SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS

epubdos : Afghanistan

Prepared for the U.S. Department of State

Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs

By TechMIS
www.TechMIS.com

Mobile User Copy

TO:	SCA & Staff
DATE:	Wednesday, November 6, 2024 6:30 AM ET

Afghanistan

Afghan opium cultivation bounces and shifts two years after ban, UN says (Reuters)

Reuters [11/6/2024 1:35 AM, Francois Murphy, 5.2M, Neutral]
Opium poppy production in Afghanistan, long the world’s dominant supplier of the raw material for heroin, has risen by a fifth in the second full year since the Taliban banned it but remains a fraction of pre-ban levels, a U.N. report said on Wednesday.

The Taliban’s supreme spiritual leader banned the cultivation of narcotics in April 2022. That prompted opium farming in the country to plummet an estimated 95% in 2023, according to an annual survey by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

This year, cultivation increased an estimated 19% to 12,800 hectares (32,000 acres) and the centre of production shifted from its traditional heartland, the country’s southwest, to the northeast, the latest UNODC report published on Tuesday said.

"Despite the increase in 2024, opium poppy cultivation remains far below 2022, when an estimated 232,000 hectares were cultivated," the UNODC said in a statement.

Dry opium prices stabilized around $730 a kilogram in the first half of this year, far above the pre-ban average of $100, the report said. Last year’s report said that in August 2023 those farm-gate prices had reached a "20-year peak" of $408.

In Afghanistan’s southwestern region, which borders Pakistan and accounted for almost half the country’s production in 2023, cultivation collapsed 65% this year, the report said. Of that region’s poppy-farming provinces, the only exception was Helmand, which saw a 434% increase but from a low base.

In the northeastern region, which borders Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, cultivation surged 381% this year to 7,563 hectares, four times the area cultivated in the southwest, the second-biggest producer, the report said.

Almost all the northeast’s production was in one province, Badakhshan, a mountainous area that includes a stretch of the Hindu Kush and Afghanistan’s relatively short border with China.

"The high prices and dwindling opium stocks may encourage farmers to flout the ban, particularly in areas outside of traditional cultivation centers, including neighboring countries," the UNODC said.

Afghanistan Poppy Cultivation Grows 19 Percent Despite Ban: UN (Agence France-Presse)

Agence France-Presse [11/5/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 1.4M, Neutral]
Opium cultivation rose by 19 percent in Afghanistan this year, the UN reported Wednesday, despite a Taliban government ban that almost eradicated the crop.

Currently, 12,800 hectares of poppies are cultivated in Afghanistan -- where up to 80 percent of the population depends on agriculture -- a new survey by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows, the agency said in a statement.

The 19 percent increase year-on-year remains far below the 232,000 hectares cultivated when Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada banned the crop in April 2022, nearly a year after the Taliban returned to power, UNODC added.

The centre of poppy cultivation has also shifted, the agency noted, and is now concentrated in northeastern provinces instead of in the Taliban strongholds of southern Afghanistan.

In May, clashes between farmers and brigades sent to destroy their poppy fields resulted in several deaths in northeastern Badakhshan.

Following the poppy ban, prices soared for the resin from which opium and heroin are made.

During the first half of 2024, prices stabilised around $730 per kilogram, (two pounds) according to the UNODC, compared to about $100 per kg before 2022.

For years Afghanistan was the world’s biggest supplier of opium and heroin.

Many farmers in Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, were hit hard financially by the ban and have not been able to reap the same profits from alternative crops.

Even legal crops are only a short-term solution, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG), "so the focus should be on job creation in non-farm industries".

The UNODC and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) called for international support for farmers to transition to alternative crops and livelihoods, something the Taliban government has requested.

"With opium cultivation remaining at a low level in Afghanistan, we have the opportunity and responsibility to support Afghan farmers to develop sustainable sources of income free from illicit markets," said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly in the statement.

Pakistan

Two Chinese nationals shot and wounded in Pakistan (Reuters)

Reuters [11/5/2024 11:02 AM, Ariba Shahid, 2376K, Negative]
Two Chinese nationals were wounded on Tuesday by a private security guard who opened fire at a garment factory in Pakistan’s commercial hub Karachi, the latest in a string of attacks that have spurred Beijing to pressure Islamabad to improve security for its citizens.

Large contingents of police were deployed at the site of the factory in Karachi’s industrial area, and forensic teams could be seen entering the premises, which were cordoned off.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Police official Faizan Ali told Reuters the Chinese nationals had been shot at, but gave no further details.

One police official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the shooting had been carried out by a security guard. The guard had not yet been arrested and it was difficult to ascertain the motive for the shooting, the official said.

Pakistan’s foreign office said the shooting occurred following a dispute with the private guard, adding that the incident was under investigation.

The ministry said it was in close contact with the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad.

A spokesperson for Liaquat National Hospital in the southern port city said it was treating the two victims, one of whom was in serious condition.

The attack follows a string of recent incidents, including a bombing near Karachi’s international airport that killed two Chinese engineers last month, which was claimed by separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army.

China has stepped up longstanding demands for better security for its citizens in Pakistan. Ambassador Jiang Zaidong told a gathering in Islamabad last month that the rising number of deadly attacks was unacceptable.

The Pakistan foreign office said Islamabad was fully committed to providing security for Chinese nationals, projects and institutions. It said in a statement on Oct. 31 that the commitment had been conveyed at the highest levels of the Chinese government.

Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the safety and security of Chinese nationals, Tuesday’s statement said, adding: "We extend our sympathies to the families of the injured and offer prayers for their swift recovery."

A decades-long insurgency in the southwestern province of Balochistan has led to frequent attacks against the government, army and Chinese interests. The militants say they want a greater share of regional resources.

The region is home to the deep-water Gwadar port built by Beijing as part of $65 billion in investments for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor under Chinese President Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Record-high pollution sickens thousands in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore (AP)

AP [11/6/2024 2:38 AM, Staff, 456K, Neutral]
Record-high air pollution in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore is sending more people to hospitals and private clinics, doctors said Wednesday as authorities warned a complete lockdown could be imminent if residents fail to don face masks and follow other guidance related to smog.

The warning came after residents out on the streets in Lahore, which has a population of 14 million, were seen overwhelmingly without masks. Doctors say most people are complaining of either having a cough or that they feel their eyes are burning.

“Tens of thousands of patients suffering from respiratory diseases were treated at hospitals and clinics in a week,” said Salman Kazmi, vice president of the Pakistan Medical Association.

You can see people coughing whenever you go, but they still hardly wear face masks, he said.

Lahore remained the world’s most polluted city Wednesday morning, with air-quality index hitting a record high of over 1,100. Anything over 300 is considered hazardous to health.

A toxic smog has shrouded the city since last month.

Marriyum Aurangzeb, a senior minister in the Punjab province asked people to wear face masks to avoid a complete lockdown in the city. Lahore is the provincial capital.

Authorities in the city have already banned barbecuing food without filters, as well as the use of motorized rickshaws — and wedding halls must close by 10 p.m.

The government said it was also looking into methods to induce artificial rainfall to combat the pollution.

Pakistan’s Punjab sets up ‘smog war room’ to combat hazardous air (Reuters)

Reuters [11/5/2024 11:37 PM, Mubasher Bukhari, 37270K, Neutral]
Pakistan’s Punjab set up a "smog war room" to tackle severe pollution, officials said, as poor air quality in Lahore pushed the capital of the eastern province to the top of the rankings as the world’s most polluted city.

Live rankings by Swiss group IQAir gave the city a pollution index score of 1165, followed by the Indian capital of New Delhi, with 299.

"The war room committee will review weather and air quality forecasts ... daily and monitor the performance and actions of field officers," said Sajid Bashir, a spokesperson for the province’s environment department.

Officials told Reuters it brings together staff from eight departments, with a single person charged with overseeing tasks from controlling burning of farm waste to managing traffic.

Twice daily sessions will analyse data and forecasts to brief stakeholders on efforts to fight pollution, and issue daily advisories, they added.

But Wednesday’s index score for Lahore fell short of last week’s unprecedented score of 1900, which had exceeded recommended levels by more than 120 times, prompting closure of primary schools and orders to work from home.

At the time, Punjab’s senior minister, Marriyum Aurangzeb, blamed the toxic air on pollution drifting across the border with India just 25 km (16 miles) away. Northern areas of the neighbouring nation are also battling severe pollution.

The Punjab government would ask Pakistan’s foreign office to take up the matter with India’s foreign ministry, she told the Indian Express newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday.

South Asia is shrouded in intense pollution every winter as cold air traps emissions, dust, and smoke from farm fires, while pollution could cut more than five years from people’s life expectancy in the region, a study found last year.

On Tuesday the environment minister of New Delhi, rated the world’s most polluted capital for four successive years by IQAir, said officials were looking to artificial rain to fight the problem this year.

What’s Behind Pakistan’s Middle-Class Brain Drain? (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg [11/5/2024 12:46 PM, Rebecca Choong Wilkins, Jessica Beck, Yang Yang, and Naomi Ng, 27782K, Positive]
A record number of Pakistanis are leaving at a rapid speed. Among them are some of the country’s top talent including doctors, engineers, accountants and managers. Over the last three years, one million skilled workers like them have left Pakistan.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks to Bloomberg’s Pakistan Bureau Chief Faseeh Mangi about what’s behind the severe brain drain in one of the world’s most populous nations, where the immigrants are going, and what it means for the country’s already fragile economy that depends on loans from the International Monetary Fund.

[Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

India

India expects policy continuity with US regardless of election outcome, official says (Reuters)

Reuters [11/6/2024 5:03 AM, Xinghui Kok, 5.2M, Neutral]
India expects "policy continuity" with the United States no matter what the result is in the U.S. presidential election, the country’s chief economic adviser told Reuters.

