during time in detention, including – for some – repeated rape, electrocution, strangulation and flogging with metal chains. Transgender and gender non-conforming people are being “consistently” targeted at Taliban checkpoints due to their choice of clothing, human rights groups said.

In response to CNN’s findings, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “acts such as sodomy, bestiality and other perversions that contravene Islamic law are illegal and perpetrators dealt with within the legal framework.”

They added: “These allegations are fabrications as the alleged claims of torture, rape, persecution and mistreatment are themselves explicit violations of the legal framework.”

CNN was able to locate the former detainees through two human rights charities: Roshaniya, a nonprofit organization working to relocate persecuted LGBTQ Afghans to safe countries, and Afghan LGBT Organization, a Czech Republic-based advocacy group established in 2021 to monitor human rights abuses in Afghanistan.

A week after the first assault, his wounds still raw, Sohrab said he was raped again – and then a further four times by the same Taliban member.

“My whole body was praying for my death,” Sohrab said. “Every time, he would threaten me that if I dared to tell anyone about the rape, he would kill me with his own hands.” Sohrab managed to leave Afghanistan, but lives in constant fear of further persecution, for the country he fled to also criminalizes homosexuality.

Since 2021, Roshaniya has been in touch with around 2,000 LGBTQ Afghans in the country. It said that it has documented 825 instances of violence against LGBTQ people in Afghanistan in this time, including beatings, arrests and detention, but added that this was likely a “severe undercount.” CNN cannot independently verify these figures. Those detained in prison are almost always subject to torture, the organization said.

The nonprofit added that it has relocated 252 LGBTQ Afghans to safe countries since 2021.

Neela Ghoshal, senior director of law and policy at US-based charity Outright International, said that there could be a “number of reasons” why the Taliban is using sexual violence as a tool of repression against the LGBTQ community.

“We know that so-called ‘corrective rape’ - which I think of as not corrective at all, but as bias-motivated rape that is often done to punish people - happens all over the world,” she said, and is more about power than sexuality.

In the context of Afghanistan, she said, some of the same Taliban members who are calling for LGBTQ people to be punished for same-sex relationships are also engaging in non-consensual and violent sexual abuse of men and boys.

When the Taliban completed their lightning takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 – following the messy withdrawal of US-led troops after two decades of conflict – it wasn’t clear how severely they would enforce their strict interpretation of religious laws against Afghanistan’s LGBTQ community.

Under the previous Western-backed government, same-sex sexual relations were already punishable by up to two years in jail, with LGBTQ people also facing harassment and violence from society and the police, according to the US Department of State.

During the Taliban’s resurgence, one Taliban judge said there were only two punishments for homosexuality – stoning or being crushed under a wall, according to Germany’s Bild newspaper; others said the Islamist group had tempered its more radical attitudes.

“I remember many people, many politicians, claiming that the Taliban had changed, that they would not practice those brutal punishments that they used to do,” Artemis Akbary, director of Afghan LGBT Organization, told CNN. “But now, after three years, I can see that, for example, the Taliban uses sexual violence as a weapon to oppress the LGBTQI community.”

Afghan LGBT Organization has verified more than 50 cases of detention of LGBTQ people since August 2021, using documentation issued by the Taliban, such as letters and arrest warrants, and is working to verify a further 150 cases reported by individuals.

‘Afghanistan itself is a prison for us’

It’s hard to estimate how many LGBTQ people have been detained in Afghanistan overall since 2021, Ghoshal said, thanks to a lack of reporting channels and a fear of reprisal for speaking out.

But the Taliban certainly appear to have become more systematic in their persecution of LGBTQ people since regaining power, Ghoshal said. Some people have reported that officials are actively “hunting for them, coming to their houses, with arrest warrants issued,” she said.

“I will never forget when the Taliban came to our house,” Samiar Nazari, a 22-year-old transgender man, told CNN. “Some villagers had informed the Taliban that there was a girl who wore men’s clothes.”

Nazari, who fled before later being beaten and briefly detained by the Taliban, is now in a safe country but says living under Taliban rule is “forever etched in my mind, memories of fear, helplessness, and loss of hope.”

Others have been detained over content found on their phones or posted on social media, suggesting the Taliban could be using the internet to track down members of the LGBTQ community, Akbary said.

“One night I was in a taxi to come home, (and) the Taliban stopped me and the taxi driver for a search,” said Abdul, a 22-year-old gay man. “They saw my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. All the photos and content were LGBTQ,” he said.

Abdul had managed to flee to Iran following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, and then to Turkey, but he was deported back to Afghanistan in early 2024, he said.

Speaking with CNN in October, Abdul recalled how he was taken to a “dark room” where he suffered “torture and beatings” multiple times a day. “Every night a big guy used to come to beat me up. Several times he choked me,” Abdul said. “Many times, I thought I was going to die.”

After two weeks held in this room, Abdul was transferred to a prison in Herat, northwestern Afghanistan, for a further six months, only being released when a friend paid the Taliban the equivalent of $1,200 to bail him out, he said.

His family refused to have him back due to his sexuality being exposed, he said, and he now lives in hiding again, with no support from friends or relatives. “I am still in the Taliban jail, but the only difference is that I am not inside a prison.”

‘Many LGBTs were there in the rooms’

Tracking the alleged abuse of LGBTQ detainees is a difficult task in a country stalked by fear of the Taliban and with heavy restrictions on media freedom.

Much of it reportedly takes place behind closed doors in formal and informal detention facilities, said David Osborn, director of Afghan Witness, a human rights monitoring project run by the UK’s Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), which specializes in open-source analysis.

In these facilities, the only source of footage is likely to be that filmed by the perpetrators themselves, Osborn told CNN, but in Afghanistan this rarely surfaces. “This has created a black box for human rights, where the lack of visibility means LGBTQ individuals are at even greater risk,” he said.

However, the Afghan Witness team has been able to draw on the Taliban’s official website and X account, which frequently publish details of punishments handed down, to document 43 public floggings since November 2022 where “sodomy” was listed on the charge sheet. CNN cannot independently verify these figures.

These flogging events involved 360 people, including 192 men, 40 women and 128 of unknown sex or gender, according to Afghan Witness data.

But the exact number of those flogged for the charge of sodomy alone is unclear, as other offenses, such as adultery and having an “illicit relationship,” are often also listed, the organization said. It’s also hard to know how many of these charges are leveled specifically against members of the LGBTQ community.

Other human rights groups have documented instances of extrajudicial detention, conducted out of the public eye. In some of Afghanistan’s provinces, this is signaled by a lack of the official documents usually issued in relation to someone’s arrest or court case, Akbary said.

Sano – not his real name – told CNN he was detained for 15 days last year in a large house used by Taliban members on the outskirts of Jalalabad, a city in eastern Afghanistan. His father was forced into handing him over to the group for supposed questioning about his sexuality, after which the Taliban said he would be released.

Instead, Sano says, his phone memory card was taken, and he was locked in a windowless room for two weeks. “I was tortured so much by the Taliban. Slapped. Beaten by them,” the 24-year-old said in September. “The room was in darkness. I couldn’t feel the sun.”

Sano claims the house was being used to detain other LGBTQ Afghans too. “There were many LGBTs brought to the house before me,” he said. “Some of them were killed. One of my partners was killed by them. Many LGBTs were there in the rooms.”

He was only released from detention when the Taliban were paid a fee, he said, facilitated by someone known by his father. He’s now in hiding after discovering that the Taliban are trying to track him down again.

Women and LGBTQ Afghans ‘united in their suffering’

In February, Afghan LGBT Organization and Outright International wrote a joint letter to Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN’s under-secretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, highlighting a “lack of inclusion of LGBTIQ perspectives in UN engagement on Afghanistan.”

Top UN officials and global envoys met with the Taliban in Qatar in June to discuss human rights concerns. But the talks sparked a backlash from human rights organizations for excluding Afghan women and other civil society groups.

After the meeting, DiCarlo told a press conference that the “concerns and views of Afghan women and civil society were front and center, adding that those present “also discussed the need for more inclusive governance and respect for the rights of minorities.”

Examples of the Taliban’s curtailment of human rights in the country were documented in a September report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). But the report made no mention of LGBTQ people, including bisexual, lesbian and transgender men and women, Akbary said. “In general, the UN is ignoring the situation of LGBTQ people in Afghanistan,” he added.

UNAMA told CNN it is “extremely difficult” to gather substantial information about the treatment of LGBTQ people in Afghanistan due to extreme social stigma and limited civil society organizations representing LGBTQ people in the country.

With little sign that the Taliban will improve their record on human rights, many in the country feel abandoned by the international community.

Afghan women and LGBTQ people are united in their suffering, Abdul said.

“I am a prisoner in a country called Afghanistan,” he said. “I have to hide from everyone, hide from family, hide from friends, hide from the government, hide from life.”
Pakistan
Pakistan bans large gatherings in the capital ahead of a rally by Imran Khan’s party (AP)
AP [11/19/2024 2:29 AM, Staff, 456K, Neutral]
Pakistani authorities banned gatherings of five or more people in the capital ahead of a planned march by the supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The two-month ban announced Tuesday comes before a rally Sunday planned by Khan’s party to pressure the government to release the imprisoned former leader.

Officials said the ban is aimed at ensuring peace by stopping any unlawful gathering in the current security environment. The government notice made no mention of any specific security threat, but militant violence has been surging in Pakistan.

Last month, authorities had virtually locked down the city to thwart a similar big political rally by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, forcing the opposition to hold the gathering on the outskirts of the city.

Khan has been in prison for more than a year in connection with more than 150 criminal cases, but he remains popular and his party and supporters say the cases against him are politically motivated.

Khan was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament, and authorities say they are in talks with Khan’s party to convince it to postpone the rally because of possible militant attacks.
Pakistani security forces raid a militant hideout in the northwest and 10 insurgents are killed (AP)
AP [11/18/2024 12:56 PM, Staff, 31638K, Negative]
Pakistani security forces raided a militant hideout in northwest Pakistan on Monday, sparking an hourslong shootout in which at least 10 insurgents were killed and several others were wounded, police said.

The raid occurred in Tirah, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police official Azmat Khan said. He said insurgents were members of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Islam militant group.

It was not immediately clear whether there were casualties among the security forces.

Also on Monday, insurgents raided a police station in northwestern Bannu district and kidnapped seven officers, district police chief Ziauddin Ahmed said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, but suspicion was likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, who often target security forces. The TTP is outlawed in Pakistan and is a close ally of the Afghan Taliban who control neighboring Afghanistan.

Pakistan in recent months has witnessed a surge in militant violence, most blamed on TTP and separatists in southwestern Balochistan province, where the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army group has waged a low-scale insurgency.
Militants kill 8 Pakistani soldiers, abduct 7 police officers (VOA)
VOA [11/18/2024 6:17 PM, Ayaz Gul, 4566K, Negative]
Authorities in northwestern Pakistan reported Monday that militants ambushed a military convoy near the border with Afghanistan and killed at least eight soldiers.

The attack occurred in Khyber, a volatile border district in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, targeting soldiers returning to their base after a counterinsurgency operation.

The ambush left at least three soldiers injured, one of whom is in "serious" condition, multiple security officials said. They spoke anonymously to VOA because they were not authorized to discuss the details with the media. The ensuing clashes reportedly also left several assailants dead.

The Pakistan military’s media wing did not immediately comment on the deadly attack or the reported casualties that followed.

Separately, dozens of heavily armed men stormed a security outpost in the province’s militancy-hit Bannu district Monday evening, taking seven armed police officers hostage. Police officials in the area reported that an operation to track down the assailants and rescue the abducted personnel was under way.

Several districts in the Pakistani border province, including Khyber and Bannu, routinely experience attacks on security forces, which are mostly attributed to or claimed by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, an outlawed militant group.

