SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO: | SCA & Staff |
DATE: | Thursday, April 24, 2025 6:30 AM ET |
Afghanistan
Afghanistan Growth Prospects Down As Aid Declines: World Bank (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [4/23/2025 9:45 AM, Staff, 931K]
Afghanistan’s growth is expected to slow in 2025 following a drop in foreign aid, the World Bank warned on Wednesday, with assistance still crucial for the country as it grapples with one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The South Asian country’s economy made modest gains in 2024 -- the second year of growth since the Taliban takeover in 2021 -- due to sectors including agriculture, mining and construction, as well as easing deflationary pressures, the Bank said in a report.
Despite the expansion, it warned Afghanistan’s "economic outlook remains fraught with significant risks".
"While Afghanistan’s economy is showing signs of recovery, it continues to be held back by significant fiscal challenges, with domestic revenue mobilisation proving insufficient to offset a decline in aid," World Bank country director Faris Hadad-Zervos said in a statement.
Afghanistan’s GDP is estimated to have grown 2.5 percent in 2024, according to the Bank, but "economic growth is expected to slow to 2.2 percent in 2025 amid aid disruptions before gradually recovering to 2.5 percent in 2026– 27", the report said.
Afghanistan faces the second-largest humanitarian crisis in the world, after Sudan, following four decades of war and crises, according to the United Nations.
About a third of the population -- some 15 million people -- suffer from hunger and nearly one in four young Afghans are unemployed. The Taliban government remains unrecognised by any country.
The crisis risks worsening after the United States -- until recently Afghanistan’s largest aid donor -- recently slashed foreign assistance.
The drop in aid also impedes the management of Afghanistan’s already substantial trade deficit, "as alternative sources of external funding remain scarce", the Bank said.
"Without urgent actions to stabilize the business environment, expand economic opportunities, and invest in human capital, the country risks prolonged stagnation, deepening poverty, and continued reliance on humanitarian aid," the report said.
The Bank called for strengthened support for the private sector and for women’s access to education and the labour market.
The Taliban authorities have imposed what the UN calls a "gender apartheid" since returning to power, with women banned from universities and many public spaces and their access to employment is also restricted. Afghan refugees in Iowa told to leave the U.S. (Axios)
Axios [4/23/2025 7:20 AM, Jason Clayworth, 13163K]
Afghan refugees in Iowa are receiving emails that appear to come from the federal government ordering them to leave the country immediately, a local advocacy group tells Axios.Why it matters: The notices have sown fear and confusion among Iowa’s Afghan community, many of whom believe that returning to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan would result in their torture and death, Shir Agha Safi, executive director of Afghan Partners in Iowa, tells Axios.Driving the news: Afghan refugees began receiving emails from the Department of Homeland Security this month notifying them that their immigration status had been terminated and they must leave the U.S. immediately, Safi said."It is time for you to leave the United States," the notice’s first sentence says. It later warns of detention, loss of work authorization, and possible prosecution if they remain in the U.S."Do not attempt to remain in the United States — the federal government will find you," an April 6 email obtained by Axios that was sent to an Afghan refugee living in DSM concluded.Catch up quick: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2023 extended deportation protections for Afghan refugees who fled their homes after the U.S. withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in 2021.More than 900 resettled in Iowa, with local organizations teaming up to help them navigate a confusing and arduous process to gain permanent residency.Zoom in: Many of the roughly 200 people in Iowa who have received notices are not just Afghan refugees but former soldiers who fought alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Safi said.State of play: Safi believes the notices were likely sent to email addresses provided to a government app that was used to help process refugee applications several years ago.Karen Everling, executive director of the World Grace Project in Waterloo, tells Axios she’s also aware of several Venezuelan and Haitian refugees who have received similar notices to email addresses provided in the app.The big picture: Similar DHS notices have been reported in other parts of the country, including North Carolina and Utah, as the federal government moves to close the chapter on temporary Afghan parole.They are nearly identical to those reported this month by NBC News in a case where an American-born doctor living in Connecticut was an unintended recipient of the notice.What they’re saying: The notices were sent to known email addresses of immigrants by Customs and Border Protection, DHS said in a statement to Axios.Some may have been inadvertently sent to a refugee’s U.S. citizen contact, and those issues are being monitored."To be clear: If you are an alien, being in the United States is a privilege —not a right. We are acting in the best interest of the country and enforcing the law accordingly," DHS’s statement said.What’s next: Few local support systems remain to resist the deportation efforts, but Safi said his group is working to help families contact advisers to review possible next steps.They also ask people to urge their U.S. senators to act because "it could make the difference between life and death for our people," Safi said. Germany halts Afghan refugee admission flights pending new government decision (Reuters)
Reuters [4/23/2025 9:53 AM, Riham Alkousaa, 62527K]
Germany’s outgoing government has suspended flights for voluntary admissions of Afghan refugees for two weeks pending a decision by the next government on how to proceed, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, the future governing coalition of conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD) agreed to curb irregular migration, reflecting a mounting public backlash after several violent attacks by migrants as well as increasing pressure on housing and other infrastructure.