India’s Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran was speaking to Reuters in Singapore just as Republican Donald Trumpdeclared victory in Tuesday’s election.

"To a large extent, it will be policy continuity either way. So there’ll be variations by degrees," Nageswaran said.

"We will deal with whoever America chooses to elect as president."

Nageswaran said he expects economic relations with U.S. also to remain steady.

In September, Trump called India a "very big abuser" of the trade relationship between the two countries, but softened the blow by saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "fantastic."

Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration rolled out the red carpet for Modi in June last year, touting deals in defence and commerce.

Australian foreign minister raises allegations of India targeting Sikhs in Canada (AP)

AP [11/5/2024 9:38 AM, Rod McGuirk, 31638K, Neutral]
Australia’s foreign minister said Tuesday she raised allegations with her Indian counterpart that India has targeted Sikh activists in Canada.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she discussed the Canadian allegations with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar while he was in the Australian capital, Canberra.

India has denied Canada’s allegation that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the targeting of Sikh activists inside Canada.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police went public last with allegations that Indian diplomats were targeting Sikh separatists in Canada by sharing information about them with their government back home. They said top Indian officials were then passing that information along to Indian organized crime groups who were targeting the activists, who are Canadian citizens, with drive-by shootings, extortions and even murder.

Canada is not the only country that has accused Indian officials of plotting an assassination on foreign soil. The United States Justice Department announced criminal charges in mid-October against an Indian government employee in connection with an alleged foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.

The Justice Department said Vikash Yadav, who authorities say directed the New York plot from India, faces murder-for-hire charges in an alleged planned killing that prosecutors have previously said was meant to precede a string of other politically motivated murders in the United States and Canada.

Wong said her message to the Sikh community was that people have a right to be safe and respected in Australia, regardless of who they are.

“We’ve made clear our concerns about the allegations under investigation. We’ve said that we respect Canada’s judicial process,” Wong said at a news conference with Jaishankar.

“We convey our views to India as you would expect us to do and we have a principled position in relation to matters such as the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary and also, frankly, the sovereignty of all countries,” she added.

Jaishankar said Canada has put Indian diplomats under surveillance, which was “unacceptable.”

Australia has close intelligence-sharing ties with Canada as members of the Five Eyes alliance that also includes the United States, Britain and New Zealand.

Over the weekend, India officially protested Canada’s allegation of Sikh activists being targeted there as “absurd and baseless.”

Jaishankar on Tuesday also condemned reports of vandalism at a Hindu temple near Toronto in Canada on Sunday as “deeply concerning.” In videos on social media, demonstrators carrying yellow flags in support of the Sikh separatist movement can be seen clashing with others, including some holding India’s national flag, inside the temple complex. Indian consular officials were visiting the temple where the clashes erupted. It was unclear how the violence began.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the violence at the temple “unacceptable,” adding that “every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely.”

The violence drew a strong rebuke from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. “Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats. Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve,” he wrote on the social media platform X, adding that India expects Canada to ensure justice.

A demonstration that included protesters holding India’s national flag near the same temple on Monday night was ordered to disperse after Peel Regional Police said on social media that weapons were seen within the crowd. Police declared the protest an unlawful assembly, and warned anyone who remains could face arrest.

Relations between the two countries soured after Trudeau said last year there were credible evidence the Indian government had links to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India has vehemently rejected the accusation.

New Delhi, long anxious about Sikh separatist groups, has increasingly accused the Canadian government of giving free rein to separatists from a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan, in India.

The diplomatic row led to the expulsion of each side’s top diplomats last month.

Jaishankar said, “We believe in freedoms, but we also believe freedom should not be misused.”

Trudeau has said Modi underlined to him at a G20 summit in India last year that he wanted Canada to arrest people who have been outspoken against the Indian government. Trudeau said he told Modi that he felt the actions fall within free speech in Canada.

Trudeau added that he told Modi his government would work with India on concerns about terrorism, incitement of hate or anything that is unacceptable in Canada. But Trudeau also noted that advocating for separatism, though not Canadian government policy, is not illegal in Canada.

New lawmakers in Indian Kashmir seek restoration of partial autonomy (Reuters)

Reuters [11/6/2024 2:47 AM, Fayaz Bukhari, 5.2M, Neutral]
Newly-elected lawmakers in India’s Jammu and Kashmir territory passed a resolution on Wednesday demanding New Delhi restore the partial autonomy of the Himalayan region, a contentious move Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is likely to reject.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s partial autonomy in 2019, splitting the state into the two federally administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The decision was opposed by opposition parties, and many people were detained in 2019 to forestall a backlash against the shock move.

Modi’s government also imposed months of curbs on communications in the highly sensitive Kashmir Valley, where tens of thousands have been killed in a decades-long insurgency against Indian rule.

On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir’s newly-elected ruling alliance passed the resolution seeking the restoration, despite protests by BJP lawmakers.

"This legislative assembly re-affirms the importance of the special status and constitutional guarantees which safeguarded the identity, culture and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and expresses concern over their unilateral removal," it said.

Only the federal government can restore Kashmir’s special status. Modi’s government is expected to definitely reject the demand as the scrapping of special status was a key BJP plank for decades.

There was no immediate reaction from the federal government on the resolution.

The troubled region, where separatist militants have fought security forces since 1989, elected an opposition alliance to power last month in the first polls in a decade.

India’s only Muslim-majority territory, Jammu and Kashmir has been at the centre of a territorial dispute with Pakistan since the neighbours gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947.

Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, which have also fought two of their three wars over the region.

Myanmar Ethnic Groups Slam China as They Begin Talks With India (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg [11/5/2024 8:09 AM, Staff, 27782K, Positive]
Myanmar’s ethnic groups fighting to oust the junta criticized China for hosting military chief Min Aung Hlaing in the country this week, and said India has reached out for talks with the shadow government and some armed rebels.

The National Unity Government and ethnic armed groups held a joint virtual press conference on Tuesday, where they voiced displeasure at the junta leader’s first visit to China since a 2021 coup in Myanmar.

“We have clearly stated China should not recognize the illegitimate military council because his visit will not help strengthen bilateral ties but will complicate public perceptions” about China, said Zin Mar Aung, foreign minister for the NUG.

The junta leader’s visit to China comes as ethnic minority militias and pro-democracy fighters made unprecedented gains in parts of Myanmar, including areas bordering China, as they clashed with the military regime. China has moved to stop some boundary crossings and trade in order to halt the offensive.

“China’s ongoing pressure on ethnic revolutionary organizations will not affect the revolution,” Zin Mar Aung said. “Our ethnic people living along the border know perfectly well how to cope with China’s pressure.”

The minister said India has started reaching out to key stakeholders in Myanmar, including NUG and some ethnic armies, for talks. An official from one of the ethnic armies echoed that statement.

“India usually engages with those in power only but now they come to know it is time to speak to us,” Salai Htet Ni, assistant general secretary of Chin National Front, said at the briefing.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment when contacted for further information.

The junta could fall within a short time if pro-democracy forces are more united, the groups said.

“There won’t be a better opportunity if we can’t grab it now because the military is collapsing on multiple fronts,” said Salai Htet Ni.

India State Giant Approves $9.5 Billion of Coal Power Projects (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg [11/5/2024 9:59 AM, Rajesh Kumar Singh, 27782K, Positive]
NTPC Ltd., India’s largest power producer, said it has approved construction of coal-fired generation projects worth 797.4 billion rupees ($9.5 billion), aiding the government’s efforts to accelerate capacity addition to meet rising demand.

The latest investment approval is for 6.4 gigawatt of generation capacity spread across three locations where the state-run company already operates power stations, according to separate statements Tuesday. NTPC didn’t share timelines for commissioning the projects.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has doubled down on coal in recent months, prioritizing energy security over environment and climate. A growing economy and longer spells of heat waves have resulted in a surge in electricity demand, nearly three-quarters of which is met with coal.

NTPC will build 2.4-gigawatt projects each in Nabinagar in India’s east and Telangana in the south, as well as a 1.6 gigawatt project in Gadarwara in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, according to Tuesday’s statements.

NTPC, along with its units and joint ventures, has 76.4 gigawatts of installed capacity, almost 90% of which runs on fossil fuels. By 2032, the company aims to bring down that share to about a half, with the rest coming from renewable sources.

The world’s third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases has added solar and wind power projects at a record pace in recent years and has set an ambitious target to more than double its clean power capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030. Still, coal is expected to remain a dominant part of its power mix for at least another decade.

Understanding India’s Approach to Nuclear Strategy (The Diplomat)

The Diplomat [11/5/2024 2:13 PM, Alex Alfirraz Scheers, 1198K, Neutral]
At the recent BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, India and China held formal talks for the first time in five years. While Beijing and New Delhi are major trading partners, that partnership is characterized by a lopsidedness that weighs in China’s favor. In recent years, their relationship has also been tense. Unsettled border disputes led to skirmishes in 2020, 2021, and 2022, with the former arguably the worst confrontation between the regional powers in decades.

The countries are natural rivals, with the two largest populations in the world - together comprising approximately 36 percent of the global population - and with starkly contrasting political systems and social cultures. China has been a one-party state since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, while India is the world’s biggest democracy, and has been since its independence in 1947. With China’s meteoric rise, India has been orienting its strategic position with the aim of elevating its own global standing.

Indeed, China’s ascendancy comes about as India is concurrently planning its own. Hence, it would be unwise to be wholly convinced by the BRICS Summit’s optics. These fractious neighbors are also nuclear powers and are actively seeking to expand and modernize their nuclear forces. China’s nuclear journey plays a considerable role in India’s own strategic outlook. While Pakistan has always been India’s greatest security concern, China’s threat has imbued military and political strategists in New Delhi with a renewed focus. To compound New Delhi’s concerns, Islamabad and Beijing have a longstanding strategic partnership. The perceived threat from China has initiated developments approximating a regional security dilemma. These realities should not be ignored, regardless of the BRICS Summit.