TTP-led militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and ethnic Baloch separatists in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan, have lately intensified their attacks.

The militant violence has killed more than 1,100 Pakistani security forces and civilians nationwide so far this year, according to data reported by the Islamabad-based, independent Center for Research and Security Studies.

TTP is declared a terrorist group by the United Nations, while the Baloch Liberation Army, which is believed to be the largest insurgent group in Balochistan, is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States.

BLA claimed responsibility for two attacks last week, including a railway station suicide bombing, that collectively killed at least 34 soldiers.

Pakistani leaders have persistently complained that TTP and Baloch insurgents orchestrate cross-border terrorism from Afghan bases, charges the neighboring country’s de facto Taliban authorities deny.

A U.S. government watchdog, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, reported this month that "it remains unclear whether the Taliban have the will and capability to fully eliminate terrorist safe havens or control the flow of foreign terrorist fighters in and through Afghanistan.".

SIGAR referenced U.N. findings in its quarterly report to the U.S. Congress on November 7, stating that al-Qaida operates eight training camps in Afghanistan, supplying the TTP with Afghan fighters and offering training facilities.

This prompted the U.N. sanctions monitoring team to warn that "greater collaboration among al-Qaida affiliates and TTP could transform the latter into an "extra-regional threat," the report stated.
Pakistan’s Top Cleric Declares VPN Use Un-Islamic (Newsweek)
Newsweek [11/18/2024 12:56 PM, Michael D. Carroll, 49093K, Negative]
Pakistan’s top body of clerics has declared the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as being against Islamic laws, officials stated on Monday.

The Ministry of Interior is seeking a ban on the service, which is used to evade internet censorship in countries with strict controls.

Raghib Naeemi, the chair of the Council of Islamic Ideology, which advises the government on religious issues, said that Sharia allows the government to prevent actions that lead to the "spread of evil." He added that any platform used for posting content that is controversial, blasphemous, or against national integrity "should be stopped immediately.".

How Restrictive Is Pakistan’s Internet?

Millions of Pakistanis have been unable to access the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, since February 2023, when the government blocked it ahead of parliamentary elections. Many users have relied on VPNs to bypass the restrictions, because VPNs conceal online activity. Authorities claim the proposed VPN ban is aimed at curbing militancy, but critics argue that it represents a broader effort to suppress freedom of expression.

Are VPNs Generally Legal?

VPNs are legal in most countries; however, they are outlawed or restricted in places where authorities control internet access or carry out online surveillance and censorship. In Pakistan, VPNs have been utilized by supporters of the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who have called for a march on Islamabad to pressure the government for his release.

Pakistan frequently suspends mobile phone services during rallies of Khan’s supporters.

Why Is Pakistan Limiting the Use of VPNs?

Naeemi’s declaration on restricting VPNs in Pakistan followed a letter from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Information and Technology, advocating for a VPN ban on the grounds that insurgents are using the service to propagate their agenda.

It said that "VPNs are increasingly being exploited by terrorists to facilitate violent activities." The ministry also wants to deny access to "pornographic" and blasphemous content.

Last week, authorities requested internet users to register their VPNs with Pakistan’s media regulator, a measure aimed at increasing surveillance of online activities. This initiative aligns with the government’s efforts to monitor and control internet usage, particularly in the context of rising militant attacks in recent months.

On Friday, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) launched an attack on Pakistani troops in Kalat, a district in Balochistan province, resulting in a fierce shootout. According to police and military reports, the confrontation led to the deaths of seven soldiers and six insurgents. The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.
Cop29: ‘We’re here for life and death reasons,’ says ex-climate minister of Pakistan (The Guardian)
The Guardian [11/18/2024 1:00 PM, Dharna Noor, 92374K, Neutral]
Amid the endless politicking and inscrutable arguments at the UN climate negotiations in Baku, Azerbaijan, this month, it can be hard to remember what is at stake. That’s why Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s former climate change minister, is calling on global leaders to "keep an eye on the big picture".

"We’re here for life and death reasons," Rehman said.

In August 2022, devastating flash floods submerged one-third of Rehman’s country, affecting 33 million people. Roads, crops and infrastructure were washed away, and damage to water systems forced millions of people to rely on contaminated water from ponds and wells.

The key goal for Cop29 negotiators is to set an expanded goal for climate finance, something Rehman said Pakistan desperately required. The country needs to build resilient homes – a kind of investment, she noted, that had a net benefit of $4 for each $1 invested.

In addition, she said, Pakistan needs capacity and technical assistance to help manage its decarbonisation and adaptation plans. And though a solar boom is already under way in the country, it is overburdening consumers, so officials need funding to help speed up the energy transition, she said.

As Pakistan faces a future of increasing climate vulnerability, countries have failed to transition away from the burning of fossil fuels despite having made a pledge a year ago, and global carbon emissions are continuing to rise.

So Rehman is calling for a new UN climate framework. In addition to "nationally determined contributions" wherein individual countries track their climate action targets, she says the UN should require "internationally determined contributions" from wealthy nations to align with the climate plans of the developing and most-affected countries.

She said UN climate negotiations were the main way countries such as Pakistan could advocate for their needs to be met. That meant they had no choice but to come to the table.

"We’re one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world," she said. "So we can’t walk away.".

Still, she harbours frustration about the negotiations, which in her estimation have delivered "more talk than action". On finance, there is a yawning gap between what countries need and what the global north is willing to put up.

Poor countries will need $1tn a year in climate finance by 2030, experts said last week. That is five years earlier than rich countries are likely to agree to at UN climate negotiations. Meeting the target is likely to be even more difficult owing to the re-election of Donald Trump in the US, who has vowed to pull the US from the Paris climate agreement and drop commitments to cut carbon emissions.

"There will be a huge impact, a blow to the negotiations, if [the world’s] biggest economy goes out and says it’s taking its money and going elsewhere and it’s taking its expertise and its commitment and its values elsewhere," Rehman said.

At Cop29, rich nations have argued that the private sector should have an increased role in fulfilling climate finance targets. But that could be dangerous for countries such as Pakistan, especially when it comes to funding for climate adaptation, which does not tend to produce desirable profits, Rehman said.

"Why would the private sector that revolves around markets and profits rush to the frontlines of climate catastrophe where only humanitarian agencies go?" she asked. "The private sector can be incentivised and certainly used to mobilise capital, yes, but capital and finance mobilisation has to happen at the international public sector as well.".

Finance should also be provided in grants, not loans, said Rehman, to avoid increasing countries’ debt burdens. "Countries are drowning, both in floods and debt," she said.

Negotiators should ensure that finance is easily accessible. At present, because Pakistan doesn’t meet the definition of a "least developed country", it is unable to access some crucial funds. And when funding is available, it can take two years to access.

"The barriers are too many," Rehman said. "By the time it often comes to you, it’s too late: the needs on the ground have changed.".

A long history of climate inaction means that developing countries are increasingly facing irreversible impacts, known as loss and damage. Two years ago at Cop27 in Egypt, Rehman was a lead negotiator on this controversial issue, helping secure a groundbreaking commitment to set up a dedicated fund for loss and damage. But two years on, pledges from developed countries amount to a tiny fraction of what is needed. Rehman said the pressure must stay on donor countries to deliver the finance needed.

"We used to say what went on in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan," she said. "What’s happening to us will happen to you tomorrow, so, think collectively.".
India
One dead as renewed unrest erupts in India’s Manipur state (Reuters)
Reuters [11/18/2024 8:29 AM, Tora Agarwala, 37270K, Negative]
At least one person died in the past 24 hours during a third straight day of ethnic unrest in the troubled eastern Indian border state of Manipur, a government official said on Monday.

The state of 3.2 million people, which borders Myanmar, has been hit by a fresh spate of violence over the last week, part of long-standing strife between its ethnic Kuki and Meitei communities. The bloodshed has killed at least 250 people and displaced 60,000 people in the region since May last year.

Late on Sunday night, Meitei residents in the Jiribam district took to the streets, vandalising properties in response to recent killings of women and children from its community, a state government official said.

"Some protesters were trying to vandalise properties, including the offices of (national) political parties BJP and Congress," said the official, who did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, adding that one protester had "died in a police action".

Tensions flared anew last week when a 31-year-old Kuki woman was burned alive. Kuki groups blamed Meitei militants.

An indefinite curfew was imposed on Saturday and internet and mobile services have been suspended until at least Nov. 20 after protesters tried to storm the residences of several lawmakers including Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh.

Kukis accuse Singh, a Meitei and member of India’s ruling BJP, of complicity in the violence against them and have sought his removal. Singh denies the accusations.
India to send 5,000 extra troops to quell Manipur unrest (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [11/19/2024 2:54 AM, Staff, 1.4M, Neutral]
India will deploy an extra 5,000 paramilitary troops to quell unrest in Manipur, authorities said Tuesday, a week after 16 people were killed in fresh clashes in the troubled state.

Manipur in India’s northeast has been rocked by periodic clashes for more than 18 months between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community, dividing the state into ethnic enclaves.

Ten Kuki militants were killed when they attempted to assault police last week, prompting the apparent reprisal killing of six Meitei civilians, whose bodies were found in Jiribam district days later.

New Delhi has "ordered 50 additional companies of paramilitary forces to go to Manipur", a government source in New Delhi with knowledge of the matter told AFP on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorised to speak with media.

New Delhi has "ordered 50 additional companies of paramilitary forces to go to Manipur", a government source in New Delhi with knowledge of the matter told AFP on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorised to speak with media.
Ukraine Warns India That Russia Trade Puts Western Ties at Risk (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/19/2024 5:08 AM, Sudhi Ranjan Sen, 27782K, Positive]
Ukraine warned New Delhi that Russian firms are setting up fronts in India to skirt US sanctions, a development that could hurt India’s ties with Western partners wary of technology and weapons falling into the hands of Moscow.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, at least eight Russian companies have started operations in India and “the number is growing,” Ukraine’s Ambassador to India Oleksandr Polishchuk said in an interview in New Delhi on Monday. Ukraine has shared intelligence with India’s government and urged it to take action, he said.

Russia is using all possible tools to “hide” its growing business interest in the South Asian country, the ambassador said. The Indian firms involved in the trade could face sanctions by the US and its allies, which may affect the domestic business environment and India’s credibility as a reliable partner, he said.

Western firms will want to have “hundred percent trust that all of this technology will not later on go to Russia,” the ambassador said.

The US Treasury last month sanctioned 19 Indian companies, along with others from China and Turkey, for selling goods to Russia that helped keep its war machine running. Among the Indian firms was Shreya Life Sciences, a Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company, which Bloomberg News reported was exporting high-end Nvidia chips to Russia.

Responding to the US’s action last month, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said while the Indian firms weren’t breaking any local laws, the government was working with businesses to make them aware of the export rules and new measures that could impact them.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to balance India’s relationship with the US, its allies and Russia, but war in Ukraine has put those ties under greater scrutiny. India is now the second-biggest supplier of restricted critical technologies to Russia. It’s reliant on Russia for cheap oil as well as military equipment. India’s External Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said last week bilateral trade could grow to $100 billion by 2030 from about $66 billion now.

“We very much value our political relationship with India,” Polishchuk said. “And we want to continue in such a way that we are trusted to the Indians.”
Starmer Seeks India Trade Deal Even Sunak Couldn’t Pull Off (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/18/2024 5:30 PM, Alex Wickham, 27782K, Positive]
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he’d restart talks on a UK-India free trade agreement next year, setting an ambitious goal for a deal that even Rishi Sunak, Britain’s first Hindu premier, couldn’t secure.

“A new trade deal with India will support jobs and prosperity in the UK, and represent a step forward in our mission to deliver growth and opportunity across our country,” Starmer said on Monday following a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Group of 20 summit in Brazil.

