SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS

epubdos : Afghanistan

Prepared for the U.S. Department of State

Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs

By TechMIS
www.TechMIS.com

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TO:	SCA & Staff
DATE:	Thursday, October 3, 2024 6:30 AM ET

Afghanistan

Karen Decker reaffirms support for Afghan women and girls (Amu TV)

Amu TV [10/3/2024 12:41 AM, Staff, Neutral]
Karen Decker, the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Mission to Afghanistan, emphasized her continued commitment to supporting Afghan women and girls following the conclusion of Thomas West’s tenure as the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan.

In a post on X, Decker expressed her gratitude for West’s work over the past three years and outlined her plans to build on his efforts. “Deep appreciation to Special Representative Thomas West for his hard work these past three years,” she wrote. “I look forward to building on his good work with Deputy Assistant Secretary John Mark Pommersheim and Special Envoy Rina Amiri, to uphold America’s national security interests, advocate for Afghan women and girls, promote the human rights of all Afghans, and help the Afghan people in the face of a grave humanitarian crisis.”

Decker highlighted the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and reaffirmed her commitment to assisting the Afghan people. She praised West’s “tireless” efforts, particularly in advocating for human rights and engaging with international partners on Afghanistan.

The U.S. State Department announced on Tuesday that West will transition to a new role as Acting Head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination at the State Department.

This comes as Afghanistan continues to face severe challenges, particularly in the areas of human rights, women’s rights, and humanitarian assistance. The situation for women and girls in the country has become increasingly dire under Taliban rule, with widespread restrictions on education, employment, and freedom of movement.

A Case for Recognizing Taliban-Led Afghanistan (Atlas News – opinion)

Atlas News [10/2/2024 8:00 AM, Wilder Davenport, Neutral]
Despite regional concerns over violence, the Taliban are succeeding as diplomats, especially with regional actors. On September 27th, Iran’s foreign minister met with his Russian, Chinese, and Pakistani counterparts in New York to address the growing threat of terrorist groups based in Afghanistan. The foreign minister warned that organizations like ISIS-K and Al Qaeda continue to destabilize the region and argued that countries such as the United States bear responsibility for this destructive presence following their hasty withdrawal.

While the U.S. has largely disengaged from Afghanistan, neighboring countries do not have the luxury of severing ties with the Taliban. These nations, out of necessity, maintain relations with Kabul, even as they protest the Taliban’s alleged harboring of terrorist groups. As Aaron Y. Zelin noted for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, since 2021, the Taliban has had over 1300 meetings with at least 80 countries, honing the diplomatic skills it showed off in the Doha deal. Earlier in September, the Taliban reopened its embassy in Oman after scoring the acceptance of their ambassadors to the United Arab Emirates and China. Seventeen countries currently maintain diplomatic missions in Kabul, though the strength and purpose of these relationships vary significantly.

Diplomatic Struggles Over Resources

Despite regional concerns over violence, the Taliban are succeeding as diplomats, especially with regional actors. On September 27th, Iran’s foreign minister met with his Russian, Chinese, and Pakistani counterparts in New York to address the growing threat of terrorist groups based in Afghanistan. The foreign minister warned that organizations like ISIS-K and Al Qaeda continue to destabilize the region.

Diplomatic relationships with Afghanistan help its neighbors manage water rights, a contentious issue. One of the most controversial infrastructure projects undertaken by the Taliban is the Qosh Tepa Canal, which diverts water from the Amu Darya River to enhance Afghanistan’s water security and irrigation capabilities. This diversion has immediate consequences for Tajikistan, which lies directly downstream, but other Central Asian nations also feel the impact, many of them already facing water shortages.

Countries like Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, which maintain bilateral diplomatic relations with Kabul, face an anticipated 15% reduction in their water supply once the canal is fully operational. Despite these grievances, Afghanistan’s neighbors cannot afford to ignore the Taliban—they must engage with the Afghan government to preserve their stake in critical water agreements. As The Hill recently noted, including Kabul in the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination of Central Asia would benefit both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan by ensuring dialogue over the region’s water supply.

Tajikistan, despite being one of the most affected countries, does not have a diplomatic mission in Kabul. This absence is motivated not only by water disputes but also by security concerns, including the presence of the Jamaat-Ansarullah, a Tajik Islamist militant group allegedly operating from Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province.

and argued that countries such as the United States bear responsibility for this destructive presence following their hasty withdrawal.

While the U.S. has largely disengaged from Afghanistan, neighboring countries do not have the luxury of severing ties with the Taliban. These nations, out of necessity, maintain relations with Kabul, even as they protest the Taliban’s alleged harboring of terrorist groups. As Aaron Y. Zelin noted for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, since 2021, the Taliban has had over 1300 meetings with at least 80 countries, honing the diplomatic skills it showed off in the Doha deal. Earlier in September, the Taliban reopened its embassy in Oman after scoring the acceptance of their ambassadors to the United Arab Emirates and China. Seventeen countries currently maintain diplomatic missions in Kabul, though the strength and purpose of these relationships vary significantly.

Disputes with Iran and Pakistan

Afghanistan’s water disputes extend beyond Central Asia. Both Iran and Pakistan have long-standing grievances regarding water resources shared with Afghanistan. Afghanistan is under no formal obligation to follow international water allocation rules regarding the Helmand River, which flows into Iran. This has strained relations between the two countries. Similarly, Pakistan disputes several hydroelectric projects on the Kunar River, which could reduce its own water supply.

These disputes are compounded by the large numbers of Afghan migrants residing in Iran and Pakistan. Years of conflict have driven millions of Afghans across the border, and both countries are now carrying out deportation campaigns in response to rising anti-migrant sentiments. Ethnic border clashes also contribute to tensions, making the management of diplomatic ties more complex. Both Iran and Pakistan recognize the necessity of engaging with the Taliban, not just for water rights but also for managing border security and migrant flows. For its part, the Taliban seeks improved relations to ensure the safe return of its citizens abroad.

Strategic Diplomacy from Russia and China

While Afghanistan’s neighbors manage diplomatic relations out of necessity, far-away powers like Russia and China also maintain embassies in Kabul for strategic purposes. Both nations have kept their embassies open and frequently engage with Taliban leadership, driven by security and economic interests. Russia is deeply concerned about regional stability and the potential for extremist groups to use Afghanistan as a base for operations in Central Asia, threatening Russian allies in the region. Thus, Moscow seeks to maintain an open channel of communication with the Taliban to prevent terrorism from spreading into its sphere of influence.

China’s interests in Afghanistan are largely tied to economic investment through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Chinese companies dominate Afghanistan’s mining sector and have invested heavily in Afghan infrastructure projects. Additionally, Beijing is concerned about Uyghur militants possibly finding sanctuary in Afghanistan, which adds a security dimension to its engagement with the Taliban. Despite not officially recognizing the Taliban government, China took a significant diplomatic step by accepting a Taliban ambassador earlier this year, signaling deeper engagement.

The Challenges for Taliban Diplomacy

This list of countries with diplomatic missions in Afghanistan is not exhaustive. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan have recently voiced their interest in integrating Afghanistan into regional discussions at the United Nations. Qatar remains diplomatically involved in Afghanistan, a fact which the US can leverage to their advantage (Qatar has spoken for the US before).

However, one of the reasons many countries hesitate to formally recognize the Taliban-led government is the existence of Afghan diplomatic missions that remain loyal to the previous regime, especially in Europe. For instance, the Afghan embassy in London closed on September 27th after the Taliban dismissed diplomats loyal to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The closure of these embassies might be a pragmatic move for the Taliban, but it still complicates their efforts to establish broader diplomatic ties.

Another challenge the Taliban faces comes from domestic opposition. Resistance groups like the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), which claimed victory over Taliban forces earlier this year, continue to fight for control in certain regions. The Taliban has resorted to relying on local warlords to maintain security in rural provinces. Many countries assert that Afghanistan remains a safe haven for militant groups, with some even accusing the Taliban of deliberately supporting these organizations. The question is: will the Taliban ever be able to secure its own nation?

Countries with the ability to recognize the Taliban may ultimately find it beneficial to do so. Engaging diplomatically with the Taliban could pressure the regime to adhere to international norms, especially if recognition is tied to specific conditions related to human rights, terrorism, and governance. This approach assumes that the Taliban can act as a rational actor on the global stage, an assumption many are reluctant to make. However, one thing remains clear: the international community cannot expect the Taliban to follow global norms while isolating them from the diplomatic process.

Pakistan

Malaysian prime minister arrives in Pakistan on a 3-day visit to discuss bilateral ties (AP)

AP [10/2/2024 2:20 PM, Staff, 459K, Positive]
Malaysia’s prime minister arrived in Pakistan’s capital Wednesday on his first official visit which authorities say is aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries and boosting bilateral economic and trade ties.

Anwar Ibrahim was received by Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif when his plane landed at an airport near Islamabad. He will hold a formal meeting with Sharif at his sprawling office to discuss a range of issues, including lthe latest situation in the Middle East.

Ibrahim and Sharif will also witness the signing of various agreement during the three-day visit of the Malaysian premier who is visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Sharif, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ibrahim is accompanied by a high-level delegation which will discuss with Pakistan how to further strengthen cooperation in the areas of trade, energy, agriculture, tourism, cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts.

Cash-strapped Pakistan is trying to enhance bilateral trade and improve economic ties after recently getting a $7 billion new loan from the International Monetary Fund. The ministry says the two sides will discuss a wide-ranging agenda to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia ties in diverse fields, including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, industry, tourism, cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts. They will also discuss regional and global developments.

Bilateral trade between the two sides in the fiscal year 2023-2024 was recorded at $1.5 billion.

Imran Khan Calls for Renewed Protest in Pakistan (Foreign Policy)

Foreign Policy [10/2/2024 5:00 PM, Michael Kugelman, 1851K, Positive]
The highlights this week: Pakistan’s opposition sounds off against proposed amendments to the constitution, the U.S. State Department’s top Afghanistan official moves on without a replacement, and police crack down hard on protests in Bangladesh.

Political Tensions Rise in Pakistan

A fiery message from jailed Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan was shared on his official X account on Monday, calling for protests across Punjab province-home to Pakistan’s military headquarters-this weekend. The provincial government quickly banned public gatherings in the areas where Khan called for demonstrations.

The message underscored a surge in tensions between Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership-the latest chapter in a confrontation that dates to Khan’s ouster as prime minister in 2022.

This time around, the main trigger is the proposal of constitutional amendments that would increase government control over the judiciary and make it easier to ban political parties. The legislation has inflamed an opposition angered by years of government crackdowns against PTI leaders and supporters. Despite state attempts to limit protest, the PTI has continued to mobilize, albeit in smaller numbers.

After tough security measures in Rawalpindi stymied a PTI protest on Saturday, a top party leader called for a "revolution," warning that if a single bullet is fired on PTI protesters, they would respond with 10. On Sunday, Khan was slapped with new terrorism charges related to the protest-adding to the many charges he already faces-that accuse him of incitement.

Bellicose PTI rhetoric is becoming a trend. In recent rallies, protesters have threatened to free Khan from prison by force if he is not released. Party leaders are also speaking with greater urgency, insisting that protests must continue until the government falls. On Monday, Khan’s sister Aleema Khan warned that without sustained demonstrations, Khan could be placed in military custody.

This escalation may be bluster, but it could also be an attempt to pressure the authorities to release Khan-the PTI’s core goal-or to make concessions on other issues, such as the proposed amendments.

Those in charge won’t take it lightly. The PTI challenge has proved unusually difficult for Pakistan’s powerful military: The party has successfully leveraged tools of dissent, including social media, and an increasingly politicized diaspora. Yet from the military’s standpoint, the PTI crossed a red line in May 2023, when political protesters attacked military facilities after Khan was arrested.

As a result, the military intensified its crackdown on the party, and today the army has things right where it wants them: Much of the PTI’s top leadership has been arrested or pressured to leave the party or politics altogether. Curbs on public demonstrations have largely neutralized the PTI’s street power.

Meanwhile, increasing efforts to throttle the internet-first through periodic shutdowns and social media bans and later a national firewall modeled on China’s-threaten to sap another key PTI strength: its formidable capacity to mobilize online, which helped PTI-backed independents stun the nation and win the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections this year.

Pakistan’s top security officials, including its new intelligence director who previously served as a top army disciplinarian, aren’t likely to show much mercy to protesters who heed Khan’s call and try to defy bans on demonstrations. The military is already grappling with separate protest movements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan provinces against state repression.

For Pakistan’s leaders, cutting the PTI down to size may amount to a Pyrrhic victory; the party still boasts a large support base but is running out of space to channel its many grievances peacefully. This is unsettling for the country’s social stability, especially against a backdrop of economic stress, surging terrorism, and rising public discontent about the conflict in the Middle East.