After the Western allies’ hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Germany felt a strong obligation to protect former local staff of German agencies and humanitarian organisations there, and established several programmes to resettle them along with particularly vulnerable Afghans.
According to the Federal Foreign Office, a total of 36,000 people have entered Germany under such voluntary programmes, including a good 20,000 who were local staff and their families.
Around 2,600 people approved for admission by Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) are currently waiting in Pakistan for a German visa and charter flights, 350 of whom are former local employees, the foreign office added.
In addition to receiving admission approval, applicants must complete a visa process and security screening involving the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Federal Police, and the Federal Criminal Police Office.
The current Greens-led foreign ministry said that existing admission confirmations were legally binding and could only be revoked under specific conditions. This meant it could be difficult for the new government to cancel them regardless of who takes over the interior or foreign ministries.
Germany’s outgoing government arranged several resettlement flights in recent weeks, drawing criticism from conservative politicians who argued that the SPD-Greens coalition was rushing to admit new arrivals before it hands over.
"For several weeks now, we’ve been seeing planes arrive in Germany on a daily basis. I believe that´s wrong. It creates the impression that an outgoing federal government is trying to establish facts on the ground in its final days," Thorsten Frei, a parliamentary leader of the conservative bloc, said.
ProAsyl, a German NGO providing legal help to asylum seekers, warned that halting the final rescue flights would leave vulnerable Afghans at risk of torture or death if returned to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
"The German government itself has determined their endangerment ... A return or deportation to Afghanistan could mean torture or even death for them," said Wiebke Judith, ProAsyl legal policy spokesperson. Rare earth, hard choices: America’s Haqqani gambit in Afghanistan (The Hill – opinion)
The Hill [4/23/2025 10:30 AM, Ron Maccamon, 12829K]
Afghanistan hasn’t been in the headlines much lately. It’s slipped into the background of American consciousness — just another unfinished story in a long list of slow-burning global flashpoints.
But out of the attention span of the West, something is shifting that deserves attention.
Since the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021, the Taliban haven’t operated as a single, unified movement. Power has quietly shifted between two rival factions: the Kandaharis — hardline, ideological and socially rigid — and the Haqqani network, a more pragmatic group known for intelligence ties, political instincts, and long memory.
Since the withdrawal, the Kandaharis, led by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, called the shots. They imposed restrictions on girls’ education, shut down civil society and kept foreign engagement at arm’s length. It was rule by isolation and decrees.
The Haqqanis, for their part, stayed in the background — watching, waiting, building alliances and letting the other faction absorb public frustration. That wait-and-see approach may be over.
In recent months, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the network’s leader and Afghanistan’s interior minister, has stepped into the spotlight. He has been giving interviews to international outlets, hinting at economic revitalization and even suggesting a return to school for girls.
It’s not a full reversal of Taliban rule, but it’s a tonal shift — a signal to the outside world that not all doors are closed.
Adding to this picture, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Hezb-e Islami, Afghanistan’s second-largest militant group, has voiced concern over the country’s direction under Taliban rule.
