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 5, 2024 6:30 AM ET |
Afghanistan
Can’t work, sing, travel, study: All the ways the Taliban are restricting lives of women in Afghanistan (The Independent)
The Independent [11/5/2024 5:43 AM, Arpan Rai, 53.8M, Neutral]
Women in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan are currently barred from most of the ordinary activities their counterparts elsewhere in the world see as their natural right – studying, working, going to a salon or the gym, and even speaking or praying in public.
The steadily increasing diktats on Afghanistan’s nearly 50 million women, imposed by the hardline Islamist regime which initially promised a progressive society, have been globally condemned as gender apartheid.
A female cat has more rights than a woman in Afghanistan, Hollywood star Meryl Streep said in September, speaking at an event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
"A cat may go sit on her front stoop and feel the sun on her face. She may chase a squirrel into the park. A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today, because the public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban," Streep said, shining a light on the depleted rights of Afghan women.
When the Taliban were last in power from 1996-2001 girls were not allowed to attend school and women were banned from work and education. Their rule today, decades later, resembles the grim reality of their previous time in power, says Zahra Joya, the founder of Afghan news website Rukhshana who runs the news operations with her team of women in exile.
Here is a list of activities from which Afghan women are banned or restricted:
Education
Within a month of taking control of Kabul, the Taliban’s education ministry banned girls and women from schools. However, they announced the reopening of schools for all male teachers and students, leading to condemnation from the rest of the world. The Taliban leaders also announced that the girls were barred from studying beyond the sixth grade.
The ban was extended to colleges and universities in December 2022. Some of the female students were turned back from the doorstep of their universities at gunpoint by Taliban fighters when they attempted to return to their classrooms.
Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is the only country in the world with harsh restrictions on female education. Several local and senior officials, including chief spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, have said the Taliban authorities will reopen the schools inevitably with adherence to Islamic Sharia laws but have not announced any step to invite girls and women back to educational institutions.
Work
The Taliban have banned women from government and private jobs, including working with NGOs, affecting international aid work.
Women workers under the Nato-led administration in Afghanistan were asked to go back to their homes in Kabul in September 2021, marking the first unofficial ban on women’s work. A senior Taliban leader told Reuters women would not be allowed to work alongside men in government ministries.
The Taliban’s Vice and Virtue Ministry, which replaced the Women’s Ministry, ordered on 7 May 2022 that women will be required to stay in unless they have important work outside of their houses. It also required them to travel in the company of mehram – a male chaperone.
With the exception of nurses and midwives in the healthcare sector, Afghan women are generally barred from other kinds of work by the Taliban. Healthcare workers say even women serving in hospitals face the risk of harassment by the Taliban’s morality police who monitor the dress code and gender segregation for female workers.
Travel
The Taliban order that a woman has to be covered from head to toe when stepping outside of her house accompanied by a male guardian has severely curtailed women’s freedom.
The diktat officially requires any woman travelling more than 75km (46 miles) or leaving the country to be chaperoned by a mehram. If women break the dress code restrictions, it is the male relatives who would face punishment.
Taxi drivers would also be punished if they agreed to drive a woman without a suitable male escort, according to the new set of rules.
Sports
The Taliban have banned all sports for girls and women and intimidated former female athletes into silence after taking over control.
In November 2022, the Taliban officially ordered women to be banned from entering gymnasiums and parks.
Even before the Taliban took control, women’s sports faced opposition in Afghanistan’s deeply conservative society that viewed it as a violation of women’s modesty and of their role in society. However, sports was not banned and Afghan women athletes trained in the country and competed in international championships. Most of them are now part of refugee teams and training in exile.
Cultural activities
Afghan women can no longer visit national parks and public parks. In November 2022, Taliban spokesperson Mohammed Akef Mohajer claimed the group “tried its best” not to shut down parks and gyms for women and allocated separate days of the week for male and female access. They later claimed the Taliban’s hardline rules were flouted and authorities had to order a complete shutdown of parks – but the rule applied only to women.
In August 2023, the Taliban government banned women from visiting the Band-e-Amir national park in Bamiyan province, citing improperly worn hijab or head covering by women visitors.
Afghanistan’s acting minister of virtue and vice, Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, said going to the park for sightseeing "was not obligatory”.
In August this year, clothes shops in Kabul were ordered to hide the faces of mannequins by order of the Taliban.
Personal care
In July 2023, the Taliban banned women’s salons and parlours, shutting down their last places of recreation and relaxation. The Taliban said beauty salons had to be shut down because they offered services forbidden by Islam and inflicted economic hardship for the grooms’ families in wedding festivities.
For days, the Taliban’s fighters on the streets monitored the shutdown of salon and beauty parlour services.
Clothing restrictions
Afghan women must completely veil their bodies, including their faces, in thick clothing in public spaces to prevent men from committing vice, according to the new “vice and virtue” laws by the Taliban last month.
This is an extension of the Taliban’s previous ban from May 2022 when it ordered all women TV news anchors in Afghanistan to wear face coverings while on air.
Women’s voices
Afghan women are also banned from reading, singing, or speaking in public by the Taliban in their so-called bid to discourage vice and promote virtue. Women’s voices are deemed to be a source of temptation, according to the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia law. If a woman is heard singing, even from within her own home, she will be punished for violating the law.“Whenever an adult woman leaves her home out of necessity, she is obliged to conceal her voice, face, and body,” according to the new rules.
Women are also forbidden from looking directly at a man who is not their husband or blood relative. Pakistan
Iran’s foreign minister visits Pakistan to discuss Middle East and bilateral ties (AP)
AP [11/5/2024 12:47 AM, Staff, 456K, Neutral]
Iran’s foreign minister arrived in Pakistan’s capital Tuesday for a two-day official visit to discuss a range of issues, including tensions in the Middle East and further improving bilateral ties, officials said Tuesday.
Abbas Araghchi was received by Pakistani officials just after midnight when his plane landed at an airport near Islamabad. He will meet with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and other officials at the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
The visit comes as Iran is in an escalating standoff with Israel. Iranian officials are increasingly threatening to launch yet another strike against Israel after its Oct. 26 attack on the Islamic Republic that targeted military bases and other locations and killed at least five people.
Pakistan denounced Israel’s strikes at the time.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the visit also “provides an important opportunity to advance cooperation and dialogue between Pakistan and Iran on a wide range of areas including trade, energy and security.”
Iran has sought for years to revive a long-stalled multi-billion gas pipeline project launched in 2013 to supply Iranian natural gas to energy-starved Pakistan. The project — opposed by Washington as a violation of sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program — has been on hold since 2014. Pakistan Parliament Extends Armed Forces Chiefs’ Job Tenure (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/4/2024 3:09 PM, Kamran Haider, 27782K, Neutral]
Pakistan’s parliament voted to extend the job tenures of the heads of the country’s armed forces to five years from three amid a spike in militant violence.Lawmakers from the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif voted in both houses of parliament — the National Assembly and the Senate — for amendments which also waived the retirement age and service limits for the three forces chiefs, according to approved drafts released by the assembly.The legislation came just a year before the scheduled retirement of Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir, who has also been involved in the country’s economic matters. Pakistan’s powerful military has ruled the nation for about half of its 72-year history and controls its security and foreign policies.In first nine months of this year, militant attacks increased by 47% to 717 and killed 834 people in Pakistan, according to data compiled by Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies. Pakistan amends law to extend powerful army chief’s service tenure (Reuters)
Reuters [11/4/2024 12:37 PM, Asif Shahzad, 37270K, Neutral]
Pakistan on Monday passed an amendment to a law that will extend the terms of the heads of the armed forces to five years from three, in a rowdy parliamentary session opposed by jailed ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party.Extending the term of commanders including Army Chief General Asim Munir would deal another blow to the embattled Khan and his party, which blames the military for his downfall.The measure from the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who leads a coalition of parties opposed to Khan that took power after an election in February, could be aimed at shoring up support from powerful military figures.The bill to amend the Pakistan Army Act of 1952 was moved by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. House Speaker Ayaz Sadiq announced in a live telecast of the proceedings that the bill had passed.The amendment had the support of the senate upper house, which also has a majority from parties opposed to Khan, in a vote telecast live by local TV news channels.Geo TV reported that it took 16 minutes for the senate to pass the amendment into law, which Khan’s party lawmaker Omar Ayub termed as bulldozing the legislation by the ruling alliance without any debate in either house."It is neither good for the country nor for the armed forces," Ayub said.Khan’s party’s lawmakers opposed the bill during the sessions and some tore apart copies of it."There is no harm if the tenure of any services chief is extended to five years like we have a five-year term for a government," Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told Geo New TV. "It will help bring stability and continuity of policies within institutions."The service tenure will start from the day of the appointment of the chiefs, Asif, the defence minister, told Geo TV.Under the new law, General Munir, who took office in November 2022 with a timeline to retire in 2025, will serve until 2027 irrespective of a retirement age of 64 for a general.The former prime minister, who has been in jail since August last year, has been at odds with generals he blames for his 2022 ousting, after he fell out with then-army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa.Khan’s party backed candidates who won the most seats in February’s election but fell short of a majority, clearing the way for his opponents to form a government.Khan’s supporters have since been agitating in parliament and on the streets, alleging that the election was rigged to keep them out of power, which the army and the election commission deny.They say the ruling alliance does not enjoy legitimacy, an accusation the government denies. Pakistan: Border forces kill several militants trying to infiltrate from Afghanistan (VOA)
VOA [11/4/2024 12:35 PM, Ayaz Gul, 4566K, Negative]
Pakistan reported Monday that its border security forces killed at least five insurgents who were attempting to cross over from Afghanistan.
The predawn encounter occurred after Pakistani troops detected the "movement of a group of khwarij" in the volatile South Waziristan border district and "effectively engaged" them to foil their infiltration attempt, according to a military statement.
The term "khwarij" in official Pakistani documents refers to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an outlawed organization waging deadly attacks within the country from its alleged sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
Separately, the military said an intelligence-driven operation in the nearby North Waziristan border district killed a key TTP commander.
The statement reiterated Islamabad’s call for the Taliban government in Kabul "to fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by khwarij" to stage acts of terrorism against Pakistan. It urged Taliban authorities to ensure "effective" management of the Afghan side of the nearly 2,600-kilometer border between the two countries.
Pakistani authorities say the TTP has found sanctuaries in Afghanistan and intensified cross-border attacks since the Islamist Taliban seized power in the neighboring country three years ago, killing hundreds of civilians and security forces.
The United Nations has labeled the TTP as "the largest terrorist group" on Afghan soil.
Taliban authorities in Kabul reject the charges, saying they are not allowing any foreign group, including TTP, to use Afghan soil to threaten neighboring countries. Shooting in Pakistan’s Karachi injures two Chinese nationals (Reuters)
Reuters [11/5/2024 4:40 AM, Ariba Shahid, 5.2M, Neutral]
Two Chinese nationals were shot at and injured on Tuesday in Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi, police and hospital officials said, after a string of attacks that spurred Beijing to demand tougher security for its citizens.