What We’re Following

Top U.S. Afghanistan official moves on. The U.S. State Department announced on Tuesday that Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, has transitioned to a new role focused on sanctions policy. A statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not mention a direct successor for West, suggesting that his position won’t be retained.

Instead, Afghanistan policy at the State Department will be led by three incumbents: Karen Decker, the Doha-based chief of mission to Afghanistan; Rina Amiri, the special envoy for Afghan women, girls, and human rights; and John Mark Pommersheim, the deputy assistant secretary of state for Central Asia.

West held his position for three years and previously served as deputy to his predecessor, Zalmay Khalilzad. The presumed removal of a post widely seen as the most senior Afghanistan position at the State Department underscores just how much the U.S. policy focus on Afghanistan has receded since the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021.

Other U.S. agencies remain engaged on Afghanistan: The U.S. Agency for International Development is providing humanitarian aid, and the Defense Department devotes significant attention to the growing threat posed by the Afghanistan-based Islamic State-Khorasan. But the State Department has led on key elements of U.S. policy, including how to engage with the Taliban and advocacy for detained U.S. citizens.

New IMF package for Pakistan. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced last Friday that its executive board approved a three-year, $7 billion financing package for Pakistan-including an immediate disbursement of $1 billion. The statement praised Pakistan for surges in economic growth, decreases in inflation, and replenished foreign reserves.

The deal gives Pakistan’s government something to celebrate, but like other IMF agreements with Pakistan, it isn’t exactly a political boon. It will require austerity measures that could hit the public hard, especially with rising poverty levels in recent years; the cost of living in Pakistan is now the highest in Asia.

Recent economic stabilization in Pakistan-as in nearby Sri Lanka-hasn’t translated to relief for a critical mass of the public. The government, which already isn’t popular, could eventually be hit with fresh waves of public ire.

Protests turn violent in Bangladesh. Police cracked down violently on protests in Bangladesh on Monday after thousands of people-most of them workers and activists-took to the streets calling for higher wages and better job opportunities. One person died and around 30 people were injured after police opened fire.

This is a delicate matter for Bangladesh’s interim government. The mass movement that ousted then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August has provoked a wave of wider activism-much of it fueled by economic stress. The police led a brutal crackdown against peaceful protests this summer and were met with retaliatory violence in the days after Hasina fled the country.

Many police officers, citing safety concerns, went on strike before reporting back to work on Aug. 12. Bangladesh’s interim government is keen to demonstrate its commitment to a gentler form of governance, but it is also under pressure from the public and the business community to restore law and order.

Under the Radar

Amid closely watched elections in Indian-administered Kashmir-with results to be announced on Oct. 8-upcoming polls in the state of Haryana on Saturday have been easy to overlook. But there is a lot at stake, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking to become the first to rule the northern breadbasket state for three consecutive terms.

In that sense, the Haryana elections, much like those in Kashmir, are an important test for the BJP following its less-than-stellar performance in national elections this year. Victory in Haryana won’t be easy for Modi’s party, though. BJP candidates fared poorly in the state in this year’s national elections, despite the party winning convincingly in Haryana in the 2014 and 2019 elections.

India Today reports that the BJP is campaigning aggressively in rural areas, where the opposition Indian National Congress party made major inroads this year. It also hopes to capitalize on infighting within the Congress party ranks in Haryana.

FP’s Most Read This Week

Regional Voices

In the New Indian Express, scholar Shiv Visvanathan writes about the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, whose birthday is on Wednesday. "One mistake several in the current generation make is to think that Gandhi is outdated. It is Gandhians who need to come up with new experiments, new books, new explorations-to renew the idea of India as a plural civilisation," he argues.

In the Daily Star, economist Tasneem Raihan discusses how Bangladesh can recover the estimated $100 billion that has been laundered abroad in the last 15 years. "If Bangladesh is serious about bringing back the laundered wealth, it can learn from the experiences of countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, and most notably, Nigeria," he writes.

In Nepali Times, writer Pratibha Tuladhar praises the recent publication of four children’s books on Nepali women. "The common thread that binds the four books is the determination and strength of character of all the four women featured. The text is replete with anecdotes of inner strength that helped them forge unique paths," she writes.

Pakistan: Will Zakir Naik’s visit fuel sectarian tensions? (Deutsche Welle)

Deutsche Welle [10/2/2024 4:14 PM, Haroon Janjua, 16.6M, Neutral]
Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik arrived in Pakistan this week for a month-long visit to deliver lectures in major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore.

The 58-year-old doctor-turned-televangelist has remained a contentious figure since the early 1990s and is wanted in India where he faces charges of money laundering and hate speech.

Indian authorities have accused him of "promoting enmity and hatred between different religious groups" through his public speeches and lectures.

Speaking in Malaysia, where he has sought refuge, Naik claimed that he did not break any laws in India and he was being targeted by the "enemies of Islam."

This marks Naik’s first visit to Pakistan in three decades, having last traveled there in 1992. His trip comes at the invitation of the Pakistani government, alarming many activists and critics because he has been banned in several countries — including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the UK — due to his hardline religious views.

"I am saddened but not shocked that Zakir Naik has been invited as a state guest," nuclear physicist and social activist Pervez Hoodbhoy told DW.

"The state is adding more fuel to the fire," Hoodbhoy suggested.

Debate over Zakir Naik’s influence intensifies

Bangladesh suspended Zakir Naik’s television channel, Peace TV, which promotes his preachings, after media reports indicated that the jihadists who attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in 2016, killing 29 people, were admirers and devotees of his. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack.

Amit Ranjan, a research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, described Zakir Naik as "a radical Islamic preacher whose speeches and following have created troubles and tensions in Bangladesh and the Maldives."

"Being Pakistan’s state guest, it will not benefit the social and religious fabric of the country," Ranjan told DW.

But Qurat ul Ain Shirazi, a political and social commentator, argues that Zakir Naik’s visit could help fill the void left by rising extremism in Pakistan.

"With the ongoing wave of blasphemy-related incidents, Naik has given somewhat a fresh perspective by saying ‘rather than killing someone in an alleged blasphemy case, [the] law should take its course in this area instead.’ He has also debunked terrorism done in the name of religion," asserted Shirazi.

Naik’s visit raises concerns amid deepening tensions with India

Some analysts warn that Naik’s visit could further escalate tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

In the past, Naik’s speeches have encouraged people to carry out violence against different groups or provoke them against people belonging to different faiths, Ranjan highlighted.

"As Pakistan is already facing violence related to social and political problems, giving space to Naik is nothing but an addition to the existing tensions," Rajan told DW.

Naik’s visit to Pakistan comes at a time when relations between the neighbors are deeply strained.

"As a purveyor of hate speech, Zakir Naik has been banned from several countries including India. In giving him a royal reception, Pakistan is announcing that it is committed to embracing fundamentalism and is willing to set aside global opinion," underlined Hoodbhoy.

Naik remained controversial because of his puritan brand of Islam and sermons, which, according to media reports, recommend the death penalty for those who abandon Islam as their faith.

"I don’t think it would strain the relations between the two countries as those are already tense," said Shirazi, adding that Naik has been cautious enough not to mention the disputed territory of Kashmir anywhere in his response, which perhaps suggests that, "he does not want to create any controversy that could lead to a potential worsening of relations between Pakistan and India."

Sectarian faultlines

Many experts say that Naik’s speeches in the country may further inflame extremist sentiments.

"Pakistan is a multi-sect and highly religious society where some follow different brands of Islam," said Ranjan. "Naik’s views may further disturb sectarian ties in Pakistan among some particular sects due to varying views."

Naik, who currently lives in Malaysia, had apologized in the past for making racially sensitive remarks. In August 2019, Malaysian police banned him from speaking in public and interrogated him for hours over his comments.

"With the Saudis having turned away from orthodox Islam, Pakistan now actively seeks to don the mantle of being its protector. Inviting Naik as a state guest is a step towards that. In the process it is likely to further damage the balance of sectarian forces within the country," stated Hoodbhoy.

Shirazi concluded that she doesn’t believe that Naik will dwell on sectarian issues.

"I think his visit to Pakistan can also indicate that he is also trying to better his image because he had been facing severe criticism from certain groups in the past," Shirazi told DW.

India

Turnout for local assembly elections in Indian Kashmir sets record (VOA)

VOA [10/2/2024 4:29 PM, Muheet Ul Islam, 4566K, Neutral]
Election officials in Indian-administered Kashmir are hailing a historically high turnout in elections completed this week as evidence of a commitment to democracy that bodes well for the region’s future.

More than 69% of people in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir, or J&K, cast their ballots in Tuesday’s third round of legislative elections, the first local electoral battle in a decade.

Round one took place September 18 with a voter turnout of 61.38%, and phase two was September 25 with a voter turnout of 57.31%, according to election officials.

Conducted in the three phases, the polling for 40 assembly constituencies - 24 in the Jammu division and 16 in the Kashmir valley - resulted in an overall voter turnout of over 63% in the disputed Himalayan region, organizers said.

Wire news reports say results are expected next week.

"These elections have witnessed a significant increase in voter turnout in areas infamous for militancy and boycotting democratic processes," read a statement issued by the Election Commission of India.

"J&K assembly elections have marked a significant deepening of democracy, which will echo in the pages of history and continue to inspire a democratic spirit of the region for years to come," said the prepared statement quoting Rajiv Kumar, India’s top elections official.

Northern Kashmir’s electoral landscape has traditionally been dominated by two rival political groups, the National Conference, or NC, and Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP. But the 2013 founding of the Awami Ittehad Party, or AIP, which is led by Indian parliamentarian Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as "Engineer Rashid," could alter the electoral battlefield.

"It appears the contest will be between the NC and PDP. However, the situation may change as Engineer Rashid has attracted a massive crowd since his release from Tihar Jail," Pattan resident Tanveer Najar told VOA. "It’s possible that the AIP could upset the NC and PDP."

University of Kashmir political scientist Noor Ahmad Baba told VOA all phases of the 2024 local elections saw the largest voter turnout since 1989’s regional armed insurgency against Indian rule.

"People came out in relatively large numbers due to changing political dynamics after special status revocation," said Baba, referring to India’s 2019 decision to strip the Himalayan region of its semiautonomous status. "Moreover, there has been no representation for the people during the last six years, so they voted."

Umer Nazir, a resident of the Sumbal area of Bandipora district in northern Kashmir, said he thought the central government had discriminated against the Muslim majority region because of an anti-Muslim agenda.

"We want our own people to lead us," Nazir told VOA.

"Our properties, our children and much more have been taken from us," he added. "To put an end to this torture and seek some relief, I and my family decided to vote."

Political analyst and podcaster Muzamil Maqbool told VOA that election campaigning in recent weeks focused on topics such as the restoration of special status for the area, possible statehood and the release of political prisoners held by India.

No ‘kingmaker’

But, he warned, voting results may not yield major changes. These "local assembly elections differ from parliamentary elections," he said, noting that candidates such as Engineer Rashid may not fare as well regionally as their supporters hoped, even though they campaigned impressively.

"Engineer Rashid may win a few seats but he won’t be a kingmaker or a king as he has claimed in several recent interviews," Maqbool said. "The support for Engineer Rashid in the recent parliamentary elections was largely based on emotional factors. Many voters believed that their votes would help secure his release from Tihar Jail after spending nearly six years."

Maqbool also said residents were typically thinking about improving their communities when they cast ballots in the local elections.

"People here have understood the importance of voting [now] in these [local assembly] elections, where they could choose a genuine representative, so their rights, especially land rights, and jobs will be safeguarded," Maqbool said.

Meanwhile, regional political parties, along with the main Indian opposition political group, the Indian National Congress, or INC, have said they will continue to lobby the government led by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, to restore statehood for J&K.

"If statehood is not restored, we have no choice but to approach the Supreme Court. We are confident we will win this battle," said former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while revealing the manifesto of his party days before the election.

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi also vowed to protest inside and outside Parliament to pressure the BJP to improve governance in J&K.

"If they don’t restore statehood, we will storm the well of both houses and take to the streets," Gandhi said during a recent rally in Srinagar. "This is the first time in Indian history that a state has been downgraded to a union territory. This was done to allow governance by outsiders."

What Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Resignation Says About Indian Politics (The Diplomat)

The Diplomat [10/2/2024 9:23 AM, Kailash Prasad, 1198K, Neutral]
Arvind Kejriwal resigned as Delhi’s chief minister on September 17. That marked the end of a particularly tumultuous term, which saw much of the senior leadership of Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) jailed on allegations of taking kick-backs to grant lucrative liquor sales licenses. Kejriwal is out on bail now but ceded the chief minister post.

Atishi, the education minister who held fort in the interim, will take the reins of the Delhi government for the remainder of its term, while Kejriwal focuses on a re-election campaign. Delhi will vote for a new legislative assembly sometime before February 2025.

