SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO: | SCA & Staff |
DATE: | Friday, October 25, 2024 6:30 AM ET |
Afghanistan
An Afghan province bans all media from showing images of living things to comply with Taliban laws (AP)
AP [10/24/2024 7:01 AM, Staff, 31638K, Negative]
An Afghan province has banned all media from showing images of living things to ensure compliance with the Taliban’s morality laws.
Thursday’s decision was announced by Information Ministry officials in Helmand, the latest province to crack down on broadcasting and photography of humans and animals.
In August, the country’s Vice and Virtue Ministry published laws regulating aspects of everyday life like public transportation, shaving, the media and celebrations reflecting authorities’ interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia. Article 17 bans the publication of images of living beings.
Helmand officials said the filming and photography of living things would stop immediately. They gave no further information about enforcement or exceptions.
Last week, Taliban run-media stopped showing images of living things in the provinces of Takhar, Maidan Wardak and Kandahar in observance of the laws.
Some private channels are reported to have also stopped running pictures and videos of living things to ensure compliance.
No other Muslim-majority country imposes similar restrictions, including Iran and Saudi Arabia. During their previous rule in the late 1990s, the Taliban banned most television, radio and newspapers altogether.
Also Thursday, the Information Ministry announced it had banned 400 books that clashed with Islamic and Afghan values.
The outlawed books have been collected from stores and publishing houses and replaced by religious texts, including the Qur’an.
A spokesman for the ministry, Khubaib Ghofran, wrote on X: "Any book written according to the nefarious plans of enemies in order to destroy the thought, faith, unity and culture of this nation will be collected by the Ministry of Information and Culture." China to offer Taliban tariff-free trade as it inches closer to isolated resource-rich regime (Reuters)
Reuters [10/25/2024 4:03 AM, Joe Cash, 5.2M, Neutral]
China will offer the Taliban tariff-free access to its vast construction, energy and consumer sectors, Beijing’s envoy to Afghanistan said on Thursday, as the ailing resource-rich but diplomatically-isolated regime looks to build up its markets.
Beijing has sought to develop its ties with the Taliban since they took control of Afghanistan in 2021, but like all governments has refrained from formally recognising the Islamic fundamentalist group’s rule amid international concern over its human rights record and those of women and girls.
But the impoverished country could offer a wealth of mineral resources to boost Beijing’s supply chain security although it risks becoming a haven for militant groups threatening China’s Xinjiang region and huge investments in neighbouring Pakistan.
Selling Afghanistan’s lithium, copper and iron deposits to feed China’s enormous battery and construction industries would help the Taliban prop up their economy, which the U.N. says has "basically collapsed", and provide a much needed revenue stream as the country’s overseas central bank reserves remain frozen.
"China will offer Afghanistan zero-tariff treatment for 100% tariff lines," Zhao Xing, Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan, wrote on his official X account late on Thursday, above a photo of him meeting acting deputy prime minister Abdul Kabir.
Afghanistan exported $64 million worth of goods to China last year, according to Chinese customs data, close to 90% of which was shelled pine nuts, but the Taliban government has said it is determined to find foreign investors willing to help it diversify its economy and profit from its minerals wealth.
The country exported no commodities to China last year, the data shows, but Zhao has regularly posted photos of him meeting Taliban officials responsible for mining, petroleum, trade and regional connectivity since his appointment last September.
"In the Horn of Africa, China’s Special Envoy Xue Bing said that the best way to resolve security and terrorism challenges is through economic development. I think they are bringing that same mindset to Afghanistan," said Eric Orlander, co-founder of the China-Global South Project."I don’t buy the whole strategic minerals line that we hear in Washington about how China is eyeing Afghanistan’s vast lithium reserves," Orlander added, citing the cost and security challenges involved in extracting them.
"(China’s) answer to everything is build a road, and from that economic development will lead to peace and harmony."
Several Chinese companies operate in Afghanistan, including the Metallurgical Corp of China Ltd, which has held talks with the Taliban administration over plans for a potentially huge copper mine, and was highlighted in an August feature in Chinese state media on Chinese companies rebuilding Afghanistan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping at a Beijing summit for more than 50 African leaders in September announced that from Dec. 1 goods entering his country’s $19 trillion economy from "the least developed countries that have diplomatic relations with China" would not be subject to import duties, without giving details.
The policy was then repeated on Wednesday by vice commerce minister Tang Wenhong at a press conference in Beijing on the preparations for upcoming China’s annual flagship import expo.
Lin Jian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, confirmed on Friday the policy would apply to Afghanistan, adding it would promote mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation.
The Afghanistan embassy in Beijing did not respond to a request for comment.
Last October, Afghanistan’s acting commerce minister told Reuters the Taliban wanted to formally join Xi’s flagship "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative.
Kabul has also asked China to allow it to be a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a $62 billion connectivity project connecting China’s resource-rich Xinjiang region to Pakistan’s Arabian Sea port of Gwadar. Pakistan
In a Region of Majestic Beauty, Sunnis and Shiites Wage Bloody War (New York Times)
New York Times [10/25/2024 12:01 AM, Zia ur-Rehman, 831K, Negative]
The deafening roar of rocket launchers and mortar explosions shattered the tranquillity of Kurram, a Pakistani district of majestic peaks, ancient maple forests and fertile fields bordering Afghanistan. People huddled in makeshift bunkers, exchanging desperate volleys as their villages became battlegrounds.
For months, Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the area have been fighting intermittently over land disputes, the latest flare-up in a conflict that has simmered for decades, paralleling two wars in Afghanistan and the rise of terrorist groups in the region.
At least 16 people were killed in clashes on Oct. 12, including an ambush on a convoy that was under paramilitary protection. Since then, warring tribes have blocked roads, causing shortages of food and medicine, residents said. In September, fighting between members of the two communities left 46 people dead; a weeklong battle in July claimed nearly 50 lives.“It is like a war between two countries, not a dispute between tribes,” said Hussain Ali, 26, a university student from Parachinar, Kurram’s main city. “Innocent people are suffering, and the government doesn’t care.”
The violence has demonstrated the limited reach of Pakistan’s government along the frontier, an area that looks serene but is combustible under the surface. Some Shiite villages are very near Sunni ones, which keeps the tensions high.
Pakistan is mostly Sunni, but Shiites make up about 45 percent of Kurram’s 800,000 people, and they dominate Parachinar.
Mr. Ali, the university student, is from the Turi, the only tribe among the Pashtun, Pakistan’s second-largest ethnic group, that is wholly Shiite. The overwhelming majority of Pashtuns in Pakistan and Afghanistan are Sunni.
Shiites and Sunnis have often clashed over the use of agricultural land and forests in Kurram. Much of the land in some bordering districts is communally owned, with no formal records in existence. But ownership of the land in Kurram was partially documented during the British colonial era, and the inconclusive nature of those records has helped to fuel the long-running conflict, according to local elders.
The Pakistani government has been unable to stop the clashes, though the police say they have arrested dozens of people in connection with the recent violence. Previous governments also failed to bring a halt to fighting in the region.
Last year, at least 25 people were killed in a clash over land in Kurram. In a gruesome separate incident, seven Shiite teachers were murdered in a school.“The administration’s failure to prevent a simple land dispute from escalating into sectarian violence is disgraceful,” said Hameed Hussain, a member of Parliament from Kurram who organized a peace protest in Parachinar.“When disputes arise, troublemakers spread propaganda through mosque announcements to incite violence along sectarian lines,” he said.
The threat of violence is so ingrained that self-defense has become a way of life. Many people in Kurram learn to use heavy weapons from a young age.“I hate the violence, but in a region where the government has almost no control, it is compulsory to take up arms to protect ourselves and our land,” said Sharafat Chamkani, 34, a farmer from a Sunni-dominated village who has fought in numerous clashes.
Kurram, sometimes called the Parrot’s Beak because of how it extends into Afghanistan, borders the Afghan provinces of Khost, Paktika and Nangarhar. Parachinar is just 62 miles from Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital.
Shiites and Sunnis in Kurram lived largely in harmony for centuries, despite occasional violence. But the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Iran’s Shiite revolution in 1979 dramatically altered the landscape.“These events eroded traditional cultural values, fractured once-unified tribes along sectarian and socioeconomic lines, and heightened tensions in Kurram,” said Noreen Naseer, a political science professor at the University of Peshawar.
Kurram’s demographic and sectarian balance changed significantly in the 1980s with an influx of Sunni Afghan refugees and the establishment of mujahedeen groups, backed by Pakistan and the United States to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan.“It was a time when Afghan mujahedeen introduced a militant brand of Sunni Islam, while the Shiite population was also being radicalized by the Iranian revolution,” said Dr. Noreen, who is from Kurram.
This led to escalating tensions, resulting in two major episodes of violence in the 1980s that left dozens of people, mostly Shiites, dead. Shiites were forced to flee from the Sunni-dominated town of Sadda to Parachinar.
As the Taliban rose in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, they provided arms and manpower to their fellow Sunnis in Kurram, fueling more clashes that left hundreds dead.
The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 introduced a new dynamic. Pakistani Sunnis in areas near Kurram harbored fleeing Taliban and Qaeda militants, but the Shiites of Kurram did not, which earned them the enmity of those groups.
In 2005, Pakistan expelled Afghan refugees from Kurram, generating fears among Sunnis of a restored Shiite dominance. That sparked bloody clashes beginning in April 2007 that led to the expulsion of Sunnis from Parachinar.
In early 2008, the arrival of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or T.T.P., a militant umbrella group formed in nearby tribal districts, further deepened the sectarian violence. A 45-day gun battle devastated Kurram. Hundreds of Shiites and Sunnis, along with Pakistani Taliban militants, were killed, and several villages were burned.
Shiite leaders claimed that the T.T.P. wanted to take control of Parachinar because the Shiites would not let them use their land to attack American troops in Afghanistan. “In fact, T.T.P.’s brutalities united the Shiite tribesmen, enabling them to mount organized resistance,” said Niyaz Muhammad Karbalai, a community elder in Parachinar.
A peace agreement in 2011 finally ended nearly four years of incessant warfare, after almost 2,000 deaths. But sporadic violence persisted.
In early 2015, a group of disgruntled T.T.P. members from Kurram and neighboring regions established the Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, an affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist group. After five suicide attacks in Parachinar in 2017, residents demanded a military checkpoint to prevent outsiders from entering the city.
The conflict in Kurram intensified further with the return of young Shiite residents who had fought in Syria’s civil war to support Bashar al-Assad’s government and protect Shiite shrines from Islamic State bombings.
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, tribes in Kurram have obtained advanced American weapons left behind by Afghan troops, which has contributed to the violence.
The decades of strife are deeply etched into the collective memory of Kurram’s people.“The violence, particularly the wave that began in 2007, has transformed local land disputes into full-scale sectarian clashes, widening the gap between Shiites and Sunnis,” said Mr. Chamkani, the farmer. “I am skeptical that people from the two sects in Kurram will be able to coexist peacefully anytime soon.” Wife of Pakistan’s imprisoned former premier Imran Khan freed on bail (AP)
AP [10/24/2024 7:49 AM, Staff, 31638K, Negative]
The wife of Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan was released from a high-security prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Thursday, a day after a court granted her bail in a graft case, her lawyers said.
The release of Bushra Bibi came six months after an appeals court suspended a 14-year sentence the couple received after being found guilty of retaining and selling state gifts in violation of government rules when Khan was in power.
But Khan and Bibi, who is his third wife, were charged in July with new counts of retaining state gifts and kept in detention pending trial. Both have denied any wrongdoing.
Khan has been embroiled in more than 150 legal cases since 2022, when he was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament.
Khan, who remains a popular opposition leader, has been convicted and sentenced in several cases that were later overturned or suspended in appeals.
Bibi was freed from Adiala prison on Thursday, according to her lawyer Salman Safdar and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Local TV stations showed her arriving at home in Islamabad on Thursday afternoon.
Khan’s legal team has filed a petition before a court seeking bail in same graft case.
The latest development came a day after dozens of Congressmen wrote a letter to the President Joe Biden, urging him to play his role for the release of all political prisoners, including Khan.
In June, a U.S. congressional resolution called for an independent investigation into allegations that Pakistan’s parliamentary elections were rigged, a charge which Pakistan denied.Khan’s PTI party won the most seats in the Feb. 8 vote but fell short of a majority, paving the way for its rivals to form a coalition government. Pakistan former PM Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi freed from jail on bail (Reuters)
Reuters [10/24/2024 6:33 AM, Gibran Peshimam, 88008K, Neutral]
Bushra Bibi, the wife of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, was released from prison on Thursday, a day after she was granted bail in a case linked to the illegal sale of state gifts, ending about nine months of imprisonment.