Faizan Ali, a senior superintendent of police, said two Chinese nationals had been shot, but gave no further details.
A spokesperson for Liaquat National Hospital in the southern port city said it was treating the two, one of whom was in serious condition.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible or if militant violence was behind the attack, one of several that have prompted Beijing to urge Pakistan to roll out more stringent security measures for its citizens.
In October, a bombing near Karachi’s international airport killed two Chinese engineers, in an attack claimed by separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
A decades-long insurgency in the southwestern region by separatists demanding a share in regional resources has led to frequent attacks against the government, army and Chinese interests. Heavy Smog Will Close Schools in Pakistan’s 2nd-Largest City for a Week (New York Times)
New York Times [11/4/2024 4:14 PM, Jin Yu Young and Salman Masood, 831K, Neutral] Classes will be suspended this week at primary schools across Pakistan’s second-largest city, Lahore, after it reported record levels of pollution over the weekend.
Education authorities in Punjab, the province that includes Lahore, announced on Sunday that classes for students up to the fifth grade would be canceled for a week because of the “deteriorating Air Quality Index.” Classes for students in higher grade levels will not be affected.
The announcement came after the city reached an Air Quality Index of over 1,000 at one point on Sunday morning, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company. Anything above 301 is considered hazardous. The concentration of PM2.5, an especially harmful pollutant, reached nearly 30 times World Health Organization guidelines for safe air quality.
Pollution levels in Lahore were so high that they were “outside the range of classification,” said Ahmad Rafay Alam, an environmental lawyer in Lahore and a member of the Pakistan Climate Change Council, a government body. “It’s an apocalypse,” he added.
Lahore was the world’s second-most-polluted city after New Delhi, India, according to IQAir data on Monday afternoon. Lahore regularly tops the list of the world’s most polluted, according to the index, which last year ranked Pakistan among the four countries with the worst air pollution on earth.
The pollution has a severe impact on human life, Mr. Alam said, adding that people living in cities in Pakistan lose, on average, two years of life expectancy because of poor air quality.
Experts attribute Lahore’s smog to a combination of crop burning, heavy vehicle traffic, industrial emissions, weather conditions and lax regulations. Beginning every fall, after harvest season, farmers in Punjab and nearby areas burn crop stubble, sending smoke and pollutants into the air. Smog levels are particularly severe from October to February.
Cooler temperatures and low levels of wind trap this pollution close to the ground, creating a blanket of thick, lingering smog.
In Lahore, a city of about 11 million people, schools have shut down or limited operations because of air pollution before. In 2021, schools and offices were closed three days a week for several months. Last November, the authorities restricted operations of schools, markets and businesses for several days.
This year, the smog has lasted longer than is typical, according to Marriyum Aurangzeb, a senior minister in the Punjab provincial government, who told a news conference that the authorities have been battling it for the past eight months.
Pakistani officials have also pointed a finger at neighboring India, where farmers also burn crops in the colder months. Lahore is 15 miles from the border between the two nations, and winds have blown smoke into Pakistan, Ms. Aurangzeb said.
Ms. Aurangzeb has urged residents to stay indoors and wear masks. Those with respiratory, chest or heart conditions, and older people, should avoid open-air environments, she said.
The school closures have worried parents of schoolchildren in Lahore. Shumaila Ishfaq, a working mother with a 6-year-old daughter, said the closures will disrupt “not only children’s learning routines but also their mental development, as they’re confined to indoor spaces with limited activities.”
Faseeha Khawaja, another mother in Lahore, said that suspending classes would not combat the causes of air pollution.
“This approach doesn’t seem like a real solution to the problem we’re facing,” she said. “All of it is very frustrating.”
Pakistan shuts primary schools for a week in Lahore due to dangerous air quality (AP)
AP [11/4/2024 1:33 PM, Staff, 12468K, Negative]
Dangerously poor air quality on Monday forced Pakistani authorities in the cultural capital of Lahore to close primary schools for a week, government officials said, after the air-quality index hit a record high over the weekend.The measures in Lahore were part of a larger effort to protect children from respiratory-related and other diseases in the city of 14 million people. The government said everyone in Lahore was required to wear a face mask.Fifty percent of employees must also work from home as part of a “green lockdown” in the city, the government said, adding that barbecuing food without filters was banned and motorized rickshaws restricted. Wedding halls must close at 10 p.m. and artificial rain is likely to be used to combat the pollution.The air-quality index in Lahore exceeded 1,000 over the weekend, a record high in Pakistan.Toxic gray smog has sickened tens of thousands of people, mainly children and elderly people, since last month when the air quality started worsening in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province bordering India.The government has also banned construction work in certain areas and fined owners of smoke-emitting vehicles. Schools will remain closed for a week because of the pollution, according to a government notification.The concentration of PM 2.5, or tiny particulate matter, in the air approached 450, considered hazardous, the Punjab Environment Protection Department said.Lahore was once known as a city of gardens, which were ubiquitous during the Mughal era from the 16th to 19th centuries. But rapid urbanization and surging population growth have left little room for greenery. Pakistan Cuts Interest Rates to Two-Year Low to Aid Economy (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/4/2024 8:26 AM, Ismail Dilawar and Faseeh Mangi, 27782K, Negative]
Pakistan cut its benchmark interest rate to the lowest in two years as policymakers look to support the nation’s crisis-ridden economy.The State Bank of Pakistan lowered the target rate by 250 basis points to 15%, the central bank said in a statement on Monday. All the 38 economists surveyed by Bloomberg predicted a rate cut, with eight forecasting the exact measure.The current monetary policy stance is “appropriate to achieve the objective of price stability on a durable basis by maintaining inflation within the 5%-7% target range,” the central bank said. “This will also support macroeconomic stability and help achieve economic growth on a sustainable basis.”While consumer prices climbed slightly in October, inflation is well below its peak of almost 40% last year, giving the central bank room to cut rates. The bank has cumulatively reduced its benchmark rate by 700 basis points since June. Economists in a separate Bloomberg survey forecast the target rate at 13.5% by the end of the current fiscal year ending June 2025. Inflation may decline further in next few months due to contained demand, improved food supplies, benign global oil prices and favorable base effect, the central bank said. It expects average inflation for the current fiscal year to fall below its forecast range of 11.5%–13.5%. Pakistan’s economy has stabilized in the last few months as the International Monetary Fund’s $7 billion loan trickles in. Import and currency restrictions that hurt industrial activity have eased. Foreign exchange reserves now cover nearly two months of imports, up from the critically-low levels of just a few weeks in early 2023.Authorities are also closing in on additional external financing to manage future debt obligations. Pakistan faces about $26 billion in loan repayments in the fiscal year ending June 2025. The nation needs to repay $6.3 billion of foreign debt till June, central bank governor Jameel Ahmad told analysts at a briefing.Cooling inflation and monetary easing will spur growth, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said last month. The government forecasts expansion of 3.6% in the year through June 2025, compared to 2.5% last year. India
Modi Condemns Attacks on Hindu Temple, Diplomats in Canada (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/4/2024 11:32 AM, Swati Gupta, 27782K, Negative]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday condemned the attack on a Hindu temple in Canada and described the disruptions outside an Indian consular camp an “appalling” attempt to intimidate its diplomats as relation between the two nations ebb.“Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve,” Modi said in a post on the social platform X. “We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.”The latest statement comes after months of diplomatic wrangling between the two countries after Canada accused the Indian government of helping orchestrate the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. Both countries have since ejected diplomats and recently, a top Canadian official alleged that the Indian Home Minister Amit Shah authorized crimes in their country.India’s Ministry of External Affairs in a statement Monday said that a temple in Brampton, Ontaria, was attacked by “extremists and separatists” and asked the Canadian government to protect all places of worship. “Anti-India elements” orchestrated “violent disruption” outside a consular camp in Brampton on Nov. 3, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa said in a statement posted on X.Regional Canadian police in a social media post confirmed an incident at a “place of worship” in Brampton but did not release any more details on its nature. India’s Modi, Canada’s Trudeau condemn violence at Hindu temple near Toronto (Reuters)
Reuters [11/4/2024 8:45 PM, Shivam Patel and Anna Mehler Paperny, 37270K, Negative]
The prime ministers of India and Canada condemned violence that broke out on Sunday at a Hindu temple near Toronto at a time of escalating diplomatic tensions between the countries.Videos posted on social media appeared to show people hitting each other with flagpoles and throwing punches in the Toronto suburb of Brampton. It was unclear who instigated the violence and Reuters could not independently verify what happened.The incident happened weeks after Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in 2023 in Canada. Canada has accused the Indian government of conducting a broad campaign against South Asian dissidents in Canada, which New Delhi denies.Police said there were demonstrations at multiple locations in the region. Sikh activists said one demonstration was at a Hindu temple where pro-Khalistan activists protested the presence of Indian diplomats and another was at a Sikh temple.Khalistan refers to a Sikh homeland activists want carved out of India’s Punjab state.The local Peel Police said three men faced criminal charges over Sunday’s protest. A 43-year-old man is charged with causing a disturbance and assaulting a peace officer, a 23-year-old man is charged with assault with a weapon and a 31-year-old man is charged with mischief.Police said they are aware of video of an off-duty police officer participating in a demonstration. The officer has been suspended, they said. Police are investigating.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a strongly worded statement on X on Monday."I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada. Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats," Modi said."Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law," he said.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday the "acts of violence" were unacceptable.India has accused Trudeau of pursuing a political agenda in their dispute and responded to Ottawa’s expulsion of its diplomats by expelling six Canadian diplomats.The North America-based activist group Sikhs for Justice said on Sunday that "pro-Khalistan Sikhs who were peacefully demonstrating ... were violently attacked by a group of Indo Canadians."Indian media reported that an Indian consular camp at the venue was targeted in the violence.The foreign ministry in New Delhi said the violence was perpetrated by "extremists and separatists."The ministry said it remained "deeply concerned about the safety and security of Indian nationals in Canada." Three Charged As Modi Slams Canada Hindu Temple Violence (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [11/4/2024 11:04 AM, Ben Simon, 4566K, Negative]
Canadian authorities charged three people on Monday following violence at a Hindu temple which provoked angry condemnation from India and sent already frosty bilateral ties between the two nations to a fresh low.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Sunday’s "deliberate attack" outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir in the city of Brampton, near Toronto, in which Sikh activists appeared to clash with a rival group.His Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau has also denounced the violence.Peel Regional Police, who cover Brampton, said Monday that three people had been arrested and charged in connection with protests at a place of worship.The alleged offences include assault with a weapon and assaulting a police officer."I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada," Modi said in a statement on X.Canada is home to the largest Sikh community outside of India, and includes activists for "Khalistan", a fringe separatist movement seeking an independent state for the religious minority carved out of Indian territory.Relations between India and Canada nosedived after Ottawa accused the Indian government of orchestrating the 2023 killing in Vancouver of 45-year-old naturalized Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistan activist.Trudeau has charged Modi’s government with violating Canadian sovereignty over the killing, and of a wider campaign of targeting Sikh activists on Canadian soil.India has rejected the allegations and accused Ottawa for decades of harboring fringe religious extremists."Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law," Modi added.Video circulating on social media appears to show individuals carrying yellow Khalistan flags clashing with a rival group, including people holding Indian flags. There were also isolated fist fights, videos show.Sikhs for Justice, a pro-Khalistan group with a presence in Canada and the US, said their members were "peacefully protesting" outside the Hindu temple against the presence of Indian consular officials who they say were inside.Modi said "the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats" was "equally appalling" as the violence.Arunesh Giri, president of the Canadian Hindu Foundation, told AFP Monday that "fear" is pervasive across the community."The Hindu community in Canada is feeling that they are not being provided a safe place for the worship," he said.His foundation called for rallies Monday outside the Brampton temple and another holy Hindu site in British Columbia in western Canada as a show of "unity."He urged Canadian leaders -- who have been vocal about the insecurity affecting members of the Sikh community -- to "stand with Hindu Canadians."India’s foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal had earlier said the attack on the temple was carried "perpetrated by extremists and separatists", and asked Canada to "ensure that all places of worship are protected" from such attacks."We also expect that those indulging in violence will be prosecuted," he added."We remain deeply concerned about the safety and security of Indian nationals in Canada."Beyond Nijjar’s killing, Canada has accused India of directing a broad campaign against Sikh activists which Ottawa says has included intimidation, threats and violence.On Saturday, New Delhi denied that interior minister Amit Shah had plotted to target Sikh activists on Canadian soil, and said it had officially rebuked Ottawa over the "absurd and baseless" allegation.New Delhi and Ottawa earlier this month each expelled the other’s ambassador and other senior diplomats. India foreign minister says vandalism of Hindu temples deeply concerning (Reuters)
Reuters [11/4/2024 9:11 PM, Kristy Needham, 37270K, Negative]
India foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Tuesday the vandalism of a Hindu temple in Canada on Monday was deeply concerning."What happened yesterday at the Hindu temple in Canada was obviously deeply concerning," he told reporters in the Australian capital Canberra while on an official visit.The incident happened weeks after Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in 2023 in Canada. Canada has accused the Indian government of conducting a broad campaign against South Asian dissidents in Canada, which New Delhi denies.The incident has increased tensions between Canada and India, and between Sikh separatists and Indian diplomats.Two Hindu temples were also vandalised in Canberra last month, which Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said was upsetting for members of the Indian community."People across Australia have a right to be safe and respected, people also have a right to peaceful protest, people have a right to express their views peacefully," she told reporters."We draw a line between that and violence, incitement of hatred or vandalism," she added.Wong said Australia had expressed its views to India about Canada’s allegations over the targeting of Sikh separatists, and Canberra respected Canada’s judicial process.Jaishankar said it was unacceptable that Indian diplomats had been placed under surveillance by Canada."Canada has developed a pattern of making allegations without providing specifics," he said. Modi’s Top Aide in Spotlight as India-Canada Feud Worsens (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/5/2024 1:40 AM, Swati Gupta, Dan Strumpf, and Preeti Soni, 5.5M, Neutral]
A dramatic political rupture between India and Canada has cast a spotlight on a top confidante of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been mentioned as a possible successor to lead the world’s most populous country.