A former mujahideen commander and longtime Islamist figure, Hekmatyar warned Afghanistan is "not moving in the right direction" and has suggested a ‘dignified council’ assist the government. Notably, he has aligned more closely with the Haqqani faction, signaling broader discontent with Kandahari leadership and adding weight to the possibility of an internal shift.
If that’s what it is, then it’s time the U.S. started knocking.
The Haqqanis are not reformers in any Western sense. They are not allies. But they are power players who understand leverage, and they see that Afghanistan’s economy is still on life support.
Any U.S. overture would carry political risk and draw scrutiny. Engaging with them would require strict conditions, oversight and a clear-eyed understanding that this is leverage, not legitimacy.
With aid frozen, jobs evaporating, and the banking system teetering, over 90 percent of Afghans are living below the poverty line. Humanitarian shipments, informal trade and whatever cash remains in the depleted system fuel the country. The Haqqanis know this is not sustainable.
What most Americans may not realize is that Afghanistan sits atop vast untapped mineral wealth — an estimated $1 trillion in resources, including copper, iron, rare earth elements and, most significantly, lithium.
China already dominates the global lithium supply chain, and recently suspended rare earth exports to the U.S. in response to the Trump administration’s tariffs. In Afghanistan, since the U.S. withdrawal, Beijing has moved aggressively to close mining deals and infrastructure contracts that could cement its influence for decades. Iran and Russia are maneuvering, too.
But many Afghan leaders, even within the Taliban, prefer working with the United States — not because they trust us, but because they respect U.S. systems, contracts, transparency and accountability. They may not say it publicly, but quietly signal they don’t like China’s fast deals and their long-term costs.
This isn’t a call for recognition or a major infusion of humanitarian aid. It’s not about revisiting the past. It’s about understanding that in the power vacuum left behind, the U.S. still holds cards — it just needs to play them wisely.What would that look like?
First, start small and stay quiet. Identify sectors — mineral development, infrastructure, logistics — where limited engagement could unlock value and provide alternatives to Chinese dominance.
Bagram, the sprawling airbase, with its existing infrastructure and strategic location, could serve as a cornerstone for economic development and potentially house a discreet U.S. consulate to support commercial engagement. Tie cooperation to specific outcomes: reopening girls’ schools, allowing monitored trade and keeping humanitarian operations safe.
Second, offer intelligence coordination on the Islamic State branch that continues to menace Afghanistan. It’s a threat both the U.S. and the Haqqanis take seriously, and the Haqqanis have networks on the ground that could prove useful if a trust-building channel is opened.
But here’s the key: This initiative must not be driven by the same people who shaped the last 20 years. Former officials, Kabul-era consultants or Afghans who fled during the collapse cannot lead this effort. They bring too much baggage, mistrust and complication.
The U.S. needs fresh intermediaries, people who understand the new political terrain, who can talk without echoing the past and who can deliver conversations that focus on the future. That’s what credibility looks like now.
If the U.S. steps back and leaves the field open, China will move in. Beijing won’t ask about girls’ schools, and they won’t worry about development or labor rights. They’ll take the minerals, build the roads and tighten their grip. Russia and Iran will carve out their pieces too, building spheres of influence that make the region less stable.
Meanwhile, the Kandahari wing will grow stronger, bolstered by money and leverage the Haqqanis could have used to drive modest change. If the U.S. wants any say in what Afghanistan looks like five years from now, the time to act is now.
Afghanistan may never be the same. But it’s not done evolving. What’s happening now — a realignment inside the Taliban, an unspoken preference for U.S. partnership and a recognition that isolation is a dead end — represents one of the few real openings since 2021.
The U.S. doesn’t need to flood the zone. It just needs to re-enter the room.
We missed our chance to shape how the war ended. Let’s not miss the chance to shape what comes next. Open a quiet line. Put a real offer on the table — targeted, conditional and strategic.
And above all, send a new generation of envoys who are not tied to the ghosts of Kabul’s past. There are no guarantees. But there’s also no excuse for missing the moment. Pakistan
After Militant Attack in Kashmir, Pakistan Braces for Strike by India (New York Times)
New York Times [4/24/2025 12:01 AM, Salman Masood, 831K]
The Pakistani government struck a measured tone after militants killed more than two dozen Indian civilians in Kashmir on Tuesday, insisting that it has no interest in seeing tensions with India escalate.