While the nuclear community speculates over what drives China’s nuclear expansion, the role India foresees for its own nuclear capabilities merits close examination, too, particularly as we enter unchartered waters in the global security landscape. In a previous article, I explored the provenance and trajectory of China’s nuclear strategy. In this article, I assess India’s nuclear journey and establish the factors that inform how the South Asian powerhouse approaches nuclear strategic decision-making.

India has been a latent nuclear power since 1974, and an overt one since 1998. Its approach to deterrence has been informed by direct threats on its borders, first from Pakistan and second from China. It maintains strong civilian command and control of its nuclear capabilities, due to a deep distrust of the military. The posture India adopts is a deterrence-by-punishment posture, coupled with an assured retaliatory capability to ensure retaliation for any attacks against its vital interests.

Pakistan is India’s main regional security threat, but increasing tensions with China has made India’s nuclear forces feature greater long-range strategic capabilities. Indeed, India’s intercontinental missile capabilities can reach targets deep within China.

India’s Nuclear Policy: The Three Pillars

India’s commitment to a retaliatory posture is reflected in the three pillars guiding its nuclear policy.

The first pillar is a commitment to no first use (NFU). A strategic cultural explanation for India’s commitment to NFU suggests that India has a tradition of non-violence. A military strategic reading suggests that in fact, India perceives nuclear weapons strictly as instruments of deterrence, employable only if India suffers a first strike.

The second pillar is assured massive retaliation. India’s recessed posture indicates that should India feel the need to retaliate with a nuclear strike, it would reserve the option to determine when and where to employ nuclear weapons. For logistical reasons, India’s recessed posture complicates its ability to assemble its weapons rapidly. As the late Air Commodore Jasjit Singh wrote, the purpose of India’s strategic deterrence posture is to make "nuclear weapons politically available at any given time, but militarily recessed."

However, the concept of massive retaliation indicates that the full force of India’s nuclear arsenal would be employed if India were attacked. For deterrence to be effective, this factor needs to be credible. The adversary needs to believe that India would be willing to employ the full force of its nuclear capabilities if a threshold was crossed. Nevertheless, India’s efforts to enhance force survivability has bolstered its deterrence capabilities. India has also begun enhancing its missile defense capabilities, to complement the strategic importance with which it regards survivability and being able to absorb a first strike. As Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda have written, "India has also converted some of its ballistic missile technology into an anti-satellite interceptor."

The final pillar of India’s nuclear posture is that under no condition would India ever conventionalize its nuclear forces. This, too, demonstrates that India does not perceive nuclear weapons as instruments of war, but strictly as coercive instruments of strategic deterrence. In other words, India’s nuclear weapons are designed to prevent aggression, not initiate it. As India’s declaratory doctrine makes clear, its strategic objectives are to "deter the use and threat of nuclear weapons."

Furthermore, as former Vice Adm. Vijay Shankar once intimated, India does not possess a launch-on-warning posture, referring to a pre-emptive and escalatory posture, but rather could only retaliate with a nuclear strike after it has absorbed a nuclear hit. Shankar described this as a "launch after hit" posture, indicating that India possesses what it believes to be secure second-strike capabilities.

India’s efforts to expand its nuclear forces under Prime Minister Narendra Modi certainly show that it is developing more robust assured retaliatory capabilities, with survivable forces that encompass multiple domains, including land-based forces and sea-based forces. Since 2016, India has also developed several new categories of land-based ballistic missiles, further indicating India’s efforts to enhance its second-strike capabilities. As of 2022, India is estimated to possess 160 nuclear warheads.

India’s Nuclear Posture: Assured Retaliation

As mentioned above, India adopts an assured retaliation posture. Assured retaliation is a deterrence-by-punishment posture that requires assured second-strike capabilities, enabling India to conduct nuclear retaliatory strikes on enemy targets after it has absorbed a nuclear attack on its vital interests. The deterrent role of its nuclear weapons demonstrates that India seeks to protect its vital interests by threatening to use its strategic or tactical nuclear forces, to impose costs that would significantly outweigh any potential gains made by its adversaries.

India has also maintained a recessed nuclear posture, which signals its commitment to NFU. The downside for India is that rapid retaliation would be logistically complicated. Nevertheless, a recessed capability does not preclude rapid retaliation, and Indian nuclear posture affords it the flexibility to conduct massive retaliatory strikes whenever it deems fit.

However, as Yogesh Joshi and Frank O’Donnell argue, India’s recent nuclear force expansion is geared toward demonstrating India’s prowess as a highly advanced military power and is motivated by political as well as security considerations. This suggests that India’s posture may be moving away from assured retaliation.

Unlike Pakistan, India’s nuclear deterrent is oriented toward two nuclear powers, the other being China. Nonetheless, India’s nuclear targeting consistently indicates that it adopts an assured retaliatory posture toward Pakistan, despite being able to reach several targets in China. Hence, Pakistan remains the primary target of India’s assured retaliatory forces, as wars and crises between the two countries have occurred recurrently since 1948. Furthermore, the threat Pakistan poses to Indian security extends beyond border disputes, with Pakistan repeatedly providing military aid to violent non-state actors seeking to undermine Indian national security from within. Consequently, India considers Pakistan as the greater threat to its national security.

India has adopted an assured retaliation posture ever since it became a latent nuclear state in 1974. Despite militarized crises with Pakistan in the 1980s, India’s strategic ambiguity did not compromise its assured retaliatory posture, as its peaceful nuclear explosion test in 1974 signaled its ability to assemble a nuclear weapon relatively rapidly. This capability proved sufficient to deter its adversaries and prevent all-out regional war. As Vipin Narang wrote, "in demonstrating the ability to retaliate against China and Pakistan in the event of a nuclear attack, [China and Pakistan] believed [India] had the capability to assemble and deliver [a nuclear weapon] within weeks of a decision to do so."

The Brasstacks Crisis of 1986-87 with Pakistan was the turning point in India’s nuclear trajectory, compelling a shift in Indian nuclear strategy, from latent to overt. The subsequent decision to develop 60-130 nuclear warheads in 1987, deliverable by aircraft, demonstrates the importance of survivability in Indian strategic thinking.

Survivability is a prerequisite to possessing an assured second-strike capability. However, India’s superior conventional and strategic nuclear capabilities have not made it invulnerable to Pakistani probing. In 1999, Pakistani forces crossed the Line of Control into India-controlled Jammu and Kashmir enclaves. What followed was the Kargil War. India elected to exercise restraint, opting not to retaliate with nuclear force over Pakistani breaches, further demonstrating India’s commitment to NFU. That the conflict did not escalate to the nuclear level also highlights the robust deterrent role nuclear weapons played - and continues to play - between the two countries.

On Strategic Culture: India, Hinduism, and Non-Violence

Strategic culture alludes to the historical, cultural, religious, and ideational precepts that inform the practices and behaviors of a state. While there are different definitions of strategic culture, according to scholars Jeffrey Lantis, Jack Snyder, and Colin Gray, two consistent characteristics are commonly agreed: strategic culture is indicative of deep roots, and it is semi-permanent. Strategic culture, according to Lantis, also combines "a set of general beliefs, attitudes, and behavior patterns with regard to nuclear strategy," and encompasses a distinctive style with "deep roots within a particular stream of historical experience."

India’s commitment to NFU correlates with its Hindu ideals of non-violence. As Ashley Tellis has argued, NFU "is remarkably pervasive in Indian strategic thought." The tradition of non-violence can also be traced back to Gandhi’s own traditions of resistance in the face of British imperialism. NFU has been a consistent feature in India’s nuclear strategy, comprising every iteration of its doctrine; Sumit Ganguly and Devin Hagerty argued that "India’s nuclear doctrine rests on its pledge never to be first in the use of nuclear weapons."

The eventual decision to produce nuclear weapons suggests that the role of strategic culture waned in the face of increased security threats. Yet, becoming a nuclear weapons state has not diminished India’s ambition to envisage a world free of nuclear weapons. Its first published nuclear doctrine, from 2003, details seemingly non-violent ideals, such as the need to exercise nuclear restraint; to advocate for strict controls on the development of nuclear fissile material; to adhere to the moratorium on nuclear tests; and to call for universal nuclear disarmament.

Maintaining recessed nuclear forces also points to India’s aversion to nuclear weapons use. The arduous and time-consuming operation of assembling strategic nuclear weapons components stored in distant parts of India’s landmass suggests that this safeguard also serves as a form of self-deterrence. Coupled with pronounced notions of a responsibility to humanity, the safeguarding against nuclear weapons use indicates that fundamentally, the limitless destruction that nuclear weapons would inflict is anathema to Indian values.

While the juxtaposition of nuclear weapons and adherence to benign ideals has endured, the extent to which non-violence will remain an indefinite feature in Indian nuclear strategy is debatable. India’s drive for force expansion and modernization since Modi became prime minister points to growing bellicosity in Indian strategic culture and decision-making, standing in stark contrast to India’s benign culture and religious precepts.

Conclusion

An understanding of how New Delhi perceives its own strategic environment vis-a-vis Islamabad and Beijing is a serious geostrategic issue. As China’s regional dominance shows no signs of abating, and the global security landscape continues to change in dangerous ways, India is unlikely to adhere to a strategic logic its strategists hold to be diminishing in salience. To protect its vital interests against threats emanating from Pakistan and China, strategists in New Delhi will have to adapt their outlook to meet the challenges of the present.