Negotiations between the two nations stalled back in May after 14 rounds spanning two years, held up by elections first in India and then the UK. The strong personal relationship between Modi and Sunak was seen as the best shot at getting an agreement signed, but it proved elusive.

Before talks went on ice, people close to both negotiating teams told Bloomberg there were still hurdles to be overcome in goods, services and investment areas, suggesting Starmer will have his work cut out managing to find agreement.

Still, Starmer, who came to power in July, has said economic growth is his main goal in office. A trade agreement with India and closer economic ties with China are a part of meeting that objective.

The UK’s trading relationship with India was worth £42 billion in the 12 months to June 2024, Number 10 Downing Street said, with British exports accounting for about 40% of total commerce.
UK to relaunch trade talks with India, seeks ‘new strategic partnership’ (Reuters)
Reuters [11/18/2024 7:12 PM, Muvija M, 37270K, Positive]
Britain will restart talks with India on a free trade deal in the new year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said on Monday, following a months-long pause in negotiations due to elections in both countries.

London will seek a "new strategic partnership" with India as well as deepening co-operation in areas like security, education, technology, and climate change, Starmer’s office said after he met his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, at the G20 summit in Brazil.

"A new trade deal with India will support jobs and prosperity in the UK," Starmer, whose Labour Party was elected to power in July, said.

The British leader also met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit in Rio de Janeiro, calling on him to establish "consistent, durable" relations between their two nations and saying he would like to engage on areas such as trade, the economy and climate.

Starmer has pledged to secure the fastest sustained economic growth for Britain among the Group of Seven countries. The Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development has predicted that British growth in 2025 would be the lowest of the G7.

The previous Conservative government held years-long trade talks with New Delhi, but they ended in March without a deal, with a British official saying an agreement could not be finalised ahead of the Indian elections.

Total trade between India and Britain, currently the world’s fifth- and sixth-largest economies, was worth 42 billion pounds ($53.2 billion) in the 12 months to June, with British exports to India valued at 16.6 billion pounds.

Before India’s April 19-June 1 general election, which handed Modi a rare third term, government sources said that he was likely to prioritise completion of free trade deals with Britain and Oman if he were to be e-elected.

Previous sticking points in the trade talks between the two countries have included a steep import duty on British whiskey for sale in India and India’s demand for more visas for Indian students and businesses.

"India is ... a vital trading partner for the UK. We believe there is a good deal to be done here that works for both nations," British Business Minister Jonathan Reynolds said.
China Seeks to Resume Direct Flights With India as Tensions Ease (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/19/2024 12:32 AM, Josh Xiao, 5.5M, Positive]
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the country wants to restore direct flights with India, as tensions between the two Asian neighbors dial down following a four-year impasse on border disputes.

“We should strive to make tangible progress on the resumption of direct flights, dispatching of journalists, and facilitation of visa as soon as possible,” Wang said in a meeting with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, according to a readout from China’s foreign ministry. Both officials are accompanying their national leaders there for the Group of 20 Summit.

Wang’s comments underscore the latest effort at normalizing bilateral ties, which were strained from a four-year stalemate over the disputed Himalayan border. Skirmishes in June 2020 left 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers dead, leading to military buildup along the border, suspension of direct flights, and slower visa approvals.

Tensions started easing as China’s President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October held their first meeting in two years, shortly after both countries struck a deal to end the border impasse.

As two major developing nations neighboring each other, “China’s and India’s common interests far outweigh their differences,” Wang told Jaishankar. “The two sides should see each other’s development as an opportunity.”
China and India Flex New Hypersonic Weaponry (Newsweek)
Newsweek [11/18/2024 12:46 PM, Ryan Chan, 49093K, Positive]
India has successfully tested its first long-range hypersonic missile after its strategic competitor China revealed its design of a similar advanced weapon.

A hypersonic weapon is capable of traveling at Mach 5 or faster—at least five times the speed of sound—and maneuvering within the atmosphere during its flight to the target. This type of superfast weapon is viewed as a "game-changer" as it can evade most air defenses.

India and China, which share a 2,100-mile de facto border known as the Line of Actual Control, have seen multiple military standoffs and skirmishes over the years. A melee involving two militaries in 2020 led to 20 Indian casualties and four Chinese deaths.

India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced on Saturday that the country had conducted a successful flight trial of a long-range hypersonic missile, which can carry a variety of warheads for ranges of more than 932 miles, from Dr. Abdul Kalam Island off India’s eastern coast,.

Flight data confirmed that the missile was impacted with high degree of accuracy. On X, formerly Twitter, Singh described the test as historic and significant because it "has put our country in the group of select nations having capabilities of such critical and advanced military technologies.".

China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and the United States have claimed to have hypersonic weapons in service or in development. Chinese and Russian weapons are potentially armed with nuclear warheads, the U.S. Congressional Research Service said in a report.

It was not immediately clear whether the Indian hypersonic missile is nuclear-capable. The South Asian nation is one of nine countries armed with nuclear weapons. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated in June that India has 172 nuclear warheads.

The Indian test came after a concept for a hypersonic boost-glide weapon was unveiled at an airshow in China last week, according to the specialist outlet The War Zone, where two new stealth fighter jets for the Chinese air force were displayed for the first time as well.

A hypersonic boost-glide weapon can accelerate to a high altitude and speed using its rocket motor, before detaching a glide body containing a warhead that uses kinetic energy and lift generated by movement through the air to coast to its target, according to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office.

The model shown at the Chinese airshow, which airshow visitor Michael Jerdev posted about on X (formerly Twitter), was a conceptual GDF-600 hypersonic weapon designed by the Guangdong Aerospace Research Academy in China. The institute was established in 2019 with a goal of making "significant contributions" to safeguarding China’s national security, according to its website.

The GDF-600 reportedly has a top speed of Mach 7 and a range of between 124 and 372 miles. It supports five different weapon payloads: supersonic missiles, subsonic missiles, loitering munition, aerial bombs, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

However, releasing payloads during a hypersonic flight presents "massive technological challenges" to the weapon itself due to physical and thermal stresses, The War Zone said.

The U.S. military said last year that China’s hypersonic missile technologies had greatly advanced during the past two decades. The Chinese military has put the DF-17 medium-range ballistic missile, which is equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle, in operational status.
India’s capital chokes as pollution hits 50 times safe limit (AP)
AP [11/18/2024 5:25 AM, Manish Swarup and Rishi Lekhi, 2376K, Negative]
Authorities in India’s capital shut schools, halted construction and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city on Monday after air pollution shot up to its worst level this season.

Residents of New Delhi woke up to thick, toxic smog enveloping the city of some 33 million as the air quality became increasingly hazardous. It rose further into the severe category, according to SAFAR, the country’s main environmental agency, which measures tiny particulate matter in the air that can enter deep into the lungs.

The deadly haze covered monuments and high-rise buildings in the capital, with visibility so low that airlines warned of delays.

In several areas of the city, pollution levels were more than 50 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended safe limit. Forecasts say the poor air quality will continue into the week.

Air pollution in northern India rises every year, particularly in winter, as farmers burn crop residue in agricultural areas. The burning coincides with colder temperatures, which trap the smoke in the air. The smoke is then blown into cities, where auto emissions add to the pollution.

Emissions from industries and the burning of coal to produce electricity are also linked to the pollution, which has been steadily ticking up in recent weeks.

Starting Monday, authorities began enforcing stage 4 of a graded response action plan, or GRAP 4, based on the severity of the air pollution. Earlier stages of the plan were already in place, and stage 4 includes stricter curbs.

Classes for all grades except 10 and 12 will be held online and no trucks will be allowed to enter the city except for those carrying essential items. Some older, diesel guzzling vehicles have been banned inside the city, and all construction activities have been halted. Authorities also urged children, the elderly and others with chronic diseases or respiratory issues to avoid going outside as much as possible.

Over the weekend, farmers in neighboring Uttar Pradesh state burned their fields, releasing plumes of gray smoke that winds likely carried into New Delhi and other nearby areas. Despite the poisonous air, many in the capital continued their usual routines, including morning walks in the city’s beloved Lodhi Garden.

“Everyone has a sore throat,” said Sanjay Goel, a 51-year-old shopkeeper in New Delhi. “They should ban crop residue burning ... it’s just smoke everywhere.”

The worsening air quality in the capital also sparked outrage from residents on social media. Many complained of headaches and hacking coughs, describing the city as “apocalyptic” and a “gas chamber.” Others urged officials to solve the public health crisis once and for all. Several studies have estimated more than a million Indians die each year from pollution-related diseases.

Authorities have invoked similar measures in the past and have at times deployed water sprinklers and anti-smog guns in an attempt to control the haze. But critics say there needs to be a long-term solution that drastically reduces pollution itself, instead of actions that aim to mitigate the effects after it has already plagued the region.
Toxic smog persists over India’s north; Delhi pollution remains severe (Reuters)
Reuters [11/18/2024 11:44 PM, Tanvi Mehta, 37270K, Neutral]
Residents in India’s northern states woke up to another day of poor air quality on Tuesday, as a layer of dense fog shrouded most of the region, and pollution in the capital Delhi remained severe.

India battles air pollution every winter as cold, heavy air traps dust, emissions, and smoke from farm fires started illegally in the adjoining, farming states of Punjab and Haryana.

The air quality index (AQI) touched a peak of 491 in Delhi on Monday, forcing the government to introduce restrictions on vehicle movement and construction activities, and schools to conduct classes online.

On Tuesday, Delhi’s 24-hour air quality index (AQI) reading was at 488 on a scale of 500, India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said, and at least five stations in the capital reported an AQI of 500.

CPCB defines an AQI reading of 0-50 as "good" and above 401 as "severe", which it says is a risk to healthy people and "seriously impacts" those with existing diseases.

Swiss group IQAir ranked New Delhi as the world’s most polluted city with air quality at a "hazardous" 489, although that was a significant improvement from Monday’s 1,081 reading.

Experts say the scores vary because of a difference in the scale countries adopt to convert pollutant concentrations into AQI, and so the same quantity of a specific pollutant may be translated as different AQI scores in different countries.

India’s weather department said a shift in the fog layer towards the northern state of Uttar Pradesh had helped improve visibility over Delhi.

Visibility dropped to zero metres in Uttar Pradesh’s capital Agra, which lies southeast of Delhi. The Taj Mahal, India’s famed monument of love, has been obscured by toxic smog for nearly a week.

The strict measures to mitigate the impact of high pollution have hurt production at more than 3.4 million micro, small and medium enterprises in the nearby states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, local media reported.
India’s worsening, "severe plus" air pollution forces even more dramatic safety measures (CBS News)
CBS News [11/18/2024 11:44 AM, Arshad R. Zargar, 59828K, Neutral]
Authorities in India’s sprawling capital city imposed even stricter emergency measures Monday in a bid to prevent illness as thick smog blanketed New Delhi. The air pollution was even worse, and considerably so, than last week, when the annual smog first descended.

Delhi’s air quality Index (AQI) — a measure of the severity of air pollution based on the levels of five toxins — shot up to 499 in some places Monday morning. That meant a categorization of "severe plus" on India’s System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) scale, and "hazardous" under the U.S. AQI measurement system.

The thick smog never lifted Monday, even as night descended. It disrupted dozens of flights and trains as visibility remained low all around the capital.

India’s Commission for Air Quality Management announced on Monday it had implemented stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) — bringing the strictest emergency measures offered to mitigate the impacts and try to reduce pollution.

The stage 4 measures, which are likely to remain in place until conditions improve, include:

• All trucks except those carrying essential items are barred from entering Delhi.

• All commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi are barred from entering the city, though there is an exception for EVs and those running on cleaner fuels.

• All construction activities, including work on roads, flyovers, power lines, pipelines and other public projects, are halted.