But across Pakistan, people are watching with growing concern as Indian officials hint at the possibility of military strikes, and the television airwaves have been filled with defense analysts warning of unpredictable consequences if hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors intensify.
The Indian government has not officially identified any group as being behind the attack in a scenic tourist area of Indian-administered Kashmir. But it announced a flurry of punitive measures against Pakistan on Wednesday, including the suspension of a critical water treaty, in answer to what it said was Pakistan’s support of terrorist attacks inside India.
After the Indian announcement, Pakistan said it was scheduling a meeting of the National Security Committee, the country’s highest decision-making forum on security and foreign policy, for Thursday to formulate a response.
The attack in Kashmir, a region both countries claim and have fought wars over, set off a familiar pattern.
The Indian news media, which is largely aligned with the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, quickly pointed a finger at Pakistan. Pakistan denied involvement and accused India of trying to deflect attention from security lapses in the restive region.
The last militant attack of this scale in the Indian part of Kashmir took place in 2019, when dozens of Indian security personnel were killed. After that assault, India launched an air battle that stopped just short of all-out war.
Some Pakistani analysts warn that the current confrontation could intensify beyond the 2019 standoff. “Indian escalation already began last night, and it will be at a bigger scale than February 2019,” Syed Muhammad Ali, a security analyst in Islamabad, said on Wednesday.
He claimed that India was using the attack to seek solidarity with the United States and defuse tensions over President Trump’s threat of tariffs, as well as to reframe the push for independence in Kashmir as a terrorist movement.
As of Wednesday, Pakistani officials said they had seen no evidence of an Indian military mobilization. They said that the Pakistani military remained alert along the Line of Control separating the Indian- and Pakistani-administered parts of Kashmir.
A senior Pakistani security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic and military matters, said that Pakistan would approach any tit-for-tat escalation carefully but would thwart incursions by India if they occurred.
Some military analysts and current and former officials accused India of staging the attack, noting that it had come while Vice President JD Vance was visiting India.“They’re blaming Pakistan without proof,” Ahmed Saeed Minhas, a retired brigadier general, said on the television channel Geo News.
He then made a joke about the 2019 standoff between Pakistan and India, when a video emerged of an Indian Air Force pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, sipping tea while in Pakistani custody.“If India tries anything again, they should remember — we served tea to Abhinandan in 2019,” Mr. Minhas said. “This time, we might even offer him biscuits.”
The current tensions have revived memories of the 2019 episode.
A suicide bombing that February in the city of Pulwama prompted an Indian airstrike inside Pakistan, triggering a dogfight. An Indian jet was shot down, and Wing Commander Varthaman was captured and later released — a gesture that helped cool tensions, if briefly.
Officials say the current situation differs from 2019. While the Pulwama attack was claimed by the militant Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed and targeted security personnel, the one on Tuesday involved unarmed civilians, and any claims of responsibility have been vague and unverified.
So far, the Pakistani military has made no public statement about Tuesday’s attack. The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned the loss of life, denied any role by Pakistan and urged India to avoid “premature and irresponsible allegations.”
Officials and analysts warn that while the region avoided catastrophe in 2019, that good fortune may not repeat itself.“During the last escalation, both India and Pakistan were lucky to step down from the ladder,” said Murtaza Solangi, a former interim information minister.“This time, we’re in a more dangerous phase,” he said. “A fractured global order and India’s hyperventilating media make it harder for Modi to act rationally. Both countries will be net losers if India doesn’t stop this madness.” Pakistan finance minister says China and U.S. are Islamabad’s ‘critical and strategic allies’ (CNBC)
CNBC [4/24/2025 1:46 AM, Amala Balakrishner]
Countries around the world have been feeling the pressure of tariffs imposed on their exports to the U.S., as well as the trade tensions between the world’s largest superpowers.
Pakistan is no exception.