As the adage goes, when the facts change, opinions change with them. As the Asian geostrategic landscape continues to evolve, so too will India’s nuclear strategy.

Delhi wants artificial rain to tackle worsening air pollution (Reuters)

Reuters [11/5/2024 5:55 AM, Sakshi Dayal, 88008K, Negative]
India’s capital territory of Delhi is keen to use artificial rain to fight air pollution this year, its Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Tuesday, as deteriorating air quality in the region led to an increase in respiratory illnesses.

Large swathes of north India battle pollution each winter as cold air traps dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from farm fires in the breadbasket states of Punjab and Haryana, shrouding the national capital and its suburbs in a toxic haze.

Cloud-seeding - the method of triggering rain by seeding clouds with salts - was considered to curb pollution in 2023 too but the plan did not materialise due to unfavourable weather conditions.

"I appeal to the federal environment minister...now in Delhi and north India, the pollution has reached the border of 400," Rai told reporters, referring to the air quality index (AQI) score on Tuesday.

"The next 10 days are quite crucial...help us get permission for artificial rain, call a meeting," he said.

About a third of Delhi’s 39 monitoring stations showed a severe AQI score of more than 400 on Tuesday, a level which affects healthy people but is more serious for those fighting disease.

An air quality score of zero to 50 is considered good.

Doctors at private hospitals in Delhi and its suburbs said they had seen a spike in patients with respiratory illnesses since Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights celebrated last week, when revellers violated a ban on firecrackers.

"We are seeing more patients due to pollution related flare up of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and bronchitis. There is an approximately 20%-30% increase in patients," said Prashant Saxena, senior director for pulmonology at Fortis Hospital.

At C K Birla Hospital in industrial hub Gurugram, doctors are seeing more than 50 patients with pulmonary complaints every day, some of whom also need hospitalisation, said Kuldeep Kumar, head of critical care and pulmonology.

Rising air pollution can cut the life expectancy of each person in South Asia by more than five years, the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) said in its Air Quality Life Index last year.

Swiss group IQAir rated Delhi the world’s second most polluted city on Tuesday, after Lahore in neighbouring Pakistan, where authorities also took emergency measures following Sunday’s unprecedented pollution levels.

The government in Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab, home to Lahore, has blamed deteriorating air quality on pollution wafting in from India, an issue it has vowed to take up with its neighbour through the foreign ministry.

Trafficked: the girls sold for sex in India (Agence France-Presse)

Agence France-Presse [11/5/2024 9:32 PM, Staff, 88008K, Negative]
Sold by her family as a teenager, Zarin was beaten, drugged and repeatedly gang-raped -- just one of many thousands of young women trafficked in India.

Her home state of West Bengal -- bordering Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal -- is a key trafficking hub where more than 50,000 girls are missing, the highest figure in India, according to the latest national crime records.

Zarin, whose name has been changed, was sold to traffickers by her family after refusing an arranged marriage at the age of 16.

"I said ‘no’, and told them I was too young," Zarin, now 20, told AFP.

On a trip she thought was to visit her sister in the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, some 1,900 kilometres (1,180 miles) away, she was instead handed over to a man.

Her captors frequently drugged her to knock her out, and it was only when she hid her drug-laced meal that she realised she was being sexually abused.

"I lay there, pretending to be unconscious... then I saw three or four men entering the room," she said.

"That is when I understood what had been happening to me."

She fought back that time, but was gang-raped in the days to come.

India’s interior ministry registered 2,250 cases of human trafficking in 2022, according to the most recent data, but the real figure is believed to be much higher.

Many of the missing girls are trafficked through Kolkata, state capital of West Bengal and one of India’s biggest cities -- some into forced labour, others into prostitution.

Zarin’s captors later sold her on -- she believes for less than $3,500.

"They would beat me up, sexually abuse me," she said, her voice breaking in emotion. "Speaking about this is painful."

She later escaped, and is trying to rebuild her life.

- ‘Traffickers exploit millions’ -

In the world’s most populous nation, the scale of the problem is vast.

A 2023 US State Department report on trafficking said that India is making "significant efforts" but that they still fall below minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.

"Traffickers exploit millions of people in commercial sex within India," the report read, saying some gangs arrange "sham marriages within India and Gulf states" before forcing women into the sex trade.

Social media, as well as mobile dating sites, are used to lure victims, it added.

Many are trapped by the long-outlawed practice of bonded labour, dubbed "debt slavery" by rights campaigners, in which victims are forced to work to pay back borrowed cash while interest keeps mounting.

It said "significant numbers" of Nepali and Bangladeshi women and girls are also lured to India for sex trafficking with the false promise of a job.

Pallabi Ghosh, founder of Impact and Dialogue Foundation, which works on rehabilitating trafficked survivors, said the numbers reported were far lower than reality due to "stigma".

Families often don’t want to pursue the case once a missing girl is rescued.

"Trafficking cases are tough to lodge," she said. "That is the reason why traffickers are out there at large."

The problem is acute, said Pinaki Sinha, from Kolkata-based anti-trafficking charity Sanlaap.

Poverty is a key cause, said Sinha, saying some parents wanted their daughter to marry into an "economically better off family".

Instead, the girls were abused.

"There is a lack of awareness -- and a lack of adequate support," he said.

- ‘Tore my clothes’ -

Ayesha, 18, swapped a life working in a garment factory in neighbouring Bangladesh, handing her and her mother’s savings of $285 to a broker who promised to smuggle her into India for better paid factory work.

But after arriving in India, she was told the work at the factory was no longer available but that she could instead dance in a bar.

Refusing that, and without income or shelter, she stayed with a man who offered her a room -- only to attack her.

"I was begging him and crying," Ayesha said, also not her real name. "He abused and hit me, tore my clothes and assaulted me."

She was then repeatedly sexually abused by two men. "They raped me more than eight or nine times over 18 days," she said.

Ayesha managed to escape after contacting a neighbour.

"I told the police that I want the two men to be punished for raping me," she said.

But officers told her it was her "mistake" for coming illegally to India and dismissed the case.

Ayesha has not lost hope, planning to return home and become a beautician.

"I want to be self-sufficient," she said. "I want to forget all about it."

India advances release time of retail inflation, infrastructure output data by 90 minutes (Reuters)

Reuters [11/5/2024 9:47 AM, Shivam Patel, 37270K, Neutral]
India’s statistics ministry said on Tuesday it had decided to bring forward the release time of retail inflation data, the key metric used to decide monetary policy, by 90 minutes to 1600 India Standard Time from 1730 IST on the 12th of every month.

The ministry has also decided to bring forward the release time of infrastructure output data by 90 minutes to 1600 IST on the 12th of every month, it added.

NSB

Can Bangladesh’s Judiciary Get on the Right Track Under the Interim Government? (The Diplomat)

The Diplomat [11/5/2024 8:56 AM, Saqlain Rizve, 1198K, Neutral]
2007 saw the separation of Bangladesh’s judiciary from the executive, which was supposed to introduce a new era into the legal and political landscape of the country. This necessary step, instigated by the then-caretaker government led by Fakhruddin Ahmed, created hope among the people that Bangladesh’s judiciary would finally work independently without any political interference.

This was a necessary move for democracy: an assurance that justice would be seen by its citizens in an institution committed to the rule of law and with no deference to political caprices. Yet, over a decade and a half later, the question of independence still remains, and the judiciary still struggles to live up to its promise of fair and just governance.

In 2008, when Sheikh Hasina came to power, her government inherited a judiciary that, although notionally independent of the executive, still remained vulnerable to political influence. The judiciary in Bangladesh is significantly affected by corruption, as indicated by the the National Household Survey 2021 on Corruption in Service Sectors, released by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on August 31, 2022. In that survey, 56.8 percent of those who had interactions with the judiciary reported experiencing corruption. Corruption obstructs justice, deepening societal inequities and undermining public trust.

There is also a continuing trend toward political favoritism that has managed to change the face of the judiciary. In the minds of many Bangladeshis, it became more an arm of the government’s interests and less an independent protector of citizens’ rights.

The encroachment of the ruling party into judicial decisions started to be highly visible in cases that involved political opposition figures. For example, in 2018 - a national election year - Khaleda Zia, head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was convicted on corruption charges. Given that charges against Zia had existed for a very long time, many considered the sudden and speedy disposition of this case to be indicative of a political motive.

Not only political figures but also activists, journalists, and even ordinary citizens who criticized the government have faced legal consequences, often under laws that critics argue were misused to suppress dissent.

Among those, the 2018 Digital Security Act, now the Cyber Security Act, is one of the most cited. Though officially meant for the purpose of fighting cybercrimes, the Cyber Security Act has been highly criticized by human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, since its application seems to be directed against anyone who dares raise a critical voice against the government.

Hundreds of journalists, social media users, and activists were arrested under this act for posts or articles considered "anti-state" or "defamatory." From 2018 to 2023 a total of 1,436 cases were filed against 4,520 people under this draconian law. This trend gave rise to apprehensions that the judiciary was not defending freedom of expression as guaranteed by the constitution.

The less-than-robust actions of the judiciary in such cases had many wondering whether it was really independent enough to serve as a check against the erosion of citizens’ constitutional rights. Observers said that cases filed against government critics often moved briskly through the courts, whereas cases filed by opposition members against figures of the ruling party were always subjected to serious delays. Such patterns contributed to perceptions of a judiciary that was not acting independently but was advancing political priorities promoted by the ruling administration. Bribes and influence were not uncommon in the litigation process, affecting everything from case filing to the final verdicts.

This deep-seated distrust in the judiciary has far-reaching implications for Bangladesh’s political and social landscape. Citizens grow increasingly disenchanted with the legal system’s ability to mete out justice, and their faith in democratic institutions wanes. Legal scholars and analysts have warned that a judiciary seen as biased or politicized undermines public confidence in the rule of law, thus making it even more difficult for any country to maintain democratic integrity.