State politics in India has always been a different beast, with far more ideological diversity than one sees in the battles for power at the center. That’s a good thing in a country as diverse as India; one size fits all policies don’t get too far. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - and pretty much every successful national party - recognizes that, and has forged some surprising alliances in their quest to govern. This dynamic can make political life messy. Crucially though, it also makes it harder, though not impossible, for anyone to wield absolute power.

Seen in that light, the current tensions between Delhi and the center might seem less concerning: just politics as usual, with the added headache of governance in the "union territory with state-like characteristics" that is the Indian capital. There have long been power struggles between Delhi and the center-appointed lieutenant governor.

Yet, in recent years, these tussles have left the AAP unusually hamstrung, most visibly, with the arrests of sitting state ministers. Other moves, while less likely to make front page news, could have a more lasting impact on voters.

For example, Delhi’s electric vehicle policy expired in July. A new policy needs Cabinet clearance; that’s not likely until after February. Winter is around the corner, and the EV policy’s absence will be felt more acutely as air quality in the capital deteriorates. Similarly, the doorstep delivery of services scheme expired in March, and also needs Cabinet approval to restart. That too is unlikely until after the election.

Perhaps what’s stymied governance the most is the AAP’s inability to appoint and fire senior bureaucrats. An eight-year legal battle ended this May with the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Delhi government. In the wake of that decision, the BJP passed an ordinance forming a new National Capital Civil Service Authority to oversee the appointment of certain civil servants. While Delhi’s chief minister will be the chairperson of this body, the other two members - the chief secretary and home secretary - will be appointed by the central government, and the lieutenant governor will have final say over which bureaucrat goes where.

Some of this might seem like inside baseball, affecting mainly the denizens of Delhi - a city never famed for its civic services or an efficient bureaucracy, regardless of what harmony exists between the state and center. But a broader casualty of these tensions is the further erosion of a level electoral playing field. It becomes much harder to separate good policy from bad if competing ideas can’t get a fair shake at the ballot box.

Come February, if the BJP wins in Delhi, it will be tricky to say if better policy promises won out, or political bullying did. For a country that’s keen to position itself as the "mother of democracy," that’s a worrying question to have unanswered.

India steps up hunt for stolen historical treasures (Nikkei Asia)

Nikkei Asia [10/3/2024 1:52 AM, Neeta Lal, 2376K, Negative]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent trip to the U.S. was capped off with an unusual gift from his host, President Joe Biden: nearly 300 Indian antiques dating back as far as 4,000 years.

Smuggled out of the country over the past few decades, the trove included rare terracotta, stone, metal, wood and ivory artefacts that had been seized by American authorities.

Modi’s Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) hailed the return of the cultural property as a diplomatic coup, coming on the heels of the two countries signing a landmark Cultural Property Agreement in July aimed at preventing the illicit trafficking of Indian antiquities.

But critics say the return announced last month, and other repatriations in recent years, highlights gaping holes in India’s efforts to keep priceless artifacts from being smuggled out the country in the first place.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," said Vijay Kumar Sundaresan, author of the book "The Idol Thief," and co-founder of India Pride Project, a citizen-led organization that helps law enforcement agencies trace Indian antiquities worldwide. "Over the years, India has lost thousands of idols, maps, manuscripts, paintings, murals et cetera ... which have found their way to international markets and museums."

Organized crime has its hand in a global smuggling market for paintings, sculptures and other artifacts thought to be worth $6 billion annually, Sundaresan said.

A key player, he added, is Subhash Kapoor, a convicted Indian-American smuggler who was accused of trafficking some 2,600 objects worth about $145 million into the U.S. over two decades through a network of smugglers and art restorers based in New York, Hong Kong, India, London and Singapore.

Kapoor is serving a seven-year-sentence in an Indian jail and faces a raft of fraud charges in the U.S. An Indian government source told Nikkei Asia that the latest returned artifacts were among those smuggled by Kapoor.

India’s porous borders and ineffective smuggling laws do little to combat the problem, Sundaresan said.

"Temple theft has no separate section in the Indian Penal Code to punish culprits. The criminals are tried under Section 380, which is actually for house theft. It carries a minimum sentence of three months and a max of seven years, which [suspects’] lawyers manipulate to get them out quickly," he added.

A lack of documentation and digitization due to underresourced government agencies has only made things worse, said New Delhi-based historian Meenakshi Jain.

"Over the years, miscreants have identified Indian temples which are no longer in use and looted them in conjunction with [corrupt] local authorities," Jain said. "The government has no photos or documents of these treasures, which makes their recovery almost impossible."

The smuggled loot disappears into a soaring market for antiques fueled by demand from international buyers, museums and interior designers, she added.

India’s 1972 antiquities and art treasures act bans the export of archaeological objects. But nearly 3,000 thefts of antiquities were reported between 1977 and 1979, and now more than 1,000 pieces of ancient artwork are stolen from Indian temples annually and shipped to the international market, according to India Pride Project’s research. Only about 5% of those thefts are reported.

During a 2021 U.S. visit, Modi brought back 157 antiquities returned by the U.S. government, while India saw 14 antiques worth $2.2 million returned by Australia’s national art museum in 2022. In 2015, Canada returned the "Parrot Lady," a 900-year-old sculpture with an estimated value of $10 million.

"Sadly, India still relies on soft diplomacy, even for clear cases of theft, and doesn’t take legal action against international museums, collectors and auction houses, which has resulted in us waiting for decades for even a single antique to return," Sundaresan said.

Kirit Mankodi, a Delhi-based archaeologist who runs the website Plunders of the Past, points to other audacious thefts of Indian treasures, such as hundreds of erotic stone sculptures stolen between 1965 and 1970 from the Khajuraho temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1968, 125 pieces of antique jewelry and 32 rare gold coins vanished from one of the country’s most heavily guarded museums, the National Museum in New Delhi.

To tackle smuggling India needs to intensify its efforts through measures such as a national art squad, a theft database and a finders’ fee for buried hordes, Mankodi said.

India could also take a leaf out of China’s playbook by tightening its heritage laws and maintaining records of all its antiques. Italy’s Carabinieri Art Squad offers another model. It has helped the country recover more than 120,000 smuggled antiques since its formation in 1969, Mankodi said.

India’s new rate panel members may have least one favouring a cut, say economists (Reuters)

Reuters [10/3/2024 2:25 AM, Swati Bhat, 37270K, Neutral]
India’s newly-appointed monetary policy committee members may see at least one dissenter calling for a rate cut when the group meets next week, several economists said in separate research notes this week.

India’s government on Tuesday appointed Ram Singh, Saugata Bhattacharya and Nagesh Kumar as new external members of the Reserve Bank of India’s rate-setting panel.

The reshuffle could change a recent split view within the six-member panel, where two external members voted for a rate cut in August on the argument that high inflation adjusted real rates could hurt growth.

The doves’ departure reduces chance of a cut next week, Shilan Shah of Capital Economics said in a note.

Though 80% of the economists polled by Reuters expect a status quo in the RBI’s October policy, calls for a cut or at least a change in stance have grown since the U.S. Federal Reserve began its rate cutting cycle last month.

"We expect the MPC to keep policy rates and stance unchanged next week, with at least one dissenting vote, likely from the new external members," Barclays economists Shreya Sodhani and Amruta Ghare said.

Several economists pointed to an opinion piece written by Bhattacharya in mid-August where he was in favour of rate cuts, suggesting he could be the dissenter.

"Mr. Bhattacharya made an emphatic case for rate cuts back in August, although it remains to be seen how his views have evolved since," economists Sonal Varma and Aurodeep Nandi at Nomura said.

The MPC, which consists of three RBI and three external members, is due to meet on Oct. 7-9. In its August policy meeting, the panel kept the repo rate unchanged at 6.50% for a ninth straight time.

"While government-appointed MPC members are usually perceived to be dovish, we believe the new members will remain data-dependent and focused on the inflation-targeting mandate," Standard Chartered Bank economists Anubhuti Sahay and Saurav Anand said.

"Given the likely moderation in India’s growth and inflation, we expect them to support rate cuts starting in December," they said.

Sodhani and Ghare said they expect the MPC to maintain its stance as ‘withdrawal of accommodation’ given surplus liquidity conditions, suggesting the central bank is more comfortable with higher liquidity than before.

The Foreign Policy Connections of India’s Semiconductor Strategy (The Diplomat)

The Diplomat [10/2/2024 9:46 AM, Rahul Mishra and Harshit Prajapati, 1198K, Positive]
On September 27, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Tata Sons and Taiwan-based Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) leadership team to discuss the prospects of semiconductor manufacturing projects in India. A few days before that, during his visit to the United States, Modi urged top tech companies in the U.S. to explore India as a destination for manufacturing and innovation. During Modi’s visit, India and the United States also reached an agreement to work together on setting up a semiconductor fabrication plant in India.

Earlier in August, in his Independence Day speech, Modi called for India to become a global leader in semiconductor production. At the Semicon India 2024 summit, Modi reiterated India’s aspirations to become a semiconductor hub. Clearly, India is making systematic efforts to establish itself as a leader in the semiconductor sector.

The favorable geoeconomic environment marked by de-risking due to China-U.S. trade tensions and robust domestic demand for electronic products presents India with an excellent opportunity to cooperate with foreign partners to become a key node in the global semiconductor supply chain.

Modi’s visit to Singapore from September 4 to 5 becomes significant in this context. His first trip to the Southeast Asian region in his third term, which also included a stop in Brunei, brought substantive gains. The visit saw the elevation of the India-Singapore relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, along with the signing of four agreements in semiconductors, digital technologies, health cooperation, and skill development. The highlight of the visit was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two sides in the semiconductor sector, which aims to bolster cooperation between India and Singapore. It would help strengthen India’s burgeoning semiconductor industry by facilitating the entry of Singaporean semiconductor companies and related supply chains in India.

Despite being a small city-state, Singapore is one of the leading players in the global semiconductor industry. According to the Singapore government, the semiconductor industry contributes around 7-8 percent to the country’s GDP. Singapore’s semiconductor industry accounts for 11 percent of the global semiconductor market, 5 percent of global wafer fabrication capacity, and 20 percent of global semiconductor equipment production.

Moreover, Singapore’s well-established semiconductor ecosystem consists of several renowned companies - nine of the world’s top 15 semiconductor companies operate in Singapore - and as per the Singaporean government, these companies are keen to participate in the growth of India’s semiconductor industry.

The Singapore government’s business-friendly policies facilitate investments in the semiconductor industry, resulting in a thriving job market in the manufacturing sector in an otherwise service-dependent economy. Therefore, amid the China-U.S. competition, Singapore has been perceived as a safe bet for de-risking and improving supply chain resilience.

However, the increasing cost of production is forcing semiconductor companies to move up in the value chain and diversify labor-intensive operations out of Singapore. For instance, the UTAC Group, a semiconductor test and assembly services provider, has moved its manual and technologically dated operations from Singapore to Thailand. Notably, semiconductor companies in Singapore face severe land and labor limitations, and their expansion in India - with abundant land and skilled labor - can ameliorate this problem.

India’s latest attempt to become a key node in the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem began in the post-pandemic period. Supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and China-U.S. trade tensions turned the Indian government’s attention back to developing a semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in the country after several failed attempts in the past. What was different in this attempt was that it aimed at simultaneously building all the essential stages of the semiconductor supply chain. The Indian government outlined this in December 2021, when it laid down a $10 billion comprehensive program - comprising four schemes covering different stages of the semiconductor supply chain - to develop the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India.

The program intends to lure foreign companies by providing capital subsidies (from both central and provincial governments) to invest in India’s semiconductor manufacturing industry. The provincial governments have also positively received this program. The Maharashtra state government approved a $10 billion semiconductor fabrication unit by the Adani Group and an Israeli firm, Tower Semiconductor. Several foreign companies (Micron, PSMC, Kaynes, etc.) have invested in different stages of the semiconductor supply chain, either alone or as a joint venture with an Indian firm.

Furthermore, the government also established an independent division known as India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) to bolster India’s semiconductor ecosystem. In March 2024, Modi claimed that ISM is poised to see huge growth in the next five years.

In March 2024, the government made some revisions to the original program for the semiconductor industry. The modified program aims to provide a 50 percent subsidy for all node sizes, compared to a 50 percent subsidy for leading-edge nodes (28 nm or lower) and 30-40 percent for trailing-edge nodes (above 28 nm up to 65 nm) in the original program. Further, the modification paves the way for upfront capital disbursal - before production starts - compared to capital disbursal only once the production begins. Through these modifications, the Indian government has acknowledged that it wants to start its semiconductor journey from the lower end (trailing-edge nodes) and climb up (leading-edge nodes), reflecting the government’s seriousness in attracting foreign investments.

India is also partnering with other major semiconductor powers to develop the industry at home by attracting foreign investments. In March 2023, India signed an MoU with the United States on establishing a semiconductor supply chain. Similar agreements have been signed with the European Union and Japan.