The release is the biggest legal relief for Khan and his family since he was imprisoned in August last year. Bibi, who was arrested in January, was released from Adiala Jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where Khan still remains.
Local television channels showed a small number of supporters throwing rose petals on two white SUVs escorting her from the jail.
Bibi faces at least one other graft case linked to receiving land from a real estate developer.
"Welcome back Bushra Bibi! You have faced extremely difficult times, disgusting campaign and character assassination attempts against your during your illegal time in jail," Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, said in a post on X.
Khan himself faces dozens of other cases, including charges of violating anti-terrorism laws, brought since he was removed as premier in 2022 and launched a protest movement against a coalition of his rivals led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The Khans deny all the charges, saying they are trumped up by the government to discredit the 72-year-old former cricket star, who remains widely popular and whose candidates won the most seats in February’s general election.
The Sharif-led government says it does not interfere in the judicial process. Khan’s standoff with the country’s powerful military, who he says backs Sharif, has spawned the worst political turmoil in decades in the nation of 241 million people.
Bibi, whose actual name is Bushra Khan, is Khan’s third wife. The two married six months before he became prime minister for the first time in 2018.
Khan has often called her his spiritual leader and she is known for her devotion to Sufism, a mystical form of Islam. She has mostly remained away from the public eye, appearing in only one television interview - that too wearing her traditional veil. (Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Tomasz Janowski) Will Pakistan’s Imran Khan get out of jail after his wife’s release? (Al Jazeera)
Al Jazeera [10/24/2024 10:31 AM, Abid Hussain, 25768K, Neutral]
Hundreds of people gathered outside Bani Gala, the palatial mansion on the outskirts of Islamabad, on Thursday to welcome Bushra Bibi, the wife of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, following her release from jail after nine months.Bibi, arrested in January, was granted bail on Wednesday in a case concerning the illegal sale of state gifts.
She travelled from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi in a convoy of cars, with supporters throwing flowers on her vehicle.
Bibi and Khan were initially sentenced in January to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of selling state gifts worth more than 140 million rupees ($501,000), received during Khan’s tenure as prime minister, 2018-2022, from the Toshakhana, or state treasury.
The couple was separately also convicted in a case questioning the legality of their marriage, but they were acquitted in July. Shortly after, authorities filed an additional Toshakhana case, this time involving a jewellery set gifted to Bibi by the Saudi crown prince. The National Accountability Bureau has alleged that Khan and Bibi illegally kept the set and later sold it for more than $350,000.
Khan, a former cricketer and philanthropist, remains in jail and has denied all charges against him, accusing the government and the "establishment" of a targeted campaign to keep him imprisoned.
The "establishment" in Pakistan is a euphemism for the country’s powerful security forces, which have ruled directly for nearly 30 years and maintain political influence even under civilian governments.
Bibi’s release comes the same week Pakistan’s parliament passed a controversial constitutional amendment, giving the legislature more power to appoint top judges among other changes. Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has opposed the amendments and organised protests across the country.
PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan dismissed rumours of a deal with authorities to secure Bibi’s release in exchange for supporting the amendment.
"If we had to have a deal with them, Bibi would not have stayed behind bars for nine months, or Khan wouldn’t be behind bars for 16 months. She was kept in jail only to put pressure on Khan but God willing, now he will be released soon and it will be done on legal merit, not through any deal," he told reporters outside the Adiala prison in Rawalpindi.
Khan, arrested in August last year, faces more than 150 cases, including charges of corruption, inciting violence, sedition, and leaking state secrets since his removal in April 2022 through a no-confidence vote.
Naeem Haider Panjutha, a member of Khan’s legal team, echoed Gohar Ali Khan’s optimism about the potential of imminent relief for Imran Khan.
"They faced the same charges, so there’s no reason for Khan to remain behind bars in this case. He has no pending convictions, and while some cases related to May 9 remain, we are hopeful of securing bail and his release," Panjutha told Al Jazeera.Khan was briefly detained on May 9 last year, triggering nationwide protests from PTI supporters. The demonstrations escalated - state buildings and military installations were attacked, resulting in thousands of arrests, although only about 100 faced military trials.
PTI’s Sayed Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide to Khan, also expressed optimism that the former prime minister could be released soon.
"He is illegally placed in prison just as his wife was. This release has nothing to do with any deal, but it is due to the perseverance of her lawyers in the court of law, and we will do the same for Imran Khan, as well as take to the streets in protest for his release," Bukhari told Al Jazeera.
However, political analyst Zaigham Khan suggested that Bibi’s release might have been "politically calculated" to stoke tensions within the PTI.
While Khan, the undisputed leader of the PTI, is behind bars, other leaders representing sub-groups or factions have been jostling for influence.
"There is a power centre in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, led by the chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur. Then, there is another faction which looks up to the party’s secretary-general, Salman Akram Raja," Zaigham Khan said.
However, "Bibi is very powerful in her own right, and Khan trusts her completely. Many in the party will naturally gravitate towards her," the analyst told Al Jazeera, and noted that Imran Khan’s two sisters, who have been jailed since October following protests against the constitutional amendment, also head a group that is close to Khan.
Nor were analysts convinced that the government’s granting Bibi bail heralded Khan’s imminent release.
"There was no merit in the cases against Bibi. She had already received acquittal and bail in other cases and this one was also on weak grounds, so there was no point to keep her in jail," political commentator Muneeb Farooq told Al Jazeera.
However, Farooq said that the government’s stance on Khan appears unchanged, leaving little hope for his release.
"The strategy seems to be to let Bibi go free, while maintaining the hardline policy on Khan unless there’s a significant shift that allows for his release," he said. Pakistan requests $1 bln in IMF climate cash and sees reserves rising (Reuters)
Reuters [10/24/2024 10:14 AM, Karin Strohecker, 88008K, Neutral]
Pakistan is targeting around $1 billion in a formal request for funding from the IMF facility that helps low and middle income countries mitigate climate risk, its finance minister told Reuters.
"We have formally requested to be considered for this facility," Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said in an interview on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank autumn meetings in Washington.The International Monetary Fund had already agreed a $7 billion bailout for Pakistan, but has further funding available via its Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST).
The RST, created in 2022, provides long-term concessional cash for climate-related spending, such as adaptation and transitioning to cleaner energy.
"We think we are a very good candidate to be considered for a facility like this," Aurangzeb said, adding that they aim to conclude the request in the coming months.
The South Asian nation is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change according to the Global Climate Risk Index.
Floods in 2022, which scientists said were aggravated by global warming, affected at least 33 million people and killed more than 1,700. The country’s economic struggles and high debt burden impinged its ability to respond to the disaster.
Pakistan is also in talks with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank for a credit enhancement for a planned Panda bond, Aurangzeb said. It is targeting an initial issuance of $200-250 million by the end of June.
A Panda bond would be Pakistan’s first foray into China’s capital markets. Aurangzeb said they were talking to "a few other institutions" in addition to the AIIB for a credit enhancement.
Credit enhancements provide some level of guarantee for bonds, which can boost their rating, attract more investors and thus cut the government’s borrowing costs.
Issuing in the world’s "second largest and the second deepest" capital market was, Aurangzeb said, the key aim, rather than a particular issuance size.
"From our perspective it is diversification of the funding base," Aurangzeb. "Even if the inaugural issue is not significant in size, for us it is important that we print that and of course then we can keep it on tap."
Aurangzeb said Pakistan has engaged with Middle Eastern banks regarding commercial loans, and one had submitted "a relatively significant proposal."
Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves should reach $13 billion by the end of March, Aurangzeb said, which would help with commercial lending, and potentially its credit rating.
The foreign exchange reserves reached $11.04 billion in the week ending Oct. 18, the central bank said.
Moody’s upgraded Pakistan’s ratings to ‘Caa2’ in August, citing improving macroeconomic conditions, and Fitch boosted its rating to CCC+ in July following the IMF staff level agreement. But both ratings are sub investment grade. Pakistan militant attack kills 10 frontier police, sources say (Reuters)
Reuters [10/25/2024 1:03 AM, Saud Mehsud and Dera Ismail Khan, 5.5M, Negative]
At least 10 Pakistani frontier police were killed in a militant attack on an outpost near the northwestern city of Dera Ismail Khan, police sources said.
Thursday’s attack, claimed by Islamist militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), comes as Pakistan battles a resurgence of militant attacks in its rugged northwest, as well as a growing ethnic separatist insurgency in the south.
Three senior police sources confirmed the attack, saying a large group of militants stormed the outpost, killing members of the frontier constabulary security force.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity as the matter is a sensitive one.
The attack was confirmed by Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, chief minister of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in a statement on Friday that condemned it, but did not state the number of deaths.
In its statement claiming responsibility, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group said the attack was retaliation for the killing of a senior leader, Ustad Qureshi.
Qureshi was one of nine people, including two suicide bombers, killed in an intelligence-based operation in the district of Bajaur bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan’s military said in a statement on Thursday.
The TTP is separate from the Afghan Taliban movement, but pledges loyalty to the Islamist group that now rules Afghanistan after U.S.-led international forces withdrew in 2021.
Islamabad says the TTP uses Afghanistan as a base and says the ruling Taliban administration has provided safe havens to the group close to the border. The Taliban deny this. Chikungunya surge in Pakistan: What we know about the mosquito-borne virus (Al Jazeera)
Al Jazeera [10/24/2024 11:28 AM, Areesha Lodhi, Sarah Shamim and Alia Chughtai, 25768K, Negative]
Hospitals in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, are brimming with chikungunya virus patients.
Major government hospitals throughout the city are reporting 500 to 750 suspected cases of the mosquito-borne disease every day, as noted by local media earlier this month, further straining an already struggling public health system.
But what is chikungunya, how does it spread, and why has it hit Pakistan’s most populous city so badly?
What is chikungunya?
Chikungunya is a viral disease that is spread through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitos. These mosquitos also carry and spread dengue and the Zika virus.The name, chikungunya, derives from a word in the Kimakonde language, spoken in Tanzania and Mozambique, meaning "to become contorted".
How bad is the chikungunya outbreak in Pakistan?
In recent months, severe cases of chikungunya have been reported in Karachi, particularly among elderly patients and those with diabetes, according to a report from Aga Khan University Hospital.
Complications include neurological issues like paralysis and coma, as well as heart and eye problems. These severe cases often require intensive care and mechanical ventilation, with uncertain recovery prospects and a risk of prolonged hospitalisation or death.
According to government records seen by Al Jazeera, 172 people in Karachi tested positive for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests between May and September. Of 956 people suspected of having the virus, 713 were tested. However, the actual number of cases is likely much higher.
Many people are diagnosed without the PCR test, relying instead on matching symptoms and blood tests that show low platelet counts, which can be caused by chikungunya.
Shoaib Khan, general physician at a private hospital in Karachi’s Nazimabad, told The Express Tribune newspaper that the high test cost had also prevented patients from getting a proper diagnosis.
The PCR test for the virus is available at a few private hospitals and costs 7,000 rupees ($25) to 8,000 rupees ($28) in a country where the per capita monthly income was $118 back in 2021, according to World Bank data, making it unaffordable for many people.
One of Karachi’s government hospitals, the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, provides free tests for chikungunya, Muslim Shah, a city resident who visited the facility on Thursday, told Al Jazeera. Karachi has a population of around 20 million people, according to the 2023 census.
Shah told Al Jazeera that the hospital does not have a separate chikungunya ward, and the patients hospitalised with the mosquito-borne virus are in general wards, without mosquito nets.
Chikungunya and dengue are expected to remain severe until December, Abdul Wahid Rajput, director of the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital and Research Centre, told The Express Tribune.
Residents in Karachi and Lahore, where mosquito-borne viruses are common, have blamed the government for not regularly carrying out fogging, which involves spraying disinfectant to eradicate mosquitoes.
How does chikungunya spread?
If an infected mosquito bites a healthy human, it injects the virus into the bloodstream.
If a non-infected mosquito bites a person who is already infected, it sucks the virus from that person’s blood and becomes a carrier capable of transmitting the virus to others through bites.
Health authorities warn that the risk of the virus spreading from an infected person - via a carrier mosquito - is the highest during the first week of infection. The virus does not directly spread from human to human.
This cycle likely began after mosquitos bit infected animals. Chikungunya naturally exists in wild animals (like monkeys) that serve as a virus reservoir.
What are chikungunya symptoms?