This depletion in the independence of the judiciary further installs fear in the minds of people. Often, they will avoid seeking justice, knowing well that their cases may be decided based on political or economic influence rather than based on their merits.

The proper balance among the three branches of governance - including the judiciary - is integral for the healthy functioning of a democracy. However, in Bangladesh, the steps taken by the judiciary during the past decade have turned it into an institution in which political loyalty often supplants neutrality. In this, Bangladesh’s judicial branch was mirroring changes in the entire system of governance. The consequence is a judiciary commanding neither the confidence nor esteem of the people it is supposed to serve, with many viewing it as a tool used to consolidate power rather than challenge it.

Since the ouster of Hasina, the recent political changes have rejuvenated the demand for judicial reform and restoration of true independence. There should be a structural sea change to reestablish the judiciary’s role as impartial. These range from demands for a more transparent process of appointing judges to financial and administrative independence of the judiciary to reduce its dependence on the executive. Similarly, civil society organizations are also calling for the abolition or amendment of such laws as the Cyber Security Act.

As the country moves on from Hasina’s legacy, Bangladesh’s judiciary stands at the crossroads. The way ahead lies in tackling these chronic legacies, which have not let the judiciary serve its due purpose - and without an independent judiciary, democracy remains a mere word. As Bangladesh works to restore hope in its institutions once again, there needs to be an urgent push for a truly independent and neutral judiciary. The rule of law can only be justly and rightly served in Bangladesh through genuine reforms, transparency, and accountability. Only then can it serve as a bedrock for democratic governance.

Under the Yunus administration, people and experts are hopeful that Bangladesh’s judiciary will achieve full independence. However, nearly three months into the administration, it faces the challenge of restoring public trust and genuinely separating itself from political influence.

There have been a growing number of arbitrary arrests of Awami League leaders and activists. While some suspects may indeed be guilty of real crimes, the haste with which such apparently politically motivated charges have been pressed gives cause for alarm over the possible abuse of judicial power.

For example, cricketer and newly elected AL Member of Parliament Shakib Al Hasan faced significant legal issues following Hasina’s ouster. He was among 147 individuals charged in a murder case linked to political unrest during her resignation. However, Shakib’s involvement was quickly questioned, as he was playing in the Global T20 Canada cricket league during the July-August uprising. This discrepancy has fueled concerns over the potential manipulation of judicial power for political ends, casting doubt on the impartiality of the legal process.

These detentions, replete with suspicious circumstances, have again brought into question the independence of the judiciary. When actual wrongdoing occurs, resorting to trumped up or inflated charges undermines the rule of law. The arrests have led many to wonder whether a pattern of politicization in the judiciary has simply recurred with a change in the administration.

Moreover, in the court premises, there have been rising tempers over clashes and political harassment. Lawyers affiliated with the BNP and other opposition parties often harass lawyers who were affiliated with the AL.

On the other hand, some claim that only BNP supporters are being appointed as judges, while others argue that only individuals associated with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami are being appointed. This situation recalls past arrangements that raised concerns about political influence.

These trends raise red flags over the direction of the judiciary under a non-political government committed to reform.

The path of genuine judicial independence is very, very difficult, but from the point of view of democracy and social fabric in Bangladesh, this is a road that must be undertaken with utmost urgency and resolve. Only when the problems are faced head on can Bangladesh create a legal system steeped in the rule of law and instill confidence in its courts.

The current interim government may introduce some effective measures to strengthen the judiciary, which the entire country eagerly demands. However, history shows that if a decision by a non-political government displeases the next elected government, it often faces reversal. Therefore, the true impact of any reforms made by the interim government will only become clear under the rule of the next elected government.

China is building new villages on its remote Himalayan border. Some appear to have crossed the line (CNN)

CNN [11/5/2024 6:00 AM, Simone McCarthy and Nectar Gan, 24052K, Neutral]
High in the mist-shrouded Himalayas, a winding mountain road opens to a clearing in the pine forested valley, revealing rows of uniform Tibetan-style houses, each topped with a Chinese flag.

Construction is booming in this remote place. Piles of logs and other building materials line the road. On a nearby hillside, cranes tower over rising housing blocks.

"They are building resettlement houses here," says the Chinese travel vlogger who captured these scenes last year, speaking into his phone on a roadside. "When people live and settle here, it undeniably confirms that this is our country’s territory."

But the village - known as Demalong and formally founded in March last year with a community of 70 families, according to a government notice seen in the footage - is not only located in territory claimed by the world’s ascendent superpower.

It is one of a string of Chinese settlements that also fall well within the border shown on official maps of Bhutan - a Buddhist kingdom of fewer than 1 million people that’s never agreed on a formal international border with China.

For centuries, herders looking for summer pastures were the main presence in this harsh and inhospitable region some 14,000 feet (4,200 meters) above sea level in the eastern Himalayas. But now, there is a growing population as the Chinese government incentivizes hundreds of people to settle there from across Tibet, the region of China that borders Bhutan.

Those settlements show another, quieter front in China’s expanding efforts to assert its control over disputed, peripheral territories - also playing out in the South and East China Seas - as Chinese leader Xi Jinping seeks to bolster national security and enhance China’s position over its rivals.

Bhutan and China have been holding yet-unresolved border talks for decades. Looming in the backdrop of those discussions is India, China’s biggest regional rival and Bhutan’s close diplomatic ally.

The nuclear-armed neighbors have previously gone to war and more recently engaged in a series of skirmishes over their disputed 2,100-mile (3,379-kilometer) border, which straddles Bhutan - and, in Beijing’s eyes, makes the small Himalayan nation all the more critical to its national security.

CNN has reviewed satellite images provided by Earth data company Planet Labs, as well as Chinese government notices, state media reports, and social media footage, which together reveal extensive development in a valley China calls the Jigenong, or Jakarlung in Tibetan. Locations of the construction were provided to CNN by modern Tibet studies expert Robert Barnett of SOAS University of London.

CNN has geolocated four officially named villages and a fifth settlement using satellite images and videos in state and social media.

A comparison of China’s official map of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Bhutan’s national map published in its 2023 Statistical Yearbook show this development is located in territory claimed by both countries.

Bhutanese authorities, however, have repeatedly rejected previous reports of Chinese encroachment, including in a foreign media interview last year when then-Prime Minister Lotay Tshering "categorically" denied that China had been building in Bhutan’s territory.

In response to a request for comment from CNN about the construction and its territorial claims, Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade said there were "no Chinese settlements" in its northern district of Lhuntse, where CNN identified the villages.

"The map of Bhutan covering the northern border will be finalized in accordance to the demarcation of the Bhutan-China border," the ministry’s statement said. It also pointed to the two countries’ boundary talks and said Bhutan was "confident that the northern border will be finalized in the near future."

China’s foreign ministry did not deny building villages in disputed territory when approached by CNN for comment on the construction.

"China’s construction activities in the border region with Bhutan are aimed at improving the local livelihoods," a ministry statement said. "China and Bhutan have their own claims regarding the territorial status of the relevant region, but both agree to resolve differences and disputes through friendly consultations and negotiations."

New research shared in advance with CNN by a team led by SOAS’ Barnett extensively tracks the Chinese construction of what the researchers classified as 19 "cross-border villages" and three smaller settlements since 2016.

The construction has taken place in border regions in northeast Bhutan and the west of the kingdom - near the disputed border between India and China, according to the research. The findings, also described by Barnett in The Diplomat, add to his 2021 Foreign Policy magazine report on earlier construction in the same northern area - and document what the latest research describes as a new "surge" in building there since early last year.

Archival research by Barnett suggests Bhutan’s claims in this northern region stretch back much farther than China’s, he says. An official Chinese map from 1980 seen by CNN also shows the northern area as part of Bhutan.

"China, as the most powerful player in the relationship, seems to be conducting an experiment about whether it can more or less decide for itself whether or when it is entitled to take ownership of territory disputed with a neighbor … and how and if the international community will respond," Barnett told CNN.

High-altitude rivalry

The blurry boundaries through the Himalayan peaks and plateaus separating China and its southern neighbors are often relics of imperial era agreements and nomadic routes - now charged with the nationalist rhetoric and military might of New Delhi and Beijing.

Landlocked by both, Bhutan has long navigated carefully between India - its largest development and trading partner, which until 2007 effectively controlled its foreign policy - and China, an economic and military giant with whom it has no formal diplomatic ties.

Bhutan’s place in their dispute was thrown into the spotlight in 2017, when the kingdom accused the Chinese army of building a road "inside Bhutanese territory" in the Doklam area, near a strategic and disputed junction between all three countries along Bhutan’s west.

Then, Indian troops moved into the area to block China - sparking a tense, 73-day standoff that threatened to pitch the rivals into conflict.

Though not part of India’s territorial claims, Doklam is close to the so-called "chicken’s neck," or Siliguri Corridor, a vital artery between New Delhi and its far northeastern states. China claims Doklam has been its territory "since ancient times."

Ultimately diffused, the incident was one more reminder for Beijing of the volatility of the unresolved border.

India and China reached an agreement on military disengagement along a section of their disputed border earlier this month - in a step toward easing tensions there.

However, strengthening its position in that rivalry has been a driving force for Beijing, experts say, as it extends its foothold in lands traditionally claimed by Bhutan - and enlists its citizens to relocate there to press its counterclaim.

CNN has reached out to India’s Ministry of External Affairs for comment on the Chinese construction.

"Knowing India has a strong presence in Bhutan, China naturally becomes vulnerable in the bordering region," said Rishi Gupta, assistant director at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New Delhi.