• Schools switch to online teaching for all students, except for grades 10 and 12, with all other in-person classes being suspended.

• All employers, both state and private, in Delhi have been advised to have only 50% of their workforces come into their offices, with the rest working from home.

• Authorities may also order work federal government employees to work from home.

India’s Supreme Court steps in

India’s Supreme Court on Monday chastized the Delhi government over the worsening air quality in the capital and asked why it had waited for the AQI to cross the 300 mark before imposing the strictest emergency measures. Any AQI reading over 300 falls within the worst, hazardous level on the U.S. scale.

"How could the government take such a risk?" the Supreme Court asked.

The court has also asked the federal government to share real-time satellite data to show the impact of farm waste burning with state governments, in the hope of encouraging action at the state level to tackle the polluting, highly common practice in Delhi’s neighboring states.

Delhi sees a major spike in air pollution every very winter due to several factors, including the burning of farm waste or "stubble" in the adjoining states of Haryana and Punjab. Fireworks and climatological factors also contribute to the smog.
Indian Students Rush to US Colleges, Driving Attendance Record (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/18/2024 10:16 AM, Francesca Maglione, 5.5M, Neutral]
The number of Indian students at US colleges surged 23% last academic year, overtaking China to become the top sender of international students for the first time since 2009 and driving enrollment to an all-time high.

India sent 331,602 students to study at US colleges in the 2023-2024 school year, according to Open Doors data from the Institute of International Education. Overall, the number of foreign students rose 7% to more than 1.1 million, surpassing the all-time high set just prior to the pandemic.

China posted a 4% decline to 277,398 students, but still sent the second most students to the US.

China and India combined account for more than half of all international students in the US at the graduate and undergraduate levels. And while the number of Chinese pupils has slipped in recent years amid rising geopolitical tensions, it remains the top sending country for undergrads.

The number of international students in the US has been growing rapidly after a pandemic-induced plunge. And while president-elect Donald Trump has yet to reveal concrete immigration policies, many are questioning what a second term could mean for international pupils. Trump in June said all foreign students who graduate from a US college should receive green cards, but the campaign later walked back the comments.

"International students enrich our campuses, foster cultural exchange, and contribute significantly to our economy," Allan Goodman, chief executive officer of IIE, said in a statement.

Most international students across US higher education pursue science, technology, engineering or math programs. About 25% studied math and computer science, while nearly one in five opted for engineering.

The number of international students who stayed in the US to gain work experience through a program called Optional Practical Training jumped 22% from the prior year to 242,782. That’s also a record high.

International students, who usually pay full freight for attending US colleges, made up 6% of the total US higher education population and contributed more than $50 billion to the US economy in 2023, according to the US Department of Commerce.
Thousands of Indian Sikhs visit the shrine of the founder of their religion to mark his birthday (AP)
AP [11/19/2024 3:55 AM, Staff, 456K, Neutral]
Thousands of Sikh pilgrims from India and around the world thronged a shrine to the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak, in Pakistan on Tuesday to commemorate his birth, officials said.

Many Sikh holy sites are in Pakistan after the British partitioned the subcontinent into separate nations in 1947 following two centuries of colonial rule.

Around 10,000 Sikhs are visiting Pakistan for the weeklong celebration marking 555 years since the birth of Guru Nanak, officials said. His shrine, the second-holiest place in the Sikh faith, is located on the Ravi River just 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) from the border with India.

Visas to travel between India and Pakistan are normally difficult to obtain, but the two countries have a special arrangement that allows pilgrims to visit the shrine without facing any problems.

The two South Asian rivals have a long history of bitter relations over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. They have fought two wars over their competing claims to the region.
India Finance Minister Says Bank Rates Should Be More Affordable (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/18/2024 7:48 AM, Preeti Soni, 27782K, Negative]
India’s finance minister called for lower borrowing costs and downplayed any risks to economic growth.

Given India’s growth requirements, there are “many different voices saying the cost of borrowing is really very stressful,” Nirmala Sitharaman said at an event in Mumbai. “Bank interest rates will have to be far more affordable.”

Sitharaman’s comments come after Trade Minister Piyush Goyal last week made a case for a cut in interest rates saying economic growth needed a further impetus. Governor Shaktikanta Das, who has kept interest rates unchanged for almost two years, refrained from responding to Goyal’s remarks.

Das has said a rate cut at this stage would be “very risky” and he’ll consider easing only after inflation sees a durable descent to the central bank’s 4% aim. The central bank’s next scheduled policy decision is on Dec. 6.

India’s central bank expects expansion of 7.2% for the current fiscal year through March 2025, though several economists, including investment banks like Goldman Sachs Group Inc. predict growth of as low a 6.5%. Tepid sales of everything from soaps to biscuits is raising concern that urban consumers are holding back on spending.

Sitharaman said the government is monitoring the economy closely and is prepared to take “all necessary measures” to boost activity.

“Let me assure you the government is fully aware of the challenges posed by both domestic and global factors,” she said. “There is no cause for undue concern,” the minister said, citing strong macro-economic fundamentals, moderating inflation, robust external position and continued fiscal consolidation.
NSB
Bangladesh’s Yunus hopes US ties will strengthen despite Trump victory (Reuters)
Reuters [11/19/2024 1:18 AM, Sudipto Ganguly, 5.2M, Positive]
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus hopes ties with the U.S., the biggest buyer of Bangladeshi clothes, will strengthen despite strong criticism from President-elect Donald Trump on violence against minorities in the Muslim-majority nation.

"Foreign policies don’t usually change because of a change in the president," Yunus told The Hindu newspaper, referring to Trump’s victory in this month’s U.S. presidential election.

"It’s a very good relationship that we have built over years with the U.S. Our hope is that it will be strengthened."

Trump in a X post at the end of October said: "I strongly condemn the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities who are getting attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos".

Bangladesh’s neighbour and Hindu-majority India has strong cultural and business ties with Bangladesh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has also expressed concern over the spate of attacks on Hindus.

Protests in Bangladesh, which began in July as a student-led movement against public sector job quotas, escalated into some of the deadliest unrest since Bangladeshi independence in 1971, killing about 1,500 people, according to the interim government’s estimate.

Yunus was named head of the caretaker government that took charge of Bangladesh after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India in August amid violent protests seeking her ouster.

Nobel Peace Laureate Yunus said reports of atrocities against minority was propaganda.

Yunus said Hasina has continued her political activities from India and his caretaker government was taking legal steps to demand her extradition. India’s refusal could sour relations between the South Asian neighbours, Yunus added.

Calling India and Bangladesh twins who are "born to be together", Yunus said he wants to meet Modi.

"Our dream is imagining a relationship like the European Union (with freedom of movement and trade). That’s the direction we want to go."
Sri Lankan President Keeps Finance Minister’s Job in New Cabinet (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/18/2024 8:53 AM, Anusha Ondaatjie, 27782K, Positive]
Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake retained the finance and defense portfolios as he administered the oath of office to 21 cabinet ministers on Monday after his coalition won a historic supermajority in the parliamentary election held last week.

The president reappointed Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister, a post she held in the interim cabinet after Dissanayake won the Sept. 21 presidential poll. Vijitha Herath was reappointed as foreign minister and will also head the tourism ministry.

“Democracy and people’s rights will henceforth be protected,” the president said at the swearing-in ceremony in Colombo.

Dissanayake’s National People’s Power bloc got 159 seats in the Nov. 14 parliamentary vote, more than two-thirds of the 225 total in the legislature, that allows it to amend the constitution. The unprecedented win underscores the depth of support for the leftist leader who pledged to combat corruption and change the terms of an unpopular International Monetary Fund bailout.

IMF officials are in the South Asian island nation this week to kick start a third review of the $3 billion loan program, a precursor to unlocking additional funding. Dissanayake has said he’s committed to continuing the facility struck with the Washington-based lender but wants to amend unpopular austerity measures and reduce taxes.

During a meeting with an IMF delegation on Monday, Dissanayake reaffirmed his government’s readiness to collaborate with the lender to advance Sri Lanka’s economic recovery, his media unit said in a statement.

President Dissanayake “urged the IMF to maintain a balanced approach that considers the hardships faced by citizens,” according to the statement. Governance and anti-corruption were also “central to the discussions,” it said.
Professor Keethaponcalan on Sri Lanka’s New Government (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [11/18/2024 1:59 AM, Sudha Ramachandran, 1198K, Neutral]
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake with Cabinet members of the National People’s Power government soon after their swearing in at the Presidential Secretariat, Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 18, 2024.

Sri Lankan voters have given an emphatic mandate to the leftist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) coalition. Seven weeks after the coalition’s Anura Kumara Dissanayake won the presidential election, it won a sweeping victory in parliamentary elections, snagging 159 out of 225 total seats. The result is historic; no party has won a two-thirds majority since the proportional representation system was introduced in 1978. Moreover, the JVP/NPP has won seats in the Tamil-dominated Northern Province.

Will Sri Lanka’s new government use its parliamentary majority to abolish the powerful executive presidency or to devolve more powers to the provinces?

S.I. Keethaponcalan, professor of Conflict Resolution at Salisbury University in Maryland, and author of “Electoral Politics in Sri Lanka: Presidential Elections, Manipulation and Democracy,” (2022: Routledge) is adopting a wait-and-see approach. In an interview with The Diplomat’s South Asia editor Sudha Ramachandran, Keethaponcalan said that given the JVP’s deeply embedded Sinhala nationalist ideology, he did not “expect any moves from the government to address the Tamil question.” Rather, “it will try to develop a common Sri Lankan identity and expect the Tamils to shed their identity politics.”

The JVP, the core of Sri Lanka’s new government, has a violent past. Could you briefly share your insights into its ideology and how its role in Sri Lankan politics has changed over the decades?

First, the difference between the JVP and the NPP is not clear. Some believe that the NPP is a broad coalition headed by the JVP, while others believe that the JVP and NPP are the same. If the JVP and NPP are different, the core of the NPP is the JVP. Many leading members of the JVP or the old guard have entered parliament now through the NPP.

Regarding the JVP’s history, it was formed by Rohana Wijeweera in 1965 to forcefully overthrow the government and establish a Marxist-socialist state. It staged its first insurgency in 1971, only to be violently crushed by the Sirimavo Bandaranaike government. Wijeweera was sent to prison with his followers. President J.R Jayawardene freed Wijeweera, who contested the 1982 presidential election. Following the 1983 anti-Tamil riots, the JVP was banned, and the organization went underground only to come out for its second insurgency in the late 1980s. The second insurgency caused a lot of violence and deaths. President Premadasa unleashed a ruthless campaign against the JVP and its supporters. This campaign eventually killed Wijeweera and all other leaders of the JVP. The only survivor was Somavansa Amarasinghe.

Under Amarasinghe’s leadership, the movement transformed into a political party and entered parliament in 1994. However, the party continued with its Marxist-socialist ideology. I have not seen any evidence to suggest that the party has given up its socialist ideals. The party constitution states it is a Marxist-socialist party and its home page still carries the images of Wijeweera and the symbol of hammer and sickle. I think the party still believes in socialist ideals. The question is, how would the party adjust to the new realities of Sri Lankan politics?

The JVP/NPP has won a two-thirds majority in the parliamentary elections. This is unprecedented in Sri Lanka. To what do you attribute this historic performance?

President Dissanayake has been in parliament since the year 2000. However, the party could not win any significant support until this year. In the last parliament, it had only three members. I think the unprecedented win in this election could be easily called a peaceful coup by the voters.

The victory could be attributed to several reasons. One, voters were disappointed and frustrated with the political parties and leaders who held power so far. They blame these political parties for the economic crisis of 2022 because they view corruption as the primary cause of the crisis. Therefore, this was an opportunity to reject all or most of them altogether. The flip side of this argument is that Sri Lankan voters do not take any responsibility for what happened in 2022, even though they constantly voted for known corruptors and abusers of power.