India’s journey to become a semiconductor hub will likely face stern manpower challenges, among others. A recent report asserted that India is expected to face a shortage of 250,000-300,000 professionals across the various verticals of the semiconductor industry by 2027. The India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) plans to send some of its workforce to Singapore for semiconductor training. However, the ability of the government to equip foreign industries with a skilled workforce in large numbers remains to be seen.

The MoUs with Singapore, Taiwan, and the U.S. can allow India to leverage investments that it has made in the semiconductor industry along with strong domestic demand for electronic and electrical products. The government’s ability to create a business-friendly environment for semiconductor companies will determine the pace of India’s journey to become a global leader in semiconductor production.

Rice Plunges the Most in 16 Years After India Eases Export Curbs (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg [10/2/2024 10:20 PM, Bernadette Toh, 27782K, Negative]
Rice prices tumbled the most in more than 16 years in Asia as concerns over supply eased after India relaxed some export restrictions.

Thai white rice 5% broken — an Asian benchmark — plunged about 11% to $509 a ton on Wednesday, according to the Thai Rice Exporters Association. That was the biggest decline in data compiled since May 2008, and extended a prolonged slide in prices to the lowest level in more than 15 months.

Rice rallied last year after top shipper India implemented export restrictions to contain local prices ahead of an election. The Asian nation loosened some curbs following recent national polls, a move that could help ease a domestic glut and cut import costs for countries such as Indonesia and Senegal.

The grain is vital to the diets of billions and contributes as much as 60% of the total calorie intake for people in parts of Southeast Asia and Africa. While the price of rice has cooled, the costs of other food staples are rising as extreme weather threatens harvests around the world.

NSB

VOA Interview: Muhammad Yunus on restoring order in Bangladesh (VOA)

VOA [10/3/2024 4:16 AM, Anis Ahmed, 4566K, Neutral]
After a series of student-led protests resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down and fled the country on August 5.

Days later, Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel laureate who pioneered the global microcredit movement, was sworn in as the nation’s interim leader. He spoke with Voice of America Bangla Service reporter Anis Ahmed on Friday in New York, where he explained his decision to grant temporary magistracy powers to the army to restore law and order after the police lost public trust. He also stressed the critical role of youth leadership in shaping the country’s future.

Yunus, who took office amid widespread unrest, highlighted key priorities such as strengthening relations with neighboring countries, holding elections, reforming the constitution and addressing the Rohingya refugee crisis. He confirmed that reforms and elections remained essential before power could be handed over to elected representatives.

The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity:

VOA: First, we would like to know that after nearly one and a half months of assuming this responsibility on August 8, you have now delegated magistracy power to army officers. Why do you feel it was necessary?

Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh: To bring law and order to the country. We were trying to work it out through the police, which is normal. But the police have lost their moral courage because when they face people, they hear bitter words. Just a few days ago they killed some students, so they are distancing themselves — they don’t want to be out front. So, as they lost morale, we lost the strength of law and order. But as we’ve said before, not everyone in the police is responsible for wrongdoing. We will identify those who have done wrong. They will be brought to justice. But this is a long process; it’s not happening all of a sudden. And in the meantime, law and order is being violated — different types of violations are happening. We thought that if we allowed this to continue, then conditions would deteriorate, so the issue of giving powers to our army came up. We asked the army, and they agreed. They said, “We’re here, but no one is heeding us because we do not have any power. If we had some power, the people would be cautious.” We then gave them the magistracy power but for a limited period, for two months. That’s how it happened.

VOA: So, you’re hopeful that the police service will return in two months?

Yunus: Yes, I hope so. They’re not able to use their power; the army has come in and that’s not very pleasing for them that their duties are being performed by someone else.

VOA: We know students took the role of leadership amid the unrest, and that there are student representatives in your government as well. But is it also true that we are seeing students trying to establish their authority in different sectors and institutions of the country? Are these students running the country? What role are they playing?

Yunus: Yes, they should. The youth should assume authority. So far, the old people have made mistakes, so let there be an effort for youth to come forward and take responsibility. They might also make mistakes and then correct those, but their leadership ushered in big changes. So, I don’t find any reasons to doubt their capacity for leadership.

VOA: So, can we say that the students are running your administration?

Yunus: No, I didn’t say they are running the administration, I said they should. Let the youth take it. I have always said, even before I took this responsibility, that it should be in the hands of the youth because they will build their future. If we try to write the future for them, that would not be right. So, I’ll say again that not only in Bangladesh but in the entire world, youth should be given this responsibility.

VOA: We haven’t heard anything from you regarding the duration of this interim government, but General Waqar-Uz-Zaman recently said an election would occur within the next 18 months. Are we safe to assume the interim government would dissolve at that time?

Yunus: Well, if you want to presume, you may, but that’s not the decision of the government. The government has not given any opinion so far. The government needs to say when they would take a decision about their duration.

VOA: The Advisory Committee to the interim government has yet to make any decisions?

Yunus: We have discussed but no decisions have been taken yet.

VOA: What are the plans of your government to improve relations with India?

Yunus: We are telling them clearly that we want good relations with them. Because that is needed for India and for us, too. We are neighbors. If relations between neighbors are bad, it’s not good for any nation. It’s not good for them, nor for us. It’s in the interest of our two countries that our relations should be close and cordial.

VOA: Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is in India. What steps are you taking to extradite her to Bangladesh?

Yunus: This is a legal matter. Definitely we will want her back, wherever she might be, whenever we can legally implement the decision.

VOA: After August 5, Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, once home to Hasina’s father but turned into a museum after his assasination there, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was destroyed. Your government subsequently canceled the national day of mourning. Obviously, some look on Rahman, in their words, as a fascist icon. But Rahman has long been recognized as the father of the nation. What’s the viewpoint of your interim government?

Yunus: You’re talking about the past. Apparently, you don’t remember that a mass uprising has since taken place. You’re speaking as if it never happened. You need to see what’s happening in this new situation. You do not seem to have any questions about how many students have sacrificed their lives, why they sacrificed their lives. First, we must admit that they, the students, said that we have pushed a reset button. The past is gone for sure. Now we will build up in new way. People also want that. And this new way means we must bring reforms.

VOA: We’ve paid respect to those killed during the student-led uprisings, and you have said that their killers will be brought to justice. But at the same time, after August 5, many others were killed. A short while ago we were talking about many police being killed. What steps are being taken by your government to bring the perpetrators to justice?

Yunus: Whoever has committed a crime and wherever that might be, they will be brought to justice. If that’s not done, justice won’t be complete. To judge one type of crime and not another, that’s not acceptable. That would be a form of partisan justice. So, if we return to that kind of partisanship, the mass movement would have been meaningless. So, if crime is committed, the criminal will face the law.

VOA: There are more than a million Rohingya currently displaced in Bangladesh. Will your government grant them refugee status?

Yunus: International institutions have given them this status. The United Nations refugee agency [UNHCR] has been working there for a long time. So, they are refugees. They are not citizens of our country.

VOA: But officially they are not recognized as refugees.

Yunus: If they were not refugees, UNHCR couldn’t reach them.

VOA: Thousands of Rohingya recently arrived in Bangladesh, and it is assumed that more are on the way. So, if more Rohingya enter Bangladesh, then what would be your decision?

Yunus: According to international law, if they want to come, we will let them. We will accept them. And then we’ll do whatever is necessary. It’s not our problem alone. It is the responsibility of the entire world. When one’s life is at stake, one seeks refuge. We cannot close doors on them. You know, it’s been going on for ages. They have been here for the last seven years. Questions are being raised about their future and the future of their children. Nearly 32,000 Rohingya children are born here every year, so the Rohingya community is growing, even independently of new arrivals. When they came, they brought infant children with them. They, too, have grown up. What are you going to do about them? They can’t even see their future. Because of high-tech media they can see the entire world, but they’re confined like in a prison. They may grow angry; they may grow rebellious. This is not a good thing. We don’t know how it’s going to spread, where it will go. We really don’t know, so the whole world should focus on how to help them have a satisfying life. We are looking for a solution.

VOA: There are discussions about constitutional amendments. You’ve even established a committee about it. Is it going to happen during your interim government’s time and what kind of changes or amendments are you expecting?

Yunus: As I said before, we must begin everything anew. The previous government destroyed everything. So, from that destruction we need to rise afresh. That’s why we are establishing commissions for all fields. We have made six commissions; more commissions will come soon. Of those, one commission is on the constitution. The whole country wants the constitution to be amended. However, the topic may be subject to debate. That’s why the commission will create guidelines for those debates. That will give the country an opportunity to debate on it so that the political parties can give their opinion and can decide whether they are going to amend right now or later, and what exactly they would do. The constitution that we have now will not be helpful. If the country runs according to the present constitution, the same situation will happen again.

VOA: Some people are talking about changing the constitution, others are talking about amending it. Whatever happens, how is it going to be implemented?

Yunus: It is a matter of law. What we are now doing is not on the process of implementation, we are focusing on why we need it. When they sit for discussion, they will decide those matters from a legal perspective. We are trying to reach a unanimous opinion on what exactly we need. Then there will be another round of discussion on the legal process.

VOA: What are your main objectives as interim leader?

Yunus: My main objectives are to bring in reforms, to arrange an election and hand over the power to the elected representatives.

VOA: The chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, thank you so much on behalf of Voice of America.

Yunus: Thanks to you, too.

Bangladesh recalls five envoys in major diplomatic reshuffle (Reuters)

Reuters [10/3/2024 12:06 AM, Ruma Paul, 37270K, Negative]
Bangladesh’s interim government has recalled five envoys, including the ambassador to neighbouring India, in a major diplomatic reshuffle, a foreign ministry official said on Thursday.

Major political changes in the South Asian nation ushered in the interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus after weeks of violent protests forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign on August 5 and flee to India.

The foreign ministry ordered envoys in Brussels, Canberra, Lisbon, New Delhi and the permanent mission to the United Nations in New York to immediately return to the capital, Dhaka, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

They were asked to hand over their responsibilities immediately and return, the official added, without elaborating.

The step follows the recall of Saida Muna Tasneem, the high commissioner, or ambassador, to Britain, who was similarly asked to return.

More than 700 people died as a result of the student-led movement that ousted Hasina, straining ties with India. The two have a 4,000-km (2500-mile) border and maritime boundaries in the Bay of Bengal.

Minority groups in Bangladesh have made accusations of attacks on Hindus after the political changes, though the government says the violence was motivated by politics, not religion.

How Bangladesh’s Ousted Leader Sheikh Hasina Could Stage an Unlikely Comeback (Time)

Time [10/3/2024 3:45 AM, Charlie Campbell, Neutral]
When Sajeeb Wazed Joy’s mom got into hot water, he did what many of us do these days: he messaged the family WhatsApp group. But the trouble in question wasn’t a parking fine or mystery ailment. Joy’s mother, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed, was facing a popular uprising intent on forcing her ouster. The cause was the reintroduction of employment quotas for descendants of heroes of the South Asian nation’s 1971 independence struggle led by Joy’s grandfather, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

“We were all surprised at the quota movement,” Joy tells TIME in his first U.S. media interview since his mother’s toppling. “In fact, I said in the WhatsApp group, ‘30% quotas are too much; we should reduce it to 5%.’ And someone chimed in, ‘Hey, we’re grandchildren of freedom fighters too.’ And I jokingly replied, ‘That’s why I left 5%!’”

In the end, the quota issue was simply the spark that ignited a powder keg of public discontent over inequality and political repression that exploded over two weeks in July. After a violent crackdown on peaceful protesters that claimed at least 1,000 lives, the last the world saw of Hasina was as she was being bundled into a military helicopter with protesters closing in. As intruders ransacked her official residence in Dhaka, carrying away keepsakes like clothes and ornaments, Hasina floated through the smoggy skies to India, where she remains till this day, licking her wounds far from public view.

“She’s quite upset and frustrated at the situation in the country that all her hard work over the last 15 years is pretty much coming undone,” says Joy, who runs an IT business in the U.S. and formerly served as an honorary adviser to his mother on technology matters.

Back in Bangladesh, an almighty reckoning is underway. Following 15 years of uninterrupted rule, practically every government institution has been politicized by Hasina’s Awami League party, engendering deep distrust of the military, courts, civil service, and especially security services. The job of piecing back together South Asia’s second biggest economy of over 170 million people has fallen to a motley band of student leaders and the military generals who finally forced Hasina’s resignation.

They enlisted Muhammad Yunus—a Nobel peace laureate and social entrepreneur, who under Hasina faced hundreds of civil and criminal charges he insisted were politically motivated and have now been quashed—to lead the interim government toward fresh elections, which they say may take around 18 months. In the meantime, a six-pronged reform process is taking place, focusing on the election system, police administration, judiciary, anti-corruption commission, public administration, and national constitution. “The aim of these [reforms] will be the initiation of an accountable political system against corruption, looting, and genocide,” Yunus said in a televised address on Aug. 26. “If we lose this opportunity now, we will be defeated as a nation.”