India’s Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah was accused last week by a senior Canadian government official of authorizing a wave of alleged crimes — including extortion and homicides — against overseas dissidents. The allegations are a significant escalation in a dispute between the two countries that began in September last year when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first accused Indian government agents of involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist in Canada.
India’s government on Nov. 2 dismissed the allegations against Shah as “absurd and baseless,” and have repeatedly denied Canada’s accusations that officials were involved in alleged crimes against Sikhs in that country. New Delhi has consistently maintained that Trudeau’s government hasn’t shared any evidence of its claims, although Canadian officials have said they’ve shared information with their counterparts.
A longtime ally of Modi, the allegations against Shah, 60, may do more damage to India’s image abroad than to the minister’s personal reputation back home.“It’s more of an attack on India than on an individual,” said Amit Ranjan, a research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. “If suppose tomorrow the case proves correct, India will be declared as a rogue state.” As home minister, Shah is “representing India, he’s not representing himself,” he said.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has come out in support of Shah. “Pinpointing any home minister without proof is wrong,” Fateh Singh Bajwa, a BJP leader in Punjab — a northern Indian state where Sikhs are a majority — said on Nov. 3. “All political party leaders should stand together and show Canada that India will not tolerate the disrespect,” he added.
Shah’s political rise in India is closely tied with Modi. The two men met in the 1980s in the western state of Gujarat, where they were members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a pro-Hindu group that is the ideological parent of the BJP. They became close allies despite very different backgrounds: Modi is the son of a tea stall owner, while Shah comes from a wealthy family and previously worked as a stockbroker.
Known as a savvy political strategist, Shah was instrumental in helping Modi and the BJP take power in 2014, and return to office in subsequent elections. Political experts consider him a potential successor to Modi, 74, as prime minister.Over the years, Shah has gained a reputation for toughness and for being politically divisive. In 2010, federal investigators under a government run by the Indian National Congress party — now the BJP’s main opponent — charged him with running an extortion racket and ordering three murders. The alleged crimes took place while Shah was a government official in Gujarat state, which was led by Modi as chief minister at the time. Shah denied wrongdoing, but was forced to resign in 2010, and briefly spent time in prison.
Political Rise
The allegations didn’t stop Shah’s political rise. During national elections in 2014, Modi tapped Shah to help run the BJP’s election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state. After the party swept the state and came to power in a landslide, Modi rewarded Shah with the post of BJP president. Later that year, a court threw out the murder and extortion charges against Shah.
As home minister, Shah was instrumental in some of the party’s most controversial pro-Hindu nationalist policies. He played a key role in revoking the autonomy of the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, the country’s only Muslim-majority state. He was also instrumental in amending the law to grant citizenship to only non-Muslim migrants from neighboring countries.
Shah has spearheaded other moves to please the party’s Hindu base, often using inflammatory language. At a campaign rally in 2018, he described Muslim immigrants living in India illegally as “termites” who were “taking our jobs.”
The latest allegations by Canada won’t change Indians’ attitudes toward Shah, according to Harsh Pant, vice president of studies and foreign policy at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank.
For Modi and Shah, it “only burnishes their credentials as strong nationalist politicians who care about Indian interest and who are willing to take on a very powerful country,” he said. India’s Canada Policy Is a Strategic Mistake (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [11/4/2024 8:53 AM, Dr. Muqtedar Khan and Shivani Pandey, 1198K, Negative]
India is embroiled in a steadily escalating diplomatic spat with Canada. Over a year ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian officials of being involved in the assassination of a Sikh community leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in June 2023 and demanded that the Indian government cooperate with Canada in its investigations of the Nijjar murder and other similar attempts.
India rejected the allegations as absurd and accused Canada of harboring Khalistani separatists wanted for terrorism in India. The first iteration of the spat led to the expulsion of diplomats and a reduction in the size of their respective diplomatic presence.
Escalating Crisis
The crisis has continued with periodic flare-ups and has now metastasized into a diplomatic disaster with no easy pathways to early resolution and normalization. For over a year Canada has been demanding that the Indian government cooperate with it in its investigation. The Modi government has responded by insisting that Canada had provided no evidence to substantiate its claims and so there was nothing that the Indian government could do to help.
In the past few weeks the Canadian investigative agencies claimed that they have presented the Indian government with the evidence they have and still India rejected it outright. The Canadians first announced that Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma (the highest Indian diplomat in Canada) was a person of interest along with several other diplomats who have since returned to India. According to media reports, Canadian officials met with India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in Singapore and shared with him the evidence they had gathered.
When they failed to elicit a cooperative response, Canadian law enforcement went ahead and made public their accusations that India and its officials have been involved in assassinations and extortion of Canadian citizens in Canada and also engaging in criminal activity and election interference. The latest escalation in the steady stream of accusations included the revelation by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrisonthat he had confirmed to the Washington Post that India’s actions, which were tantamount to transnational repression, were ordered by Amit Shah, India’s home minister and the confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Additionally, Canada now sees India as a "cyber threat adversary," which is probably an attempt to ratchet up diplomatic pressure.
The diplomatic crisis has not yet impacted the economic relations between the two nations. But the battle of narratives continues to escalate. Canada continues to insist that it values good relations with India, but it cannot tolerate the violation of its sovereignty by India’s actions against its citizens.
India has adopted a very dismissive posture toward Trudeau and Canada, treating it as a failing economy and accusing it of neglecting India’s legitimate concerns about anti-India activism, terrorism, and separatism from some members of the Indian diaspora based in Canada. The Indian government has also unleashed a narrative that paints Trudeau as incompetent, a failing leader desperately clinging onto a fragile minority government with the help and support of a party led by a Khalistan supporter, Jagmeet Singh. Singh is the leader of the National Democratic Party, whose support from outside the government in the Canadian Parliament keeps Trudeau in power.
Meanwhile, in a Parallel Universe
Two months after Trudeau’s explosive allegations against India in the Canadian Parliament, U.S. officials filed charges against an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, alleging that he had tried to hire a killer to murder an American citizen on American soil. There was no grandstanding, no public comment from President Joe Biden, but the indictment unsealed in a U.S. Federal Court was pretty damning.
India’s response to these charges was to announce that the Indian government has instituted a high-level inquiry to investigate the information that the United States has shared with the Indian government. The Indian government was responding in a rather mature fashion, respecting the concerns of the U.S. without dismissing them as absurd and promising to take meaningful action.
The contrast in the Indian government’s response to similar charges by Canada was startling. On the U.S. side, the case has progressed without any diplomatic drama. It’s a stark difference from the Canadian case, where each escalating accusation was met with an even more stern dismissal and counter actions such as suspending visas for Canadians wishing to visit India.
Unlike the Canadian government, which has so far only made accusations without sharing any intelligence or evidence that it had gathered to the public, the U.S. authorities continued to move their case forward. With each new step, they dealt a severe blow against the Modi government’s narrative that it was not involved in any transnational repression activities. Most recently the U.S. authorities filed charges against a former Indian intelligence operative for his role in the hire-for-murder plot foiled by the FBI. At every opportunity, U.S. spokespersons insist that India must cooperate with the Canadian investigation and that the U.S. would like to see meaningful accountability.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, the target, has now filed a civil lawsuit against the Indian government and has named Doval as one of those behind the plot to kill him. The high-level team that the Modi government instituted to investigate recently visited the United States and shared its findings. This inquiry has not shared its findings with the Indian Parliament or the Indian public.
The U.S. response was to demand meaningful accountability. Vedanta Patel, the deputy spokesperson of the State Department said "certainly the United States won’t be satisfied until there is meaningful accountability resulting from that investigation."
Power and Diplomacy
The two sets of accusations about the same issue, one from Canada and one from the U.S., and the two entirely different responses that they elicited from India must be for realists, who believe that power is the most important element in world politics, a vindication of their paradigm.