Fever and joint pain are the most common symptoms. While fatal cases are rare, joint pain can be severe and continue for months.
Infected people might also have headaches, nausea, fatigue, muscle pain, joint swelling, or a rash.
"It started off with me feeling pain in my wrist. The kind that you get when you sleep on your wrist funny," 23-year-old Karachi resident Nawal Malik, who contracted the virus in late September, told Al Jazeera.
Malik’s mother, colleague, and neighbour also contracted the virus around the same time.
Soon, all of Malik’s joints were hurting, including her fingers and knuckles. Besides joint pain, she experienced nausea, low blood pressure, heart palpitations, pain behind her eyes, chills and high-grade fever.
"For any other infection, the fever usually breaks when you take medicines for it, but for us with chikungunya, the fever would come back quickly after breaking," she said, talking about the experience of herself and her mother.
As of Wednesday, it has been about three weeks since Malik recovered from the virus, but she still experiences acute ankle pain.
For her mother, 63, the virus was "much more severe". She has previously been diagnosed with osteoarthritis and diabetes.
"For her, the joint pain was really horrible; it is the worst pain I’ve ever seen her in," she said, adding that her mother’s joints continue to hurt weeks after recovery.
Symptoms usually begin three to seven days after an infected mosquito bites you. Many people recover within a week to a few weeks. After that, a person will likely have life-long immunity from the virus.
Chikungunya symptoms are similar to those of dengue and the Zika virus. As a result, chikungunya is often misdiagnosed, say experts, including the World Health Organisation.
How is chikungunya treated?
While there are no specific medicines to treat it, rest, fluids, and pain relievers may help alleviate symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States.
However, not all pain relievers are safe during a suspected infection. The CDC advises against taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) until dengue has been ruled out, as they can increase the risk of bleeding. In severe cases, dengue patients can have internal or external bleeding complications.
Common examples of NSAIDs include ibuprofen, Advil, and aspirins.
Over-the-counter medicines such as acetaminophen or paracetamol are acceptable as they reduce pain and fever, but do not have anti-inflammatory effects.
How can one protect against chikungunya?
Health authorities support protecting oneself against mosquito bites as the most effective strategy against the spread of chikungunya.
This may involve wearing long sleeves and pants, applying mosquito repellants, removing standing water, and staying in closed, air-conditioned spaces indoors or behind mosquito netting when outdoors.
Is there a vaccine?
A single-dose chikungunya vaccine (IXCHIQ) is available in the United States. According to a November 2023 article by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is approved for individuals 18 years and older and at a higher risk of exposure to the virus. In June 2024, Ixchiq received market authorisation in Canada and in July, in Europe.
However, Meeran Yousuf, spokesperson for the Sindh Health Department, said that Pakistan usually only uses vaccines authorised by the WHO, which has not approved a chikungunya vaccine so far.
People at higher risk of severe symptoms include newborns, seniors and people with medical conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
Where has it spread?
In 2024, some 460,000 Chikungunya virus cases have been reported worldwide, along with 170 associated deaths, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
According to the ECDC, countries with the highest number of cases in 2024 included Brazil, with 391,754 reported cases and India, with 69,439 reported cases.
The virus was first identified in what is now Tanzania - then known as Tanganyika - in 1952 and has since been reported in 118 countries, according to the World Health Organization.
In Africa, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Pacific Region and the tropical regions of the Americas, it has become endemic.
An endemic virus consistently exists within a specific geographic area or population. Outbreaks, in this case, are predictable over time, unlike global pandemics, which are more widespread.
Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia are some countries with the most cases, according to the European CDC.
Sporadic outbreaks have also been reported in locations with the Aedes aegypti mosquito, such as Yemen and Italy. France reported one non-travel-related chikungunya infection in August.
What is the government doing?
Meeran Yousuf, spokesperson for the Sindh Health Department, told Al Jazeera that the government is carrying out "multiple spray activities" throughout the province of Sindh, where Karachi is located.
These efforts aim to eradicate the mosquito responsible for spreading chikungunya.
In addition, the government is carrying out awareness campaigns. "We’re also doing larvicidal activities," Yousuf added. A larvacide is a type of insecticide that kills mosquitos in their immature larvae and pupae stages, preventing them from developing into biting adults, according to the CDC. India
India Evacuates 1 Million as Tropical Cyclone Dana Nears (New York Times)
New York Times [10/24/2024 4:14 PM, John Yoon and Pragati K.B., 831K, Neutral]
About a million people were evacuated from parts of India’s eastern coast on Thursday as Tropical Cyclone Dana approached, with airports, schools and train services shut down as the storm brought flooding and landslide risks to some of the country’s poorest communities.
Dana was churning northwest across the Bay of Bengal toward the state of Odisha with the force of a Category 1 hurricane, with winds of about 75 miles per hour, the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said early Thursday. It was forecast to make landfall along Odisha’s coast overnight.
A million residents in Odisha were being relocated to more than 5,000 camps that the government has set up, Suresh Pujari, Odisha’s minister of revenue and disaster management, told reporters on Wednesday. The neighboring state of West Bengal has also evacuated residents, according to the local news media.
Dana has brought fears of widespread destruction to a region that was devastated by a much more powerful cyclone in 1999 that killed almost 10,000 people. Most of the deaths from that storm, which struck with Category 5 winds, were in Odisha, one of India’s poorest states. Many in the state live in low-lying coastal areas in shacks made of mud and sticks.
But the state, which has a population of about 42 million, has since become better prepared, setting up a disaster management agency, building shelters and preparing evacuation routes. Many of the preparations for Dana, including the swift evacuations, were informed by India’s experience in 1999.
On Thursday, India deployed its navy and other rescue teams for disaster relief. Warnings of possible cyclones and extremely heavy rainfall were also in place in the coastal areas of Odisha and West Bengal, with two to four inches of rain expected in those areas into Friday. Some places could get more than eight inches of rain, forecasters said.
Flights were canceled, including at Kolkata Airport and at Biju Patnaik International Airport, both of which said they were suspending operations for at least 15 hours overnight. Indian Railways canceled over 100 trains.
School classes and exams in dozens of districts have been suspended in Odisha and West Bengal since Wednesday. Marine activities, including fishing, have been prohibited in the Bay of Bengal until the cyclone passes.
The storm could damage houses, roads, crops and power lines, and could lead to flooding and landslides, the India Meteorological Department said on Wednesday. China, India Start Removing Troops from Border Friction Points (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [10/25/2024 3:12 AM, Sudhi Ranjan Sen, 5.5M, Positive]
China and India are pulling back troops from the two remaining friction points along the disputed Himalayan border, days after the leaders of the two countries met.
Troops deployed toe-to-toe are moving back and temporary structures built during a four-year stalemate at the border are to be dismantled, senior Indian officials said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are private.
Earlier this week, the two nuclear-armed neighbors announced they’d reached an agreement to resume normal border patrols, easing a standoff that began in 2020 when clashes left 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers dead. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi followed up with their first formal meeting in two years on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan on Wednesday.
The latest agreement won’t involve the several no-patrol zones along the border created in the last four years to prevent further clashes between troops, the people said, adding that future talks will address the buffer zones.
India’s Ministry of Defense didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pulling back troops from the friction points will take a few days, after which patrolling will start, the people said. Military commanders from both sides will continue to discuss confidence-building measures to further prevent clashes, they said.
The border agreement has raised expectations that India will ease investment restrictions on Chinese businesses, although government officials have indicated there won’t be any immediate moves. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s external affairs minister, said earlier this month that a lack of trust has damaged economic ties with neighbors, without referring directly to China. India, China pull back troops from last two sites in Himalayan face-off, source says (Reuters)
Reuters [10/25/2024 4:02 AM, Krishn Kaushik, 5.2M, Positive]
India and China have started pulling back troops from their final two face-to-face positions on the disputed Himalayan frontier, an Indian government source familiar with the matter said, heralding an end to a four-year military stand-off.
The nuclear-armed neighbours struck a deal this week on patrolling the frontier, which paved the way for their leaders’ first formal talks in five years in Russia.
Following the deal on patrols, the source said on Friday, the troops of both sides had started withdrawing from the areas of Depsang and Demchok, the last remaining points where they had stood face-to-face.
The source spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
In Beijing, a foreign ministry spokesman said the withdrawal was proceeding smoothly.
"According to the recently agreed solution between India and China ... their frontline armies are implementing relevant work, with smooth progress so far," Lin Jian said.
Neither side has provided details of the new pact, which is expected to help improve political and business ties damaged by a deadly military clash in 2020.
The two had pulled back troops from five similar face-off points since 2020, with the last such instance two years ago.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping agreed to boost communication and co-operation in a bid to help resolve conflict.
The Asian giants went to war in 1962 over their undemarcated border, which has been a constant irritant in ties. India-China deal raises questions about US Indo-Pacific strategy (VOA)
VOA [10/25/2024 5:38 AM, Saibal Dasgupta, 4.6M, Neutral]
This week’s movement toward rapprochement between the leaders of China and India is raising questions about New Delhi’s commitment to the Quad, the loose four-nation alliance widely seen as a U.S.-led bid to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific.India’s participation in the grouping, which also includes Japan and Australia and is formally known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, has been at least partly driven by a vexing border dispute that has seen repeated clashes between Chinese and Indian troops along their Himalayan border.
Presidents Narendra Modi of India and Xi Jinping of China agreed Wednesday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia to reduce their differences and jointly work out a plan for patrolling the border. The agreement is expected to result in closer political and economic ties.
"The thaw in India-China relations is a boon to both countries. This is particularly significant for China because India may now be less inclined to confront Beijing as part of Quad," Zhiqun Zhu, professor of political science and international affairs at Bucknell University, told VOA. "In this sense, the effectiveness of Quad would be diluted with a less enthusiastic India."
India and China share certain common interests as the two largest developing nations. China was India’s biggest trade partner last year, though there are signs that the U.S. might take its place this year.
"This suggests that the U.S. may wish to push forward its Indo-Pacific strategy without relying too heavily on support from India," Zhu said.
The Quad has served as an important element in the American effort to establish a network of alliances and partnerships to counter China’s rising economic and military power, marked by its aggressive behavior in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
"By remaining relatively informal, the Quad can quietly achieve many of the functions performed by NATO, up to and including military contingency planning," wrote James Jay Carafano, a security affairs expert, on the website of the Liechtenstein-based think tank Geopolitical Intelligence Services AG.
China’s state-run newspaper Global Times described the improved China-India relationship as a response to U.S. and Western European efforts to reduce their economic reliance on China, a process sometimes described as "decoupling."
"In the context of the US ‘decoupling’ strategy, the strengthened cooperation between China and India takes on even greater significance," the paper said in an editorial published Thursday. "The pressures from the US ‘decoupling’ strategy and technological restrictions have heightened regional tensions and increased geopolitical risks for both nations."
The editorial also said that the potential geopolitical shift has already generated market optimism. "It’s based on the recognition of their complementary strengths and the vast opportunities for collaboration across diverse sectors, including manufacturing, infrastructure and sustainable development."
Nevertheless, it is uncertain whether the border agreement will be sustained in the face of decades-old differences between the world’s two most-populous countries.
They fought a war in 1962 and were engaged in a border clash in 2020 in which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers died. There is some concern in India about whether China will in fact pull back troops in the disputed border areas and implement the agreement on the ground.
India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Thursday that "agreements, once reached, must be scrupulously respected" and "disputes and differences must be settled by dialogue and diplomacy." Scholz Pledges Stronger Trade With India to Curb China Dominance (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [10/25/2024 3:40 AM, Arne Delfs and Sudhi Ranjan Sen, 5.5M, Neutral]
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for further diversification of the nation’s trade as he looks to reduce the economy’s dependence on China in favor of India.“We must avoid one-sided dependencies, particularly in areas of strategic importance – critical raw materials and certain technologies, for instance,” Scholz said at the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business, which he opened alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday.“We need to take a different approach. One that I would like to call being open, without being naive,” Scholz said.
Germany is trying to cultivate India as a source of trade and geopolitical support as its deteriorating relations with China cast a pall over the country’s economic future. Scholz started on a three-day visit to India Friday accompanied by a large delegation of ministers and executives as he seeks to forge a strategic partnership with Modi.
India offers trading partners like Germany policy stability, political continuity and abundant labor, Modi said at the conference, highlighting his party’s recent election win that brought him back to office for a third term.“Today, India is the center for diversification and de-risking,” he said. “India is becoming a hub for global trade and manufacturing.”
Scholz also referred to the need for “de-risking,” saying it doesn’t mean less trade or less openness. “For us, de-risking means diversification.”