The weeks since Hasina’s departure have indeed been chaotic given the political and security vacuum. The Awami League has been purged at all levels of government and its members arrested. Thousands of police deserted lest they be targeted in reprisals (at least 44 officers were killed.) Meanwhile, Khaleda Zia, leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Hasina’s longtime nemesis, was released from house arrest, and a ban was rescinded on Bangladesh’s main Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami.

But the euphoria over Hasina’s exit has since metastasized into bickering over which direction the country should take. On Sept. 31, Transparency International Bangladesh labeled the government’s decision to dissolve a committee charged with reviewing textbooks as a “concerning and dangerous” compromise with Islamic fundamentalists. In response, leaders of the conservative Hefazat-e-Islam advocacy group denounced those concerns as “fascist.”

It’s febrile, messy, and rancorous: all the hallmarks of true democracy, reformists say. Though the fact that no political party is part of the interim government means calls for fresh elections will only get louder. “This government has legitimacy, it has public support, but it doesn’t have popular mandate,” says Mubashar Hasan, a Bangladeshi scholar at the University of Oslo in Norway.

Indeed, reformists are in a quandary. To enact meaningful reforms and hold to account those responsible for abuses will take time, but a rudderless country whose ordinary people struggle economically will soon lose patience. Last week, the Asian Development Bank lowered its growth forecast for Bangladesh’s economic growth from 6.6% to 5.1% due to the political tumult as well as recent catastrophic flooding.

If unrest and paralysis continue, a beleaguered populace may look more fondly at Hasina’s record. Bangladesh was the Asia-Pacific’s fastest growing economy over the past decade, with GDP rising from $71 billion in 2006 to $460 billion in 2022 (even if inequality and political repression equally soared). In the run up to January’s election, which was condemned by the U.S. as neither free nor fair, BNP workers were hit with millions of legal cases. Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index ranked Bangladesh 147 out of 180 countries worldwide—level with Iran and one place above Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

The fear for reformists is that the latter fades in memory. A return for Hasina “is quite credible,” says Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center. “If you look at the history of dynastic politics in South Asia, you can never rule out dynastic parties even when they appear to be down and out.”

Other observers are less confident. After all, across Bangladeshi society, statues of Sheikh Mujib have been toppled, posters of Hasina defaced and replaced by lurid graffiti decrying her as a dictator. “That’s how Sheikh Hasina’s legacy is being imagined among the young population,” says Mubashar.

Joy says that “no decisions have been made” regarding whether Hasina would return to stand in elections.

Yet all agree that dysfunction in the interim government would considerably boost her chances. “There is no way for Sheikh Hasina and her party to play any significant overt role in Bangladeshi politics for the next decade,” says Zillur Rahman, the executive director of the Dhaka-based Centre for Governance Studies think tank and a talk show host. “This, of course, could change if the interim government fails monumentally.”

Indeed, a politicized bureaucracy is trying every trick in the book to stymie reforms, says Shahidul Haque, a retired Bangladesh Army major-general, ambassador, and defense attaché. “They are trying to destabilize this government,” he says. “And if no visible improvements happen people are going to lose patience.”

Joy is counting on it. “If they want to run the country for a year or 18 months, actually I believe that’s perfect,” he says, pointing to today’s “lawlessness” with “the mob, the protesters, basically on a rampage.”

Certainly, Hasina’s fall provided room for a spate of attacks on police and minorities, though analysts say the scale of bloodletting has been sensationalized. “There are no pogroms, and we haven’t seen any recent attacks on a large scale,” says Meenakshi Ganguly, Asia deputy director for Human Rights Watch. “There isn’t an absolute breakdown in rule of law.”

Washington has emerged as a key player to ensure that remains the case. The fuzzy legality of the interim government means that U.S. backing—as demonstrated by Yunus’s meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House late last month—is key to retaining the engagement of institutions such as the IMF and World Bank. “U.S. support is the most important factor for the stability of the interim government,” says Haque.

Still, the longer paralysis reigns the greater chance revisionist narratives may take root. While admitting that his mother made mistakes during the crackdown, and not disputing the death toll, Joy insists that at least half the killings were committed by “terrorists” likely armed by a “foreign intelligence agency.”

Supportive evidence is scant—”There are plenty of videos to show that the police used excessive force and that they had orders to crush the protest,” says Ganguly—though in the social media age it’s shockingly easy for “alternative facts” to propagate.

Still, a key obstacle for the Awami League is how much support it still retains even amongst its own members. In the wake of the July uprising, practically all the senior party leaders fled the country, leaving the rank and file to suffer reprisals. “There is a deep-seated sense among the former ruling party who believe that the way Sheikh Hasina left was a total betrayal to them,” says Mubashar.

There’s also mounting opprobrium at the alleged plundering of state coffers. According to local media analysis of U.S.-based research institute Global Financial Integrity data, nearly $150 billion was siphoned out of the country by influential people and businesses during the last 15 years of Hasina’s rule. On Monday, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit froze Joy’s local accounts also. He denies all corruption allegations. “Show us where the money is,” he says. “It’s easy to make accusations.”

The question is whether the Awami League is combining flinging mud with the required introspection and internal reform to once again be a legitimate political force. “The only way forward is for the Awami League to try and acknowledge mistakes and start building itself back as a democratic party that will contest elections,” says Ganguly.

Some have called for the Awami League to be banned outright if its leaders are found guilty of charges of “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.” The notion prompts scoffs from Joy. “How can you ban the oldest and largest political party in Bangladesh?” he says. “It’s not legally possible.” Even reformists and rival parties are unsure that outright banning a party that, at one time at least, enjoyed enormous grassroots support would serve the national interest. Ultimately, the goal is to break free from the same cycle of retributive politics that has dogged Bangladesh for decades. Though whether that can be achieved with the participation of notoriously bitter and vindictive Hasina is a huge question.

“The biggest weakness of the Awami League is its cult of personality centered around Sheikh Hasina,” says Rahman, the Bangladeshi think tank director. “They cannot imagine an alternative to Sheikh Mujib’s daughter.”

Not even his grandson? “Unless he can reinvent himself from the ground up as a people’s leader in Bangladesh, he likely has no political future,” says Rahman. Mubashar, the Oslo-based scholar, agrees: “He doesn’t have the respect and attachment among young people. And demography matters.”

Joy hasn’t decided yet whether to enter the fray. “I’ve never had political ambition,” he shrugs. “But given the current scenario, who knows? I haven’t made any decision.” Perhaps another conversation for the family WhatsApp.

Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group Invests in Green Projects in Bhutan (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg [10/2/2024 8:29 AM, Advait Palepu, 27782K, Positive]
Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group said it’s partnered with Bhutan’s Druk Holding and Investments Ltd. to develop solar and hydro energy plants in the South Asian nation.

Reliance Power Ltd. and Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. formed a new entity, Reliance Enterprises Pvt Ltd., or REPL, in Bhutan, which will “promote and invest in the clean and green energy sector,” according to a statement filed on the Indian stock exchanges on Wednesday.

REPL will own a 50% stake in a 500 mega-watt solar power plant in Gelephu Mindfulness City and a 49% stake in a 770 MW hydro-plant. Druk Holding, the investment arm of the Royal Government of Bhutan, will own the remaining stakes in both power projects.

Reliance Group didn’t state the amount it’s investing in the projects but said the solar plant initiative would be the single largest investment in Bhutan’s renewable energy sector and the largest foreign direct investment by an Indian company in the country.

“The partnership between Reliance Enterprises and Druk Holding leverages the strengths of both organizations in the areas of green energy and development,” said Ujjwal Deep Dahal, chief executive officer of Druk Holding.

Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group to develop solar, hydro power projects in Bhutan (Reuters)

Reuters [10/2/2024 10:09 AM, Nandan Mandayam, 37270K, Positive]
Anil Ambani-run Reliance Group said on Wednesday it would jointly develop solar and hydro power projects in Bhutan along with the government’s investment arm.

The Indian conglomerate, run by the younger brother of Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, will form a new subsidiary that is equally owned by Mumbai-listed units Reliance Power (RPOL.NS) and Reliance Infrastructure (RLIN.NS).

The subsidiary will develop 500 megawatts of solar power projects and 770 megawatts of hydro power projects with Bhutan’s Druk Holding and Investments.

The conglomerate did not disclose the investment amount for the projects.

Reliance Power aims to expand in the renewable energy sector. The electric utility company last week raised $183 million last week and plans to raise more funds on Thursday.

The Mumbai-headquarted company had last week said that it had no debt from banks and financial institutions after settling dues of $461 million towards its unit.

In June, Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s ports-to-power conglomerate signed an agreement for a 570 megawatt green hydro project in Bhutan.

Nepalese grapple with loss after floods kill over 200 people (AP)

AP [10/2/2024 7:50 AM, Niranjan Shrestha and Ashwini Bhatia, 31638K, Negative]
Bishworaj Khadka, a cook in Lalitpur, could hear the Nakhu River becoming louder and louder as he sat with his wife and daughter-in-law in their house situated at the river’s edge. It hadn’t stopped raining for about 12 hours and the swollen river was getting dangerously close.

When they felt the first reverberations through the living room floor, the family rushed out the door. The rest is a blur in Bishowraj’s mind. He had only managed to stuff some money into his pocket. Barely 15 minutes later, the house caved in before their eyes.

Bishowraj took his family to his brother’s place, farther up from the river’s edge.

It was the morning of Saturday, Sept. 28, and the rain would continue for another day, causing landslides and floods in areas surrounding Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. More than 200 people were dead in the worst flooding to hit the region in five decades. Over 10 inches of rainfall fell in the Kathmandu Valley in two days, nearly 20% of the monthly average.

The Bagmati River in Kathmandu inundated low-lying areas, damaging temporary shelters and forcing daily-wage squatters to seek safety away from the raging waters. Some of the urban dwellings were covered foot deep in mud and debris of broken tree limbs and damaged buildings.

By Monday, the sun was out and Bishowraj and his wife Sharmila went back to what remained of their home to try and salvage whatever they could. The damage was extensive and Sharmila tried hard to find some cooking utensils that were intact.

Elsewhere in the capital, earthmovers lifted parked vehicles out of the mud, and tried to flush the ground floors of the slime left by the receding floodwaters. Several highways leading to Kathmandu were damaged, causing traffic jams and disrupting supplies.

Central Asia

Kazakhstan seeks clarity from Russia over grain transit halt (Reuters)

Reuters [10/3/2024 4:42 AM, Tamara Vaal, 88008K, Neutral]
Kazakhstan has halted grain exports to Russia, Kazakh officials said on Thursday, adding it has asked Moscow to prove claims it has breached rules on plant health, the reason cited by Moscow for an effective ban of imports and transit of Kazakh grain.

Both Russia and Kazakhstan are net grain exporters, but Kazakhstan relies on transit through Russian territory to sell its grain in Europe and the Mediterranean.

The two countries also tranship each others’ oil to foreign markets.

The Russian state agricultural watchdog said this week that from Sept. 23, its systems would automatically block the issuance of phytosanitary certificates for grain, grain products, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, and peppers from Kazakhstan.

In the absence of such certificates, the goods cannot legally cross the border, and the Kazakh state railway company confirmed on Thursday that grain shipments to Russia have been halted.

Kazakh deputy agriculture minister Yermek Kenzhekhanuly said the Astana government has requested more detailed information on the alleged violations, had not heard back from Moscow and therefore could not comment further on what some industry players have described as a potential trade war.

Kazakh Activists Jailed Ahead Of Nuclear-Power Referendum (Radio Free Europe)

Radio Free Europe [10/2/2024 7:56 AM, Staff, 1251K, Negative]
Five Kazakh activists opposed to the construction of a nuclear power plant have been placed in pretrial detention for at least two months, their lawyers said on October 2. The activists, charged with plotting mass unrest, were detained on September 29, just a week before a national referendum on the nuclear project. The government has pushed for the plant’s construction despite widespread opposition. Critics argue that dissent is being silenced ahead of the October 6 poll. Given Kazakhstan’s tightly controlled political landscape, many expect the referendum to pass, despite concerns over environmental and political issues.

‘People will come back’: Kazakhstan debates nuclear future (Agence France-Presse)

Agence France-Presse [10/3/2024 2:16 AM, Staff, 8537K, Neutral]
In the semi-abandoned village of Ulken on a giant steppe, Anna Kapustina, a mother of five, hopes controversial plans to build Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant will breathe life into her ailing hometown.

On the shore of the huge Lake Balkhash and lined with empty buildings, Ulken is at the centre of a raging debate in Kazakhstan -- scarred by massive Soviet-era nuclear testing -- on whether construction should go ahead.

Between 1949 and 1989, the USSR carried out around 450 nuclear tests in Kazakhstan, exposing 1.5 million people to radiation.