India is judging that it is more powerful and influential in the global order than Canada, which is a member of NATO, the Five Eyes, the G-7, and the G-20. India has thus adopted a combative posture. It is also betting that Canada cannot do much economic damage to India, even though the Canadians have huge investments in India that they could withdraw and have already stalled discussions about a possible free trade agreement. India also seems confident that other Western nations will not undermine their growing relationships with India for Canada.
But with the United States, which India sees as a much more powerful state and a much-needed partner, India’s response is much more subdued and cooperative. To be fair the U.S. has cornered India by extraditing and arresting Nikhil Gupta and initiating legal processes that are not as easy to dismiss as Canada’s efforts, which at the moment are tantamount to mere accusations with no evidence presented in the public domain. S. Jaishankar, India’s external affairs minister, more or less acknowledged this in a statement to the Rajya Sabha last December, when he stated that the reason for the difference in response was that one nation (the U.S.) provided important "input" while the other (Canada) did not.
The real difference perhaps is that the U.S. was also sharing its input publicly by filing charges in courts, while Canada was doing it in private. Additionally, it also matters that the U.S. is a superpower while Canada is not.Questions for Indian Policymakers
India has legitimate concerns about the anti-India separatist Khalistan movement and their actions in Canada as well as in India. But trying to use criminals to assassinate Khalistan activists in powerful friendly democracies is not a smart policy, especially given the rather sloppy covert tradecraft displayed by its intelligence agency.
U.S. counterintelligence has not only caught them red-handed but also could garner sufficient evidence to embarrass India and push it into a diplomatic corner. Given that there is no significant Khalistani activism in India, such an aggressive policy of violating a friendly state’s sovereignty is ill-advised. It has brought the Khalistan cause more attention and has damaged India’s reputation as one of the good states in the international arena.
India is compounding the ramifications of its strategic mistake by trying to bully Canada. Its denials appear apocryphal when seen in parallel with the developments in the U.S. side of this issue. India’s combative posture toward Canada undermines its affinity among the Western policy elite and its cooperative posture toward the U.S. makes it look weak in the eyes of the Global South. India needs the West for new technology, advanced weapons, investments, markets for its exports, and allies to balance China and the high-paying jobs its citizens fill in Western countries, sending home billions of dollars in remittances. It cannot jeopardize these interests.
India has mishandled this crisis with Canada and if there is no course correction it might damage India’s international image, diminish its soft power, and create a rift between India on the one hand and Canada and its allies including the United States, which are both members of NATO as well as the intelligence consortium Five Eyes.
If this posture of denial and bravado toward Canada is just to demonstrate that India is a major power, then it is misguided. But if this policy is meant to protect Indian leadership from blame for organizing a campaign of transnational repression, then it undermines Indian national interests by prolonging the crisis. India’s top court overturns northern state’s ban on Islamic schools (Reuters)
Reuters [11/5/2024 2:37 AM, Tanvi Mehta, 5.2M, Neutral]
India’s Supreme Court set aside on Tuesday an order that banned Islamic schools in the country’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, providing a breather to thousands of students and teachers.
In March, the Allahabad High Court had scrapped a 2004 law governing the schools, called madrasas, saying it violated the constitutional tenet of secularism, and directing that all their students be moved to conventional schools.
By setting aside the March order, the Supreme Court allowed the 25,000 Muslim schools to operate in the northern state, however, providing relief to 2.7 million students and 10,000 teachers.
"The act is consistent with the positive obligation of the state to ensure that the children get adequate education," Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said in court.
There was no immediate comment from the state government in response.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which also governs Uttar Pradesh, has been converting hundreds of madrasas into conventional schools in the northeastern state of Assam as well.
Muslims and rights groups have accused some BJP members and affiliates of promoting anti-Islamic hate speech and vigilantism, and of demolishing properties owned by Muslims.
Modi and the BJP deny religious discrimination exists in India, saying they work for the development of all communities. India aims to curb judges’ arbitrary sentences for criminals, sources say (Reuters)
Reuters [11/5/2024 3:19 AM, Krishna N. Das, 5.2M, Neutral]
India plans to overhaul its criminal sentencing norms to counter accusations of arbitrary punishment, sources said, following public outrage over the 2022 rape conviction of a man within 30 minutes of trial, by a judge who handed him the death penalty.
A higher court in the eastern state of Bihar later overturned the conviction and ordered a retrial, saying the man had been denied the opportunity to defend himself and the judge had acted in "utmost haste".
It also called for more training for the judge.
In response, the government plans to develop a grading system to ensure punishment matches the crime, and help standardise sentencing, so pulling the judicial system closer in line with the likes of Britain, Canada and New Zealand.
The law and justice ministry will unveil its plan to the Supreme Court around December, after the court asked the government in May to consider adopting a comprehensive sentencing policy following the Bihar case, one source said.
The government sources sought anonymity as they were not authorised to talk to the media.
The ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
The source said while the plan had not been finalised, one suggestion was for a minimum punishment that will make it easier for judges, especially those in lower courts, to dole out sentences proportionate to the crime.
The policy would cover all criminal cases but the Bihar case, dating from 2021, was tried under the Protection Of Children From Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), which prescribes punishment ranging from three years in jail to death.
The source said lower court judges often award the harshest punishment in such cases, given the outrage around the crimes.
In 2018, another lower court judge in central India ordered death for a man accused of raping and murdering a baby girl 23 days after his arrest, amid street protests against the crime.
The pace of the trial and questions about the legal defence given to the accused fuelled concern among some rights advocates.
India’s judicial system is straining under a backlog of tens of millions of cases, including nearly 300,000 sexual offences against children, many of them in fast-track courts set up to exclusively try incidents of sexual assault.
In September, Reuters reported that the government had slashed its goal of swiftly setting up thousands of such fast-track courts to try sex crimes.
The change came after states such as West Bengal, where the recent brutal rape and homicide of a doctor shook the nation, fell far short of their targets regarding such courts. Kidnapped, trafficked and incarcerated: The unsettling death of a Rohingya child in India (The Telegraph)
The Telegraph [11/4/2024 4:13 PM, Sarah Aziz, 60726K, Negative]
Rohingya refugee Rojiya Begum will "never forget" the phone call she received from India two years ago. Her 12-year-old daughter, who had gone missing from their refugee camp in Bangladesh eight days before, had been found by the Indian police in New Delhi.
Hamida had been lured from the camp where she lived to India with the promise of "a better life" by two Rohingya men. The traffickers initially demanded \u00a365 in ransom from the mother of four - a tiny sum in western terms but one which she could only raise by begging from door to door.
Rohingya refugees continue to flee Bangladesh for India and other neighbouring countries to escape the congested, unhygienic camps where they face threats of violence and have limited access to employment or higher education.
Many of those trafficked are Rohingya women and girls like Hamida, who are sold to Indian men as brides, says a 2023 report by Refugees International and The Azadi Project.
When Rojiya was called by a relative and told that Hamida had been found and her traffickers had been arrested by the New Delhi police, she was about to breathe a sigh of relief.
But then, the relative added: "Rojiya, they also arrested Hamida. She is in detention."
She’s not alone. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 730 of the 908 asylum-seekers currently detained in India are Rohingya refugees.
Rojiya says did not know how to help Hamida - who spoke no language besides her native Rohingya.
"I reached out to everyone I could for help," she said. "The Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust officers, the UN protection team, the Camp in Charge at Balukhali [one of the many Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar] … I pleaded with them to bring my daughter back to Bangladesh."
Rojiya would not see her daughter again until March this year when a video message from Her relative in India arrived showing Hamida’s lifeless corpse enveloped in white shroud inside an ambulance.
Since Hamida had been detained in India, she had been in the care of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), a government agency under the country’s Ministry of Home Affairs.
"They took Hamida’s body for an autopsy, but did not release it to us for almost three weeks afterward," Sabera Khatoon, a relative told The Telegraph in the New Deli slum where she lives with her family and dozens of other Rohingya refugees.
"According to the Islamic rule, we wanted to perform the burial as soon as possible. I used to travel to the UN and FRRO offices every day, begging them to release my cousin’s body. But they did nothing to help us," she said.
The Indian law says that an autopsy or a postmortem examination is mandatory when the death of a person occurs in government custody. The procedure can take anytime between a few hours to almost a day, and is usually performed within two to three working days after the death.
The body should be released to the next of kin, their representative or the funeral director immediately after the autopsy, according to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s bereavement information pack on India.
What killed Hamida?
"Not only did they mysteriously keep Hamida’s body for so long, but they also never gave us her postmortem report or any prior medical records despite multiple requests," Sabera said.
The Telegraph tracked down a medical professional who had verified information on Hamida’s autopsy, which was performed at a government hospital in New Delhi.
The source revealed that although the autopsy determined that Hamida had died from "derangement" of internal organs - also known as multiple-organ failure - the actual cause of her death is subject to chemical analysis of the tissue sample taken from her body.
According to a copy of the autopsy report obtained by The Telegraph, a police report handed to the hospital before the autopsy said Hamida had been on medication for seizure disorder while in detention. The report noted that no documentation was available regarding the diagnosis.
The Telegraph interviewed eight Rohingya former detainees who lived with Hamida at a detention centre called Sewa Sadan in the Shehzada Bagh neighbourhood of New Delhi. Six of them were still detained there at the time of her death.
The refugees said that Hamida had never experienced a seizure while at Sewa Sadan - a place where all the detained women and girls stayed in a singular congested bedroom while the men and boys were packed into another.
Hamida’s mother Rojiya corroborated the statement, saying that her daughter had been "a perfectly healthy child" even before leaving Bangladesh, and never experienced any symptom of epilepsy.
Hamida was not the only Rohingya detainee in India who may have been given drugs she was not supposed to take.
Fifteen other Rohingya refugees previously detained in separate detention centres across New Delhi, including Sewa Sadan, told The Telegraph that they were regularly given food with "a suspicious medicine mixed in it".
"After having my meals in the detention centre, I felt unusually drowsy and almost intoxicated," said a formerly detained Rohingya refugee man who requested anonymity. "My thinking abilities did not work much while I was in there."
Several former detainees also mentioned that the food inhibited any kind of sexual desire, too.
"If I refused to eat the food in which they mixed drugs, the staff would beat me up," said a Rohingya refugee woman who asked to remain anonymous.
The 2023 report by Refugees International and The Azadi Project also mentions the practice of deliberately contaminating meals in detention centres housing Rohingya refugees.
Quoted in the report, a Rohingya woman who had been detained in India for 18 months said that the staff at the detention centre "mix something in the food" that made them all sick.
India-based Rohingya activist Sabber Kaw Min said that the practice of drugging detainees may be to incapacitate them to "protect the authorities and their misdoings".
"If the detainees are not in a normal condition because of drugging, they would be unable to communicate properly with their friends and family members outside. They would be unable to get the word out regarding any abuses. They would not be able to fight back.