"This vulnerability compels China to enhance its influence in Bhutan and assert its territorial claims more aggressively, seeking to counterbalance India’s strategic partnerships in the area."

One year prior to the 2017 standoff, Beijing was already starting a major bid to bolster its claims by building roads and villages in the Jakarlung valley - along another China-Bhutan frontier far to the northeast of Doklam.

The buildup follows what observers say were long-standing efforts by China to convince Bhutan’s leaders to cede their claims in the west around Doklam - in exchange for Beijing giving up its claims to the northern areas.

In 2016, China founded Jieluobu, its first official village in the Jakarlung valley. Two years later, Jieluobu was branded a model "border xiaokang village" - one of hundreds of such villages built or upgraded in recent years along China’s western and southern frontiers.

The "xiaokang" - or "moderate prosperity" - villages along China’s borders have been billed as part of Beijing’s scheme to eradicate poverty and improve living conditions in its far-flung frontiers.

But experts say these villages are also part of Xi’s vision to use civilian settlements to solidify control of China’s border, amid perceived threats of foreign encroachment and infiltration - and a growing obsession with security.

"Only when there are people can the border remain stable," the leader is often quoted as saying by officials in frontier regions.

By 2022, more than 600 "border xiaokang villages" - including Jieluobu - had been completed in Tibet, boosting its border population by 10.5%, the regional government said in its annual work report.

"It is no doubt that the villages are aimed to strengthen China’s territorial claims and control of the border regions, especially the disputed areas," said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington.

"Once the Chinese villagers are there, China has causes for stationing troops and performing administrative control. The strategy has a long history in China, tracing back as early as the Han dynasty," she said.

No place anybody would choose

Chinese construction that began in the Jakurlung valley in 2016 has ramped up since last year relative to earlier periods, according to the research by SOAS’s Barnett, based on satellite imagery.

In the west, construction began around 2019 but appeared to have stopped after 2022, the research found. For that reason, CNN’s reporting has focused on development in the area along Bhutan’s northern border.

As of this summer, more than 2,000 residential units - estimated to have space for thousands of people - had been built in multiple settlements across both areas, according to the report.

That buildup has also been supported by an expanding network of roads, which geointelligence researcher Damien Symon says have progressed south from China into Bhutan over recent years.

"None of the roads connect into Bhutan, they start from the Chinese border and end in forest areas. There is no connectivity to existing Bhutanese roads or villages," said Symon, of analysis collective The Intel Lab, who in a December 2023 report for London-based think tank Chatham House tracked new Chinese construction "across the contested border with Bhutan" in the north.

Road access is crucial for new settlements in the Jakarlung valley, which Chinese reports say used to be cut off from the outside world by heavy snow for half the year.

"These are not places anybody would normally choose to relocate to, because they are either extremely high or extremely exposed to the elements," Barnett said.

To populate the cold, damp valley, officials in Tibet entice settlers from across the region with spacious new homes and generous subsidies.

In Jieluobu, the Tibetan herders moved into two-story houses with courtyards. Residents aged 16 and older are eligible for an annual subsidy of more than 20,000 yuan (about $2,800), state media reported.

Patriotic education is part of everyday life in Jieluobu. In 2021, the village held 150 study sessions on Xi’s speeches, party policies and history, Mandarin Chinese and border defense, state media reported. Since then, the village has also undergone a major expansion.

Meanwhile, in the southeastern part of the valley, Demalong has added 235 new homes since last year and aims to build a kindergarten and a clinic, according to government statements. It also has a military compound, the travel blogger’s video shows.

In between Jieluobu and Demalong, China has constructed more settlements along the valley, recently completing two new villages: Qujielong and Semalong. CNN has also geolocated a fifth settlement that has yet to be named in official notices.

Since late September, a new wave of residents has moved into Demalong, Jieluobu, Semalong and Qujielong from as far as Nagqu, a city in northern Tibet some seven hours’ drive away, according to a local government noticeand videos shared by relocatees on Chinese social media.

The new families, arriving in long columns of vans, coaches and trucks escorted by police cars, were greeted by red banners and traditional Tibetan dances, social media footage shows.

‘No intrusion’

Bhutan has repeatedly denied that Chinese construction has taken place in its territory.

Asked in March last year about reports of China building in the kingdom’s north, then-Prime Minister Lotay Tshering told Belgian outlet La Libre, "We are not making a big deal of it because it’s not in Bhutan."

"We have said categorically that there is no intrusion as mentioned in the media," he said. "This is an international border and we know exactly what belongs to us."

In a separate interview with India’s The Hindu about six months later, the former prime minister, whose government was replaced in elections earlier this year, reiterated that "there are no real differences between China and Bhutan, but there is an un-demarcated border dating back to Tibet-Bhutan ties," referring to the period before Tibet’s 1951 official annexation by Beijing.

As early as 2020, Bhutan’s ambassador to India said there was "no Chinese village inside Bhutan," following Indian media reports about such development in the kingdom’s western borderlands.

That appears to be in sharp contrast to recent decades when Bhutan repeatedly protested what it claimed were incursions into its territory by Chinese soldiers and Tibetan herders. In 1997, Thimphu told Beijing that Tibetan herdsmen had been intruding into the Jakarlung valley and even constructed sheds there, according to Bhutan’s National Assembly records cited by Barnett.

In a 1998 pact, the two countries agreed to maintain the status quo in the border region as they continue talks to resolve the "boundary question."

Observers say Bhutan’s rhetoric on this issue has become increasingly opaque in recent years, and some wonder whether the kingdom’s muted comments are because it’s already reached a tacit understanding with China to give up some territorial claims.

Others suggest Bhutan’s priority may be to keep relations stable so they can finally reach a deal - with the potential to ease the uncertainty of the countries’ power imbalance and bring the economic benefits of normalized ties.

"Most Bhutanese would love to see the borders demarcated and settled and a new chapter of friendly relations with China," said Bhutanese scholar Karma Phuntsho.

But while Bhutan remains "keen to solve the border issues with China," the remote border areas have little impact on Bhutanese peoples’ livelihoods, so, "the countries are taking time to reach the best mutually beneficial solutions," he added.

Other observers take a more pointed view.

The Bhutanese "have realized that they have no way in which they can get back anything which the Chinese have occupied, and they lack the capacity … to police the border, let alone the military capacity to retrieve anything from the border," said Manoj Joshi, a distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

"So at one level, they have taken the position that they will try and resolve the border issue … pending that settlement, they don’t want anything to come up."

Despite the negotiations over the decades, the kingdom has already shed land to China.

Bhutan’s official maps have lost a parcel of land to its northwest and the Menchuma valley and plateau in its northeast, according to Barnett. That northwest parcel, which includes Kula Kangri mountain, is often cited as covering some 400 square kilometers (154 sq miles).

In its response to CNN, Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade said these two areas "are not inside of Bhutan."

"These areas fall north to the traditional boundary between Bhutan and China," its statement said.

In 2021, Bhutanese and Chinese officials agreed to a "road map" to expedite settling their border. They picked up formal talks last October for the first time since the Doklam standoff, with Bhutan’s foreign minister making a rare visit to Beijing.

There, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured counterpart Tandi Dorji that Beijing was ready to "fix and develop China-Bhutan friendly relations in legal form."

In its response to CNN, China’s foreign ministry said the "two sides are actively seeking a boundary demarcation arrangement that is acceptable to both, in accordance with the principle of fairness, rationality, mutual understanding and mutual accommodation."

Regardless of how each side defines the location of these developments, they appear to be part of a long-term plan for China to strengthen its position and apply pressure along the yet un-demarcated border.

This year, a local government chief from a county in Tibet has visited the villages in the Jakarlung valley at least twice to inspect construction projects and check in with residents.

During a visit in April, the official reminded local cadres and residents of their mission.

"(We’re) lacking oxygen but not spirit, enduring hardship without fear, overcoming higher altitudes with an even higher sense of purpose," he said, quoting a 2020speech by Xi.

Maldives recalls its ambassador in Pakistan over unsanctioned meeting with Kabul’s envoy (AP)

AP [11/5/2024 10:34 AM, Munir Ahmed, 31638K, Neutral]
Pakistani officials said on Tuesday they were aware the Maldives government had recalled its ambassador to Pakistan after he met with the Afghan Taliban government’s top diplomat in Islamabad without clearing it with his government.

The Maldives does not recognize the Taliban government which seized power in August 2021 as United States and NATO forces withdrew from the country. The Taliban has been widely isolated for human rights violations since the takeover, including bans on Afghan girls and women.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives said in a statement on Nov. 3 that the recent meeting between Mohamed Thoha, the High Commissioner of Maldives in Pakistan and Ahmad Shakib, Afghanistan’s chargé d’affaires was not "sanctioned by the Government of Maldives."

Without elaborating, the statement said an "appropriate action" was taken against Thoha on Saturday.

It said "Maldives is guided by the practice followed by the United Nations General Assembly when questions arise about the representative character of a government. Consistent with this practice, the Maldives recognizes the Government representing Afghanistan at the United Nations as the legitimate Government of Afghanistan."

This came days after the Afghan embassy in Islamabad said in a statement the two officials met to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and trade relations between Maldives and Central Asian Countries through Afghanistan.

It also stated that the Afghan envoy while thanking Thoha said "Afghanistan seeks constructive relations with all countries and is striving through its economy-focused policies to transform Afghanistan into a regional connectivity hub".

The high commission of Maldives in Islamabad took down Thoha’s photo from its website.

Central Asia

Four Central Asian entities added to US sanctions list (EurasiaNet)

EurasiaNet [11/5/2024 4:14 PM, Almaz Kumenov, 57.6K, Neutral]
Four entities in Central Asia have been added to the US Treasury Department’s sanctions list, accused of providing machine tools and other dual-use equipment to Russia via China in violation of US rules barring trade that can support the Kremlin’s war effort in Ukraine.