The Central Asian country is holding a referendum on the plant this weekend, with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who is pushing for construction, promising to "take important decisions with the support of the people".

The campaign in the authoritarian state has been one-sided, with the vote largely designed to give an air of democracy.

In Ulken, which people left in droves after the fall of the Soviet Union when plans to build a thermal power plant were abandoned, many of the 1,500 remaining residents hope prosperity -- and work -- will return.

"We are waiting for our village to come back to life," said Kapustina, whose husband works as a miner in Aktobe, around 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles) away.

While rich in oil and the world’s biggest uranium producer, Kazakhstan faces chronic electricity shortages, which authorities are hoping to solve.

Kapustina said she was used to having to resort to candles. She hopes a nuclear plant will bring "cheap, uninterrupted electricity".

Energy shortages

Amid a huge state-backed campaign, most of Ulken’s residents support the project.

But some are weary, fearing for the safety of the Balkhash, the second-biggest lake in a region that already struggles with access to drinking water.

Standing in the yellow fields of a steppe outside the village, engineer Sergei Tretyakov has been "dreaming" about a nuclear plant in Ulken since being sent by the Soviets to help build the abandoned thermal plant.

The 64-year-old thinks Kazakhstan would "simply run out of electricity" without it, with the huge country’s south suffering from a particularly acute energy shortage.

Ulken is the perfect spot, he said.

"The soil is resistant and its location allows electricity to be distributed to the north and south," Tretyakov said.

And some of the infrastructure built in the Soviet times is still there.

"We had already built dykes and a cooling pond," he added, pointing to the waters of the immense Balkhash.

That project ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Ulken has been slowly dying ever since -- most residents had left by the early 1990s.

It is now lined with abandoned apartment blocks, its streets little more than dusty tracks.

A mural of the never-constructed thermal power plant adorns a partially empty building.

Abandoned city

In a flat that doubles as the town hall, municipal worker Indira Kerimbekova flips through a photo album of Ulken in the 1980s.

"Until the USSR collapse, 10,000 people lived here," she said, showing pictures of packed canteens.

"It’s hard to believe now... There were shops, schools, hairdressers."

Today, the only shops are small street grocers, and the nearest hospital is 200 kilometres away.

"We are hoping that if the plant is built, people will come back and will live here," she said.

Pensioner Tatiana Vetrova said people left Ulken because "there was no more work", recalling how residents could make a living only by fishing in Lake Balkhash.

"You had to catch fish, smoke it and sell it on the side of the road," she said.

Fears for lake

Many still rely on fishing for their survival, and it is fears for the future of the lake that have driven pockets of opposition against the plant.

"I do not want it," said 62-year-old Zheksenkul Kulanbayeva.

"We are losing the lake. We’ll lose the fish. People here mainly make money from fishing," she said.

Even President Tokayev has acknowledged ecological concerns, calling them "understandable given the tragic legacy" of Soviet nuclear testing.

But the government has insisted the plant will be safe and has gone to great lengths to make sure Kazakhs will vote "yes" on Sunday.

Authorities sent representatives of "the people’s headquarters for the construction of the plant" -- who are in fact from the powerful presidential party -- to hold "information sessions" across Kazakhstan.

Kulanbayeva was unconvinced. She did not trust billboards around her that read: "Clean energy for the future."

She worried about her town’s access to the lake and the ability to fish.

Even residents who have other jobs in Ulken still fish to make extra cash, she said.

"This is what we could lose, I do not want that."

Kazakhstan must shake off testing-site past and vote ‘yes’ to nuclear energy (Nikkei Asia – opinion)

Nikkei Asia [10/3/2024 3:05 AM, Alberto Frigerio, 2.4M, Neutral]
Kazakhstan has long debated building a nuclear power plant, with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasizing the economic and political importance of such a move. However, public opinion remains divided due to the country’s legacy as a Soviet-era nuclear testing site. To resolve the issue, Tokayev is holding a national referendum on Oct. 6.

Kazakhstan’s pursuit of nuclear energy is largely driven by a need for energy security. Despite its wealth in fossil fuels, the country’s heavy reliance on coal, oil and natural gas poses environmental risks and makes it vulnerable to global energy market fluctuations. To mitigate this and diversify its energy sources, Kazakhstan sees nuclear as an attractive option. With some of the world’s largest uranium reserves, Kazakhstan can create a nearly closed-loop nuclear fuel cycle -- from extraction to finished nuclear fuel production. Therefore, the government hopes that incorporating nuclear power into its energy mix would strengthen its national sovereignty.

Kazakhstan also plans to transition to a greener economy, aiming to become carbon-neutral by 2060. The country has so far increased renewable energy to around 6% of its electricity production. Nuclear energy is expected to play a key role in this transition, helping Kazakhstan meet its growing energy demands while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

As the world’s largest producer of uranium, supplying about 27% of the European Union’s natural uranium needs, the development of nuclear energy could strengthen Kazakhstan’s position in the global energy market. This, in turn, could enhance Europe’s energy security by providing a reliable and potentially more stable source of nuclear fuel and energy, reducing dependence on Russia and other regions that are more politically volatile.

Kazakhstan’s relative proximity to Europe and its established trade relationships with European countries would make it a strategic partner in energy diversification. As Europe seeks to transition to cleaner energy sources while maintaining energy independence, nuclear energy offers a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels. Kazakhstan’s initiatives to diversify its export routes, such as through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, should reassure European nations looking for stable, long-term partnerships in their energy supply chains.

Western countries and other nations could also reap economic benefits, offering technology, expertise, and services while opening up new markets in fields like nuclear waste management and safety systems. The French company EDF is among the contenders for supplying reactor technology for Kazakhstan, while South Korea’s state nuclear operator, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, signed an agreement with Kazakhstan to cooperate on the construction of nuclear reactors.

Environmentally, Kazakhstan’s transition to nuclear energy would align with global efforts to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union has recognized nuclear energy as crucial for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and can therefore support Kazakhstan’s nuclear energy ambitions. For instance, France is one of the world’s most pronuclear countries, with approximately 70% of its electricity coming from nuclear plants. Consequently, French-Kazakh cooperation in the field of nuclear energy has been growing. During a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Kazakhstan in November 2023, a joint declaration on enhancing cooperation in nuclear energy and strategic minerals was signed. This aligns with France’s strategic interest, especially after disruptions in its traditional uranium supply routes from Africa.

If the project goes ahead, the plant is expected to be constructed in the Almaty Region, which was chosen to address a projected electricity shortage. Kazakhstan’s energy officials forecast that electricity shortfalls will deepen over the next two years, with a deficit of 2.4 billion kilowatt-hours in 2024 and 3.3 billion kilowatt-hours in 2025, leading to increased reliance on imports and a higher risk of blackouts, despite an expected temporary surplus in 2026-2027 before deficits reemerge from 2028 to 2030. Local supporters argue that building the nuclear power plant would mitigate this risk, while also stabilizing prices, lowering electricity costs, creating jobs and enhancing national competitiveness.

However, the Kazakh government needs to address the concerns of those in Kazakhstan who are worried about the potential hazards of a nuclear power plant: Some are worried about potential human security risks due to the country’s troubled history with nuclear technology, while others fear that the nuclear power plant could degrade Lake Balkhash’s water levels and quality, possibly triggering a natural disaster. Between 1949 and 1989, the Soviet Union conducted 456 nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, with devastating effects on the local population and environment. Although nuclear energy for power generation is fundamentally different from nuclear weapons testing, the lingering trauma causes some Kazakhs to still associate the two.

The Kazakh government has been addressing these concerns by distinguishing between the peaceful use of nuclear technology for energy and its destructive use in weapons. In fact, Kazakhstan has been a strident supporter of nuclear nonproliferation. After gaining independence in 1991, Kazakhstan decided to renounce the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal and joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1993.

In 2009, Kazakhstan played a leading role in establishing the Central Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone. This treaty, the first of its kind in the northern hemisphere, legally binds the member states to renounce nuclear weapons and prohibits their development. Kazakhstan also hosts the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Low Enriched Uranium Bank, which provides a secure supply of nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes and reduces the risk of proliferation.

Notably, the IAEA reviewed Kazakhstan’s progress in developing the infrastructure necessary to build a nuclear power plant and provided positive assessments. This should help reassure the Kazakh public about the safety of the proposed nuclear power plant, although key issues such as nuclear waste storage and seismic safety measures still need to be discussed in detail.

Ultimately, the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan can enhance energy security across the broader Eurasian region. By leveraging its vast uranium reserves, Kazakhstan could help to stabilize regional energy supplies and reduce reliance on politically volatile regions. Integrating nuclear power into Kazakhstan’s energy mix would also contribute to decarbonization efforts, aligning with international goals. Given these potential benefits, neighboring regions and European countries should support Kazakhstan’s nuclear energy ambitions.

Turkic States Agree On Common Latin Alphabet, But Kyrgyzstan Happy With Its Cyrillic Script (Radio Free Europe)

Radio Free Europe [10/3/2024 1:21 AM, Farangis Najibullah, 1251K, Neutral]
The five countries of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) have overcome years of disagreements about letters and diacritical marks to agree on a common Latin alphabet for their languages that consists of 34 letters.

Adopting a standard alphabet could prove relatively easy for Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan, who already use the Latin script, as well as Kazakhstan, which is in the process of transitioning away from Cyrillic.

But it remains a sensitive topic in Kyrgyzstan, the only OTS member that has not decided to switch to the Latin alphabet amid long-standing debates by scholars, politicians, and the public.

Syrtbai Musaev, a prominent linguist who represented Kyrgyzstan at an OTS meeting on the common alphabet in Baku on September 9-11, said a draft Latin-based Kyrgyz alphabet "is ready" and awaiting a "political decision" by the president and parliament.

But Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has said it is premature for the country to abandon Cyrillic, which was imposed upon the former Soviet republics by Moscow.

"It is too early to talk about the transition of the Kyrgyz language to the Latin alphabet," Japarov has said. "This issue is not on the table now; the development of the state language should continue in Cyrillic."

Japarov made the remarks during a meeting last year with the chairman of the national commission on state language and language policy, Kanybek Osmonaliev.

Osmonaliev had told the country’s parliament that if "the lawmakers and the president make the political decision [to replace Cyrillic], the Kyrgyz public and scholars were ready to transition to the Latin alphabet."

The alphabet is a "political issue" in Kyrgyzstan, said Musaev.

Musaev said that adjustments on a Kyrgyz version of the Latin alphabet to the common script would be worked out -- and potentially debated in parliament -- only after the country switches from Cyrillic to Latin letters.

"Permission [to shift to the Latin alphabet] has to come from the president of the country," Musaev told RFE/RL.

"We scholars can only make proposals -- it’s up to the president whether to accept them or not," he added.

Musaev has proposed a version of the Latin-based Kyrgyz alphabet with 28 letters that he says fully preserves the phonemic structure of the Kyrgyz language.

It is based on the alphabet that was adapted by Kyrgyz linguist and politician Kasym Tynystanov and used in Kyrgyzstan from 1927 to 1940.

Any decision by Bishkek to abandon Cyrillic might not sit well with its close ally, Moscow, which will see it as an attempt to move away from Russian influence.

Russian politicians have repeatedly urged Bishkek not to undermine the role of the Russian language, which has the status of an official language in Kyrgyzstan.

Common Alphabet

Debates over a common alphabet began in the early 1990s, when Turkey sought closer ties with its fellow Turkic nations Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Scholars who prepared the final version of the 34-letter common script claim it reflects the specifics of the Turkic languages used in these countries.

"Each letter in the proposed alphabet represents different phonemes found in Turkic languages," says a statement released during the Baku meeting.

Each country has modified some of the letters from their Latin originals to reflect the phonetic requirements of its own language.

Turkey adopted the Latin script in 1928 over the Arabic alphabet. Other Turkic nations briefly used Latin during the early years of the Soviet Union after switching from Arabic script. But Moscow forced those republics to replace Latin with Cyrillic.

It took Azerbaijan about a decade to fully transition back to Latin, a process that started in December 1991. The current Latin-based alphabet used in the South Caucasus nation consists of 32 letters.

Turkmenistan -- which is a not a OTS member but has observer status in the organization -- reintroduced the Latin script in 1993. The newest version of the Latin-based Turkmen alphabet uses 30 letters. It has been modified multiple times.

Uzbekistan began a gradual transition back to Latin in 1993 while simultaneously using Cyrillic.

A final draft of the Latin-based Uzbek alphabet -- with 29 letters and an apostrophe to denote a hard sign, specific sounds, or intonations -- was presented in 2019.

Kazakhstan is set to complete its return to Latin letters by 2025.

After many years of debate, then-Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev signed a decree in 2017 ordering the country’s Cyrillic alphabet to gradually be replaced with Latin.

It has 32 letters, with certain sounds made by adding an apostrophe.