"And, it would make women and girls inside an easier target for any sexual predator who may target them inside," said the co-founder of the non-profit Rohingya Human Rights Initiative.
Extreme medical negligence?
For Hamida, even the chemical analysis report may not yield concrete answers, say experts.
"The analysis can take up to a year or longer from the time of the autopsy," said a New Delhi-based professor of forensic medicine, who chose to remain anonymous citing possible retaliation from authorities. "Even then, the results may be vague, as doctors do not know what specific drug to requisition when the viscera is preserved and sent for chemical analysis," he said, referring to testing for a drug overdose.Rohingya refugee Robi Alom, 27, and his younger sister Roma had been with Hamida when she died on the night of March 24 this year. The siblings had first met the girl at a railway station in Dhaka, the day they had all been setting off for India.
Robi said that Hamida became a "little sister" to them, and the two men with her never revealed why they were travelling with the girl.
Robi, alongside several other former detainees who knew Hamida, said that she had never been seriously ill until the week she died.
"But, two days before her death, she had a fever and was throwing up. She also complained of urinary retention," said Robi, now resettled in a European country, over a telephone interview.
"I was with her when the authorities took Hamida to a small hospital near the detention centre. The doctor there wrote her a prescription saying that she was in a very critical state and must be shifted immediately to a better-equipped government hospital," Robi said.
The FRRO staff who were on duty that day denied Hamida urgent medical treatment, Robi added.
"They forced her to go back to the detention centre instead of taking her to the hospital. They said they would take her there two days later, and that she was just pretending to be too ill."
The next day, Robi says Hamida was in a "horrible state" and was wailing in pain.
"They finally called an ambulance for her after sunset. But it was too late. She stopped breathing on the way to the hospital and was declared dead upon arrival," Robi said, his voice breaking with emotion. "She was screaming in tears for her parents - particularly her mother - before she died."
A former Rohingya detainee, who had also been accompanying Hamida at the time of her death, said that in most cases, detainees asking for medical help are turned down by the FRRO and Indian police officials on duty at detention centres.
"They claim we are being ‘dramatic’ and pretending to be sick. Even if they take us to the doctors sometimes, we are never allowed to communicate directly with them. It is always the police officer accompanying us who takes the doctor aside and speaks for us," he said, echoing a statement in the Refugees International and The Azadi Project report. "Often, the police officer uses racist slurs while talking about us to the doctor."
"Usually, when one of us gets so ill that death is a possibility, the authorities release the person to escape any liability. I don’t know the exact cause of Hamida’s death, but the FRRO is to blame for not saving her in time by denying urgent medical treatment," added the man who is now resettled in North America.
A Rohingya refugee woman who was in detention for over a year at Sewa Sadan said that the FRRO released her at a stage when she was physically too weak to walk."I was so weak and paralysed that my relatives had to carry me out of the detention centre in their arms. The FRRO did nothing to treat my illness, and let me go when they were scared something worse might happen to me," she told The Telegraph, requesting anonymity, adding that the UNHCR and FRRO "forbade" them from speaking to the media.
Illnesses like tuberculosis, urinary issues and skin diseases are rampant in detention centres, said Ali Johar, another India-based Rohingya activist.
"The hygiene and sanitation conditions inside are extremely poor and the refugees are not provided with adequately nutritious food," said the other co-founder of Rohingya Human Rights Initiative.
Death threats
Hamida, despite being an unaccompanied minor who was apparently trafficked, was declared an "illegal migrant" without "following the due process established by law", said New Delhi-based lawyer Chatterji.
"On the face of it, this appears to be a re-victimisation of an alleged victim of persecution and human trafficking which constitute some of the gravest crimes against humanity," said Chatterji, who argues against indefinite detention of Rohingya refugees as a lawyer.
A Rohingya refugee family told The Telegraph that Hamida’s death was used to threaten them against seeking legal remedies in the Supreme Court for some of their relatives’ indefinite detention in New Delhi.
"FRRO officials contacted us and said that if we filed a case in the Supreme Court, they would kill our family members who were in detention. They said, ‘Your family will be next. They will die the way Hamida Begum did.’ We were so terrified that we immediately cut off our lawyers," said a member of the family, opting to remain unidentified to protect their safety.
The Ministry of Home Affairs did not respond to repeated requests for a comment from The Telegraph on Hamida’s case and the allegations of medical negligence and death threats.
John Quinley, director at non-governmental rights organisation Fortify Rights, said that reports of Rohingya refugees receiving death threats by authorities are "abhorrent".
"We have found that detention conditions are overcrowded and referrals for medical treatment are very difficult. Furthermore, we have documented several cases of Rohingya refugees being beaten in detention," he said.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Human Discrimination (CERD) in July this year said that it was "alarmed" by reports of arbitrary mass detention of Rohingya refugees in India, including children, in some cases without access to the due process or legal representation.
In an official response to The Telegraph, the UNHCR in India said that it "deeply regrets the death of Hamida Begum while in detention"."For UNHCR, seeking asylum is not a crime, an individual’s status as an asylum seeker or refugee is therefore not a valid basis for detention.
"Currently, UNHCR has limited access to detention. UNHCR stands ready to work with the Government of India on a principled approach to address the situation of all asylum seekers and refugees held in detention," said a spokesperson for UNHCR India.
Gazing at a photo of Hamida on her family mobile phone at their shanty home in Cox’s Bazar, Rojiya burst into tears again.
"I haven’t slept a full night since she was taken away. Every time I go out, I look for her, hoping to see a child like my Hamida … but I never do," said Rojiya, who escaped the 2017 genocide against the Rohingya in Myanmar by fleeing to Dhaka with her family.
"My beautiful daughter is gone, and no one has been held accountable for her death. I can never forgive the Indian government for what they did to her. She was only 14. Allah sees everything. He will certainly bring those responsible to justice." Dozens killed as bus loses control, skids off Himalayan road in India and plunges into deep gorge (CBS News)
CBS News [11/4/2024 7:48 AM, Arshad R. Zargar, 59828K, Negative]
At least 36 people were killed and six others injured Monday when a bus lost control on a hilly road in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand and plunged into a gorge. The bus was built to carry 42 passengers but senior state official Deepak Rawat told The Associated Press it was packed with about 60 people at the time of the crash.
The bus was traveling from Garhwal to the tourist town of Ramnagar when it veered off the road, officials said.
Almora district officials launched a rescue operation and the casualties were transferred to regional hospitals.
The Uttarakhand Police shared a video clip of rescuers working around the overturned bus, which was left lying beside a river at the base of a steep hill, almost 200 feet below the road.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a social media post that an investigation would be launched into the cause of the incident. Vineet Pal, another state official, said preliminary information suggested the bus was poorly maintained and that it skidded before tumbling into the gorge.
The AP quoted Pal as saying two transport officials had been suspended for certifying the bus despite its poor condition.
Dhami also announced state government compensation of 400,000 Indian rupees ($4,750) for the families of those killed in the crash, and 100,000 rupees ($1,190) for those injured.
Dhami said emergency crews were "working swiftly to evacuate the injured and take them to the nearest health center for treatment. Instructions have also been given to airlift the seriously injured passengers if required."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences for the families of the victims. He announced separate compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,378) for the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees ($594) for those injured.
Road accidents are common in India’s hilly Himalayan districts, where buses are the primary mode of public transport. About 160,000 people are killed in road accidents in India every year - the highest toll in the world - mainly due to reckless driving and poorly maintained roads and vehicles.
At least 18 people were killed in July when a double-decker passenger bus collided with a milk truck in Uttar Pradesh state, and before that, a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims skidded and rolled into a deep gorge on a mountain highway in Indian-controlled Kashmir in May, killing at least 21 people. NSB
Bangladesh Asks Malaysia to Arrest Businessmen in Migrant Trafficking Case (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/5/2024 4:32 AM, Anders Melin, 5.5M, Neutral]
Police in Bangladesh have asked the Malaysian government to arrest and extradite two businessmen as part of a probe of alleged money laundering, extortion and trafficking of migrant workers.
The men, Aminul Islam and Ruhul Amin, are alleged to have played key roles in a system that “fraudulently extorted money from the victims” and exposed them to “physical and mental torture,” according to a letter dated Oct. 24 that Bangladesh’s branch of Interpol sent to its counterpart in Malaysia.
Bloomberg News reviewed a copy of the letter, which doesn’t say whether the men have been charged. Police Inspector Ashiqur Rahman, who is part of Bangladesh’s Interpol branch, confirmed the contents in a telephone interview on Sunday. A senior Bangladeshi government official, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about the matter, also confirmed the letter.
The South Asian nation’s police asked that Malaysia’s government temporarily halt its use of software provided by Bestinet Sdn., a closely held company that Aminul founded. Malaysian officials have used this software to process and monitor hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from Bangladesh and other countries since at least 2018.
Aminul, who’s commonly known as Amin, was born in Bangladesh and gained Malaysian citizenship more than a decade ago. His lawyer said they have not received any information about the letter and categorically denied the allegations raised in it.
Bloomberg News sought comment from Ruhul, who’s Bangladeshi, by phone and by contacting Catharsis International, a Dhaka-based recruitment firm of which he is a proprietor. A representative for Catharsis said by email that Ruhul refuted any allegations and has “always been operating legally, legitimately and ethically.”
A representative for Bestinet said the company isn’t aware of the letter from Bangladesh’s police including the request that Malaysian authorities stop using Bestinet software, and declined to comment.
Malaysia’s police, as well as the nation’s home affairs and foreign affairs ministries didn’t respond to requests for comment. The human resources ministry declined to comment.
Ashiqur said the men were last sighted in Kuala Lumpur. He said that Malaysian authorities responded to the letter by requesting the Bangladesh police submit a formal request for extradition. Those documents are currently being prepared, he said.
Debt Bondage
The requests for arrest are part of a broader investigation into middlemen and lawmakers involved in sending workers from Bangladesh to Malaysia.
Labor migration is one of Bangladesh’s most important industries but is also known to involve fees that saddle workers with debts and make them vulnerable to abuse as they go abroad.
Bangladesh’s interim government, which was installed in August after student protesters ousted the nation’s longtime leader, has made it a priority to eliminate unlawful fees and hold recruitment agents, bureaucrats and destination countries accountable for workers’ wellbeing, according to Asif Nazrul, adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.
More than 1 million Bangladeshis have gone to work in Malaysia over the past two decades. Human rights activists have documented numerous cases of Bangladeshi and other migrant workers facing abuse including debt bondage.
A Malaysian government-appointed panel in 2019 found that the recruitment process was rife with fraud and that workers were charged excessive fees that led to forced labor. In a 109-page report, the panel recommended that the government stop using third-party service providers including Bestinet.
Having “multiple services providers also result in cascading unnecessary cost from charges and fees imposed on both foreign workers, employers and sometimes also the government,” the report said.