Germany is pushing for the European Union and India to finalize their free trade agreement soon, he said, adding that “this could happen in months rather than years.”
Later on Friday, Scholz and Modi will chair a joint cabinet meeting. The two sides are expected to sign agreements, including possibly on defense and labor supply. India Names Sanjiv Khanna Chief Justice to Replace Chandrachud (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [10/24/2024 12:28 PM, Shruti Mahajan, 27782K, Positive]
India has appointed Sanjiv Khanna as its next chief justice once the incumbent head of the judiciary, D. Y. Chandrachud, retires next month.Currently the second-most senior judge of the nation’s top court, Khanna will take oath as the chief justice on November 11, a day after Chandrachud retires from the post after a two-year term, according to a government statement Thursday.Khanna will hold the office until May next year.As per protocol in the Indian judicial system, a Supreme Court judge retires at the age of 65 years. The designation of chief justice is held by the senior most judge of the top court and the outgoing chief justice formally nominates the next in line. 2 Indian soldiers and 2 civilian porters are killed in an alleged rebel ambush in Kashmir (AP)
AP [10/25/2024 2:12 AM, Staff, 456K, Negative]
Two Indian army soldiers and their two civilian porters were killed in a rebel ambush in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said Friday.
Police said rebels sprayed bullets at an army vehicle carrying soldiers close to the highly militarized line of control near the resort town of Gulmarg on Thursday night. The de facto frontier divides the disputed Kashmir between India and Pakistan, which they both claim it in its entirety.
Two soldiers and two civilians working as porters with the Indian military were killed and three other soldiers were wounded, police said. The military said it was a brief firefight and gave no other details.
There was no independent confirmation of the incident.
On Sunday, gunmen fatally shot at least seven people and injured five others working on a strategic tunnel project near another resort town of Sonamarg. Police blamed militants fighting against Indian rule for decades for the attack.
Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.
India insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.
Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since they gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Four killed in militant attack in India’s Kashmir (Reuters)
Reuters [10/25/2024 2:00 AM, Fayaz Bukhari, 5.2M, Negative]
At least four people, including two soldiers, were killed when militants ambushed an army vehicle in India’s restive Kashmir on Thursday night, officials said, the fourth attack in the region in a fortnight and the second this week.
The attacks come close on the heels of a government formed by an opposition alliance taking over in the territory where separatist militants have fought security forces for decades and thousands of people have been killed.
At least nine soldiers were killed in two separate militant attacks in the region in July.
Thursday’s attack occurred in the Bota Pathri area near Kashmir’s border with Pakistan, officials said, adding that two army porters were also killed in the incident and three soldiers injured.
"A massive search operation has been launched against the militants responsible for the attack...Additional reinforcements have been sent to the area," said an army official who declined to be named.
Security forces are using drones and helicopters to scan the forest in the region where the incident occurred, a senior police officer said.
The People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), which Indian authorities say is an offshoot of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-E-Mohammed, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement circulating on social media.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the authenticity of the statement.
Authorities closed Gulmarg town’s cable car - a popular tourist attraction that lies about 12 km(7 miles) from the spot of the attack - following the incident.
Around one million people use the cable car annually.
"The shutdown is a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of tourists and staff," a senior official said.
At least six migrant workers and a doctor were shot dead in another attack in Kashmir this week when militants opened fire near a tunnel construction site.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in a post on X, termed the "recent spate of attacks" in the region "a matter of serious concern".
Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, and the 2019 revocation of its special status, which saw it being split into two federally administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, led to the countries downgrading ties. ‘Where will I go?’: Hindu man dead, Muslims in India’s Bahraich face attack (Al Jazeera)
Al Jazeera [10/24/2024 6:30 AM, Arbab Ali, 25768K, Negative]
At about 10:30am on October 14, Mohammad Kaleem received a frantic call from a friend, urging him to flee with his family.
A day earlier, a 22-year-old Hindu man, Ram Gopal Mishra, was allegedly shot dead by a Muslim man while a Hindu religious procession was passing through the Muslim-dominated neighbourhood of Maharajganj, 5km (3.1 miles) from Kaleem’s home in Kapurpur village in Bahraich district of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Religious processions - of all faiths - have for centuries been a part of India’s diverse social fabric, where different communities have lived cheek by jowl. But in recent years, as Hindu far-right groups have grown increasingly assertive under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), many processions have taken on a darker hue. Hindu groups now often march through Muslim localities while playing Islamophobic songs on loudspeakers and raising hate-filled slogans.
"This has been happening at every Hindu procession that has passed the village in the last three to four years," Dawood Ahmed, 32, who owns a shop in Maharajganj, told Al Jazeera.
This year, tensions exploded. A widely shared video on social media purportedly shows Mishra climbing the terrace of a house in Maharajganj, shaking the iron railing on the roof until it broke, and then tearing down a green flag on top of the house and replacing it with a saffron flag. Green flags with Islamic motifs are common on Muslim homes while saffron is a colour often used by right-wing Hindu groups.
Seconds after Mishra hoisted the saffron flag, a bullet pierced his chest and his body fell down on the terrace. According to villagers and Mishra’s relatives, he died of his injuries on the spot - although Mishra’s wife insisted he could have been saved if the police had taken him to hospital faster than they did. The autopsy cited shock and haemorrhage caused by a gunshot wound as the causes of death.
Police charged the house’s owner, Abdul Hameed, 62, who has a jewellery business, and his two sons, Mohammad Sarfaraz, 32 and Mohammad Taleeb, 28, with Mishra’s killing and arrested them On October 17. The next day, a local court ordered five accused, including Hameed and his sons, to remain in judicial custody for 14 days. Sarfaraz is accused of having fired the fatal shot from a rifle that is registered in Hameed’s name.
Meanwhile, Mishra’s killing sparked communal tensions in Bahraich, a district bordering Nepal. On October 14, thousands of outraged Hindus gathered in Maharajganj for Mishra’s last rites. Once done with the rituals, the crowd turned violent and went on a rampage, targeting Muslim properties within a radius of about 10km (6.2 miles), ransacking and burning them down.
Kaleem, 32, was helping others in his village flee and hide in rice fields about the time a mob arrived. Stuck and with nowhere to go, Kaleem hid his wife, Nagma Begum, 28, their four-year-old son, six-month-old daughter and himself in jute bags under the two cots in their bedroom.
The terrified family remained in hiding under their beds for more than an hour as the mob outside screamed, stole their money, flung petrol bombs inside their rooms and lit the gas cylinder in their kitchen to burn down the house. As the gas cylinder began to make oozing noises, the mob fled from the house, fearing it might explode.
As soon as it left, Kaleem hurried out of the jute bag, ran out of the bedroom, picked up the hissing cylinder and flung it into the field behind their house. "I thought we might not survive this," he told Al Jazeera.
The cylinder had lost much of its gas and didn’t burst. But Bahraich had exploded.‘Homes could be saved if police acted sooner’
For Kaleem and his elder brother Mohammad Naseem, the attack was a big blow to their livelihoods. The mob had set fire to their motorbikes, which they used to buy vegetables from Bahraich town and sell them in the district’s rural areas.
"I have no land under my name. I am not educated. I have no other means to provide for my family," said Naseem, who had bought his motorbike only eight months ago for 86,000 rupees ($1,023) after taking out a loan of 50,000 rupees ($594) for it.
Naseem wants to relocate to a different village. "I want to leave with my family. But I have no money. Where will I go?" he asked.
Three wrecked houses away from Kaleem’s, 51-year-old Mangu, who goes by his first name only, leaned over his "sanduka", a large iron chest, as he sifted through his burned belongings. He took out a small steel box from the charred chest containing crisped, burned cash that he had put away for emergencies.
He then took out a brass "lota", a globular water pitcher, and a few copper plates that he was given as a gift during his marriage 30 years ago. Burned pieces of paper also lay in the chest, which Mangu said were his daughter’s 10th grade mark sheets and school transfer certificate that he thought he had safely stored.
Mangu told Al Jazeera he had nothing left. "These clothes that I am wearing are all I have now," he said, pointing to his chequered white shirt and brown trousers.
Multiple residents of Kapurpur told Al Jazeera the police arrived about an hour and a half after the mob stormed the village.
"It appeared that the police had given the mob a free pass to attack and loot," said a man who requested anonymity due to fears of reprisal from the BJP-led government in Uttar Pradesh.
The residents of Kapurpur said that if the police had acted sooner, their homes would have been saved. Local police officers declined to comment on the matter.
On Tuesday, a mainstream Hindi-language newspaper conducted an undercover operation in which two Hindu men confessed on camera that they were involved in the rioting on October 14.
"Some people betrayed us; otherwise, all of Maharajganj would have been wiped out. The police had given us two hours," one of them explained. The other man then said, "That is why all the policemen had left." A day later, on Wednesday, the police arrested both of them.
Al Jazeera asked Shivesh Shukla, a spokesman for the top police officer in Bahraich, for a response to allegations that police allowed the Hindu mob to loot and vandalise Muslim properties on October 14. He declined to comment. On the specific case highlighted by the newspaper’s undercover operation, he had not responded by the time of publication.
The only unscathed house in Kapurpur was that of Kaleem’s only Hindu neighbour.Mangu said people are too scared to sleep in their homes, fearing the mob will return and kill them.
"For the past week, all villagers have been sleeping in one house while a dozen police officers keep guard outside. We go to our homes in the morning and come here at night," he said.‘Say Oh, Ram instead of Oh, Allah’
An hour before the Hindu mob stormed Kapurpur, Rafiuz Zama, who is disabled below the knees, was returning from neighbouring Ram Purva village to his home in Maharajganj when a mob attacked the village, forcing him to abandon his electronic rickshaw on the road.
"I got away somehow, hiding in an alley. The mob torched my e-rickshaw," Zama, 30, told Al Jazeera. He said he supported his family of two sons and a daughter, aged three to 11, by ferrying people on his e-rickshaw which he had bought for 170,000 rupees ($2,021) this year. He said he did not know how he would feed his family now.
Two lanes across from where Zama’s e-rickshaw was set on fire, 45-year-old Riyana Bano said she had just turned off the lights and retired to bed after giving medicines to her sick son Mohammad Irfan, 26, on the night of October 14 when she heard a bang on her steel door.
"I thought it was a Hindu mob. They broke down the gate, and I saw 20 to 25 police officers entering my home. They asked me where my son and husband were and once done with their interrogation, pushed me aside," she told Al Jazeera.
Bano said they beat her husband, Habibullah, 60, with a baton. "I said, ‘Hai, Allah’ [Oh, God.] They [the police officers] verbally abused me and told me to say, ‘Hai, Ram’ rather than Allah," she said. Ram is a prominent Hindu deity.
Bano said the left side of her husband’s body is partially paralysed and he can barely move. Irfan, their eldest son, lives in Nepal, where he runs a jewellery shop. He had come to Bahraich earlier this month to undergo kidney stone removal surgery.
But police still took him into custody. "He is in a lot of pain and takes medication. How could my son riot if he can’t even pee properly?" Bano asked.‘Why attack a dead man’s grave?’
Three days after the October 14 violence, police entered Reshma’s house in Maharajganj in the middle of the night. The 45-year-old alleged a policeman slapped her before the police arrested her husband, Mohammad Lateef, 50, and their three sons, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Gufran, aged 18 to 21.
Reshma said Lateef, who has a heart condition, was freed by the police two days later. "He was beaten first at home and then on the road near the village mosque. He had black marks from his beatings. I massage him to ease his pain. He says he will never forget this beating," she said.
Rizwan, Irfan and Gufran are still in custody. The eldest two work as daily wage labourers while Gufran works at a hair salon. Reshma said she tried to hire a lawyer to get them freed, but most of them belonged to the Brahmin caste - which sits at the top of Hinduism’s caste hierarchy - and is the caste Mishra came from.
On the outskirts of Maharajganj, nestled between lush green fields, stands the burned two-room house where Reshma Bano, 26, lives with her 64-year-old mother, Saira Bano.
About 11:30am on October 14, about 30 to 40 Hindu men emerged from the fields and attacked the Banos’ home. The two women fled. When they returned hours later, their house was in flames. The mob had destroyed the solar panels on their roofs, damaged the hand pump in the front yard and took about 30,000 rupees ($356) that Reshma Bano had saved for her wedding next year.
"They also attacked my father’s grave, burning the "chaadar" (green sheet) wrapped on top of his grave. Why attack a dead man’s grave?" Reshma Bano asked.