U.S. President Donald Trump had imposed a 29% duty on all exports from the South Asian country to the U.S. on April 2. He has since lowered the duty to 10%, as part of his 90-day pause on tariffs imposed on some countries and goods.The weighted average tariff on U.S. exports to Pakistan is around 7%, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Finance & Revenue, Muhammad Aurangzeb says. Conversely, the weighted average tariff on U.S.′ imports from Pakistan is around 10%, he noted.“We export a little over $5 billion (and) import roughly $2 billion plus,” Aurangzeb told CNBC on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings.
He added that Pakistan is now looking to engage with the U.S. to “close this gap.”
The country’s imports from the U.S. include “high quality cotton,” as well as other agriculture commodities such as soy beans, the minister noted. Going forward, he reckons that trade between both countries could include metals such as copper, which Pakistan produces.“From Pakistan’s perspective, the U.S. has been a very strategic partner - one of our largest trading partners. Therefore, we want to, very constructively engage with the U.S.,” Aurangzeb said.
U.S. or China?
When asked if Pakistan has plans to pivot more towards China, the finance minister responded that the South Asian nation is not inclined to choose one country over the other.“From where I sit and where the government is ... both are very critical and strategic allies for Pakistan.”
Touching on China, Aurangzeb noted that it has a “longstanding relationship” with Pakistan.
For instance, Pakistan has been active in China’s signature belt and road initiative which involves the construction of multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects across countries.
A key project in the initiative is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which has seen China investing over $65 billion in Pakistan, including in the Gwadar port which provides China’s western Xinjiang region a gateway to the Arabian Sea. India
India Takes Aim at Pakistan After Slaughter of Civilians in Kashmir (New York Times)
New York Times [4/23/2025 4:14 PM, Mujib Mashal and Suhasini Raj, 831K]
One day after militants killed 26 people in a tourist group in Kashmir, the Indian government on Wednesday pointed a finger at its archnemesis, Pakistan, announcing a series of punitive actions against its neighbor and hinting at further retaliation.
India has not officially blamed any group for the massacre, in which all but one of the dead were Indian citizens. But it described the aggressive moves outlined on Wednesday as a response to Pakistan’s support of terrorist attacks on Indian soil.
The Indian government suspended its participation in an important water treaty that since the 1960s has governed the flow of rivers that Pakistan’s irrigation system depends on. India declared a key land border between the two nations shut. And it announced that it was downgrading diplomatic ties, expelling Pakistan’s military advisers from the country’s New Delhi mission, and further restricting already-limited visas for Pakistani citizens.
The decision came at a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as coffins of the civilians slaughtered in the picturesque Kashmir Valley began arriving to emotional scenes around the country. The prime minister was briefed on “the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack,” said India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, without offering details.
Hours earlier, in the Indian government’s first public reaction, the defense minister, Rajnath Singh, said the country had “a zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism” and hinted at the possibility of military strikes.“We will not only go after the perpetrators of this act,” he said, “but also the actors sitting behind the scenes drawing such conspiracies to be carried out on India’s soil.”
The Indian government has not yet officially laid out any evidence connecting a particular group to the massacre or explained how the attack is tied to Pakistan, where officials have tried to distance their country from the carnage.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry, in a statement, extended condolences “to the near ones of the deceased.” The defense minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, told a local news channel his country did not “support any form of terrorism” and blamed the assault on “homegrown” elements.
The attack in Indian-administered Kashmir hit India’s government in a particularly sensitive spot.
After bringing the troubled region more firmly under its control in recent years, the government justified its heavy-handed approach with one consistent message: The deadly militancy that had rocked the Himalayan territory for decades was finally in check.
That illusion was shattered on Tuesday, as militants emerged from a densely forested area to open fire on tourists enjoying a picnic spot in a picturesque valley near the town of Pahalgam.
As officials rush to make sense of the major security lapse in what is one of the world’s most militarized zones, there is growing concern in New Delhi that the pressure on Mr. Modi to respond decisively could once again raise the specter of cross-border conflict between two nuclear-armed neighbors.
India and Pakistan have each laid claim to Kashmir since the end of British colonial rule partitioned India, carving out Pakistan as an independent nation. Kashmir, where Muslims are a majority, has found itself split between the two, with each country administering a part while laying claim to its whole.