Bestinet has said that it complies with all laws both in Bangladesh and Malaysia. Adani Pushes Bangladesh for $850 Million Unpaid Electricity Bill (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [11/4/2024 6:42 AM, Sanjai P R and Arun Devnath, 27782K, Neutral]
Billionaire Gautam Adani’s power generation unit is stepping up pressure on Bangladesh as it seeks to recover more than $850 million of unpaid electricity bills, according to people familiar with the matter.Adani Power Ltd. reduced its supply to Bangladesh by half last week and may cut the nation off entirely from Nov. 7, said the people, who asked not to be named as the internal discussions are not public. Adani Power is asking the neighboring nation’s power agency to arrange a letter of credit or repay the money, one person said.A representative for Adani Group did not offer any immediate comment on the deadline for cutting power supplies. Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, the interim head of Bangladesh’s power ministry, did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.A pullback by Adani Power, that has been providing electricity to India’s neighbor from its coal-fired plant in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, raises the risk of further blackouts in a country grappling with a financial and energy crisis after weeks of violent protests overthrew Sheikh Hasina’s government earlier this year. It also adds to headwinds faced by the interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, that’s already tackling billions of dollars in arrears.Bangladesh’s current administration is expediting payments to Adani Power, Shafiqul Alam, a government spokesman, told reporters in Dhaka on Sunday.The country is hoping to “repay about $700 million to Adani as soon as possible,” Alam said, adding that arrears were mostly a legacy from the previous administration.A Times of India report on Sunday reported that Adani’s power generator has set a Nov. 7 deadline for Bangladesh to meet its obligations. When asked about this media report, Alam said “we’re dismayed and shocked if the report is true.” He did not specify if a formal communication on this had come from the Adani Group.The delayed payments underscore the financial and geopolitical risks facing the Indian conglomerate, led by Asia’s second-richest person, as it steadily expands its global footprint across Israel, Kenya, Tanzania, Sri Lanka and Bhutan besides Bangladesh.Adani Power’s move exacerbates the electricity deficit in the country of about 174 million people. Bangladesh is facing an overall daily shortfall of about 1,500 megawatts, according to government data.The government is “trying its best to accelerate all international payments,” Alam said on Sunday. Bangladesh won’t be “hostage to any individual power producer no matter how powerful they are.” Signals Escalation
The developments over the weekend signal an escalation by the ports-to-power conglomerate after it warned Bangladesh Power Development Board, or BPDA, in an Oct. 28 letter from Adani Power seen by Bloomberg News.
The company will start “suspending power supply” if it did not received a letter of credit or its dues worth $846 million remain unpaid by Oct. 31, according to the letter.
“We have been facing tremendous difficulties in managing working capital for making payments to coal suppliers” and other vendors due to outstanding payments and “non-availability” of a so-called Letter of Credit, Adani Power said in this communication. “Also, our lenders have withdrawn the working capital support.”
The reduction by Adani Power began on Thursday night with its 1,496 MW plant now producing just 700 MW, according to another Indian media report.
Bangladesh Bank’s Governor Ahsan H. Mansur told Bloomberg News in August that there was a risk of losing power supply if Adani Group wasn’t paid its dues.
Bangladesh steps up repayments to Adani to avoid power supply cut (BBC)
BBC [11/4/2024 8:03 AM, Archana Shukla and Swaminathan Natarajan, 60726K, Negative]
Bangladesh is ramping up payments to Adani Power after the Indian conglomerate cut electricity supplies by half, reportedly over an unpaid $800m bill.
Two senior government officials told the BBC they are already processing partial payments to Adani, which supplies 10% of the electricity used by Bangladesh.
"We have addressed payment glitches and already issued a $170 million [\u00a3143m] letter of credit to Adani group," a senior Bangladesh Power Development Board official told the BBC.
Adani supplies Bangladesh from its 1600 megawatt coal-fired plant in eastern India. The company hasn’t responded to BBC queries about cuts to its supply to Bangladesh, which suffers regular power shortages.
Officials say the company has threatened to suspend all supplies if the money owed to it is not cleared by 7 November. But the Bangladesh Power Development Board official said they did "not believe it would not come to a stage where full supplies are cut off".
Bangladesh officials told the BBC they will make payments gradually and regularly and are confident of resolving the payment crisis.
"We are shocked and surprised that despite us ramping up payments, supplies have been cut. We are ready to repay and will make alternate arrangements, but will not let any power producer hold us hostage and blackmail us," said Fouzul Kabir Khan, energy adviser to the interim government.
Bangladesh stepped up repayments from $35m in July, to $68m in September and $97m in October, he said.
The country is already suffering from increased power shortages in rural areas.
Political turmoil
Bangladesh has been struggling to generate dollar revenues to pay for costly essential imports like electricity, coal and oil. Foreign currency reserves fell during months of student-led protests and political turmoil that ousted the Sheikh Hasina government in August.
The interim government which replaced her has sought an additional $3bn loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in addition to its existing $4.7bn bailout package.
Adani’s power deal with Bangladesh, signed in 2015, was one of the many under Sheikh Hasina, which the current interim government has called opaque. A national committee is now reassessing 11 previous deals, including the one with Adani, which has often been criticised as expensive.
Besides Adani Power, other Indian state-owned firms also sell power to Bangladesh, including NTPC Ltd and PTC India Ltd. Power Development Board officials confirmed that partial payments of money owed to other Indian power suppliers are also being made.
Bangladesh is restarting some of the gas-fired and oil-fired power plants to bridge the supply shortfall, although experts say it will increase the cost of power. With winter approaching, power demands on the grid is expected to ease as air conditioners are switched off.
"Other coal-fired plants are running at 50% capacity and the country is unable to buy enough coal owing to the dollar crisis, so it is important to continue readymade power supply from Adani. It is marginally more expensive than local producers but it is a crucial supply," said Dr Ajaj Hossain, energy expert and a retired professor.
Bangladesh is planning to commission its first nuclear power plant in December to diversify its energy mix. Built with Russian assistance, it is costing $12.65bn, mostly financed by long-term Russian loans. Why Has China Halted Centuries-old Sino-Nepal Borderland Marriages? (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [11/4/2024 7:33 AM, Birat Anupam, 1198K, Positive]
A man from Biratnagar in southeastern Nepal can marry a woman from Beijing in China, just as a man from China’s Kunming city can wed a woman from Kathmandu in Nepal. Beijing does not seem to have a problem with long-distance cross-border marriages.
However, it has forbidden cross-border marriages between people who live in the Sino-Nepali borderlands, within walking distance of each other, and with strong linguistic and cultural ties. Beijing has provided no explanation for this policy.
During my recent trek in Olangchung Gola village of Nepal’s far eastern Taplejung district, which borders both of Nepal’s neighbors, China and India, I found that cross-border marriages, once the norm in Olangchung Gola, are now a rarity.
At Olangchung Gola, a Himalayan village of 55 households, I met Chumbe Sherpa, an elderly Nepali man with four wives. His first wife, with whom he eloped in 1962, was from Tibet.
However, nowadays, a Nepali in the borderlands cannot marry a Tibetan. Nepali men can no longer be sons-in-law of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
"Cross-border marriage was not an issue until 2008," a Nepali local in Olangchung Gola told The Diplomat. It was "halted from the Chinese side after 2012."
According to Chumbe Sherpa, who is a former deputy chair of the erstwhile Olangchung Gola Village Development Committee (local government), previously Tibetan women were drawn to Nepal as Nepal was comparatively well-developed and the source of their food and other supplies. A marriage with a Nepali man was therefore an attractive option.
However, in more recent decades, China has developed the Tibetan region, and the Tibetan border regions are more developed than the Nepali ones. The situation has reversed and commodities now flow into Nepal from Riu in Dinggye County of the TAR. Almost all daily essentials being used by residents of Olangchung Gola are from TAR and sport Mandarin characters. Olanchung Gola is closer to Riu bazaar than Taplejung’s district headquarters of Phungling bazaar.
Even meeting relatives on the Chinese side of the Sino-Nepali border has become tougher post-pandemic. "We can’t go to our relatives’ homes on the other side," Chhilamo Lama, whose maternal house is on the Chinese side said, pointing out that she has "to stay at a quarantine-like home," where her "relatives come to meet and greet" her. "This was not the case in the past," she said.
At Olangchung Gola, I saw people engaging in cross-border trade with China, which is just around 25 kilometers away.
Local residents as well as security personnel view the Chinese positively. Madhab Khatri, the recently deployed Border Outpost chief of Nepal’s Armed Police Force said, "Chinese counterparts often ask if we need anything from them."
"We mostly go to Riu to sell our products and buy theirs. If we can’t sell all our products in the Riu bazaar, Chinese policemen purchase our unsold items," Chhilamo Lama told The Diplomat.
Chheten Sherpa, a local leader of the Nepali Congress and a former local government member, said that the Chinese are helpful and are eager to have better road connectivity with Nepal. Chinese-sent bulldozers and oil tankers with Chinese number plates are visible at Olangchung Gola bazaar.
People from both sides of the Sino-Nepali border share a Buddhist cultural heritage and linguistic ties. Still, cross-border marriage doesn’t exist anymore. The centuries-old borderlands marriage has been halted thanks to the Chinese side.
Yet Chinese leaders have waxed eloquent on the strong bonds, including matrimonial ties, between the people of the two countries. In a signed article written ahead of his Nepal visit in 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted, "In China’s Tang Dynasty (618-907), Nepali Princess Bhrikuti was married to Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo, while the Chinese monk Huen Tsang visited Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, and left many precious written accounts of his pilgrimage."
"The Himalayas soaring between our two countries have not blocked the friendly contacts between our two peoples," Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai said at the Kathmandu Civic Reception during his visit to Nepal in April 1960.
Cross-border movement of people and goods, which was halted during the COVID-19 pandemic, was resumed recently. On May 25, Nepal and China reopened 14 traditional border crossings, including Olangchung Gola, in the presence of top leaders including Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Vice Chairman of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region Silang Nima.
When border trade and crossings have resumed, why are traditional borderland marriages being blocked? Why are marriages between people who have to fly long distances across the Himalayas permitted when those who live just walking distance of each other are forbidden?