Shakeel Ahmad, a former head of Maharajganj village and a member of Modi’s BJP, told Al Jazeera that Muslims in neighbouring villages, which are dominated by Hindus, specifically the Brahmin community that Mishra belonged to, bore the brunt of the attacks.
He said Muslims who were not involved in the rioting were being arrested in large numbers. "The police have already arrested Hameed and his sons. I don’t understand why they’re arresting other innocent Muslims," he said.
Police spokesman Shukla told Al Jazeera 99 people have been arrested over the violence without specifying how many of them were Muslims. On allegations by the Muslims that the police action was selective, he said: "This is wrong. We took action against both Hindus and Muslims. This is not one-sided."
Officials order demolition of Muslim properties
On Monday afternoon, the main street in Maharajganj had a desolate look. The sounds of police vehicles broke the silence. The only other sound: 23-year-old Avesh Raza hammering away at the blue steel door to his Raza Coffee Counter, a small shop that sold coffee and rented out espresso machines for weddings, as he tried to salvage whatever he could from his ransacked business.
On Friday, less than a week after the violence, the government’s Public Works Department issued an order to demolish 23 properties in Maharajganj, 20 of them belonging to Muslims, including Raza’s, alleging they encroached on public land. The three non-Muslim properties belong to Hindus from disadvantaged castes.
The PWD notices asked that owners prove the genuineness of their properties by providing permission obtained from competent authorities by Sunday or face demolition.
"How is this fair?" a distraught Raza asked as he kept beating on the door to break it open.
The demolition notices were also placed on Hameed’s house and a few other Muslim properties near it. Authorities claimed that extensions of these houses were encroaching on the road, but at least six homes belonging to Hindus that, according to the residents, also protruded onto the street had not received notices.
Shopkeeper Dawood, who has also received a demolition notice, claims the government action is one-sided. "This is nothing but collective punishment for Muslims. One person [may have] committed a crime, and now all Muslims must face punishment," he said.
On Sunday, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court stayed the PWD action, giving the affected individuals 15 days to respond to the notices served to them. Most of the residents said they were unable to meet the deadline because they were either in jail or had fled their homes over fear of arrests.
Meanwhile, India’s Supreme Court in New Delhi, while hearing a plea filed by Hameed’s lawyer challenging the demolition of his house, on Tuesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to not go ahead with the action in Bahraich. Last month, the top court issued an order staying any demolition of properties of people accused of a crime, calling them "illegal". The order, however, added that it did not apply to properties encroaching on public land or those abutting bodies of water or railway lines.‘Fake encounter to appease Hindus’
On October 17, police in Bahraich said they shot and injured Hameed’s son Sarfaraz and another accused in Mishra’s murder as the two allegedly tried to flee to Nepal.
Hameed’s lawyer Mohammad Kalim Hashmi told Al Jazeera that his client’s life was in danger and it was a "fake encounter", a term commonly used in India to explain the extrajudicial killings of people in police custody.
"The family was not told where they were being taken. We sent a letter complaining that they might be fake-encountered. Then a video surfaced of his [Hameed’s] daughter inquiring the whereabouts of her father and brother, and it wasn’t until it went viral that the police revealed they were shot in an encounter," he said.
Meanwhile, some mainstream news outlets started reporting that Mishra was "brutally tortured" before he was shot dead. A prominent anchor for a top Hindi news channel alleged on his show that Mishra’s toenails were pulled out and he was attacked with a sharp object on his head and given electric shocks before his death.
Police in Bahraich later posted on X that reports of nail-pulling and electric shocks were fake and intended to disrupt communal harmony.
Mishra’s widow, Roli Mishra, 19, told Al Jazeera the police were responsible for his death. The couple had married only four months ago.
"My husband was shot. My brother-in-law begged the cops to take him to a hospital. The police did not help nor did they assist us in retrieving his body. They finally took him to the hospital in an e-rickshaw," she said.
Police spokesman Shukla declined to comment on Roli Mishra’s allegations.
Ram Gopal Mishra belonged to a poor farming family in Rehuwa Mansoor village, about 9km (5.9 miles) from Maharajganj. Roli Mishra said her husband graduated from college in 2021 and had been unemployed for two years before he joined his cousin’s catering business recently.
Roli Mishra said she had no knowledge of her husband belonging to any far-right Hindu group.
She said he was in a nearby temple making "prasad", food offerings for the gods, when he saw the Ram Navmi procession passing through his village on the afternoon of October 13 and decided to join it. Locals said he was encouraged by the crowd in the procession to climb on top of Hameed’s home on October 13.
Roli Mishra said his last words to her were: "You should have your dinner as I am going to join the procession and would come back home late." He never did.‘Break Muslims financially’
On October 15, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met with the Mishra family and promised them compensation of 1 million rupees ($12,500), a new house and a government job for Roli Mishra.
But many Muslims are asking why they are not being compensated for the destruction of their properties.
Aasif Mujtaba runs Miles2Smile, a New Delhi-based NGO that works with survivors of religious violence, mob lynchings and punitive demolitions. He told Al Jazeera the government’s response to incidents of communal violence in India is biased.
"Mishra climbed over a Muslim man’s house, removed an Islamic flag, had criminal intentions and was attempting to incite a riot. His actions were responsible for the communal violence. The chief minister of the state is meeting and financially compensating the family of a person who should have a criminal case against him," he said.
On the other side, Mujtaba added, more than 50 Muslim homes and properties were burned down due to the government’s negligence. "Why were they not being compensated?" he asked.
Mujtaba said there was an economic aspect to the Bahraich violence.
"The Muslims in Maharajganj were doing well financially. This was the only large market in the area. That is why their businesses and houses were attacked. They want to break Muslims financially as well," he said. India approves $119 mln fund for space startups (Reuters)
Reuters [10/24/2024 8:36 AM, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, 37270K, Positive]
The Indian government on Thursday approved a 10 billion rupee ($119 million) fund for its burgeoning space sector, with 40 startups expected to benefit as the country strives to win a significant share of the commercial space market by 2033.With funding ranging from 100 million to 600 million rupees depending on how mature each startup is, the fund will help generate employment, boost space technology development, fortify supply chains and support research and development, the government said in a statement."Capital infusion (will) create a multiplier effect by attracting additional funding for later-stage developments," it added.The fund, first proposed in July, will be managed by the country’s space regulator, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre.India is among the top five space-faring nations in the world but only holds about a 2% market share of the commercial space market.Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been pushing to change that, opening up the industry to foreign investment and targeting a five-fold increase in market share to $44 billion by 2033.The country currently has nearly 250 space startups, many of which are in the business of providing cost-effective services and hardware to sectors such as communications, agriculture and commodities, where high-quality data is a precious resource.Others are building the country’s first private rockets.Private equity investment in the industry has risen to $126 million in 2023, a 7% increase from the $118 million raised in 2022 and an increase of 235% from the $37.6 million raised in 2021, according to Tracxn data. NSB
3 Arrested in Sri Lanka Over Possible Threats Against Israeli Tourists (New York Times)
New York Times [10/24/2024 4:14 PM, Claire Moses, 831K, Neutral]
The police in Sri Lanka have arrested three people over possible threats against tourists, specifically targeting visitors from Israel, Sri Lankan officials said on Thursday.
The people arrested, all Sri Lankan nationals, were being questioned, Vijitha Herath, a spokesman for the government, said at a news conference. “Further action will be taken based on the findings of the ongoing investigations,” he added.
The arrests came a day after both the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka and Israel’s National Security Council warned their citizens to avoid Arugam Bay, a popular surf destination.
The U.S. Embassy said it had “received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations in the Arugam Bay area. Due to the serious risk posed by this threat, the Embassy imposed a travel restriction on Embassy personnel for Arugam Bay effective immediately and until further notice.”
Israel’s National Security Council told its citizens to “immediately leave Arugam Bay and the south and west coastal areas of Sri Lanka.” Israel also warned people to avoid public displays of anything that could be identified as Israeli, including clothing with Hebrew writing or religious symbols, and to avoid gathering in groups.
Britain also updated its travel advisory for Sri Lanka, citing a heightened terrorist threat. “Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreign nationals such as hotels, tourist sites and places of worship,” the travel advice stated.
The police in Sri Lanka had already increased security measures in Colombo, the capital, as well as in Ella and Weligama, popular destinations for Israeli tourists, a police spokesman said during an earlier news conference. One of the reasons for the heightened security, he added, was that some tourists had set up temporary prayer halls because of a Jewish holiday. Sri Lanka says 3 locals were arrested over a possible attack on Israel tourists (AP)
AP [10/24/2024 7:18 AM, Bharatha Mallawarachi, 31638K, Negative]
Sri Lanka police arrested three people in connection with warnings of a planned attack on Israel travelers visiting the Indian ocean island, a government minister said Thursday, a day after the authorities stepped up the security across the country as the U.S. issued a warning about a possible attack at a popular tourist destination.
Three Sri Lankans have been taken into custody and are now being interrogated, said Minister of Public Security and Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath.
He declined to give further details, saying that would hamper the investigation.
Authorities said on Wednesday they had raised security around Arugam Bay, a popular surfing destination in the country’s east, after receiving intelligence from another country about a possible threat to Israeli travelers.
On Thursday, Herath said the information received did not include specifics but warned than an "attempt will be made to create disturbances" targeting places where Israel nationals conduct religious gatherings.
At present, 575 Israel nationals are in Sri Lanka, he said.
Also on Wednesday, the U.S. embassy in Sri Lanka alerted Americans to avoid the Arugam Bay area until further notice due to "credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations" in that area.
Israel’s government called on its citizens to leave the bay and other coastal areas in Sri Lanka’s south and west immediately.
The government said it has increased road blocks and vehicle checks and deployed army and navy troops, among other security measures to protect tourists who will be visiting the country during the year-end season.Sri Lanka is slowly emerging from its worst economic crisis, and the tourism industry has been a main driver of its recovery.
Simultaneous suicide bomb attacks on three tourist hotels and three churches on Easter Sunday in 2019 caused a downturn in the industry and contributed to an economic collapse three years later. Central Asia
Kazakh Firm Kaspi.kz Opens Payment System to New Users to Compete With Central Bank (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [10/24/2024 11:12 AM, Nariman Gizitdinov, 27782K, Positive]
The biggest fintech company in Central Asia is opening its proprietary payment system to other banks’ customers to strengthen its position in the market before Kazakhstan’s central bank starts a platform of its own.Kaspi.kz’s system, one of the most widely used payment methods at retailers and restaurants in the country, lets consumers pay quickly by scanning a QR code through an application on their phone. In September, the bank opened the platform to customers of Home Credit Bank and Altyn Bank, according to the lenders’ websites.Several other banks have also been approached about joining the network, people familiar with the talks said, asking not to be identified discussing information that’s not public.Kaspi is racing to lock in vendors that use the QR-code-based system before the central bank’s roll out of infrastructure that could allow competitors to eat into its business, people said. Kaspi is opening up in order to increase the share of transactions through its network so merchants will have less incentive to migrate to other lenders, the people said.The National Bank of Kazakhstan said it plans to start a universal payment system this year, and expand it further in 2025. The project is aimed at allowing consumers to make payments from any bank with QR-codes for retail goods and services, which will raise competition to a new level, the regulator said in emailed comments.Kaspi.kz declined to comment. While Kaspi may see its profit increase, the lender could also benefit from the experience gained from rolling out such a system, which it could apply in other countries, the people said. Kaspi, which is active in Azerbaijan and Ukraine, recently agreed to buy a controlling stake in Turkey’s e-commerce platform Hepsiburada for $1.13 billion in cash, in a deal that will expand its available market to 100 million people.Kaspi also may be trying to transform its system into a potential substitute for the one planned by the central bank, if that doesn’t come online on time, though the regulator said that wouldn’t be a possible alternative.Halyk Bank, the country’s biggest lender by assets, has a rival payment system. However, it has made the decision to support the central bank’s platform in the expectation that it would help it win over more merchants once it is introduced, people familiar with the matter said.Once the central bank rolls out its system, lenders will compete over services for merchants and cardholders, but not prices, Halyk Bank said by email. It’s impossible for one bank, integrating with two or three other lenders, to build a full-scale alternative to the universal QR-code network because that wouldn’t guarantee data security, according to Halyk.Kazakhstan’s central bank said in April it wants to weaken the hold of the country’s two largest lenders over payments with the introduction of the new system providing universal access.The two banks dominate Kazakhstan’s market for payments. Kaspi.kz alone handles about an 80% share of such transactions, and Halyk Bank more than 10%, according to Bloomberg calculations based on data from the lenders and the central bank.Kaspi.kz serves 14 million monthly users in Kazakhstan, which has a population of 20 million people. Still without any opposition, Uzbekistan votes for parliament (VOA)
VOA [10/24/2024 7:49 AM, Navbahor Imamova, 4566K, Neutral]
A country that appeared to promise genuine political opposition during a parliamentary election campaign five years ago is about to vote again on Sunday - still without any.