Two, Sri Lankan voters seem to be yearning for a new beginning, and the JVP offered a clean and corruptionless program. It appears that the voters believe that the JVP/NPP government will clean the system and establish a government founded on the philosophies of citizens’ welfare. One must wait and see because corruption is a deeply rooted problem in Sri Lanka. The hope is that Sri Lanka has not elected a new cohort of corrupt politicians.

Three, there are no alternatives. The opposition parties are weak and lack credibility. For example, the election campaign of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) from its inception seemed feeble. The party members also exposed the weakness by saying they wanted to form a strong opposition. In other words, they conceded even before the election. Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe did not have credibility, especially within the nationalist segment of the Sinhala polity, despite his ability to stabilize the economy and the country since the economic crisis. The low voter turnout also contributed to the eventual numbers.

However, I must admit that I was surprised by the level of support the JVP/NPP received, winning 159 seats in the 225-seat parliament. I expected it to win a simple majority. This is overwhelming.

This is the first time that a Sinhalese party has won in Jaffna, the capital of the Tamil-dominated Northern Province. How do you think the JVP/NPP government will respond to this mandate?

The most surprising element of this election was the votes and seats the JVP/NPP gained in the Northern Province. Many Muslim electors voted for the JVP/NPP candidate in the presidential election. But the Tamils preferred Wickremesinghe, Sajith Premadasa of the SJB, and the common Tamil candidate Ariyanendran in the presidential election. Therefore, the expectation was that the Tamil voters in the north would vote for Tamil parties and SJB in the parliamentary election.

The Tamil voters’ rejection of the Tamil parties, especially the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) was astounding. This should be a rude awakening to the ITAK and other Tamil parties. The way the ITAK was operating recently indicated that the demise is not too far away. The party is in disarray.

I don’t know how the JVP/NPP would respond to the mandate. I believe the new government would offer economic incentives, which the Tamils have rejected in the past. However, due to its ideological foundation and the possible Sinhala backlash, I don’t expect the government to provide any political relief or political rights to the Tamils. The Tamil voters could also have a rude awakening.

How is the new government likely to use its two-thirds majority?

One of the party’s presidential election promises was to reform the constitution to abolish the presidential system and reintroduce the Westminster form of government. This promise was part of its election manifesto. Now, the party has the necessary parliamentary majority to amend the constitution. Therefore, ideally, it should reform the constitution and reintroduce the Westminster form of government. However, returning to the old system will not be easy as the nationalist segment of the Sinhala polity believes that the executive presidential system is necessary to protect the unitary structure of the state. Therefore, this will be a challenging task. One must wait and see how the government handles the issue of constitutional change.

There are some similarities between the 2019-2020 elections and this year’s elections. In 2019, the voters elected Gotabaya Rajapaksa, an idealist — he thought he could transform Sri Lanka into a fully organic farming system overnight — but who had no governance experience, and in 2020, they gave him a two-thirds majority in parliament. That decision ended in disaster.

President Dissanayake is a socialism-oriented idealist with no governance experience. Now, the voters have given him a two-thirds majority. I hope the JVP/NPP has learned enough lessons from the Gotabaya experience, or rather experiment.

The JVP has a long history of anti-Tamil, Sinhala chauvinist politics. How is it likely to tackle the Tamil national question?

I am surprised by the support the party gained in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, mainly because of its anti-Tamil politics. The JVP opposed every concession previous governments proposed to solve the ethnic conflict. If I remember correctly, the agreement the JVP signed to save President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government in 2001 had a provision preventing any form of devolution of power. As you pointed out, the party has a long history of chauvinistic politics. I don’t believe that it has suddenly been cleansed. These philosophies, perhaps, are embedded deeply in the psyche of the current leaders. Therefore, I don’t expect any moves from the government to address the Tamil question. Instead, it will try to develop a common Sri Lankan identity and expect the Tamils to shed their identity politics.

I would be happy if the government did not take away some of the political concessions gained already. For example, I hope it does not try to abolish the provincial council system through a constitutional amendment.

During his presidential campaign, Anura Kumara Dissanayake pledged to renegotiate with the IMF. Is this likely to happen now that parliamentary elections are over?

Renegotiating with the IMF should always be possible. The question is whether the IMF would agree to the amendments suggested by the new government. I think the IMF would not support fundamental changes to the existing agreements, especially crucial provisions for economic stabilization. Nevertheless, the parties may agree to several face-saving arrangements.

What is the new government’s foreign policy likely to look like?

The government’s foreign policy outlook is not clear. Like the previous government, the new administration may try to balance relations with significant international players, including India, China, the United States, and the European states. However, I think a new space has been created for China’s reassertion in Sri Lanka.

During the war with the LTTE, the Rajapaksa government worked closely with India because the government knew that the LTTE could not be controlled without Indian assistance. India greatly assisted the Sri Lankan government in terminating the LTTE in 2009. However, after the end of the war, the Rajapaksa government, sidelining India, leaned drastically towards China. At one point, Sri Lanka looked like a Chinese colony.

The economic crisis of 2022 changed everything. The crisis allowed India to restabilize its position in Sri Lanka through immediate assistance. India provided about $4.5 billion worth of aid through credit lines, humanitarian assistance, and donations. China was marginalized partly because it refused to restructure Sri Lanka’s debt servicing.

Now, with the election of JVP/NPP, China has found a space to reenter. I believe that, as a socialist political entity, the JVP has a soft corner for China. One cannot also underestimate the JVP’s virulent anti-India campaign of the late 1980s. Therefore, China should be happy about the election results. In other words, the election results would reignite the great power competition in Sri Lanka.
The NPP’s Rise and the Opposition’s Fall in Sri Lanka (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [11/18/2024 11:00 AM, Staff, 1198K, Neutral]
The NPP’s Rise and the Opposition’s Fall in Sri Lanka

Speaking to the media on Friday, November 15, hours after general election results were announced in Sri Lanka, Tilvin Silva, general secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the dominant member in the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance that governs the country, acknowledged that his party would commit to "developing the country, eradicating corruption, and enhancing democracy with accountability."

Silva’s remarks came against the backdrop of one of the biggest electoral landslides in the island’s political history: The NPP, which had been reduced to three seats at the 2020 general election, gained a two-thirds majority in the 2024 polls, obtaining 159 seats and 61 percent of the vote. The achievement is all the more remarkable considering that the NPP secured a two-thirds majority without entering agreements with other parties.

The NPP also trumped expectations by winning several seats in areas like the Northern Province, which had been written off as unfeasible and unwinnable for a party associated, rightly or wrongly, with Sinhala Buddhist nationalist politics. Yet by the early hours of November 15, it was clear not only that the NPP had won these areas but that they had displaced traditional communal parties. In the Tamil-dominated Jaffna District, for instance, the alliance secured three seats, while the dominant Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) obtained just one.

The NPP’s victory is remarkable given that, at presidential elections two months ago, the party won with 43 percent of the vote. This led commentators, including supporters of the previous Ranil Wickremesinghe administration and the main opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB), to brand the new president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, as a minority leader. At a rally, Wickremesinghe, who was appointed as president by parliament instead of a popular vote in 2022, compared himself to Dissanayake, stating that both were elected as presidents without majorities.

As a former state minister posted on X (formerly Twitter) on November 15, however, the results have made "a nonsense of the claims made about the President being a minority president."

As the NPP Soars, Other Parties Fall Short

If supporters of the NPP were flushed with victory, they were fairly subdued in expressing their feelings. In Sri Lanka, the announcement of election results is typically followed by firecrackers and much celebration on the streets. On Friday morning – a Poya day, a religious holiday for Buddhists across the island – there was no such revelry. As the results came in, however, it was clear not only that the NPP had won, but that opposition parties, including both those positioning themselves as moderate (such as the SJB) and hardline (such as the Sarvajana Balaya, or SB), had lost heavily. The SJB, for instance, which had won 54 seats at the 2020 parliamentary election, slid down to 40 this time around.

For many Sri Lankans, there were other reasons to celebrate. The NPP rose through the ranks promising both change and a cleanup of the political system. Before the general election, a number of MPs associated with the previous government opted out of the race, choosing to resign from politics or return to other professions.

Yet a few among them chose to remain and fight – and lost heavily. Wickremesinghe’s coalition, the National Democratic Front, secured three seats, while the much-hyped SB, led by a powerful media mogul, failed to obtain any. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), led until 2022 by the ousted former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, won just two seats: Rajapaksa’s nephew, Namal, is widely expected to enter parliament through the party’s national list.

Meanwhile, the People’s Struggle Alliance (PSA), a radical alliance of university students and activists that positioned itself to the left of the NPP, did not get through. As Harindra B. Dassanayake, co-founder of Muragala, a political research think-tank in Colombo, put it, the results show that "Sri Lankans have spoken in one voice and placed their overwhelming trust in the NPP."

Ever since September’s presidential election, a slew of analyses has attempted to ground the NPP’s victory solely, if not mainly, in its commitment to anti-corruption. The Western press, by and large, has echoed these sentiments, depicting the NPP as a Marxist-Leninist outfit committed to "clean" politics. However, Ramindu Perera, a political analyst who lectures at the Open University in Colombo, argued that this mischaracterizes the NPP and overlooks its political and economic program. In an article for Factum, a foreign policy think-tank based in Colombo, he framed the NPP’s victory as "the momentous rise of the populist left." He also stated that while anger at the then-government did play a role in bringing the NPP to power, this alone does not explain why it could capitalize on the post-2022 radicalization of the country more than other parties, including those on the left.

The SJB’s Underperformance

In the run-up to both presidential and parliamentary elections, claims of the NPP being hazy, idealistic, and impractical were fervently recycled by other parties. The SJB, for instance, portrayed itself as more committed to reform, contending that the NPP did not possess enough acumen to, for instance, negotiate with the International Monetary Fund. One leading MP from the SJB called the NPP "clueless" with regard to debt restructuring, and even dismissed the arguments of a group of economists critical of the IMF agreement, who visited Sri Lanka last May, as "conspiracy" theories.

By making such claims, however, the SJB tacitly admitted that it had no original, radical reform plans of its own, and that it was content in pushing forward the policies of the previous government. The IMF agreement is widely reviled, especially outside of Colombo, and is associated with the Wickremesinghe administration that brokered it. By defending the agreement and launching attacks on the NPP, the SJB managed to diminish its electoral prospects.

That several SJB MPs and relatives of MPs engaged in red-baiting the NPP, making the most spurious claims, only worsened matters. While analysts supportive of the SJB’s leader, Sajith Premadasa, argued for a course correction, the party paid little to no attention and instead focused on denigrating the NPP on the flimsiest grounds.

The SJB was also riddled by several internal tussles, which (as political and foreign policy analyst Rathindra Kuruwita argued) resulted in the party not being seen as a serious political player. The election results appear to have awakened the party; some have called for an internal inquiry and even a leadership contest.

According to a leading political commentator, Dayan Jayatilleka, if the SJB is to recover, it needs to do away with its commitment to the previous government’s economic reforms and position itself to the left. Ramindu Perera, however, contended that this is impractical, since the SJB is committed to the policies of the Wickremesinghe government regardless of the party leadership.

The NPP’s Wooing of Minority Voters

If the NPP proved that it could both criticize policies such as the IMF agreement at election rallies while moderating its stances after winning elections – as of now, it has stated that it will not disrupt ongoing debt restructuring negotiations – it has also thumbed its nose at critics who claimed that it could not win minority votes. The NPP’s performance in the North and East, as Harindra Dassanayake observed, indicates that it has transcended "ethnicised electoral borders." In polling divisions like Kopai, Kankasanthurai, Nallur, Point Pedro, and Vaddukoddai, the NPP won with more than 20 percent of the vote, pushing establishment parties from the south and the north to second or third place.