Beijing has not explained its strange policy. Central Asia
Kazakhstan, China Strengthen Economic Ties With $2.5 Billion In New Investments (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [11/4/2024 12:21 PM, Staff, 1251K, Positive]
Kazakhstan has signed eight commercial agreements worth $2.5 billion with Chinese companies, significantly enhancing bilateral economic relations between the two countries. The agreements were signed on November 4 during Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov’s visit to Shanghai. The agreements support a broader strategy by Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev and Chinese President Xi Jinping to double trade turnover, which reached a record $41 billion last year, the Kazakh prime minister’s press service said. Bektenov’s visit highlights China’s growing influence in Central Asia in light of Russia’s traditional dominance. As China invests heavily in infrastructure and energy projects, Central Asian states are diversifying their foreign relations to reduce reliance on Moscow. At an investment roundtable, Bektenov emphasized the potential for joint projects and industrial cooperation. Major Chinese firms outlined plans to enhance operations in Kazakhstan, including energy initiatives and localized automotive production. There are already around 5,000 joint ventures between the two countries. Kyrgyz Opposition Politician Beknazarov Released Pending Embezzlement Trial (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [11/4/2024 10:31 AM, Staff, 1251K, Negative]
Kyrgyz opposition politician Azimbek Beknazarov, who has been accused of embezzlement in 2010 while he was a member of the interim government, was released from detention on November 4 but ordered not to leave Bishkek while the investigation continues. Beknazarov, in custody since September 12, has consistently claimed his detention is politically motivated, citing a prior investigation by a parliamentary commission and the Prosecutor-General’s Office that found no wrongdoing on his part. At 68, Beknazarov has a long political history, having served as a lawmaker, prosecutor-general, and deputy chairman of the interim government after the 2010 crisis that followed deadly protests toppling then-President Kurmanbek Bakiev. Beknazarov was among 27 activists acquitted in June of charges of "calling for mass unrest" and "plotting to seize power" in a high-profile case related to a deal that saw Kyrgyzstan hand over a disputed reservoir to Uzbekistan last year. Russia Still a Cold Front for Central Asian Migrants (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [11/4/2024 1:35 PM, Niginakhon Saida, 1198K, Negative]
Working in Russia as a labor migrant is becoming increasingly challenging, especially for Central Asians. Demands for stricter measures against migrants, often laced with discriminatory undertones, are growing.
On November 1, a 30-year-old Uzbekistan-born man, Mahmudjon Marufzoda, who acquired Russian citizenship on August 28, and two other new Russian citizens, were stripped of that citizenship for not registering for the military service on time. Marufzoda not only lost his Russian citizenship, but also can not stay in the country or return to it for five years. Later, he was offered a solution to the issue by signing an agreement with Russia’s Ministry of Defense, but Marufzoda refused, saying "It is over now."
This happened days after a Russian politician reprimanded Uzbekistan for not allowing its citizens to serve in the Russian Army.
What Happened?
On October 19, the leader of the A Just Russia faction in the Russian Parliament and State Duma, Deputy Sergey Mironov, demanded a visa regime to be introduced between Russia and Uzbekistan. In a short post on X (formerly Twitter) Mironov wrote about his resentment toward a recent reminder by the Consulate of Uzbekistan in Kazan warning Uzbek citizens not to enlist in the Russian Army. Receiving different social benefits from Russia is allowed by Tashkent, "but defending the country that feeds you is not allowed," Mironov wrote. "Visa regime! And that’s all! Such ‘citizens’ are not needed."
It did not take Uzbek politicians long to fire back. The chairman of the National Revival Party, Milliy Tiklanish, and a deputy speaker of the Legislative Chamber, Alisher Qodirov, posted a screenshot of Mironov’s post on his Telegram channel immediately, saying "Blessed Uzbek nation earns by hard work, not by killing people. Mironov himself, his sons, sons-in-law and grandsons should defend Russia."
Another Uzbek politician, Rasul Kusherbayev, an adviser to the Minister of Ecology of Uzbekistan, and a former deputy of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, went further, interpreting the "high-profile Russian politician’s remarks" as Russia’s attempt to find "an excuse to strain its relations with Uzbekistan." Kusherbaev also suggested that Uzbekistan could also consider imposing a visa regime for Russian citizens and questioned how the Russian consulate would react if Tashkent began sending Russian citizens residing in Uzbekistan to war.
"Russian politicians are inferring that they view Uzbekistan as a dependent state," he added.
Is Central Asia Dependent on Russia for Labor Migration?
Officially, around 1.8 million Uzbeks work in Russia. The actual number is difficult to know due to the prevalence of undocumented workers, as well as labor migration’s seasonal nature, but unofficially, the figure could be twice as many. Because obtaining and retaining a work permit creates additional hurdles, many Central Asian migrants try to get Russian citizenship. In 2022 alone, 27,000 Uzbekistanis became Russian citizens. Over 173,000 people from Tajikistan and another 42,000 from Kazakhstan did the same. Neither Kazakhstan nor Uzbekistan recognize dual citizenship, but Tajikistan does.For many Central Asian families, remittances from relatives working abroad, mostly in Russia, form a major portion of their income. Remittances received by Tajikistan in 2023 were the equivalent of 38 percent of the country’s GDP. The figure was around 15 percent for Uzbekistan and 20 percent for Kyrgyzstan.
But this dependency is not one sided. Russia needs manpower to run its economy and the bulk of its migrant workers are from Central Asia and other CIS countries.
Despite facing a shortage of nearly 5 million workers, particularly in sectors like industry, agriculture, trade, construction, and utilities, Moscow’s stance toward Central Asian migrants has only grown more hostile. For many in Russian state media and among politicians, criticizing Central Asian migrants has increasingly come to be viewed as an act of patriotism. This attitude especially worsened after the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack, given that the alleged perpetrators were from Tajikistan.
The Saga Continues
On October 31, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev (formerly president of Russia from 2008 to 2012) called for the children of migrants to be expelled if they do not speak Russian. "When children who actually don’t know Russian end up (at schools), the general level of education suffers from this. It is known to everyone, and it’s time to put an end to it," said Medvedev. He also added that family members of a labor migrant, if they are not working or studying, should leave too.
Qodirov had an immediate reaction to Medvedev’s words too. "This cruelty to children will shape the attitude toward the Russian language in the future," he wrote in his Telegram channel.
Unlike many who were born in the Uzbek SSR and studied in schools using the Cyrillic alphabet, Qodirov avoids using Cyrillic and doesn’t conform to the standard Latin script currently official in Uzbekistan, either. Instead, he deliberately uses Turkic letters, such as "\u015f" instead of "sh," "ç" instead of "ch," signaling his alignment with the Turkic world over Western or Russian influences.
"The ineffective funds being directed toward promoting the Russian language in Uzbekistan would be more beneficial if used to teach Russian to Uzbeks residing in Russia," added Qodirov.
This is not the first time Qodirov has spoken against the promotion of the Russian language in Uzbekistan or questioned Russia’s motives. Earlier this year, when so-called Russian historian Mikhail Smolin claimed that the Uzbek nation, as well as the Kazakh or Azeri nations, did not exist before the 1917 revolution, Qodirov called for reducing the use of Russian language in education, media, and other spheres in Uzbekistan.
Later, a series of public reprimands also unfolded over an incident that occurred in a Russian-language class at a public school in Uzbekistan involving the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, deputy chairman of the the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs and a senator of the Russian Federation Andrey Klimov, and Qodirov. Not the First Time
Russia has always used its migration policy as a political tool. In 2006, for example, when four Russian citizens were arrested in Tbilisi, Georgia and charged with espionage, Moscow started a full scale persecution of Georgians in its territory. Putin himself called the arrest "state terrorism with hostage taking" and Russia stopped issuing visas to Georgian citizens. Russia’s retaliation continued even after Tbilisi returned the Russian citizens via the OSCE. Moscow closed its borders for transport and deported 2,300 Georgians, including those residing in Russia legally. Another 2,000 left Russia on their own initiative.
2011 witnessed an anti-Tajik campaign throughout Russia when a Russian pilot together with his Estonian counterpart was jailed for 8.5 years in Tajikistan for illegally crossing the border and smuggling. The subsequent prosecution of Tajiks in Russia was so severe that it reached a ridiculous point with Russia’s chief medical officer questioning if Tajiks were spreading HIV. Moscow stopped issuing work permits to Tajik citizens; 300 Tajik migrant workers were detained and 60 were deported.
Central Asian migrant workers have always faced racism and discrimination in many forms both by law enforcement and ordinary Russian citizens. A recent poll among Russians showed that 56 percent of respondents preferred Central Asian migrants only with temporary residency or preferred closing the borders to them entirely.
Now Russian officials are purposefully targeting migrants and talking about "lightening" (that is, whitening) Russian territories "so that it is not darkened, so to speak, by foreign citizens." This past summer, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia Alexander Bastrykin even said that "the number of serious crimes committed by migrants in Russia has increased by 32 percent," while Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affair reported that foreigners are responsible for only 4 percent of all crimes, mostly nonviolent ones such as forging documents or crossing the border illegally.
So far Moscow has issued six bills this year in regard to its migration policy, and 28 more are set to be reviewed by the State Duma.
Pandemic-related restrictions; the war with Ukraine, for which Moscow wanted to deploy migrants by hook or by crook; the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack, after which every Central Asian migrant worker has been treated as a potential terrorist; and low wages and decades of discrimination all have made Russia an undesirable destination for work or study.
Uzbekistan has been actively facilitating job opportunities for its citizens in various European countries, as well as in South Korea and the United Kingdom. Those destinations are attracting other Central Asian migrant workers too, although Russia still remains a major destination due to factors like its visa-free regime, established migrant communities that provide support for newcomers, and the widespread familiarity with, if not fluency, in the Russian language among Central Asians.
Anti-migrant sentiment has always been present in Russia, but it was primarily seen among the public rather than espoused by state officials. Temur Umarov, an analyst at Carnegie Berlin, explained it with the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war. "The invasion of Ukraine has normalized a much higher level of cruelty and aggression in Russia," Umarov wrote. "Many ultra-patriots, Z-bloggers, neo-Nazis, war correspondents, and other media figures have risen on this military wave, making xenophobic and hateful statements, including against migrants, a commonplace occurrence."
Russian public figures may indeed be tapping into anti-migrant sentiment as a way to rally public support by channeling frustrations toward migrant communities. Media representatives, politicians, and other public figures may score points among their compatriots by playing to emotions and distorting facts. However, in the long run, this risks Russia losing more of its workforce and, even more critically, damaging its amicable relations with Central Asia - a region that, unlike Western nations, maintained its ties with Moscow after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and kept visa-free entry for millions of Russians fleeing the war. Twitter
Afghanistan
Suhail Shaheen@suhailshaheen1
[11/4/2024 12:29 PM, 736.7K followers, 12 retweets, 97 likes]
I met today Ms Katharina Ritz, Head of ICRC Delegation to Afghanistan and discussed with her humanitarian assistance, health sector, climate change etc. Both sides emphasized ICRC activities need to be expanded, considering the needs of the common people.