Uzbekistan’s dissidents persist in efforts to register their parties despite repeated rejections. And America’s top diplomat in Tashkent continues to encourage the country to stay on the course of reforms.
But for many Uzbeks, real democracy remains a remote and not particularly appealing prospect.
"What is an independent parliament? What is democracy? We have never had either," said Matluba Boltayeva, an entrepreneur in Andijan, eastern Uzbekistan.
Boltayeva told VOA it is more important to her that she can now visit relatives in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, which became possible after the government of Uzbekistan’s president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, increased crossing points and expanded commercial opportunities.
"I don’t care about the members of the Oliy Majlis," she added, referring to the Uzbek parliament. "I don’t want any political change, and certainly no opposition."
Boltayeva’s sentiments resonate with many in Uzbekistan. During VOA’s travels around the country, residents frequently expressed low expectations of their legislators. Many believe that the country’s laws are made and enforced solely by the president.
A popular blogger, known for discussing rural issues and who ran for local office in 2019, now fears revealing his name to share this opinion: "We deserve this regime. People want a strongman as a leader, taking care of our basic needs. They don’t want to complicate things."
His views reflect the widespread cynicism about democracy VOA heard in several cities and villages.
"Our people look at democracies like those in America, India, Kyrgyzstan and Georgia and wonder, ‘Why would we want that chaos?’ There isn’t enough desire, if any, for political or ideological contest here, which to people means disagreement and disorder."
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East have also shaped Uzbek perceptions, reinforcing the value of independence and stability - key election themes echoed by the five political parties, all supporting President Mirziyoyev and his policies.
Alisher Qodirov, head of the National Revival Democratic Party, who in 2019 pledged to turn his faction into an opposition, later told VOA, "How can we oppose the administration when it’s doing exactly what we advocate - economic reforms, investing in education, health care, and infrastructure, while also promoting our national values?"
While Qodirov and others contend that the parliament is relevant, social media users often disagree. They refer to the parties as "puppets," accusing them of merely promoting the state’s agenda rather than offering solutions.
In an interview with VOA, U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick praised recent televised debates but noted that the parliament lacks transparency.
"We need to see more of that because, for the parliament to fulfill its potential in the Uzbek system, it needs to be empowered and communicate its role to the public," Henick said.
The U.S. government does not support any specific political party, he says, "but we do support the registration of opposition parties in Uzbekistan. I think the Uzbek people, the voters, deserve as much choice as they can get."
Both the U.S. and Uzbekistan are members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, whose Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, ODIHR, has deployed an election observation mission, with 14 international experts, 26 long-term and 300 short-term observers.
OSCE/ODIHR has previously monitored 10 elections and referenda in Uzbekistan, none of which was deemed free or fair. Its consistent recommendation has been to create space for political competition.
"People will feel more vested in the system if their representatives - the ones that speak to them and get their votes - are represented in parliament," said Henick.
The administration deserves credit for its reforms so far, he told VOA. "But I’ve also been candid about where things fall short." Henick cited the U.S. State Department’s critical reports on human rights, which point out problematic areas in Uzbekistan.
"We see this government as a partner," he said, underlining that Washington values its strategic ties with Tashkent.Henick works closely with President Mirziyoyev’s office, now largely run by his eldest daughter, Saida Mirziyoyeva, whom he described as "a productive and capable interlocutor."
"I don’t presume to judge or cast judgment on the president here regarding whom he chooses as his advisers. That is up to him," said Henick, who also spoke positively about Western-educated ministers, regarding them as strong advocates for reform.
Like Henick, many Uzbeks argue that their society is undergoing a transition. They now expect more from their government, especially local authorities. While the media environment is less vibrant compared to 2017-2021, the initial reform period, journalists and bloggers say they still push for public discourse on key issues.
Henick observes that civil society groups struggle to register because officials do not view them as partners in delivering public services. However, he assesses the impact of bloggers and grassroots activists as evidence Uzbekistan will shape its own democracy.
"If we are truthful in our desire to support that democratic development, we shouldn’t be trying to impose a model from the outside. We should be working with the individuals and organizations already here in Uzbekistan," Henick said.
Khidirnazar Allakulov, who has been trying to register a political party since 2021, firmly believes Uzbekistan needs and deserves real opposition.
Nearing 70 and with his activist son in prison, Allakulov said he is "committed to fighting authoritarianism."
He claims to have thousands of supporters "despite arrests and repression" and rejects the popular skepticism about democracy.
"I wouldn’t push for change if I thought our people had no faith in freedom and justice, which are essential for stability. Uzbekistan aspires to have all these things. But we also know that fear rules," he said.
Allakulov believes the main reason authorities block his party’s registration is its opposition to "one-man rule and nepotism." He believes Uzbekistan deserves better governance - not through a coup, but through democratic elections.
Recently renaming his group the "Liberator Nation Party," Allakulov talks with the international community, including OSCE/ODIHR, but insists that no outside influence should interfere with the registration process.
Authorities maintain that Allakulov’s party has failed to meet the registration requirements, including securing the necessary 20,000 signatures.
"We won’t know the impact of political competition until we see it," said Jasur Muminov, a graduate student in Tashkent.
"How we get there, I don’t know. But knowing our state, I predict two scenarios: either the government will introduce its fake ‘opposition party’ to show the world ‘democratic progress,’ or we’ll continue without any. But I’ll be voting on October 27." A Strategic Opportunity for the Organization of Turkic States Amid Great Power Competition (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [10/24/2024 9:19 AM, Yilmaz Acar 1198K, Positive]
The relative decline of U.S. hegemony and the intensifying great power rivalry between the U.S.-led Euro-Atlantic alliance and the Sino-Russian axis have reshaped the geopolitical dynamics in Eurasia, prompting regional actors to reassess their geostrategic orientations. Among these actors, the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) has emerged as an increasingly influential regional alliance, consolidating cooperation among Turkic nations and pursuing strategic autonomy in response to intensifying great power competition.
The OTS, composed of full members Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye, and Uzbekistan, alongside observer states Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), has undergone a significant transformation. It has evolved from a cultural organization into a powerful political, economic, and security bloc. By leveraging its strategic geographic position, rich natural resources, and shared cultural identity, the OTS navigates great power rivalry while pursuing both strategic autonomy and regional influence. This evolution reflects the broader strategy of the Turkic states to maintain political independence and strengthen regional autonomy while avoiding over-reliance on either the Sino-Russian axis or the U.S.-led Euro-Atlantic alliance.
From a "Unipolar Moment" Toward a Multipolar International System
Historically, the international system has undergone cyclical shifts, characterized by the rise and fall of civilizations and hegemonic powers. In this inherently anarchic system, where no central authority regulates state behavior and power is unevenly distributed, states act as rational actors pursuing their interests. Stability is maintained when a dominant state leads the global order, but as rising powers challenge this dominance, such as China’s challenge to U.S. hegemony, conflict and instability become more likely, reflecting the dynamics of great power competition. In this rivalry, great powers vie for dominance over strategic regions, energy resources, supply routes, and critical sectors like politics, economics, military capabilities, and technological innovation to shape the international system to their advantage.
The "unipolar moment" that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked an era of unprecedented U.S. global hegemony. During this period, U.S. dominance shaped the liberal international order, promoting democracy, free markets, international institutions, and global governance, effectively "creating the world in its own image." However, by 2017, the global order began shifting toward a multipolar configuration as emerging powers like China and Russia increasingly challenged U.S. dominance. The presidency of Donald Trump marked a significant shift in U.S. grand strategy, steering away from liberal hegemony and internationalism toward a focus on restraint, retrenchment, and the containment of rising powers, particularly China.
This great power competition was formalized in the 2017 U.S. National Security Strategy and the 2018 National Defense Strategy, marking a shift in U.S. foreign policy from counterterrorism to strategic rivalry with China and Russia, which were labeled as a "strategic competitor" and "revisionist power," respectively. In response, China, as an emerging great power, adopted a defensive foreign policy strategy, as outlined in its 2019 defense doctrine.
The relative decline of U.S. hegemony, alongside intensified great power rivalry, has had significant regional implications for Eurasia, creating a strategic opportunity for the OTS.
The Rise of the Organization of Turkic States
Initially founded as the Turkic Council in 2009 through the Nakhchivan Agreement, the OTS was established as an intergovernmental organization to promote cultural and economic cooperation, while strengthening historical and linguistic ties among Turkic-speaking nations.
However, the organization has gradually expanded its scope to include political and security cooperation, reflecting the broader strategic ambitions of the Turkic states. In 2021, the organization was formally rebranded as the Organization of Turkic States during the Istanbul Summit, marking a key turning point in its transformation from a primarily cultural entity to a comprehensive political, economic, and security alliance, bound by shared history, language, and culture.
The Second Karabakh War marked a turning point for Turkic unity, evolving the concept of "one nation, two states" into broader regional cooperation among Turkic nations. The 2021 Shusha Declaration between Azerbaijan and Turkiye, which solidified military and political ties, symbolized this growing unity. Azerbaijan’s victory in the war, achieved with substantial military support from Turkiye, not only reinforced Turkic solidarity but also showcased the increasing geopolitical influence of the Turkic world at the expense of great powers like Russia.
Furthermore, the Turkic World Vision 2040, adopted during the 2021 Istanbul Summit, laid the groundwork for long-term strategies aimed at building a stronger, more integrated, and united Turkic world. Recent initiatives, such as attempts to adopt a common Turkic alphabet and enhance cooperation in energy and trade, reflect this strategic vision.
The gradual institutionalization of regional security cooperation, economic integration, and cultural and linguistic unity among Turkic states is creating a strategic opportunity to establish a cohesive Turkic sphere of influence across Eurasia, positioning it as a stabilizing force amid global power shifts.
Strategic Autonomy: A Balancing Act
Strategic autonomy has emerged as the regional response of the OTS to the intensifying great power competition. As the global order shifts, Turkic states are increasingly adopting a model of strategic autonomy, leveraging their unique geopolitical position to maintain a balanced approach between the Sino-Russian axis and the U.S.-led Euro-Atlantic alliance. This balancing act reflects the geopolitical implications of rising multipolarity, where the OTS seeks to assert its influence while avoiding over-reliance on any single great power bloc.
Strategic autonomy can be analyzed through two key focus areas: first, Turkiye’s proactive and independent foreign policy, which adeptly balances its NATO membership with its engagements in the Sino-Russian sphere; and second, the gradual shift of other Turkic states, such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, away from Russia-oriented foreign policies, signaling a broader move toward greater regional independence.
Turkiye stands as a prime example of strategic autonomy among OTS members. Its independent foreign policy is exemplified by the procurement of the S-400 missile system from Russia, despite objections from its Western allies, while still relying on the Euro-Atlantic security framework. Despite being a NATO member, Turkiye faces regional tensions with the U.S., particularly in the Middle East region and the eastern Mediterranean, while also pursuing membership in BRICS and consistently advocating for reform of the international system, particularly the U.N. Security Council, through its well-known slogan, "the world is bigger than five."
Similarly, Turkiye maintains strong economic ties with China while voicing concerns over the mistreatment of the Turkic Uyghur minority. Despite its geopolitical clashes with Russia over conflicts in Syria, Libya, and Karabakh, Turkiye maintains strategic cooperation with Russia in key areas such as energy, trade, economic relations, and military defense. Turkiye facilitated one of the largest prisoner exchanges between the United States and Russia since the end of the Cold War, showcasing its ability to operate as an independent regional power.
Turkiye’s foreign policy in the Russia-Ukraine conflict further exemplifies its balancing act. Turkiye condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and supported U.N. resolutions against Russia, yet refrained from joining U.S. and EU sanctions against Russia. Turkiye supplied Ukraine with Bayraktar TB2 drones, which became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance against the Russian invasion. On the other hand, Turkiye has positioned itself as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine, hosting several rounds of peace talks, spearheading diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict, and playing a pivotal role in mediating the Ukraine-Russia grain deal.
The second key focus area in analyzing the strategic autonomy of OTS members is the gradual shift of post-Soviet Turkic nations away from Russia-oriented foreign policies.