A number of reasons, including disenchantment with and fragmentation of older parties – particularly the ITAK – can help explain this trend. ITAK’s media spokesperson, M. A. Sumanthiran, who failed to secure a seat this time, attended NPP rallies and went as far as to say that his party would work with them after elections – even though the NPP declared it would not consider building coalitions with others. Nevertheless, a few days before the election, Sumanthiran questioned a decision by the NPP to bring in busloads of people from districts in the Northern Province to Jaffna, traditionally an ITAK stronghold, rather than going and directly talking to them. Such criticisms did not dent the NPP’s prospects among Tamils and only served to betray ITAK’s insecurities: While the latter won 33 percent in Jaffna in 2020, it obtained a little more than 11 percent this time around.

It goes without saying that the NPP’s performance with minorities – not just in the North and East but also in the Central Province, home to the country’s Hill Country Tamil population – has come as a shock to much of Colombo’s civil society circles. Yet the tea leaves were there, for those who chose to read them: While the NPP was bested by the SJB in the presidential voting in the North, East, and Central Provinces, its relative vote share markedly increased in these regions.

While we have yet to find out what drove these voters to support the NPP in large numbers, one can argue that while issues like land ownership and justice for those who died or went missing during Sri Lanka’s 30-year separatist conflict – a conflict for which the JVP, the dominant arm of the NPP, advocated a military solution – remain relevant, Tamils feel increasingly sidelined by old parties. The election of a hardliner to the leadership of the ITAK earlier this year, ITAK’s decision to field a common Tamil presidential candidate, and the later decision to enter an alliance with the SJB, reveal this only too well.

Shifting Voting Patterns in the North

However, it remains to be seen whether these voting patterns reflect a broader shift in Sri Lanka’s ethnic politics. Prior to the parliamentary election, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva accused Tamil political leaders of failing to resolve issues like land ownership and devolution of power. He added that ordinary Tamils did not prioritize such issues and that they mainly wanted "land and water for cultivation, a price for their produce, a place to sell, a school, a hospital." Liberal commentators have critiqued Silva’s statement, noting that despite the predominance of economic problems, Tamil people still place high value on civil and political concerns such as those that Silva seemingly dismissed.

That ITAK performed worse than expected even as the NPP made such statements, however, underlies a deficit in Tamil nationalist politics – one that can be seen, as political analyst Sivashanthi Sivalingam commented, in the rise of independent groups and candidates in the northern province, especially Jaffna. Indeed, many of these candidates have taken positions more hardline than either the NPP or ITAK.

The NPP’s rise, in that sense, can be traced back as much to disillusionment with elite politics as to a radicalization of old parties – as I have noted elsewhere. In the Muslim-dominated Batticaloa district in the Eastern Province, by contrast, the ITAK, and elite parties like the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), fared better, though the NPP scored majorities in other districts in the region.

According to Rathindra Kuruwita, these shifting patterns show that the north has accepted the NPP as a "serious party." While not dismissive of civil and political issues like land ownership, he contended that voter preferences underline more material economic concerns, on which he argued parties like ITAK have failed to deliver: "While officials from these outfits have been accepted as representatives of their people by foreign embassies and governments and Colombo-based NGOs and civil society organizations, it is clear that they have been rejected by their communities."

As one observer has argued on X, the lack of analysis on why the NPP won the North and East this time, versus the slew of commentaries when it failed to win either at presidential polls in September, shows that civil society in Colombo needs to think anew and afresh – especially in relation to minority politics.

Even before 2022, the NPP managed to galvanize opposition to establishment politics. In doing so, it became a key beneficiary of the post-2022 radicalization of the country and the youth in particular. In the two months since it assumed the country’s presidency, the NPP has demonstrated that it can move to the center on a number of issues. Contrary to the claims of supporters of the former president and the SJB, the NPP has shown itself capable of handling matters of state as well, though it still is going through a learning curve.

More than anything, the NPP has won the trust of communities that had almost never been associated with it. As Omar Rajarathnam, a political and foreign policy analyst in Sri Lanka specializing in defense and public diplomacy outreach, stated, "for the first time in 15 years, a president from a southern party was able to enter the north without facing protests and hostility from people there." In the context of Sri Lankan politics, this is unprecedented and cannot just be put down to the party’s opposition to corruption.

The key takeaway is clear: Sri Lanka’s minorities have helped the NPP secure their biggest mandate yet. It is now up to the NPP, and its representatives, to honor that mandate.
Central Asia
Central Asia’s ‘Island Of Democracy’ Endangered As Kyrgyz Opposition Fades Away (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [11/19/2024 5:39 AM, Chris Rickleton, 1251K, Negative]
As elections to local councils were held in Kyrgyzstan this weekend, leading members of the Social Democrats opposition party were beginning stints behind bars after police raided the party’s offices just days before the vote.

Officially, party chairman Temirlan Sultanbekov and election campaign manager Irina Karamushkina were arrested on charges of vote-buying.

But with the criminal investigation accompanying the Social Democrats’ exclusion from the Bishkek City Council race on November 17, it is no surprise that the incident is viewed as the latest symptom of the Kyrgyz regime’s allergy to pluralism.

In the four years since President Sadyr Japarov and his allies took power, Kyrgyzstan’s reputation as a democratic outlier in authoritarian Central Asia has been dealt one blow after another, with crackdowns on the media, civil society, and political opponents.

In the political realm, that trend has prompted concerns over whether Kyrgyz elections -- traditionally vibrant and feisty -- might soon look a lot like the ones held in neighboring countries.

No Criticism, Please

Japarov, 55, came to power on the back of postelectoral unrest that broke out in 2020, a time when he was imprisoned on hostage-taking charges that he has insisted were politically motivated.

His dramatic “prison to the presidency” rise was confirmed in January of the following year in an election that he won by a landslide.

But while he enjoyed clear advantages in that vote -- he was de facto already running the country and several strong would-be candidates decided not to challenge him -- it was still fairly competitive.

Of the 16 candidates he faced, several were strong critics of his and one even accused him of corruption on live national television.

Everything that has happened since then suggests there will not be another election like that under the current leadership.

Former national-security chief Adil Segizbaev, the candidate who made those accusations, went on to spend more than a year in prison on abuse of power charges after being arrested after the vote, while a teenage blogger that reposted the clip spent several months in a jail cell.

A number of other candidates from that presidential contest have also spent time in jail or under house arrest.

And parliament has had the strength sucked out of it.

Adakhan Madumarov, the second-place finisher in the 2021 presidential election, was stripped of his vote and arrested on treason charges in 2023.

Nurjigit Kadyrbekov, a charismatic, YouTube-friendly politician with strong ties to religious groups, also relinquished his seat in the legislature.

Kadyrbekov and the Iyman Nuru party that he led were only occasionally critical of the government and could not be classed as opposition.

But their popularity might have looked like a threat.

Multiple polls funded by the International Republican Institute showed Kadyrbekov as the third most popular/trusted politician behind Japarov and his de facto co-ruler, the chairman of the State Committee for National Security (UKMK), Kamchibek Tashiev.

Kadyrbekov quit parliament quietly after an investigation was suddenly opened into alleged accounting irregularities at a charitable fund he once ran.

Authorities said the fund had not properly accounted for millions of dollars in funding for religious education from the Turkish government. He has so far avoided jail.

All Politics Is Local

Compared to national politics, local elections carry low stakes.

And thanks to the centralizing reforms championed by Japarov, they have fallen even lower.

Just as the parliament relinquished power to the executive after a new constitution was passed in 2021, so, too, did city councils, who no longer elect mayors.

City chiefs are instead now handpicked by the president, making the position even more politically dependent on the center than it was before.

But parties and politicians still want their seat at the table, especially in the capital, Bishkek, and the southern city of Osh, where there is a lot of business to be done.

A total of 39 parties and more than 5,000 candidates were on the ballot in local votes across the country on November 17.

Despite their exclusion from the Bishkek race, the Social Democrats were able to compete in smaller elections and passed the 5 percent threshold to enter city councils in five provincial towns.

The party has plenty of recognition, being a reregistered and downsized version of one that served as Kyrgyzstan’s de facto ruling party for the best part of a decade and is still closely associated with former President Almazbek Atambaev.

But history points to Kyrgyz political parties suffering after their leadership comes under serious pressure.

Iyman Nuru, which was ranked the most-liked party according to polling supported by the International Republican Institute in May 2023, did not compete in the Bishkek and Osh city council races and only entered six races nationwide.

Madumarov’s Butun Kyrgyzstan party only competed in one local election, in the southern town of Kerben, where it passed the threshold.

The pick of the pro-government bunch in terms of council seats across the country was a party called Jana Kyrgyzstan (New Kyrgyzstan), with no history as such, but strong ties to the ruling duo.

Thus far, the publicly available evidence for the vote-buying accusation against the Social Democrats is a purported telephone conversation between Karamushkina and another member of the party that somehow made its way onto the Internet.

Although the two talk about handing out money, Kadyr Atambaev -- the former president’s son and a senior party member -- has argued that they were discussing payments for campaign activists.

Party leader Sultanbekov, 26, was reportedly questioned for more than 20 hours on November 13-14.

Speaking in parliament last week, Tashiev said that Social Democrat party activists were “directly involved” in vote-buying.

But the national-security boss, who recently pledged that the days of government interference in elections were over, provided no evidence to back up that assertion.

Commenting on the developments, journalist Rinat Tuhvatshin, the co-founder of the Kloop investigative and news media outlet, which has been blocked in Kyrgyzstan since last year, wrote that Kyrgyz officials had managed “to collapse trust not only in these fairly insignificant elections, but any future elections that will be held under the current regime.”

That was even more damaging since “despite all the challenges, [elections] had remained an important institution in our society,” remarked Tuhvatshin.
Attack From Afghanistan Kills Chinese National In Tajikistan, Sources Say (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [11/18/2024 5:59 AM, Staff, 1251K, Negative]
One Chinese national was killed and five others, four of them Chinese, were injured in a cross-border attack in Tajikistan’s Zarbuzi Gorge, two sources close to a Tajik investigation told RFE/RL’s Tajik Service on November 18.

The incident, which occurred in the southeastern Shamsiddin Shohin district, bordering Afghanistan, has not yet been officially addressed by the Tajik authorities.

According to the sources, the attack was carried out by armed individuals who crossed the border from Afghanistan. It remains unclear whether the attackers were criminals possibly involved in drug trafficking, a crime that is common in the area, or members of a militant group.

"Among the five injured, four are Chinese nationals and one is a local resident. All have been hospitalized in Shamsiddin Shohin district," one of the sources said.

The Chinese nationals were reportedly working at a gold mine in the Zarbuzi Gorge. The attack marks the first known incident resulting in the death of a Chinese national in the volatile region.

The Shamsiddin Shohin district shares a porous border with Afghanistan that is often crossed by smugglers and militant groups.

Although the Taliban has assured neighboring countries that Afghan territory will not serve as a base for terrorist activities, Tajik authorities have been on high alert in recent years.

The deadly attack underscores persistent security concerns along Tajikistan’s southern frontier.

In August 2023, Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security reported killing three members of the banned Ansarullah militant group and seizing weapons in a separate cross-border operation.

These incidents highlight the ongoing threats posed by instability in Afghanistan, despite regional efforts to secure the border.
Turkmenistan’s Gas Company Will Enlist Experts to Combat Methane Leaks (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/18/2024 7:30 AM, Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Aaron Clark, 27782K, Positive]
Turkmenistan’s state-owned gas producer is planning to enlist specialists to help pinpoint methane releases, a major advance in the nation’s efforts to curb emissions of the potent greenhouse gas.