The four entities, one from Kazakhstan, one from Kyrgyzstan and two from Uzbekistan, were among 275 businesses and individuals added to the sanctions list at the end of October.

A Treasury Department statement outlined what it called the “Ushko Machine Tools Procurement Scheme,” in which an Almaty-based company, Kazstanex, and Tashkent-based Uzstanex procured machine tools from Europe, then shipped them onward to Shanghai Winsun Co. in China. From there, the products were sent to Russia to a company called Open Systems Development Technology. Russian citizens, identified as Sergey Ushko, Alexander Ushko, Igor Khomenko and Tatyana Khomenko, are listed as coordinating the deliveries, according to the Treasury Department. All entities and individuals named in the scheme are now under US sanctions.

A Bishkek-based firm called LLC Service Fly Bishkek and a second Uzbek-firm, LLC The Elite Investment Group also landed on the US sanctions list.

“The United States and our allies will continue to take decisive action across the globe to stop the flow of critical tools and technologies that Russia needs to wage its illegal and immoral war against Ukraine,” the statement quoted Deputy Treasury Wally Adeyemo as saying.

Central Asia has long been seen as a conduit used by Russia to evade sanctions. The Russia-Ukraine war has forced Central Asian leaders to walk a fine line as they find themselves caught in the middle of a great-power struggle and strive to keep the opposing sides, Russia and China on the one hand, the United States and European Union on the other, content. Kazakhstan, for example, officially adheres to Western trade sanctions imposed on Russia. But numerous reports of sanctions-busting behavior by entities based in Kazakhstan, as well as elsewhere in Central Asia, have been documented.

Earlier in 2024, several Kazakh entities were added to the sanctions’ list. Minister of National Economy Nurlan Baibazarov, commenting on sanctions, said the imposition of secondary penalties against some Kazakh entities would not have a significant impact on the overall economy. “On a national scale, Kazakhstan complies with sanctions,” Baibazarov maintained.

Uzbekistan Jails Migrant Worker For Fighting For Russia In Ukraine (Radio Free Europe)

Radio Free Europe [11/5/2024 9:11 AM, Staff, 1251K, Negative]
A court in Uzbekistan’s Ferghana Province has sentenced 51-year-old Alisher Xoliqov to five years in prison for mercenary activities with the Russian armed forces in a landmark case highlighting the growing issue of foreigners enlisting to fight in Ukraine.

The November 4 court ruling shows the risks faced by Central Asian migrants and the harsh legal consequences of their involvement in Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Xoliqov, an Uzbek citizen, initially moved to Russia in search of work.

His troubles began in November 2023, when, after an altercation with a Russian employer over unpaid wages, he was detained by the police.

Facing the threat of criminal prosecution, Xoliqov was coerced into signing a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry. Media reports say he was allegedly pressured to enlist because of his vulnerability as a migrant worker.

Despite only serving a few months in the Russian military, Xoliqov was deployed to the front line in Ukraine in early 2024.

In February, after crossing the Ukrainian border, his unit was attacked by a drone and he sustained serious injuries.

He was hospitalized in Moscow for treatment and after his discharge, Xoliqov was offered Russian citizenship, which he declined, opting instead to return to Uzbekistan.

He received 800,000 rubles (around $8,000) in compensation for his brief service, but back in Uzbekistan he was subsequently charged with mercenary activities.

The case has sparked concern over the growing trend of Central Asian nationals being recruited into Russia’s military, often under dubious circumstances.

Central Asian governments, including Uzbekistan, have repeatedly warned their citizens about the risks and legal consequences of participating in the conflict in Ukraine.

However, economic hardship and a lack of opportunities at home continue to drive many migrants to seek work in Russia, where they end up joining the army or mercenary groups fighting in Ukraine.

In recent months, other Uzbek nationals have been sentenced for similar offenses.

In October, a court in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand Province sentenced a 56-year-old man to three years in prison for mercenary activities. A month earlier, a Tashkent court handed down a parole-like sentence to an alleged member of the Wagner group, a Russian paramilitary organization, who had not participated in combat but was involved in the group’s failed mutiny and march toward Moscow last year.

The judicial response to mercenary activities is part of a broader effort by Central Asian authorities to curb the participation of their citizens in foreign conflicts, especially in Ukraine.

These developments also underscore the complex legal and ethical questions surrounding migrant labor and military recruitment in the context of an ongoing war that has drawn in individuals from many countries, particularly former Soviet republics.

The Men Jailed in Uzbekistan for Fighting Russia’s War in Ukraine (The Diplomat)

The Diplomat [11/5/2024 1:47 PM, Catherine Putz, 1198K, Negative]
Another man has been jailed in Uzbekistan for fighting in the war in Ukraine.

On November 4, a court in the Qo`shtepa district of Fergana Region sentenced 51-year-old Alisher Khalikov to five years in prison for engaging in "mercenary activities." Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, numerous reports have shed light on the recruitment of Central Asians in Russia into the military effort.

Following Moscow’s "partial mobilization" in late September 2022, Central Asian governments issued several warnings and reminders to their citizens that joining the war could land them in jail back home. Uzbekistan had actually warned its citizens against creating "volunteer battalions" a month earlier, in August 2022, after a video surfaced of an Uzbek migrant leader in Perm, Russia, proposing the creation of a "volunteer battalion" to join the "special military operation" in Ukraine - the euphemism Moscow prefers for the invasion and ongoing war in Ukraine.

Khalikov is at least the third Uzbek citizen to be jailed this year for joining Russia’s war effort, following 42-year-old Golib Aliyev, who was sentenced to five years in June, and a 56-year-old Samarkand resident who was give a three year prison sentence.

Their stories paint a picture of desperation and exploitation, and their fates - jail terms upon returning to Uzbekistan - underscore the country’s precarious position. The Uzbek government has shied away from directly criticizing Russia for its war in Ukraine, but it has not held back on punishing its own citizens for joining the effort. As Niginakhon Saida highlighted recently, Russian politicians and commentators have had no shortage of nasty remarks for Uzbek migrant workers, and received some pushback from Uzbek politicians in return. And yet state-level relations carry on as usual.

As reported by Kun.uz, citing his testimony in court, Khalikov admitted guilt. He explained that in May 2023 he traveled to St. Petersburg via Kyrgyzstan and worked in the Russian city as a baker and then in a warehouse. In his testimony, Khalikov said that in November 2023 he hit a manager at the warehouse, another Uzbek named Akmal, who had promised to pay the workers wages but had not. Khalikov and a friend were detained after the altercation.

At the police station, a lawyer "explained that beating Akmal was a crime and we could be imprisoned for 5 years."

Khalikov had signed a one-year contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense. Within a week, he was sent to a base near the Russian-Finnish border. A month later, he was shipped off to a military training facility in Belgorod and then onward to the front. In February 2024, Khalikov was in a military convoy in the Luhansk region that came under attack by Ukrainian drones. He woke up in a Moscow military hospital weeks later.

After he was discharged, Khalikov was reportedly offered Russian citizenship but decided to return to Uzbekistan in July instead.

The stories of the other two men jailed in Uzbekistan differ in the specifics, but follow a similar trajectory: A migrant worker runs into legal trouble and is offered a pathway out of it.

Golib Aliyev traveled to Russia in 2016 as a labor migrant. According to his testimony in Uzbek court, he got into a fatal altercation with a Tajik man that same year and was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter. In early September 2022, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wager Group, a private military company, visited the prison and offered the prisoners a deal. Anyone who signed a six-month contract, and lived through it, would be paid, their criminal records cleared, and they’d be granted Russian citizenship.

Aliyev signed on. By early October 2022 he was headed into Luhansk. In late January 2023, he was wounded and spent a few weeks in a military hospital. His contract ended in March 2023 and he returned to Rostov, Russia. By August he’d gotten his Russian citizenship. But in December 2023 he returned to Uzbekistan - where he was charged with being a mercenary and in late June sentenced to five years.

The story of the 56-year-old man who was sentenced to three years on mercenary charges in October 2024 is slightly different and illustrates the fact that Russian recruitment of Central Asians is not limited to those in Russia.

The man, only referred to as Sh.Zh. in media reports, had worked as an electrician and repairman in St. Petersburg and Moscow since 2005 but over the years "had many difficulties with paperwork," he said in his court testimony. In April 2023, he said, he contacted the Russian Embassy in Tashkent, who advised him to go to the Chelyabinsk Region, which border’s Kazakhstan Kostanay Region, with a referral regarding possible Russian citizenship. He continued:

He was shipped off for a month of military training and then sent to the front in Donetsk. He was injured in an October 2023 Ukrainian drone attack and was sent to recover in a St. Petersburg military hospital. In April 2024 he returned to Uzbekistan.

If anything, these stories taken together tell a tale of desperation and exploitation. And their conclusions serve as a warning from Tashkent to Uzbeks in Russia not to take Moscow up on its promises - not if they want to return home to Uzbekistan.

Twitter

Afghanistan

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[11/5/2024 9:44 AM, 214.2K followers, 72 retweets, 385 likes]
Broadly speaking, we should expect US policy continuity in South Asia no matter who wins the election. That’s in great part because the US Indo Pacific policy now drives US policy across Asia & it has the buy-in of both parties. Was launched in Trump era and maintained by Biden.

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[11/5/2024 9:44 AM, 214.2K followers, 3 retweets, 25 likes]
Certainly there’ll be departures from current policy, especially in terms of approaches to specific countries, because there will be a new president one way or the other & the 2 candidates have very different worldviews. But the broader regional approach is unlikely to change.