Tajikistan, the only non-Turkic nation in Central Asia, continues to use Cyrillic. Calls by some scholars to replace Cyrillic with Arabic letters have failed to garner support.

The OTS is made up of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. Turkmenistan, Hungary, and the unrecognized statelet Northern Cyprus have observer status.

Tajikistan’s Winter Electricity Rationing Starts Early (The Diplomat)

The Diplomat [10/2/2024 9:52 AM, Catherine Putz, 1198K, Neutral]
Winter has come early in Tajikistan, with the national power company, Barqi Tojik, notifying customers on September 21 that seasonal rationing of electricity would begin the following day "where necessary" - a month earlier than usual.

Tajik media outlet Asia-Plus reported that although Barqi Tojik did not specify what was meant by "where necessary," rural populations had been receiving electricity for 8-10 hours per day, split into two periods in the morning and evening, since September 21.

The Barqi Tojik statement noted that a seasonal electricity shortage of more than 1 billion kilowatt-hours is anticipated, based on low water levels in the Vakhsh River. "Year after year, the increase in the demand of the population and social and economic sectors of the country causes a seasonal shortage of electricity," the statement said.

Barqi Tojik urged the Tajik people to prepare for winter and "use electricity sparingly in the autumn and winter season."

Energy is a critical topic for Dushanbe, and a long-time bane. Unlike Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan (and to a lesser degree Uzbekistan), Tajikistan does not have significant gas or oil reserves.

A 2013 World Bank report on "Tajikistan’s Winter Energy Crisis" might as well have been written last year:

The study, notably, did not include the Rogun hydropower project given that "such large and complex hydropower projects, even if they are deemed technically and economically feasible, are subject to long periods of preparation and delays…" Indeed, when construction on Rogun finally began in 2016, it was nearly 40 years after the project had first been launched. In 2018, operations began at Rogun, with 75 of its intended 335 meters built and a single turbine switched on. As of 2024, only two turbines are operational, with a third anticipated to be commissioned in 2025 and all six by 2029.

The Tajik government has poured billions into the Rogun project, but its potential to aid in addressing winter energy shortages is limited. The 2013 World Bank reported noted that hydropower systems have diminished capacity during the winter "due to low river flows." With climate change exacerbating the highs and the lows, this will continue to be a concern.

The resurrection of energy interdependence in Central Asia, made possibly by Tajikistan’s stated aim to reconnect with the Central Asian Integrated Power System (IPS or CAPS), may alleviate the situation if the diplomacy can get the flows right. The region’s power grids were set up during the Soviet era so that hydropower-rich Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan could provide electricity to gas- and oil-rich Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, which in turn could help power the mountainous regions during winter water lows. With independence after 1991, the system started to break down as each country pursued the dream of self-sufficiency.

Tajikistan has stated that it will rejoin the unified grid in May 2025, but cautious optimism is warranted. In 2018 the Asian Development Bank approved a $35 million grant to help Tajikistan reconnect to the Central Asian grid by 2022; it’s not clear what happened to that project, but Dushanbe was not plugged back in by 2022.

Tajik officials often urge citizens to be mindful of their electricity usage. For example, as reported by Asia-Plus, Barki Tojik press secretary Nozir Yodgori claimed that "the most correct way that can reduce the seasonal shortage of electricity is careful, economical consumption of electricity by the population."

However, TALCO - the Tajik Aluminum Company - is the country’s largest industrial enterprise and correspondingly its largest electricity consumer, using an estimated 25 to 40 percent of the country’s electricity. A March 2024, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) energy policy brief regarding Tajikistan noted, "An audit revealed a potential energy saving of over 20% [at TALCO], but subsidized tariffs have discouraged investment in energy efficiency." That audit was conducted in 2012 - it’s not clear that any such efficiency improvements or subsidy adjustments have been made.

As both the audit and the World Bank reported cite above suggest, there is a need for updated reviews of Tajikistan’s energy system and policies. It’s clear from the worsening conditions that whatever has been done isn’t enough.

Central Asia’s War on Hijab (The Diplomat)

The Diplomat [10/2/2024 10:12 AM, Niginakhon Saida and Svetlana Dzardanova, 1198K, Neutral]
"Although I began praying in sixth grade, it wasn’t until 2020 that I started wearing hijab," Malika, a 20-year-old university student from Fergana who asked not to use her real name, told The Diplomat. "This led to unexpected pressure from my school community as everyone, including the teachers I was close with, began telling me to take my hijab off."

"Once the school principal confronted me in front of everyone, harshly insisting that I stop wearing hijab and accused me of using it as a form of self-advertisement."

To Malika’s relief, the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown mandated that everyone stay at home, allowing her to graduate in peace.

Central Asia’s war on hijab has persisted for years, and Malika’s story echoes the experiences shared by countless women who face similar struggles across the region. In our previous work for The Beet, we unpacked the political dynamics of the hijab ban in Central Asia, tracing its historical roots and policy implications. Now, we turn our attention to the real-world consequences on women’s lives, delving into the costs of state-imposed restrictions on religious expression.

As the region has aggressively promoted a secular, traditional dress code, Muslim women have become the unintended victims of new regulations. Control over their attire is enforced largely through educational institutions, where young women study and work.

"Banning or restricting hijab in the countries of the region falls within the overall framework of combating ‘wrong’ Islam as a central narrative in countering so-called religious extremism," said Anastassiya Reshetnyak, Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) consultant and a research fellow at Paperlab Research Center, in an interview with The Diplomat.

"In Kazakhstan, for example, women who wear the hijab are prevented from entering the civil service, and girls [wearing hijab] are prevented from attending school. Negative attitudes towards the wearing of the hijab are spread in society (including by civil servants), which leads to the alienation and disconnection of women and girls from the wider society and even at the community level."

Astana’s decision to ban hijab for both students and teachers last year, in the name of preserving secular values, sparked intense debate. Despite Kazakhstan’s secular identity, around 70 percent of its population profess Islam. For girls from committed religious families, the alternative to conforming is often to remain uneducated.

The hijab ban "can contribute to the radicalization of both women and their communities," Reshetnyak continued. "Restrictions on certain types of work can lead to ‘gray’ and ‘black’ employment - in fact, to even greater alienation from the state and society, and to closure from their community. The same applies to the prohibition of hijab in schools: girls are either transferred to homeschooling and lose contact with their peers and ‘secular’ teachers, or they drop out of school; alternatively, they go to countries where they can attend classes in hijab (e.g. Turkey)."

On July 26, the Council of Ulema of Tajikistan issued a fatwa, a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law, advising women against wearing "tight, black or see-through clothing." Noting that the black color is not mandated by the Hanafi Islamic legal framework, the fatwa marked that "traditional national clothing of Tajik mothers and sisters, consisting of a scarf, dress, and trousers, fully meets the requirements" of the Islamic school of jurisprudence followed by majority of Muslims in the country.

Although the fatwa does not specify what is meant by "black clothing," it is likely referring to black abayas, traditionally worn in Arab Muslim societies. These garments gained prominence in Central Asia only after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as people sought to reconnect with their Islamic heritage. The influx of religious literature, scholars, and missionaries from the Middle East, as well as the exposure of Central Asians to global Islamic practices through travel and social media platforms, contributed to the growing popularity of black abayas among women. However, Central Asian governments often view them as a foreign influence and a potential symbol of political or radical Islam.

Ironically, such restrictions on religious attire bolstered the recruitment tactics of extremist groups in Central Asia. The connection "was particularly evident in [Islamic State] recruitment, when secular authorities in the region were branded as kafirs (infidels), including for their stance on the appearance of believers. At various points, not only hijabs but also, for example, men’s beards were criticized and banned," explained Resehtnyak.

For men, adhering to Islamic dress requirements is relatively straightforward, as their awrah (nakedness), the part of the body that must be covered, is generally limited to the area between the navel and the knees. In contrast, women’s hijab covers them from head to toe, typically allowing only the face, hands, and feet to remain visible. This disparity means men encounter fewer social or practical barriers in maintaining religious dress while navigating everyday life.

"Recruiters [for extremist groups] appealed to the fact that believers in these countries could not properly practice their religion and remain faithful Muslims under severe restrictions," Resehtnyak said. "This argument persists in one form or another to this day - for example, it is used in Taliban propaganda to create a positive image of Afghanistan under their control."

The Council of Ulema’s fatwa was published a month after Dushanbe had passed a law banning the "import, sale, promotion, and use of clothing alien to the national culture," essentially outlawing hijab. This ban is just another step taken by Dushanbe to control women’s attire. Back in 2007, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Education issued a directive banning both the hijab and miniskirts for school and university students. A decade later, in 2018, the Ministry of Culture extended this approach by promoting long skirts not only for university students but for all women. Their "Recommendations for Wearing Clothes in Tajikistan" advised against miniskirts, translucent dresses, deep necklines, crop tops, black clothing, and black scarves, indirectly targeting black Islamic full-coverage attire.

At the time, local experts criticized the guidelines as another attempt by the authorities to suppress the wearing of hijabs and satr, a traditional headscarf.

In the heated debate over the hijab, both supporters and opponents often overlook a crucial point - each individual woman’s right to choose what she wears - leaving women’s voices sidelined in the very issue that most affects them.

Uzbekistan lifted its de facto ban on hijab for students in 2021, but with a condition: the head covering should either be a ro’mol, a national headscarf tied behind the neck, or a do’ppi, a national cap. "Taking into account the appeals of many parents and our national values, as an exception for our girls, it is allowed to wear a national headscarf (wrapped on the back of the head) and a do’ppi in school in white and light colors" said Uzbekistan’s Minister of Public Education Sherzod Shermatov.

"I am currently married and a senior student at a university in Tashkent," Malika recounted. "To qualify for graduation, I have to undergo an internship at a public school. A friend of mine and I were about to sign a contract with one school when the principal told us it is only possible if we take off our hijab or tie it behind. After that, we went to six more schools and received the same answer."

Tashkent also abolished the administrative liability for wearing "prayer clothes" in public places in 2021 when revising the law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations." The ban was lifted due to the absence of a clear legal definition of "prayer clothes." Although Article 184.1 of the Administrative Code, which imposed penalties for wearing such attire except for religious officials, was rendered ineffective immediately, it took another two years for the provision to be formally removed.

However, covering one’s face in public places to the extent that it hinders identification is still banned (Article 184.4). Exceptions are made for wearing helmets, medical masks, and similar gear deemed necessary. Non-compliance with this provision results in a fine ranging from $250 to $400.

The law on measures to provide students of state general secondary education institutions with a modern school uniform from August 15, 2018 sets a certain norm for outfits, obligating that students "must walk inside the building of the educational institution without headgear." This is explained by the "secular character of the general secondary education," so wearing "elements that reflect belonging to different religions and denominations, as well as different subcultures (hijab, kipa, kashaya, cross etc.)" are not allowed.

"In the beginning of this school year, girls with hijabs were gathered and forced to remove their [hijab]," Said, whose sister is a senior student at general secondary school No. 32 of Namangan district, Namangan, told The Diplomat. Fearing for his sister’s safety, he asked The Diplomat not to disclose their identities. "The principal told them that they can not study at this school otherwise and they should transfer. Now she wears her scarf tied on the back of her head."

Religious leaders of Central Asia do their best to appease the secular government while also commanding ordinary Muslims to follow Shariah, or Islamic law. Traditional Central Asian attire for women - headscarves, long dresses, and trousers adorned with vibrant colors and patterns - can meet Shariah requirements. However, governments mandating a specific clothing style as part of a broader effort to enforce a national identity strips pious women of their right to choose and undermines their bodily autonomy.

"Restricting freedoms is one of the worst tactics in the long-term prevention of violent extremism," insisted Reshetnyak. "The logic of proponents of the hijab ban is to homogenize society by removing the manifestation and representation of ‘alien’ cultural traits related to the practice of Islam. However, it has long been proven that there is no direct correlation between religious knowledge and joining violent extremist organizations."

"At the same time, one of the key characteristics of violent manifestations in Central Asia is a strong focus on the state and its institutions (especially the security forces). A common characteristic of those who join violent extremist organizations is a sense of injustice and lack of inclusion in public processes," Reshetnyak continued. In order to address that root cause, "it is necessary, on the contrary, to create conditions that ensure the inclusion of all groups in public institutions. It is necessary to increase the representation of vulnerable groups, to speak openly about problems, to create a pluralistic society. In authoritarian states, especially when security forces are responsible for preventing and countering violent extremism, such methods are not central."

"It is a pity that hijabi girls in the education system are treated as if they are terrorists," said Malika expressing her frustration. "If I did not have to, I would not even go to the doorsteps of a school. We once dreamed of working at public schools, but now we just hate it. Working in a place where freedom and justice is not present is like humiliating yourself and your knowledge!"