Heather Barr@heatherbarr1
[11/4/2024 6:46 AM, 63K followers, 124 retweets, 160 likes]
Taliban playbook: abolish all women’s shelters & services for women/girls experiencing violence, & the EVAW law, & the courts, prosecutors and judges tasked with implementing that law. Then publicly beat women who try to flee abuse. https://www.afintl.com/en/202411046623
Sara Wahedi@SaraWahedi
[11/4/2024 5:15 AM, 98.8K followers, 66 retweets, 287 likes]
Was in discussions recently with a former head of state and their personal opinion was that the ICC should issue arrest warrants for individual Taliban leaders immediately. The Taliban is emboldened to expedite the erasure of Afghan women and girls. Take them to The Hague. Pakistan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan@ForeignOfficePk
[11/4/2024 2:44 PM, 479.7K followers, 21 retweets, 69 likes]
Foreign Minister of Iran Seyed Abbas Araghchi @Araghchi has arrived in Islamabad. He was welcomed at the airport by Additional Foreign Secretary (Afghanistan & West Asia) Ambassador Ahmed Naseem Warraich. During his visit, Foreign Minister Araghchi will hold talks with the FM/DPM Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and call on the Prime Minister of Pakistan.Zalmay Khalilzad@realZalmayMK
[11/4/2024 11:27 AM, 217.6K followers, 4.3K retweets, 9.3K likes]
The Pakistani Parliament, dominated by Mr Zardari ‘s PPP and Nawaz Sharif’s PML(N), has decided to extend the tenure of Army Chief and de facto ruler Gen Munir’s and the Chiefs of the Navy and the Air Force to 2027. They have also expanded the slots for judges. This move is aimed at prolonging their iron grip and crippling the country’s judiciary by emplacing subservient judges. The consequences will be the continuation of Gen. Munir’s damaging policies resuling in more polarization, instability and violence, less freedom, even more brain drain, and a weak economy. With further consolidation of his hold on power, might Munir change course by, for example, releasing Imran Khan, who has been held on trumped up charges and pursue national reconciliation? I am not optimistic. #Pakistan
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[11/4/2024 12:46 PM, 214.1K followers, 1.9K retweets, 4.6K likes]
Pakistan’s parliament has pushed through a bill extending the army chief’s tenure from 3 to 5 years, and with little debate. The most powerful post in Pakistan is poised to become even more powerful. When a legislature is reduced to a rubber stamp, democracy is never a winner.
Madiha Afzal@MadihaAfzal
[11/4/2024 7:33 PM, 43K followers, 14 retweets, 69 likes]
Thanks to the bill the government rushed through parliament suddenly today, Pakistan’s army chief can now be in power for a full 10 years (because an extension is possible). The country’s authoritarian turn has been cemented today.
Madiha Afzal@MadihaAfzal
[11/4/2024 12:25 PM, 43K followers, 1 retweet, 8 likes]
Pakistan today rammed a bill through parliament that increases the army chief’s tenure to 5 years (from 3). The result: civ-mil relations will become even more lopsided; the military’s dominance will increase.
Madiha Afzal@MadihaAfzal
[11/4/2024 9:47 AM, 43K followers, 3 retweets, 19 likes]
Govt bulldozes bill in the National Assembly to increase number of Supreme Court judges — to 34! — and increasing the army chief’s tenure to 5 years https://www.dawn.com/news/1869847 Ashok Swain@ashoswai
[11/4/2024 5:51 PM, 617.9K followers, 1.1K retweets, 2.7K likes]
Pakistan’s rubber-stamp Parliament extended Army Chief Asim Munir’s tenure from November 2025 to November 2027. In the rest of the world, the army chief works for the government; in Pakistan, the government works for the army chief.
Hamid Mir@HamidMirPAK
[11/4/2024 5:19 AM, 8.5M followers, 1.1K retweets, 4.4K likes]
Surrounded by enemies. This is PTM leader Ali Wazir. His father and brothers were killed by TTP. He was arrested as MNA by PTI Govt under treason charges. He was again arrested by PPP’s provincial govt. Now he is thrown behind the bars by the PML-N govt. India
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[11/4/2024 9:20 AM, 103.4M followers, 37K retweets, 125K likes]
I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada. Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats. Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.
President of India@rashtrapatibhvn
[11/4/2024 4:26 AM, 26M followers, 477 retweets, 3.3K likes]
President Droupadi Murmu interacted with a group of women achievers in the Indian Aviation Sector at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President urged the women achievers to become guides for other women and encourage them to choose their careers and realise their dreams.
President of India@rashtrapatibhvn
[11/5/2024 12:54 AM, 26M followers, 124 retweets, 836 likes]
LIVE: President Droupadi Murmu’s address at the first Asian Buddhist Summit in New Delhi https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1DXxydOpoRkJM
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[11/4/2024 12:49 AM, 3.3M followers, 298 retweets, 2.2K likes]
In conversation with @BassiJustin at the Inaugural Session of Raisina Down Under at Canberra. #RaisinaDownUnder2024 @orfonline @ASPI_org
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[11/1/2024 9:45 AM, 214.1K followers, 19 retweets, 92 likes]
The State Department has sanctioned four "India-based" companies and two Indian nationals (out of nearly 400 in total in half a dozen countries) "for enabling Russia’s prosecution of its illegal war." https://www.state.gov/new-measures-targeting-third-country-enablers-supporting-russias-military-industrial-base/
Ashok Swain@ashoswai
[11/4/2024 5:12 PM, 617.9K followers, 385 retweets, 1.8K likes]
If Hindus are in danger in Canada, why doesn’t Modi include Canada in its Citizenship Amendment Act and give citizenship to Hindus leaving Canada and returning to the motherland? He will not do it because no Hindu will leave Canada and return to India.Ashok Swain@ashoswai
[11/4/2024 12:27 PM, 617.9K followers, 666 retweets, 2.3K likes]
Isn’t Modi interfering in the internal affairs of Canada? This guy doesn’t condemn the destruction of 400 churches in Manipur or the everyday vandalization of mosques in India by his Hindutva gang; now starts shedding crocodile tears for Hindu temples in Canada. NSB
Anura Kumara Dissanayake@anuradisanayake
[11/4/2024 10:08 AM, 134K followers, 16 retweets, 154 likes]
We extend our sincere gratitude to the thousands who demonstrated their unwavering support for Malima’s victory by attending the victorious rally (‘Building the Nation Together—We are for Malimawa!’) held this evening (04) in Monaragala.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake@anuradisanayake
[11/4/2024 5:53 AM, 134K followers, 16 retweets, 154 likes]
A heartfelt gratitude to the thousands who attended the inaugural victorious public rally series (‘Building the Nation Together—We are for Malimawa!’) held yesterday (03) in Nuwara Eliya. Your unwavering support is truly appreciated.
Sabria Chowdhury Balland@sabriaballand
[11/4/2024 6:26 AM, 7.3K followers, 1 like]
#Bangladesh is accelerating payment of more than $800 million it owes Adani Power ahead of a Nov. 7 deadline set by the Indian company, which has cut electricity exports to Bangladesh by more than half, two senior government officials said.
Sabria Chowdhury Balland@sabriaballand
[11/4/2024 6:21 AM, 7.3K followers, 3 retweets, 6 likes]
#Bangladesh’s constitutional reform commission, newly appointed in the wake of the student-led revolution that ousted long-time autocrat Sheikh Hasina, vowed on Nov. 3 to strip out fascism to safeguard democracy.
Jon Danilowicz@JonFDanilowicz
[11/4/2024 10:11 AM, 8.3K followers, 34 retweets, 244 likes]
During #Bangladesh’s dictatorship, opposition voices at home and abroad were united by their anti-authoritarian stance. As Hasina’s departure fades into the past, some of their underlying differences are now coming to the fore. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as policy debates are healthy in an emerging democracy. That said, supporters of the ancien regime are clearly regrouping and trying to craft a counter narrative to undermine and reverse the July Revolution. Those who wish to prevent a counter revolution will need to decide who the real enemies are.
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv[11/4/2024 12:33 AM, 110.6K followers, 63 retweets, 60 likes]
President Dr @MMuizzu attends “Hiyaavahi Finance Scheme” launching ceremony. Under this scheme, loans will be issued at an interest rate capped at 5 percent. This aligns with the President’s pledge to issue housing loans at a low interest rate.
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[11/4/2024 11:21 PM, 110.6K followers, 83 retweets, 86 likes]
Vice President Uz @HucenSembe departs for Kulhudhuffushi City on an official trip. He will be attending the inauguration ceremony of the "Hashiheyo Raajje" Programme.
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[11/4/2024 11:05 AM, 110.6K followers, 178 retweets, 182 likes]
President Dr @MMuizzu attends the official inauguration of the renovated Centre for Higher Secondary Education in Malé City. The Centre for Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) is a Government school providing A ‘Level education in the Malé region since 1979.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives@BDMOFA
[11/4/2024 7:09 AM, 55.2K followers, 7 retweets, 154 likes]
#Bangladesh Foreign Adviser reaffirms Bangladesh’s #ZeroTolerance on terrorism at the 4th #DushanbeProcess Conference in #KuwaitCity, co-hosted by @MOFA_Tajikistan, @MOFAKuwait, and @UN_OCT. He underscores a #HumanRights-focused approach in #CounterTerrorism.
Karu Jayasuriya@KaruOnline
[11/4/2024 8:14 AM, 53.7K followers, 2 retweets, 15 likes]
With Dr. Hans Wijesuriya, a seasoned leader in Asia’s digital transformation, at the helm, Sri Lanka can harness the transformative power of a digital economy, akin to India. His policy insight, business acumen, technical expertise, and personal sacrifice reflect true patriotism.
Eran Wickramaratne@EranWick
[11/4/2024 1:40 AM, 69.9K followers, 6 retweets, 53 likes]
I left my career as a banker and economist to enter parliament with the goal of effecting positive change, both in our political culture and economic framework. This same mission drives me to contest the upcoming General Election, under the banner of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya with preferential number 5 in the Colombo District. With your vote, I can continue the work of advancing meaningful change, with integrity, empathy, and unwavering determination. Central Asia
MFA Tajikistan@MOFA_Tajikistan
[11/4/2024 6:23 AM, 5K followers, 1 retweet, 8 likes]
Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Central Asia with the President of the Republic of Korea https://mfa.tj/en/main/view/16068/meeting-of-the-heads-of-delegations-of-the-ministries-of-foreign-affairs-of-central-asia-with-the-president-of-the-republic-of-korea
Bakhtiyor Saidov@FM_Saidov
[11/4/2024 10:29 AM, 14.5K followers, 4 retweets, 14 likes]
Together with our colleagues held the 17th Central Asia - Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum. Grateful to H.E. @FMChoTaeyul and his team @MOFA_Kr for the warm hospitality. #CentralAsia today is one of the fastest developing regions in the world. We had a comprehensive exchange of ideas aimed at common prosperity. Covered new initiatives and directions of cooperation, including but not limited to combating environmental challenges, ensuring reliable supply chains, processing critical minerals, digitalization, tourism. There is a huge potential and real possibilities to unleash it.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz
[11/4/2024 12:48 AM, 203.4K followers, 9 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting focused on transforming the power sector and involving private operators in managing power grids. The goal is to accelerate the transformation of sector enterprises and introduce a modern management system to foster a competitive energy market. Starting next year, private companies will be attracted in the management of power networks in #Samarkand, #Jizakh, and #Syrdarya regions.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz
[11/4/2024 11:17 AM, 203.4K followers, 14 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev reviewed new proposals to strengthen the legal protection of entrepreneurs. Interest and participation in business operations will rise as a result of these measures, including reducing the number of inspections and fines. The proposals were put forward by the entrepreneurs during the annual dialogue with the President.{End of Report} To subscribe to the SCA Morning Press Clips, please email SCA-PressOfficers@state.gov. Please do not reply directly to this email.