Habib Khan
@HabibKhanT
[11/5/2024 8:38 AM, 244.1K followers, 651 retweets, 2.2K likes]
An activist from Panjshir province is calling on the people of Afghanistan to unite against the Taliban’s oppressive rule and stand with the women.

Bilal Sarwary
@bsarwary
[11/5/2024 10:11 PM, 254.4K followers, 6 retweets, 19 likes]
Thank you @FahimDashty and @Hub_FreeSpeech for organising Afghanistan Canada dialogue on media censorship in Afghanistan where i was able to raise several points: The world must hold the Taliban accountable for their crackdown against Afghans, and in particular Afghan women & Afghan journalists. We must question the narrative by Taliban on drugs and ISIS, and their continued censorship and crackdown against Afghan media, overall. Our brave colleagues inside Afghanistan are constantly fighting against everyday bans and restrictions for simply doing their job. @TOLOnews

Bilal Sarwary
@bsarwary
[11/5/2024 12:04 PM, 254.4K followers, 5 retweets, 21 likes]
The Taliban are making new appointments in the same way as the Republic, essentially moving people from existing positions to new ones without any clearly defined performance indicators. Almost everyone is a Mawlawi.

Pakistan

Government of Pakistan
@GovtofPakistan
[11/5/2024 1:06 PM, 3.1M followers, 7 retweets, 19 likes]
H.E. Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister of Iran, called on the Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, today. The Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to further strengthen its brotherly relationship with Iran through maintaining regular high-level exchanges, as well as enhancing mutually advantageous cooperation across all spheres of shared interest. He emphasized upon the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, provision of unhindered humanitarian assistance and, above all, grant of the inalienable right to self-determination to the Palestinian people, as guaranteed to them by the relevant resolutions of the UN, as well as OIC. The Prime Minister also reiterated strong condemnation of Israel’s attack against Iran on October 26, 2024, while reaffirming support for Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Iranian Foreign Minister thanked the Prime Minister for Pakistan’s principled position and briefed him on Iran’s perspective regarding the situation in the region.

Government of Pakistan
@GovtofPakistan
[11/5/2024 10:08 AM, 3.1M followers, 5 retweets, 11 likes]
Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif unveils the plaque to mark the groundbreaking of construction of Serena Chowk-Convention Centre ease-in-Traffic plan.

Government of Pakistan
@GovtofPakistan
[11/5/2024 10:08 AM, 3.1M followers, 4 retweets, 8 likes]
Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif addressing a ceremony to mark the ground-breaking for construction of Jinnah Avenue-9th Avenue intersection and underpass at Serena & Convention Centre Chowk.

Imran Khan
@ImranKhanPTI
[11/6/2024 1:32 AM, 20.9M followers, 5.6K retweets, 11K likes]
“The people of Pakistan will have to come out against the occupation imposed by the Extension Mafia. Otherwise, our future generations will be forced to live like insects. The country is under the control of an occupation and extension mafia, who are using every dirty tactic to extend their hold on power, which neither the constitution, nor the law, or even political ethics and morality, allows. The 26th Constitutional Amendment and the other laws enacted for extensions are part of this scheme. Both the judiciary and parliament are being trampled upon, as well as the public. The extensions that have been granted are a massacre of democracy, the rule of law, and the rights of the people. Forcing extensions and taking over does not strengthen institutions; it makes them weaker. The nation must stand up for itself, get organized, and peacefully protest, because until there is a ‘Revolution of Justice’ in the country, democracy cannot prevail. To bring about this revolution of justice, everyone must come forward. This is not an issue of any one person or party; it is a matter of Pakistan’s survival and integrity.” Former Prime Minister Imran Khan in his conversation with the media and his lawyers in Adiala Jail ( 5th November 2024)

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[11/5/2024 4:39 PM, 214.2K followers, 26 retweets, 123 likes]
US officials are ambiguous about Pakistan’s place in the Indo Pacific strategy, because of its alliance with China, and US doesn’t consider Afghanistan a part of the strategy, because the Taliban (and location). All other South Asian states viewed as a part of the strategy.

Hamid Mir
@HamidMirPAK
[11/6/2024 12:29 AM, 8.5M followers, 56 retweets, 286 likes]
Dangerous level. Smog in Lahore may force the government to go for full lockdown.

Anas Mallick
@AnasMallick
[11/5/2024 5:46 AM, 74.1K followers, 1 retweet, 16 likes]
#Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi in Pakistan meets Pak FM @MIshaqDar50, holds extensive talks on bilateral matters and on the situation in Middle east including taking Pakistan into confidence ahead of much talked about Iran’s retaliatory strike on Israel.

India

Rahul Gandhi
@RahulGandhi
[11/5/2024 10:09 PM, 27.2M followers, 4.3K retweets, 10K likes]
Choose your India:
Play-Fair or Monopoly?
Jobs or Oligarchies?
Competence or Connections?
Innovation or Intimidation?
Wealth for many or the few?

I write on why a New Deal for Business isn’t just an option. It is India’s future. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gbq5fq6W0AUvOdL?format=jpg&name=900x900

NSB

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh
@BDMOFA
[11/5/2024 10:12 AM, 55.3K followers, 5 retweets, 98 likes]
Today Bangladesh and the EU held the introductory meeting of the negotiations for the Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement to further enhance relations. Bd and EU side were led respectively by Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam, AFS and Ms. Paola Pampaloni, DMD of the EEAS.

Tarique Rahman
@trahmanbnp
[11/5/2024 11:24 PM, 66.6K followers, 43 retweets, 287 likes]
Country-wide reforms are at the forefront of the political conversation now, and BNP, historically, always worked for forward-thinking reforms, aimed at changing people’s lives and transforming our country. What is the main purpose of these reforms? Reforms are necessary to adapt to the evolving world and ensure that Bangladesh can compete at a global level across various sectors. However, having started my political work from the grassroots level in Bangladesh, at its core, I believe reforms should revolve around lifting the millions of common people across Bangladesh to live better lives, allowing them to dream of a brighter future for their children and driving tangible change in the fabric of our nation. True reforms are those that uplift the lives of our people, creating employment for the unemployed, safeguarding the freedoms and rights of women, children and minorities, guaranteeing public safety for all, ensuring quality education for our next generation, and providing essential healthcare services to all; thus fostering equality, justice, and fairness.

The President’s Office, Maldives
@presidencymv
[11/5/2024 11:35 PM, 110.7K followers, 131 retweets, 132 likes]
President Dr @MMuizzu inaugurates the public consultation process for the ‘20-Year National Development Plan.’ The ‘20-Year National Development Plan’ is a comprehensive master plan that will shape the nation’s future development. The event will feature diverse voices from across society, including parents, students, residents, workers, persons with disabilities, youth and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This event is organised by @MHLUDmv.

The President’s Office, Maldives
@presidencymv
[11/5/2024 11:38 PM, 110.7K followers, 54 retweets, 56 likes]
Vice President Uz @HucenSembe joins the President at the inauguration of the ‘20-Year National Development Plan’ public consultation process.

The President’s Office, Maldives
@presidencymv
[11/6/2024 12:39 AM, 110.7K followers, 64 retweets, 63 likes]
Engaging discussions during the public consultation process for our ‘20-year National Development Plan’. People from all walks of life are contributing to solidify our nation’s future. #JeelugeGaumeeThasavvuru

The President’s Office, Maldives
@presidencymv
[11/5/2024 8:46 AM, 110.7K followers, 148 retweets, 152 likes]
Vice President Uz @HucenSembe inaugurates the ‘Hashiheyo Raajje’ Programme at a ceremony held in Kulhudhufushi City. "Hashiheyo Raajje" is a leadership training programme that guides sports counsellors and youth associates on promoting healthier lifestyles. This event is organised by @MoSFR_mv.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
@anuradisanayake
[11/5/2024 8:30 AM, 134.1K followers, 30 retweets, 269 likes]
Over the next five years, I’m committed to rural development and uplifting rural people’s economic and social status. To succeed, we need a transformation of the public administration and public services. Public service cooperating with the government is essential to end corruption and advance national development.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
@anuradisanayake
[11/5/2024 5:11 AM, 134.1K followers, 21 retweets, 201 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 (04) in Ampara. Your unwavering support is truly appreciated.

Namal Rajapaksa
@RajapaksaNamal
[11/5/2024 11:47 AM, 436.5K followers, 3 retweets, 55 likes]
In a world of shifting stories, a true legacy stands unshaken. My father’s dream was unity; mine is to keep that vision alive. For Sri Lanka.

Harsha de Silva
@HarshadeSilvaMP
[11/6/2024 3:40 AM, 359.6K followers, 2 retweets, 11 likes]
Recent travel advisories reflect global tensions. While #SriLanka remains welcoming, let’s be clear: foreign professionals enrich our #tourism, but must respect our laws - just as we do abroad. Safety and legal compliance both matter for our economic recovery. #srilankatourism

Central Asia

Yerzhan Ashikbayev
@KZAmbUS
[11/5/2024 9:54 PM, 2.8K followers, 2 retweets, 4 likes]
KZ initiated resolution to strengthen the #BWC, including exploring the possibility for an international agency for biological security was adopted by consensus in the UNGA First Committee. Credit to our partners as we take steps toward a world free from biological threats.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[11/5/2024 9:58 AM, 203.5K followers, 14 retweets, 83 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev arrived in Bishkek today on a working visit to attend the summit of the @Turkic_States. He was welcomed at the airport by the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of #Kyrgyzstan🇰🇬, Akylbek Zhaparov, along with other officials.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[11/5/2024 8:55 AM, 203.5K followers, 3 retweets, 15 likes]
Enhancing the effectiveness of the social protection system remains one of the top priorities for our country. In this regard, President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation of proposals focused on supporting children in need of social protection and encouraging the participation of people with disabilities in sports.

{End of Report}

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