Turkmengaz is working on issuing a tender seeking bids for methane surveillance in the coming months, and potentially as soon as January, according to people familiar with the matter. The plans were previewed at the Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan conference in October, they said, asking not to be named because the details are still being drafted.

The solicitation would mark a big push to acquire satellite data, and potentially even detect and fix releases of the planet-warming gas. It also represents action toward addressing methane leaks amid a years-long quest by the country, environmental groups and other nations, including the US, to stifle those emissions.

Methane is at least 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the environment in the first two decades after it enters the atmosphere. Sparsely populated Turkmenistan sits atop one of the world’s largest natural gas reserves and spews more methane per unit of oil and gas output than any other major supplier, according to the International Energy Agency’s latest Methane Tracker report.

A call to the phone number listed on Turkmengaz’s website wasn’t answered and the company didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.

Cutting methane emissions would represent a remarkable shift for the country in just three years since the launch of a global pledge to slash spewing the gas by 30% by 2030. At the time, Turkmenistan’s emissions of the gas were spiraling out of control and into the atmosphere, leaking from aging energy infrastructure and one massive burning crater.

Methane Pledge

Last year Turkmenistan said it was signing on to the global methane pledge that now represents nearly 160 nations. In recent months, the country and its state-run energy companies have developed a road map for cutting at least a third of its methane emissions by the end of the decade. It is in the process of imposing its first-ever regulations to clamp down on the problem.

The Central Asian nation’s cabinet has adopted a road map that the foreign affairs ministry said would drive “radical modernization of energy infrastructure” and the implementation of “other appropriate measures” to help meet methane-cutting commitments.

“The collective actions and the collective goals that we are seeing coming out of Turkmenistan should be seen as one of those things that really gives people hope in a time where hope is not very prevalent,” said Jonathan Banks, global director of methane pollution prevention at the Clean Air Task Force.

To be sure, emissions will not fall immediately. Many of the efforts are still in their infancy, teeing up spending and action that is necessary to wrest control over the country’s massive methane problem in coming years. And once emissions are identified it will still require engineers in the field to replace equipment or make operational changes to halt the releases.

But satellite observations suggest there’s been some progress. Emissions in the nation’s eastern and western basins fell about 10% between 2020 and 2023, according to an analysis of the data by Kayrros SAS. That’s the second-biggest drop among 13 fossil fuel-producing regions tracked by the environmental monitoring company, only behind Australia’s Bowen Basin.
Indo-Pacific
India and Pakistan’s Indian Ocean military buildup must be contained (Nikkei Asia – opinion)
Nikkei Asia [11/18/2024 3:05 PM, Farhan Bokhari, 2376K, Neutral]
Among the China hawks U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated to his new cabinet are Mike Waltz as national security adviser and Marco Rubio as secretary of state. This is a hardening of Washington’s anti-China stance.

But the Pacific-focused U.S.-China rivalry risks overshadowing prevailing security tensions in the Indian Ocean region. India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed, continue to be engulfed in the tensions between the two global powers.

India, the world’s most populous country, has become a more active member of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific coalition that seeks to prevent China’s rise to lone global power status. Pakistan, meanwhile, has remained a close ally of China for most of the past six decades.

Over time India and Pakistan have sought to become active players within their respective global camps, benefitting from opportunities to purchase modern conventional weapons while expanding their nuclear arsenals.

According to estimates made this year by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India had 172 nuclear weapons and Pakistan had 170. The growing risk of the unthinkable has been preceded by a terrible history of previous Indo-Pakistani conflicts, including three major wars and numerous skirmishes.

The neighbors continue to ignore a growing nuclear risk, with each flexing its muscle in the Indian Ocean region. On Nov. 5, Pakistan said it successfully test-fired a new ballistic missile from a naval ship, marking the latest addition to the country’s missile program.

While Islamabad says its missile program is based on indigenous research and locally manufactured technology, foreign observers have periodically noted signs of Chinese technology being employed. Despite its economic challenges, Pakistan continues to purchase naval, land and aerial military hardware from China.

Pakistan’s plans for Chinese military hardware purchases include naval ships and up to eight submarines by the end of this decade. Half of the submarines will be built in Pakistan with Chinese support. They will be equipped with air-independent propulsion systems that will allow them to remain submerged for a longer duration than conventional vessels.

China has also supported Pakistan in manufacturing JF-17 Thunder fighters, giving the country an edge in preparing for another conflict. In September, Azerbaijan said it had purchased a batch of JF-17s from Pakistan in a deal that analysts valued at $1.6 billion. The deal will help financially sustain the JF-17 production cycle and allow Islamabad to invest in other Chinese fighters such as the J-31 stealth jet.

Meanwhile, two of India’s nuclear-powered submarines this year began deep-sea patrols. This gives India the capacity to ensure the survival of submarine-based nuclear weapons in the event of a conflict.

India has also purchased French-manufactured Rafale fighter jets and a variety of Russian fighters, notably advanced Su-30MKI jets.

The expansion of the India-Pakistan rivalry to the Indian Ocean region deserves greater international focus to prevent a conflict.

The dispute between the countries is centered on the predominantly Muslim state of Kashmir, located in the Himalayan mountain range. A third of the state is under Pakistan’s control, more than half is administered by India and a smaller slice is under Chinese control.

As the Trump administration settles in, a focus on containing China’s expansion in the Pacific Ocean region -- notably around Taiwan -- must be in tandem with a focus on security around the Indian Ocean region.

This must involve a two-tiered approach.

On one hand, the world must resist further nuclearization of the region through measures such as blocking both India and Pakistan from acquiring military technologies that could be used in a future nuclear exchange. This would require fresh engagement with China to limit exports to Pakistan that could allow the country to use nuclear weapons from its sea-based platforms.

But engagement with China alone will not work unless India is also persuaded to limit any further expansion of its nuclear-driven platforms in the region. The greater involvement of Russia, which has historically provided India with much of its military hardware, might become possible -- especially if Trump uses his clout to end the conflict in Ukraine.

On the other hand, India and Pakistan have remained locked in their conflict for more than three-quarters of a century. In the past, the global community has urged them to work toward reconciliation but left it to India and Pakistan to iron out their differences. Going forward, greater global diplomatic engagement will be essential to nudge the neighbors toward a settlement.

Ultimately, the expanded nuclearization of the Indian Ocean has heightened the risks to global security. These risks must be contained.
Twitter
Afghanistan
Lina Rozbih
@LinaRozbih
[11/18/2024 8:38 AM, 420K followers, 6 retweets, 28 likes]
China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, has expressed concern over the presence of more than 20 terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan, warning of the security threats this poses to China and other regional countries. #china #taliban

Habib Khan
@HabibKhanT
[11/18/2024 12:15 PM, 244.5K followers, 167 retweets, 359 likes]
Activists from Afghanistan are urging the international community to pressure the Taliban to reopen schools for girls. It’s been 1,159 days since 1.4 million teenage girls were banned from school.

Jahanzeb Wesa
@JahanzebWesa
[11/18/2024 11:46 AM, 4.6K followers, 4 retweets, 8 likes]
Public executions are not in accordance with Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations, and considered degrading and contradictory to human dignity, as per articles 6 and 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Jahanzeb Wesa
@JahanzebWesa
[11/18/2024 8:45 AM, 4.6K followers, 96 retweets, 162 likes]
Reports indicate that the Taliban prison official in Nangarhar has forcibly married a female prisoner. Source says hat the Taliban prison official in this province has forced a female prisoner into marriage. Still international community silent about Afgh women situation.
Pakistan
Shehbaz Sharif
@CMShehbaz
[11/18/2024 10:33 AM, 6.7M followers, 507 retweets, 2.4K likes]
Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives due to the dengue outbreak in Bangladesh. Pakistan stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Bangladesh at this difficult time and we stand ready to assist in whatever way we can. @ChiefAdviserGoB

Imran Khan
@ImranKhanPTI
[11/19/2024 2:26 AM, 20.9M followers, 1.1K retweets, 2K likes]
O Bird, that flies to throne of God, you must keep this truth in sight; to suffer death is nobler far, than bread that clogs your upward flight. Death is better than a life of slavery.

I have previously only called on people associated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to protest, but since the final nail has now been hammered into the coffin of democracy in our country after February 8th (2024), it is the entire nation’s duty to come out to protest against this oppression. Come out on November 24th with the same passion that you demonstrated on February 8th, when you came out, despite all the challenges, to prove the power of your vote.

The foundational pillars of democracy - rule of law, fair and transparent elections, and freedom of expression - are suspended in our country. The media is under severe censorship. There is a complete ban on broadcasting my statements and the media is having to operate under severe restrictions. The repeated disruption of the internet to suppress the voice of the people has cost the country 550 billion rupees this year. According to newspaper reports, internet performance in Pakistan has been limited to only 27%. All these heinous steps are only being taken to somehow crush PTI and suppress our voice.

From Shahbaz Gill to Intazar Panjutha, there is a whole series of enforced disappearances, brutality, and violence against PTI workers, for which no one has been able to obtain justice. The Punjab government and the police get away with it by claiming that the military is asking them to do this. The Army is a national institution; it does not belong to a single person or party, and these incidents are bringing our national security institutions into disrepute.

PTI has always been, and still is, ready for every challenge and difficulty. PTI stood against the external interference which took place through (the US Assistant Secretary of State) Donald Lu and (the then Chief of Army Staff) General Bajwa. After which, bogus assemblies were created following fraudulent elections, which attacked the independence of the judiciary. It is impossible for a democracy to exist without an independent judiciary.

I have always been ready for negotiations for the sake of our country. Whenever we talked about negotiations with the caretaker government, they responded with fascism and put our people in jails. The sort of repression that PTI faced in the post-regime change era did not exist even under Stalin’s dictatorship. When we asked for timely elections, they were delayed until Nawaz Sharif returned after (Chief Justice) Qazi Faez Isa took office. In what democracy are elections delayed until hand-picked individuals are put in place? The responsibility for negotiations not taking place lies with them, not us.

Everyone must join the protest on November 24th. If any PTI leader or ticket holder is not able to ensure their participation in the protest, they should disassociate themselves from the party because this is the decisive moment when the entire nation will come out for freedom. The nation will not accept any excuse at such a critical time.

This is a golden opportunity to secure genuine freedom for Pakistan. Enslaved nations eventually die away. That is why, as a nation, we must be ready to choose death over slavery, and the call for protest on November 24th is not only for PTI but for the entire nation.

Overseas Pakistanis understand what genuine freedom and democracy mean. They should demand the same freedoms and rights for their fellow Pakistanis that they enjoy in their own countries. Overseas Pakistanis should also record protests in their respective countries and contribute whole-heartedly to fund-raising for PTI.