Azerbaijan has played a catalytic role in this shift, notably through its victory in the Second Karabakh War and the 2021 Shusha Declaration, which formalized its defense ties with Turkiye. The Karabakh victory, achieved with significant Turkish military support, highlighted Azerbaijan’s growing strategic autonomy by balancing its relations with both Russia and Turkiye, signaling a shift away from Moscow’s traditional dominance. Azerbaijan’s energy diplomacy has also reduced Europe’s reliance on Russian energy through projects like the Southern Gas Corridor, positioning Azerbaijan as a key player in regional energy security. Despite these shifts, Azerbaijan maintains pragmatic relations with Russia, avoiding direct confrontation while strengthening ties with Turkiye and other Turkic nations.
Other Turkic states, such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are also pursuing multi-vector foreign policies, seeking alliances beyond Russia. Despite being members of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have refused to recognize the Russian-backed separatist regions in Ukraine and supported Azerbaijan against another CSTO member, Armenia, signaling their growing independence from Moscow. Kazakhstan’s 2020-2030 Foreign Policy Concept emphasizes a balanced and pragmatic approach, aligning more closely with Turkic and Western partners while maintaining relations with Russia and China.
Uzbekistan’s shift from the Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet is emblematic of its desire to distance itself from Russian influence and foster stronger ties with Turkic nations. This linguistic change is part of a broader cultural and political realignment, signaling Uzbekistan’s commitment to asserting its national identity and integrating with the global and Turkic-speaking world.
Across the Turkic states, there is a collective movement away from Russian influence, particularly in diplomatic, cultural, and economic matters. While Russia remains a significant security partner for countries like Kyrgyzstan, there is a clear trend toward diversifying security and economic partnerships, with Turkiye offering a crucial alternative. This shift reflects the broader geopolitical balance that these states seek to maintain amidst great power competition.
Opportunities and Challenges for the OTS
As great power competition and global instability intensify, Central Asia, referred to historically as Turkestan (a name shift that Turkiye has made recently in its national history curriculum), with its abundant natural resources and strategic position as a bridge between Europe and Asia, is poised to become a key geopolitical battleground for major powers. The OTS has capitalized on this moment, positioning itself as a significant regional player by deepening cooperation across sectors such as energy, trade, and security.
The shifting regional dynamics resulting from great power competition, particularly the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia, have created a strategic opportunity for the OTS to strengthen regional cooperation and assert its autonomy.
Despite the OTS’s growing influence, significant challenges remain. Russia continues to wield substantial influence over post-Soviet Turkic states, and the organization’s momentum is closely tied to current geopolitical conditions, particularly the war in Ukraine. Increased Russian influence could undermine the OTS’s strategic appeal. Simultaneously, China’s Belt and Road Initiative has expanded Beijing’s economic presence in Central Asia, further complicating the region’s economic and political dynamics.
To navigate these external pressures, the OTS must preserve its strategic autonomy by avoiding over-reliance on any single great power, focusing instead on deepening internal cohesion and consolidating its political, economic, and military collaboration. Moreover, the organization’s long-term success will depend on continued leadership, particularly from Turkiye, and the ability of member states to align their foreign policies despite domestic challenges such as political instability in some member states. Indo-Pacific
How Afghan, Pakistani clerics battle polio vaccine misinformation (VOA)
VOA [10/24/2024 4:40 PM, Masood Farivar, Iftikhar Hussain, and Roshan Noorzai, 4566K, Neutral]
Maulana Tayyab Qureshi, the top cleric in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, has seen up close the devastating effects of polio.Two of his own kin were once paralyzed, victims of a scourge that has been vanquished worldwide yet refuses to go away from Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan.
"Had their parents not neglected [to have their children vaccinated], their children wouldn’t be disabled today," Qureshi said of his relatives.
As the chief khateeb, or Friday prayer leader, of the northwestern province, Qureshi preaches this message at every opportunity - Friday sermons at his 17th century Mahabat Khan Mosque in Peshawar, Eid prayers when upward of 40,000 people congregate, meetings with village elders.
"I’m very clear cut: I tell them, it’s free. It doesn’t cost you anything. Why don’t you take it seriously?" Qureshi said in an interview with VOA.
Qureshi is not the only Pakistani cleric advocating vaccination. Several renowned scholars have issued decrees in its support, with a notable shift in attitudes. Vaccine hesitancy, an intractable obstacle to eradicating polio, has waned, he said.
A once infamous bastion of vaccine resistance outside Peshawar has now embraced immunization.
"The fatwas have had a great impact," Qureshi said.
Yet, as Pakistan and Afghanistan seek to eradicate polio, misinformation remains a key hurdle. While immunization rates are generally high in both countries, pockets of resistance persist along the border, jeopardizing eradication efforts.
To counter vaccine misinformation, public health officials increasingly have turned to influential clerics like Qureshi. As the trusted voices within their communities, these religious leaders play a crucial role in dispelling harmful myths and misconceptions about vaccines, experts say.
"The best way to fight through this is empowering trusted voices in communities to push back on it and provide real information," said Kai Ruggeri, a Columbia University health policy professor who has written about vaccine disinformation.
The stakes are high. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries where polio remains endemic. And as World Polio Day arrives this year, there are renewed concerns over their ability to eliminate the disease.
The neighboring countries were once on the brink of going polio-free. But persistent insecurity coupled with cross-border movements has fueled a resurgence.
Pakistan has recorded 40 cases and Afghanistan at least 20, this year. This marks a significant increase from the six cases each reported last year.
A setback came last month when more than 1 million Pakistani children missed vaccinations, and Afghanistan’s Taliban briefly suspended immunization campaigns.
Oliver Rosenbauer, a spokesman for WHO’s polio eradication program in Geneva, noted that misinformation is not the only obstacle to eliminating polio; a lack of infrastructure, insecurity and population density also contribute.
"The important point is the polio virus doesn’t care why a child is not vaccinated," Rosenbauer said in an interview. "It’s very, very good at finding that unvaccinated child."
Polio, a crippling disease that can lead to paralysis and death, has long been eradicated globally thanks to universal immunization efforts. For most people around the world, polio is a distant memory or even a relic of history.
But in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the disease remains a stark reality despite significant progress in recent decades. Its scars are visible to those who look, Rosenbauer said.
"It’s a disease that parents still see," he said. "If you walk around Karachi or Kabul, you’ll still see people with polio on the streets."
This "respect for the disease" explains why vaccine hesitancy remains around 1.5% in Afghanistan and Pakistan, significantly lower than many Western countries.
Yet in densely populated areas, such as the border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, lingering resistance can prevent efforts to eradicate the virus.
Leading the charge against the vaccine, militants on both sides of the border have waged violent attacks on polio workers and their escorts. Their claim that the vaccine program violates Islamic law and is used for surveillance has fueled resistance.
Hundreds have been killed in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In January, at least five policemen were killed and more than a dozen injured in a major attack on polio teams and security personnel in northwestern Pakistan.
According to the Emergency Operations Center in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, militants have carried out 21 attacks against polio teams and security escorts in Pakistan this year.
Mainstream clerics have pushed back.
In 2019, prominent Islamic scholars from Afghanistan and Pakistan declared the polio vaccine safe and Sharia-compliant. They stressed the "moral duty" of parents to have their children vaccinated.
In 2022, the al-Azhar University, the Sunni Muslim world’s most prestigious institution of religious education, warned against decrees banning the polio vaccine in Pakistan.
Last month, nearly 200 renowned religious scholars in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa declared support for polio vaccination.
Qureshi, the chief khateeb of KP, was among them.The scholars "took a strong stand not only regarding the polio vaccine but all health measures by the ministry of health," Qureshi said.
Across the border, Taliban health officials are waging their own campaign against vaccine misinformation even as attacks on health workers, often claimed by ISIS, have persisted.
Ehsanul Haq Hanafi, a cleric and senior official in the health ministry, understands the clergy’s influence in Afghan society.
"People listen to the ulema and accept what they say," Hanafi said in an interview with VOA.
Among the myriad misconceptions about the vaccine, he said, some Afghans believe it corrupts morals or causes sterility. Others think it can accelerate puberty, he said.
"This is unscientific and baseless disinformation," he said.
To combat this, Hanafi travels around the country to meet with locals and mullahs to convince the skeptics. While some clerics remain opposed, most accept the vaccine once its benefits are explained, he said.
"We can’t convince 100% of the people, but 80% agree with us and have their children vaccinated," Hanafi said. Twitter
Afghanistan
Heather Barr@heatherbarr1
[10/24/2024 6:03 AM, 63K followers, 49 retweets, 101 likes]
There’s an unholy alliance between foreign diplomats wanting license to stop worrying about women’s rts in Afghanistan & "pragmatic" Taliban leaders glad to express views ever so slightly less horrifyingly misogynistic while those views make no difference and cost them nothing.
Heather Barr@heatherbarr1
[10/24/2024 7:18 AM, 63K followers, 98 retweets, 227 likes]
Strange to see BRICS standing up to Taliban (refusing their request to attend, criticizing their abuses of women/girls) more than UN (begging them to attend Doha 3, excluding Afghan women & keeping human rts off the agenda to make Taliban comfortable). Shameful, @antonioguterres
Shaharzad Akbar@ShaharzadAkbar
[10/24/2024 8:41 AM, 174.6K followers, 27 retweets, 125 likes]
In case you didn’t know @nytimes, Afghanistan’s best hope for change are the women & men continuing to defy the Taliban’s oppression in every corner of the country, despite risk to their lives & liberty. Your reporting keeps failing, both on Afg and on Gaza.
Habib Khan@HabibKhanT
[10/24/2024 2:11 PM, 238.3K followers, 52 retweets, 187 likes]
THREAD The resistance against the Taliban is gaining momentum! In just one week, two resistance fronts (NRF & AFF) have executed 14 attacks across seven provinces, with a focus on Kabul, signaling a significant shift in the landscape of opposition.
Habib Khan@HabibKhanT
[10/24/2024 2:12 PM, 238.3K followers, 5 retweets, 43 likes]
NRF attacks occurred in Purchaman, Mir Bacha Kot, Dashte Kala, Qalae Naw, Herat City, Nijrab, Hisa Dowm, Shakardara, Herat Airport, and Kabul Airport. AFF targeted the Taliban in Parwan and Kabul. Additionally, there was one unclaimed attack in downtown Kabul.
Habib Khan@HabibKhanT
[10/24/2024 2:17 PM, 238.3K followers, 6 retweets, 42 likes]
It appears that Afghanistan’s Freedom Front (AFF) is concentrating its efforts on Kabul, while the National Resistance Front (NRF) targets the Taliban in the provinces. This strategic division boosts their effectiveness posing a serious challenge to the Taliban’s rule.
Habib Khan@HabibKhanT
[10/24/2024 2:21 PM, 238.3K followers, 5 retweets, 32 likes]
After 2001, the Taliban took over five years to regroup and challenge the US-backed government, but resistance groups are now outpacing them. This momentum is rapidly growing, and it’s only a matter of time before they seize swaths of territories.
Habib Khan@HabibKhanT
[10/24/2024 2:23 PM, 238.3K followers, 7 retweets, 33 likes]
The growing resistance is linked to the Taliban’s increasing restrictions on women and human rights, compounded by a humanitarian crisis that has seen around 8 million people flee the country, prompting those who remain to resist. END.
Zhao Xing@ChinaEmbKabul
[10/24/2024 9:37 AM, 28.8K followers, 32 retweets, 242 likes]
Great pleasure to meet with H.E. Maulavi Mohammed Abdul Kabir, Acting Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan and exchange views on strengthening bilateral cooperation. China will offer Afghanistan zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines. Pakistan
Anas Mallick@AnasMallick
[10/25/2024 2:37 AM, 74K followers, 3 retweets, 29 likes]
The letter by Senior Puisne Judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah excusing himself to be part of the full court reference today, the language used, the principles upheld, is a damning indictment by a fellow judge against the outgoing CJP Qazi Faez Isa. #Pakistan
Hamid Mir@HamidMirPAK
[10/24/2024 10:14 PM, 8.5M followers, 51 retweets, 244 likes]
The Pakistani nation needs a judiciary that upholds justice without descending into internecine strife — a hope that rests on Justice Afridi’s shoulders as he dons the robe. India
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[10/24/2024 2:14 AM, 103.1K followers, 1.1K retweets, 5.4K likes]
Addressing the 18th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business 2024. https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1LyxBgjrbdnKN
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[10/24/2024 10:22 AM, 103.1K followers, 3.9K retweets, 18K likes]
In a boost to infrastructure, the Union Cabinet has approved two railway projects which will boost connectivity and commerce in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Telangana. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2067658
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[10/24/2024 10:21 AM, 103.1K followers, 4.8K retweets, 26K likes]
Excellent news for the space sector! The Cabinet’s decision on establishing a Venture Capital Fund dedicated to the space sector will have a phenomenal impact on the youth. It will give opportunities to several innovative minds and add momentum to our space programme. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2067664 Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[10/24/2024 6:04 AM, 3.3M followers, 330 retweets, 3.4K likes]
Pleased to meet FM @araghchi of Iran today in Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Outreach session. Our conversation focused on regional developments.