Twitter

Afghanistan

Yalda Hakim
@SkyYaldaHakim
[10/3/2024 2:56 AM, 220.2K followers, 36 retweets, 98 likes]
1112 days since the Taliban banned teenage girls from school. Since the Taliban took power, at least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education, according to UN data #LetAfghanGirlsLearn

Jahanzeb Wesa
@JahanzebWesa
[10/2/2024 5:03 PM, 4.2K followers, 2 retweets, 2 likes]
AJSO:— said in a statement that Mr. Aryan was arrested at his office in Ghazni by Taliban intelligence. The organization quoted a source as saying that Mr. Aryan was accused of talking about Taliban suicide attacks in past wars in an audio tape and broadcasting it on the radio.

Jahanzeb Wesa
@JahanzebWesa
[10/2/2024 12:29 PM, 4.2K followers, 47 retweets, 137 likes]
Hadia Azizi, Afghan girl, received a scholarship from Yalda Hakim Foundation, a famous Afghan journalist, in collaboration with Oriel College, to study for a master’s degree at the University of Oxford. This scholarship is provided to support Afghan girls deprived of education.

Massoud Hossaini
@Massoud151
[10/2/2024 10:08 AM, 31K followers, 3 retweets, 2 likes]
#TalibanTerrorist group hosts & trains #Afghan s & foreign terrorists inside former @CIA camp in #Khost. sources believe that TB is getting ready to attack on #EU soil to avoid EU govs to put pressure on their administration in #Afghanistan. Attack on EU will be the “Big Shame”!

Pakistan

Government of Pakistan
@GovtofPakistan
[10/2/2024 9:53 AM, 3.1M followers, 80 retweets, 456 likes]
Renowned Islamic Scholar, Dr. Zakir Naik calls on the Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, today in Islamabad.

Imran Khan
@ImranKhanPTI
[10/2/2024 2:56 AM, 20.9M followers, 19K retweets, 49K likes]
La ilaha illallah (There is no God, but One) means freedom, and the Holy Quran designates the highest rank after (God’s) messengers to martyrs. The positions of Syed Hassan Nasrallah and Ismail Haniya are very high (in the eyes of God) as they sacrificed their lives in the defense of their countries. I would rather be martyred fighting for my country like Tipu Sultan, than die like Bahadur Shah Zafar. I have always prayed to God for a death like Tipu Sultan’s. God created man free. There is a famous quote by Rumi: “ When God has given you wings, why do you crawl like insects?”

In Pakistan, at this time, the Gang of Three, along with PDM, have colluded to make every state institution their slave. The Supreme Court is the only institution left, and now they are trying to subjugate that as well through unconstitutional amendments. Pakistan has no rule of law anymore, and there is no accountability. The Gang of Three has broken every law to get extensions (in their tenure), the most (adverse) impact of which has been on the economy.

All those in power now have their wealth stashed abroad, so they are mercilessly destroying the country’s institutions for their personal gain and power. My Pakistanis! All my efforts have been to liberate you, so now it is time that you break the shackles of fear and come out (for your rights). It’s time to Do or Die! I have made this sacrifice only for your liberty, so now is the time for you to think beyond your personal interests and come out at every call for protest for the sake of the country’s future. Long Live Pakistan!

India

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[10/2/2024 12:40 PM, 102.4M followers, 1.4K retweets, 5.2K likes]
Collective efforts can do wonders for societal transformation. This is a great encapsulation of the 10-year journey of Swachh Bharat. Do watch. #10YearsOfSwachhBharat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpySEzsyIsA&feature=youtu.be

President of India
@rashtrapatibhvn
[10/3/2024 2:07 AM, 25.8M followers, 108 retweets, 893 likes]
Governor of Rajasthan Shri Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde received President Droupadi Murmu on her arrival in Udaipur.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[10/2/2024 11:46 AM, 3.2M followers, 252 retweets, 1.4K likes]
‘Had Bapuji been alive today, he would have been a great supporter of Narendrabhai’ A heartwarming article by Smt. Sumitra Gandhi Kulkarni, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi on how PM @narendramodi embodies Bapu’s ideals of humanism, inclusivity and selfless service to the nation. Do read : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-living-the-ideals-of-mahatma-gandhi/amp_articleshow/113862193.cms

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[10/2/2024 11:37 AM, 3.2M followers, 71 retweets, 495 likes]
Today, we celebrate #10YearsOfSwachhBharat, a transformational campaign for a cleaner, equitable and sustainable future. The visionary initiative led by Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi has mainstreamed a culture of cleanliness and promoted development of a circular economy in India.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[10/2/2024 10:35 AM, 3.2M followers, 186 retweets, 1.5K likes]
Good to see @PhilGordon46 during my Washington visit. Appreciated the conversation on our bilateral ties and various global developments.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[10/2/2024 10:09 AM, 3.2M followers, 244 retweets, 2.2K likes]
A great meeting with NSA @JakeSullivan46. As always, a productive conversation on bilateral cooperation and good insights into global politics.

Meenakshi Ganguly
@meeganguly
[10/3/2024 12:46 AM, 19.4K followers, 3 retweets, 5 likes]
Detaining Sonam Wangchuk & others peacefully campaigning for local governance & environmental safeguards in Ladakh is repression of dissent by #India authorities. They also prevent protests, shut down internet, censor social media & harass activists @hrw https://hrw.org/news/2024/10/02/indian-authorities-unlawfully-detain-himalaya-climate-activist

NSB

Sabria Chowdhury Balland
@sabriaballand
[10/2/2024 9:07 PM, 7.2K followers, 2 retweets, 6 likes]
The #Bangladesh Interim Government says it wants to maintain good relations with India. It mustn’t be forgotten:
1. How harmful IN has been to BD.
2. How it has always treated Muslims horrendously. It exaggerated with the BJP.
3. It’s unconditional support to #ApartheidIsrael.

Sabria Chowdhury Balland
@sabriaballand
[10/2/2024 2:24 PM, 7.2K followers]
What is clear is that strict guidelines should be written up by the EC for political parties to follow. Failure to do so should result in disqualification from the elections. #Bangladesh’s interim govt to hold dialogue with political parties on Saturday https://newagebd.net/post/country/246760/bangladeshs-interim-govt-to-hold-dialogue-with-political-parties-on-saturday

Sajeeb Wazed
@sajeebwazed
[10/2/2024 3:44 PM, 467.3K followers, 107 retweets, 454 likes]
RAB statement they have video of civilians with AK-47s shooting at protestors. This matches with former Home Advisors statement that people were shot with 7.62mm rounds, which are used by AK-47 rifles. These are not used by our police and prohibited in #Bangladesh. https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2f3a4e3b0389

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives
@MoFAmv
[10/3/2024 2:17 AM, 54.8K followers, 8 retweets, 9 likes]
Ambassador of China to the Maldives, Wang Lixin paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister @abkhaleel this morning. Discussions were focused on Maldives-China relations and the ongoing cooperation projects.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives
@MoFAmv
[10/2/2024 8:12 AM, 54.8K followers, 38 retweets, 50 likes]
Secretary, Economic & Development Cooperation, Dr Hussain Niyaaz met with the Director for South Asia at @UNOPS, @charlesabroad today. Discussions focused on UNOPS’ support for the ongoing projects and national initiatives aimed at fostering a sustainable and resilient Maldives.

Abdulla Shahid
@abdulla_shahid
[10/2/2024 11:12 PM, 118.7K followers, 14 retweets, 27 likes]
An absolute pleasure to once again return to the United Nations. I am deeply honoured to be working alongside the International Communities Organisation in advancing the critical role that Track 1.5 diplomacy plays in fostering global peace and cooperation. It was a distinct pleasure to brief Deputy Secretary-General H.E @AminaJMohammed on our ongoing initiatives to promote this essential form of diplomacy. Together, we remain committed to bridging the gap between formal diplomacy and informal dialogue, ensuring that all voices are heard in the pursuit of lasting global solutions.

Abdulla Shahid
@abdulla_shahid
[10/2/2024 6:24 AM, 118.7K followers, 55 retweets, 69 likes]
It is gravely concerning that the changes to the regulations related to foreign currency and foreign exchange have been brought without consulting key stakeholders. The tourism industry, which is our biggest industry, will be directly impacted by these changes. Significant consultations with our tourism industry partners representing resorts, guesthouses and liveaboards is essential. Their concerns must be heard and reflected in the new regulation. Measures taken to address the current dollar crisis should not boomerang back onto our primary industry which will significantly affect the national economy.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
@anuradisanayake
[10/3/2024 2:26 AM, 128.8K followers, 13 retweets, 176 likes
I officially assumed the duties as the Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Livestock, Irrigation, Fisheries, and Aquatic Resources today (03).
I recognize that:
- The Ministry’s role in eradicating rural poverty is immense, and the performance of our government officials will be key to our success.
- I am committed to advocating for our dedicated public servants to help create an efficient and responsive public service.
- Traditional political reprisals will not be tolerated in the future.
- We will not publicly question officials in front of the media, as previous leaders have done, nor will we entertain such media spectacles. My aim is to build a public service that both satisfies citizens and protects the dignity of public servants. I emphasized these points during discussions with ministry officials after assuming office.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
@anuradisanayake
[10/2/2024 8:42 AM, 128.8K followers, 28 retweets, 241 likes]
This morning (02nd), I met with @santjha, the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, at the Presidential Secretariat. During our conversation, he congratulated the new government and expressed India’s readiness to support our development process in any way possible. He emphasized that India wishes to see Sri Lanka emerge as a peaceful and stable state in the region. Mr. Jha also reflected on the long-standing friendship and closeness between our two nations, highlighting the importance of maintaining a continuous and stable partnership as neighbouring states. Furthermore, he pointed out the significance of digitizing government systems to effectively combat corruption. He appreciated the anti-corruption program outlined in our policy statement, and he expressed India’s willingness to assist Sri Lanka in implementing these digitization initiatives.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
@anuradisanayake
[10/2/2024 8:06 AM, 128.8K followers, 45 retweets, 407 likes]
This morning (02), I met with Mr. Qi Zhennhong, the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, at the Presidential Secretariat. During our meeting, Ambassador Zhennhong extended his warm congratulations to the new government and affirmed that his government will continue to provide unwavering support for Sri Lanka’s future endeavours. He emphasized that the Chinese government is committed to enhancing the bilateral relations between our countries. The Ambassador also highlighted the significance of on-going collaborative projects and the active involvement of the China Development Bank (CDB) and EXIM Bank in supporting Sri Lanka’s development efforts. Additionally, he assured me of their full support for the debt restructuring process as key commercial and bilateral creditors, which would contribute to the economic stability and growth of Sri Lanka.

M U M Ali Sabry
@alisabrypc
[10/2/2024 5:41 AM, 7.3K followers, 7 retweets, 100 likes]
167 Bills passed under 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka https://newswire.lk/8d1r I am humbled to share that many of these Acts were originally conceptualized during my initial tenure as Minister of Justice, from August 2020 to March 2022. During this period, Cabinet papers were submitted, and expert committees were appointed to lay the groundwork for these important reforms.

Central Asia

UNODC Central Asia
@UNODC_ROCA
[10/2/2024 12:24 PM, 2.5K followers, 4 likes]
CARICC: 18 years of success in countering illicit drug trafficking. Learn more about the Centre’s impactful work & a recent meeting in TM to address drug-related challenges: https://rb.gy/g5k184 @oliverstolpe @CARICC_2018 @StateINL @GCC @INTERPOL_HQ

MFA Kazakhstan
@MFA_KZ
[10/2/2024 12:41 PM, 52.8K followers, 3 retweets, 5 likes]
Progress on UN Resolution 1325 (2000) “Women, Peace, and Security” Presents at Kazakh Foreign Ministry

Javlon Vakhabov
@JavlonVakhabov
[10/2/2024 11:34 PM, 6K followers, 1 retweet, 1 like]
Met with Sun Zhuangzhi, the Director of the Institute of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. This meeting was a follow-up to my recent visit to Beijing where I attended the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. During our discussion, we explored ways to expand collaboration between our institutes, including joint research projects and academic exchanges. The importance of fostering dialogue on regional issues was also a key topic, as was the role of shared knowledge in enhancing our mutual understanding. The meeting concluded with the signing of a joint plan of action, marking a significant step toward deeper cooperation between our institutions.

MFA Tajikistan
@MOFA_Tajikistan
[10/3/2024 1:40 AM, 5K followers, 1 retweet, 3 likes]
Meeting with Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union https://mfa.tj/en/main/view/15879/meeting-with-secretary-general-of-the-inter-parliamentary-union

Saida Mirziyoyeva
@SMirziyoyeva
[10/3/2024 2:26 AM, 20K followers, 3 retweets, 21 likes]
Tashkent proudly hosts the 4th World Conference on Creative Economy, with 2,000+ participants from 80+ countries gathering to shape the future of creativity and innovation. #WCCE2024

{End of Report}

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