Anas Mallick
@AnasMallick
[11/18/2024 11:32 AM, 74.2K followers, 55 retweets, 159 likes]
7 policemen have been kidnapped from Bannu after their checkpost came under attack by armed men who were said to be in 30-40 in numbers, as per DPO. #Pakistan

Anas Mallick
@AnasMallick
[11/18/2024 9:21 AM, 74.2K followers, 8 retweets, 35 likes]
Two important visits to Islamabad by Special Reps of neighbours of Afghanistan -- Last week Russian Special Rep Amb Zamir Kabulov, Today the Chinese Special Rep Amb Yue Xiaoyong is in Islamabad, both held consultations with AS West Asia and Afghanistan Amb Ahmed Naseem Warraich

Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office
@amnestysasia
[11/19/2024 2:13 AM, 93.8K followers, 4 retweets, 5 likes]
Today, Idris Khattak will be spending his 5th birthday without his family after being forcibly disappeared in 2019 and kept unlawfully detained and imprisoned since. Pakistan’s military courts are trying civilians like Idris in complete secrecy with restricted access to legal representation and no meaningful right to appeal. Idris’ military court trial and continued imprisonment are a violation of the right to fair trial guaranteed under international human rights law. Idris turns 62 today as he awaits justice while his health is worsening in prison. Don’t let Idris be forgotten. Call on the Pakistan government to guarantee his right to a fair trial in a civilian court and ensure his well-being while in prison. Read more: https://amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2022/11/a-life-of-waiting/ #ReleaseIdrisKhattak
India
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[11/18/2024 1:16 PM, 103.6M followers, 3.6K retweets, 26K likes]
India stands committed to promote food security and eliminate poverty. We will build on our successes and harness our collective strength and resources to ensure brighter future for all.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[11/18/2024 12:09 PM, 103.6M followers, 743 retweets, 2.3K likes]
Highlighted how India is providing free ration to 800 million people, thus strengthening the fight against hunger. Also spoke about initiatives being undertaken to ensure top quality and affordable healthcare for the poor and elderly, steps to boost financial self-reliance among women and ensuring food as well as nutritional security.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[11/18/2024 12:09 PM, 103.6M followers, 747 retweets, 2.4K likes]
India believes in the approaches of ‘Back to Basics’ and ‘March to Future.’ That is why we are emphasising on organic farming, popularising millets (known as Shree Anna in India) and encouraging climate-resilient crop varieties.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[11/18/2024 12:09 PM, 103.6M followers, 4.8K retweets, 30K likes]
At the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, spoke at the Session on the ‘Fight Against Hunger and Poverty.’ This is an important subject and success in this sector will contribute greatly towards sustainable progress. During my remarks, I talked about India’s efforts, notably how we collectively worked to remove 250 million people from the clutches of poverty.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[11/18/2024 11:43 AM, 103.6M followers, 2.7K retweets, 15K likes]
Commendable initiative by the Brazilian G20 Presidency for launching the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty at the G20 Summit in Rio De Janeiro. This collaborative initiative marks a significant stride towards ensuring food security and uplifting vulnerable communities worldwide. India assures full support to this effort.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[11/18/2024 9:31 AM, 103.6M followers, 9.6K retweets, 114K likes]
With @POTUS Joe Biden at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Always a delight to meet him. @JoeBiden

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[11/18/2024 9:00 AM, 103.6M followers, 2.9K retweets, 23K likes]
Met UN Secretary General Mr. António Guterres at the Rio G20 Summit. @antonioguterres

Elizabeth Threlkeld
@ethrelkeld
[11/18/2024 4:36 AM, 7.6K followers, 5 retweets, 14 likes]
Unusual incident at sea along the India-Pakistan maritime boundary -- an Indian Coast Guard vessel interdicted a Pakistan Maritime Security Agency ship that was attempting to apprehend Indian fishermen. After a two-hour chase, the fishermen were released. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coast-guard-rescues-7-indian-fishermen-from-pakistan-maritime-security-agency-vessel/article68883568.ece

Elizabeth Threlkeld
@ethrelkeld
[11/18/2024 9:40 PM, 7.6K followers]
While the incident hasn’t been covered in the Pakistani press (at least that I’ve seen) a Pakistan-based org countered that the PMSA ship had come to the rescue of the fishing vessel, which was listing, and returned the fishermen to Indian custody.
NSB
Sabria Chowdhury Balland
@sabriaballand
[11/18/2024 7:25 AM, 7.4K followers, 2 likes]
Sheikh Hasina, who fled to New Delhi by helicopter on August 5, was also due in court in Dhaka on Monday to face charges of massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity. #Bangladesh https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2024/11/18/bangladesh-ex-ministers-face-massacre-charges-hasina-probe-deadline-set

The President’s Office, Maldives
@presidencymv
[11/18/2024 5:46 AM, 110.9K followers, 177 retweets, 179 likes]
First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed attends the event at the Orange Hiya building in Hulhumalé to celebrate 52 weeks of achievements by @MoHmv civil servants. During the event, she presented the badge of appreciation to honour their dedicated contributions and exemplary service.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
@anuradisanayake
[11/18/2024 8:27 AM, 137K followers, 47 retweets, 464 likes]
Met with the IMF delegation today (18) to discuss Sri Lanka’s economic recovery. I stressed the need for a balanced approach that addresses citizen hardships and restores public trust. Our focus: tackling child poverty, and malnutrition, supporting the differently abled, and fighting corruption with stringent reforms.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
@anuradisanayake
[11/18/2024 4:50 AM, 137K followers, 244 retweets, 1.9K likes]
This morning (18), at the Presidential Secretariat, I had the honour of swearing in the new Cabinet of the National People’s Power (NPP) government. The Cabinet is made up of 21 members, with the Ministries of Defence, Finance, Planning, and Digital Economy coming under my direct responsibility. I am pleased to announce that Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has been sworn in as the Prime Minister of the new government. The full list of Cabinet ministers is as follows:
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya: Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education
Vijitha Herath, MP: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism
Prof. Chandana Abeyratne, MP: Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, Local Government
Attorney Harshana Nanayakkara, MP: Minister of Justice, and National Integration
Saroja Savithri Paulraj, MP: Minister of Women and Child Affairs
K.D. Lal Kantha, MP: Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Livestock and Irrigation
Anura Karunathilake, MP: Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Housing
Ramalingam Chandrasekar, MP: Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources
Prof. Upali Pannilage, MP: Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment
Sunil Handunneththi, MP: Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development
Ananda Wijepala, MP: Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs
Bimal Rathnayake, MP: Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation
Prof. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, MP: Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs
Dr. Nalinda Jayathissa, MP: Minister of Health and Media
Samantha Vidyarathna, MP: Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure
Sunil Kumara Gamage, MP: Minister Youth Affairs and Sports
Wasantha Samarasinghe, MP: Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development
Prof. Chrishantha Abeysena, MP: Minister of Science and Technology
Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando, MP: Minister of Labour
Eng. Kumara Jayakody, MP: Minister of Energy
Dr. Dhammika Patabendi, MP: Minister of Environment

Karu Jayasuriya
@KaruOnline
[11/18/2024 6:56 AM, 53.7K followers, 4 retweets, 20 likes]
Congratulations to the newly sworn-in Ministers. Adopting a collective approach to governance, Ministers should oversee national policies, not micromanage ministries. Strengthening opposition-led oversight at COPE, COPA, & Finance ensures accountability & democratic standards.

Harsha de Silva
@HarshadeSilvaMP
[11/18/2024 8:32 AM, 359.9K followers, 4 retweets, 236 likes]
Congratulations to the newly appointed #SriLanka cabinet of ministers. President plus Finance Minister @anuradisanayake and the rest now carry a huge responsibility in continuing the economic reforms to deliver on the promises made to achieve the unprecedented electoral success.

Harsha de Silva
@HarshadeSilvaMP
[11/18/2024 4:49 AM, 359.9K followers, 29 retweets, 569 likes]
Your trust in my parliamentary work is deeply humbling. What we witnessed was historic - Sri Lankans united across all divides for #change. As an opposition MP, I’ll support President @anuradisanayake positive reforms while staying firm on my duty: backing progress, questioning what’s wrong, and fighting corruption. This is the new politics #Srilanka chose, and I’m committed to delivering on your trust

M U M Ali Sabry
@alisabrypc
[11/18/2024 2:48 AM, 7.6K followers, 9 retweets, 80 likes]
With a resounding mandate, President AKD and the NPP have been given an unprecedented opportunity to execute their vision for Sri Lanka. A core advantage lies in their cohesive team, like-minded individuals who have stood together through both challenges and triumphs. However, history reminds us that good intentions alone are not enough. Visionary leaders of the 1970s, such as NM Perera, Colvin R. de Silva, Cholomondely Gunawardena, and Leslie Gunawardena, exemplified honesty, intelligence, and secular ideals, yet faced immense challenges in delivering results. The new NPP Cabinet inspires hope, blending seasoned political activists with highly qualified professionals. Their success is crucial as Sri Lanka seeks to overcome a lost decade of stagnation, with GDP per capita stuck around $4,000 since 2014. I extend my best wishes to the new administration. May they have the strength, pragmatism, and foresight to guide Sri Lanka to greater heights. As the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. It’s time to deliver.
Central Asia
UNODC Central Asia
@UNODC_ROCA
[11/18/2024 10:55 AM, 2.5K followers, 4 retweets, 7 likes]
More than 160 participants took part in @UNODC_ROCA Annual Programme Steering Committee meeting in Dushanbe, outlining achievements for 2024 and establishing new steps to strengthen regional cooperation #UNODC #Tadjikistan #PSC

Asel Doolotkeldieva
@ADoolotkeldieva
[11/18/2024 11:37 AM, 14.1K followers, 5 retweets, 20 likes]
A rare news about new life of residents of former Barak exclave (located in Uzb), now transferred into Kyrgyzstan. Quite an impressive step achieved by this gov in the history of protracted border disputes in Ferghana. Would be good if one could study this https://economist.kg/society/2024/11/15/sadyr-zhaparov-otkryl-novoie-sielo-zhany-barak-v-niegho-pieriesielili-zhitieliei-eksklava-barak/

Furqat Sidiqov
@FurqatSidiq
[11/18/2024 6:08 PM, 1.5K followers, 1 retweet, 10 likes]
Today, we proudly celebrate the 33rd anniversary of #Uzbekistan’s State #Flag! A timeless symbol of our nation’s independence, pride, and unity, our flag inspires us to uphold the values of freedom and progress. May it always soar high and guide us toward greater achievements!

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[11/18/2024 12:22 PM, 205.3K followers, 2 retweets, 25 likes]
Later today, President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting focused on identifying new opportunities for the socio-economic development of the #Andijan region. The discussion highlighted a range of investment projects aimed at boosting exports, creating new jobs, and increasing the population’s income.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[11/18/2024 10:45 AM, 205.3K followers, 4 retweets, 18 likes]
Today the @OliyMajlis held its first post-election session, attended by President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev. Emphasizing deputies as the people’s voice, the President outlined priorities such as quality lawmaking, fostering public dialogue, and strengthening parliamentary oversight of the state budget.

Saida Mirziyoyeva
@SMirziyoyeva
[11/18/2024 5:32 AM, 20.5K followers, 1 retweet, 61 likes]
Congratulations to everyone on the Day of the Adoption of the State Flag — the sacred symbol of our Motherland! #Uzbekistan

Joanna Lillis
@joannalillis
[11/18/2024 5:19 AM, 28.9K followers, 11 retweets, 14 likes]
Mirziyoyev proposes granting a few more powers to what he calls the parliamentary "opposition", which means the 2nd largest party in parliament, where all parties support him. No actual opposition parties legally exist in #Uzbekistan

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[11/18/2024 7:22 PM, 23.8K followers, 6 likes]
#SolutionsJournalism Tashkent @USAGMgov workshop had @uzbekmfa spokesperson @AkhrorBurkhanov for a discussion on Uzbekistan’s foreign policy priorities. Nearly two hours of an intense, unprecedented exchange with journalists and bloggers, deeply interested in UZ international engagement and diplomacy. 1/4

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[11/18/2024 7:22 PM, 23.8K followers, 2 likes]
Tashkent: 20 journalists and bloggers - @USAGMgov workshop - appreciated and enjoyed this session with @uzbekmfa @AkhrorBurkhanov, raising many questions on critical issues re Uzbekistan’s foreign policy and agenda . 2/4

Navbahor Imamova
@DrSJaishankar
[11/18/2024 9:09 PM, 3.3M followers, 499 retweets, 3.8K likes]
On the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio, met CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi of China. We noted the progress in the recent disengagement in the India-China border areas. And exchanged views on the next steps in our bilateral ties. Also discussed the global situation.

{End of Report}
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