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[10/24/2024 5:32 AM, 3.3M followers, 742 retweets, 4.6K likes]
Represented PM @narendramodi at the BRICS Outreach session in Kazan today. As the old order changes while inequities of the past continues, BRICS is a statement in itself and can make real difference. In this context, highlighted 5 key points:
1 Strengthening and expanding platforms of an independent nature to widen choices & avoid being leveraged.
2 Reforming established institutions and mechanisms, especially the UN Security Council in the permanent and non-permanent categories.
3 Democratizing the global economy through creating more production hubs to build resilient, redundant and shorter supply chains.
4 Correct distortions in global infrastructure through connectivity options that enhance logistics and mitigate risks.
5 Sharing experiences and new initiatives that hold relevance and are of common interest.
Also spoke about the situation in Middle East/West Asia & stressed that addressing conflicts and tensions effectively is particular need of the day. The BRICS meeting and our outreach session is a message that the world is prepared to think afresh on longstanding challenges.
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[10/24/2024 4:31 AM, 3.3M followers, 220 retweets, 1.6K likes]
On #UNDay, reiterate India’s commitment to the UN. Underline the imperative for reformed multilateralism to reflect global contemporary realities. As a founding member of the UN, India will continue to promote its ideals of international peace and security, as well as development and progress, particularly of the Global South.Rahul Gandhi@RahulGandhi
[10/24/2024 10:43 AM, 27.2K followers, 5.9K retweets, 17K likes]
1. Why is Madhabi Buch reluctant to answer questions before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament?
2. Who is behind the plan to protect her from being answerable to the PAC?
Brahma Chellaney@Chellaney
[10/24/2024 12:59 PM, 267.8K followers, 370 retweets, 1K likes]
How would the US react if a militant it designated as a terrorist was allowed to make terrorist threats against US airlines from Indian soil without India seeking to prosecute him? Today, mass-murderers, including the now-dead mastermind of the deadly 1985 bombing of an Air India flight from Canada, are the poster boys for Sikh extremists sheltered by American and Canadian authorities, including the NY-based Pannun, who last week issued a new threat against Air India.
Brahma Chellaney@Chellaney
[10/24/2024 11:56 AM, 267.8K followers, 474 retweets, 1.4K likes]
Two things stand out in US envoy Garcetti’s interview with @TOIIndiaNews. While undiplomatically demanding "accountability" from his host nation in an alleged failed plot, he evades answering about the impunity with which the NY-based Pannun (who is on India’s most wanted list) continues to make terrorist threats from US soil, including recently warning passengers not to fly Air India between Nov. 1-19. A spate of hoax bomb threats since last week have disrupted many Indian flights. Garcetti farcically claims, "Our prosecutors are 100% not political." Driving political polarization in the U.S. is the increasing weaponization of the justice system, with prosecutors getting political. The U.S. risks damaging bilateral relations by seeking to leverage the Khalistan card against India, including by sheltering and shielding Sikh extremists wanted in India for terrorist crimes.
Brahma Chellaney@Chellaney[10/24/2024 9:02 AM, 267.8K followers, 186 retweets, 586 likes]
This overly condescending line in the PRC readout of the Xi-Modi meeting has received little attention: "Prime Minister Modi made suggestions on improving and developing the [bilateral] relationship, which President Xi agreed to in principle." Whereas Modi mentioned "a multipolar Asia and a multipolar world," Xi, strikingly, referred only to a multipolar world, as if to confirm that the PRC goal is a Sino-centric Asian order. PRC readout: https://mfa.gov.cn/eng/xw/zyxw/202410/t20241023_11514914.html Indian readout: https://mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/38457/Meeting_of_Prime_Minister_with_Mr_Xi_Jinping_President_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China_on_the_margins_of_the_16th_BRICS_Summit NSB
Sabria Chowdhury Balland@sabriaballand
[10/24/2024 10:54 AM, 7.3K followers, 1 retweet, 3 likes]
While Sheikh Hasina resides in Lutyens’ Delhi bungalow as India’s guest, more than 60 complaints of crimes against humanity & genocide have been filed against her & other senior Awami League leaders with the ICT’s investigation. #Bangladesh https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/363024/theprint-sheikh-hasina-resides-in-lutyens%E2%80%99-delhi
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[10/25/2024 2:13 AM, 110.5K followers, 42 retweets, 46 likes]
Vice President His Excellency Uz @HucenSembe attends the SMI’s CEO-Leader’s Event at the CHOGM Business Forum, hosted by the Sustainable Markets Initiative. The Vice President had an audience with the head of the Commonwealth, His Majesty King Charles III, during the focus group discussion on nature-based solutions and public-private partnerships (PPPs), where he emphasised the need for innovative and sustainable management practices.
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[10/25/2024 1:45 AM, 110.5K followers, 60 retweets, 56 likes]
Vice President His Excellency Uz @HucenSembe attends the Executive Session of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting #CHOGM2024, where he made interventions on the agenda items. Speaking at the event, the Vice President reiterated the Maldives’ commitment to promoting good governance and strengthening democratic norms.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives@MoFAmv
[10/24/2024 7:21 AM, 54.9K followers, 19 retweets, 24 likes]
Maldives candidate Justice Shujune re-elected for a 4th term at the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture Press Release | https://t.ly/g_Dpl
Anura Kumara Dissanayake@anuradisanayake
[10/24/2024 10:48 AM, 133.3K followers, 26 retweets, 240 likes]
We extend our sincere gratitude to the thousands who demonstrated their unwavering support for Malima’s victory by attending the victorious rally (‘Building the Nation Together—We are for Malimawa!’) held this evening (24) in Puttalam.
Eran Wickramaratne@EranWick
[10/25/2024 12:59 AM, 69.8K followers, 12 retweets, 33 likes]
President @anuradisanayake came to power pledging to "catch the rogues." We will support that agenda 100 percent. We need to clean up this system. In fact, I call on him to go even further. First, let’s strengthen the anti-corruption commission CIABOC by granting it both investigative and prosecutorial powers. Second, let’s bring in the Stolen Assets Recovery Law, which the @sjbsrilanka drafted, to recover stolen money hidden abroad. Third, let’s establish an independent prosecution office, which will prevent the Attorney General facing a conflict of interest when charges need to be brought against a member of the govt. With these 3 measures, which I have been urging for years, the president can take meaningful action in "catching rogues" and cleaning up the system.
M U M Ali Sabry@alisabrypc
[10/25/2024 2:24 AM, 7.5K followers, 4 likes]
As the current government benefitted immensely from union support during its time in opposition, there is a pressing need to manage and redefine this relationship in governance. If not properly handled, union pressures could become a significant impediment to achieving economic reform and growth. Therefore, it is crucial that both the government and unions acknowledge their evolving roles and responsibilities in the current context.
M U M Ali Sabry@alisabrypc
[10/25/2024 2:21 AM, 7.5K followers, 2 retweets, 4 likes]
Balancing Economic Growth with Worker Welfare: Lessons for Sri Lanka
In today’s interconnected world, market economies have emerged as the most effective pathway to economic development. Even historically socialist and communist states have embraced market-driven strategies, acknowledging that higher productivity and economic competition lead to tangible financial gains for individuals and communities alike. Within this framework, governments play a crucial role—not as competitors, but as regulators ensuring that the marketplace is fair, competitive, and safe.
The Role of Government and Accountability
A government’s duty is to balance the interests of all stakeholders—businesses, workers, and the public—while fostering accountability and protecting against exploitation. Governments must refrain from overreliance on union pressures or pandering to a single group. The key lies in fostering an environment that promotes healthy competition and innovation, which creates demand for skilled labor and drives higher living standards. It is only by ensuring a level playing field, where entrepreneurs are free to thrive, that we can drive national prosperity.
Balancing Unions and State Sector Productivity
While unions serve a vital function in protecting workers’ rights, a clear balance must be struck between advocating for workers and ensuring national progress. In Sri Lanka, unions in critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and transport often pursue narrow, self-serving goals, leaving vulnerable groups—patients, students, and commuters—at a disadvantage. Strikes in these sectors disrupt the country’s essential services and, in turn, the most vulnerable members of society.
A truly responsible union should offer constructive solutions for national progress. Unions should aim to strike a balance between protecting their members’ rights and contributing to the greater public good. This involves supporting initiatives like attendance monitoring or digital systems, which increase transparency and accountability in state services. Such reforms not only improve efficiency but also enhance public trust in these essential sectors.
In the state sector, policies should not be reactionary, catering solely to union demands. Instead, a forward-thinking approach prioritizing productivity and service quality is necessary. A proactive focus on enhancing efficiency and delivering reliable services will ensure that the state sector can meet public needs effectively.
Learning from South Korea’s Economic Success
Sri Lanka can take inspiration from South Korea’s economic journey, where the working class played an instrumental role in driving industrial growth. South Korean workers accepted long hours and made sacrifices in the short term for the long-term goal of national prosperity. The government facilitated this transformation by balancing workers’ contributions with a vision for the country’s future—offering a lesson for Sri Lankan unions and policymakers alike.
A Call for Pragmatism and Shared Responsibility
As Sri Lanka seeks to move forward, it is essential that the government maintains autonomy and pragmatism in decision-making. Overly accommodating union demands can deter investment and hinder innovation, ultimately disadvantaging the very workers unions seek to protect. True worker welfare arises not from isolated demands but from a thriving economy that creates competition, opportunity, and improved living standards.
As the current government benefitted immensely from union support during its time in opposition, there is a pressing need to manage and redefine this relationship in governance. If not properly handled, union pressures could become a significant impediment to achieving economic reform and growth. Therefore, it is crucial that both the government and unions acknowledge their evolving roles and responsibilities in the current context.
By embracing a market-oriented approach and fostering a spirit of entrepreneurial growth, Sri Lanka can create a transparent, efficient, and accountable economic environment. Only through collaboration—where the government, unions, and business leaders respect one another’s roles—can the nation achieve a balanced and prosperous future. Central Asia
Navbahor Imamova@Navbahor
[10/24/2024 3:06 PM, 23.7K followers, 3 retweets, 3 likes]
UZ: A country that appeared to promise genuine political opposition during a parliamentary election campaign five years ago is about to vote again on Sunday ... For many Uzbeks, real democracy remains a remote and not particularly appealing prospect. https://www.voanews.com/a/still-without-any-opposition-uzbekistan-votes-for-parliament-/7837071.html
MFA Tajikistan@MOFA_Tajikistan
[10/25/2024 12:12 AM, 5K followers, 5 likes]
Participation in the meeting "BRICS+" and "BRICS and the Global South: Jointly Building a Better World" https://mfa.tj/en/main/view/16028/participation-in-the-meeting-brics-and-brics-and-the-global-south-jointly-building-a-better-world
MFA Tajikistan@MOFA_Tajikistan
[10/24/2024 8:17 AM, 5K followers, 1 retweet, 3 likes]
Meeting with Acting OSCE Secretary General https://mfa.tj/en/main/view/16025/meeting-with-acting-osce-secretary-general
MFA Tajikistan@MOFA_Tajikistan
[10/24/2024 8:18 AM, 5K followers, 2 retweets, 3 likes]
Tajikistan – OSCE Partnership Platform https://mfa.tj/en/main/view/16026/tajikistan-osce-partnership-platform
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz
[10/24/2024 12:25 PM, 202.4K followers, 1 retweet, 19 likes]
The intensive program of President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev in #Kazan has concluded and he departed for #Tashkent. At the airport he was seen off by Rustam Minnikhanov, Rais of the Republic of #Tatarstan, and other officials.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz
[10/24/2024 10:34 AM, 202.4K followers, 2 retweets, 29 likes]
Today President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev addressed the plenary session of the “#BRICS Plus” summit. Initiatives were put forward aimed at global development and multilateral cooperation in ensuring food and energy security, combating negative impacts of climate change and healthcare protection. Therefore Uzbekistan is ready to cooperate with New Development Bank, BRICS platforms and overall BRICS states to effectively utilize new opportunities.{End of Report} To subscribe to the SCA Morning Press Clips, please email SCA-PressOfficers@state.gov. Please do not reply directly to this email.