India squarely blames Pakistan for harboring and supporting militants behind attacks like the one on Tuesday. In 2019, a militant attack that killed dozens of Indian security personnel resulted in an air battle between the nations that stopped just short of all-out war.“The whole idea, I think, behind this attack was to sort of puncture that narrative that, you know, everything is fine,” said D.S. Hooda, a retired Indian army general who led India’s northern command based in Kashmir. “The government will be under tremendous pressure to react.”
General Hooda said the fact that the victims were civilians, and that witness accounts in Indian media suggested Hindus had been singled out by the militants, had only added to the pressure. A list of the victims circulating online, which was verified by local officials in Kashmir, showed that 25 of the 26 killed were Hindus.
The targeting of Hindus by militants in the 1990s forced an exodus of the minority community from Kashmir. In the apparently targeted killings on Tuesday, many saw reminders that the region still remains unsafe, particularly for Hindus, despite the government’s claim of a return to normalcy.
Pakistan has scheduled a meeting on Thursday of its National Security Committee, the country’s highest decision-making forum on security and foreign policy, as officials prepare a formal response to India’s flurry of steps.
Some news reports said that the Resistance Front, a little known and relatively new outfit in Kashmir, had claimed responsibility for the assault. An Indian security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said that security agencies’ assessment was that the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the attack, and that the Resistance Front was a proxy for that group.
Videos and images of the carnage flooded Indian media after the attack, showing tourists taking in the vast beauty at one moment and lying in pools of blood the next. One image showed a young woman in a tan jacket visibly distraught, kneeling down by the lifeless body of a man.
Among the victims was Kaustubh Gunbote, 60, an avid traveler who ran a shop selling snacks in the western Indian city of Pune. He was traveling in a group of five that included his wife and friends.
The men in the group were singled out, said his son Kunal Gunbote, who flew to Srinagar, the regional capital, on Wednesday morning to identify his father’s body.“He was shot in front of my mother. They were all made to lie down,” Mr. Gunbote said. “I feel frustrated and angry. The government says that this place is secure, but there was no security for miles around. My mother said that the terrorists came at leisure — strolling around and asking people their names.”
The attack took place as Vice President JD Vance and his family were in India on a four-day visit. In a condolence message on social media, Mr. Vance described the assault as a “devastating terrorist attack.”
Mr. Modi, who was on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, cut his trip short and returned home.
Much of Kashmir observed a shutdown on Wednesday in protest over the killings, with schools and businesses remaining closed. Security was tightened, with military helicopters surveilling the valley where the attack occurred. Tourists were also rushing to leave the region, with airlines adding flights.“It’s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests from the valley after yesterday’s tragic terror attack in Pahalgam,” said Omar Abdullah, Kashmir’s top elected official. “But at the same time, we totally understand why people would want to leave.”
In recent years, Mr. Modi had taken a two-pronged approach on Kashmir: Ignore and isolate a Pakistan that was already teetering because of its own domestic problems, and tighten security at home.
To isolate Pakistan, Mr. Modi has leaned into India’s growing economic and diplomatic power on the world stage. India has even kept Pakistani artists out of Bollywood and Pakistani athletes out of the Indian cricket league — hugely lucrative industries in the region.
Mr. Modi has previously raised the threat of restricting the water supply as a pressure tactic to get Pakistan’s establishment to stop using militants as proxies. About 90 percent of Pakistan’s food production is dependent on water flowing through India from the Indus river system.“Blood and water cannot flow together,” Mr. Modi warned at a meeting in 2016, soon after another terrorist attack, referring to coordination of the river flow to Pakistan. In 2019, the Indian government threatened to cut off the waters but did not follow through.
In 2019, Mr. Modi stripped Kashmir of the semi-autonomy it had enjoyed, and dissolved its local democracy to bring it under direct rule from New Delhi.
While small-scale attacks against civilians continued, Mr. Modi’s officials were increasingly projecting that their strategy was working. Kashmir had turned a page, they said, and it could focus on development. The main indicator of progress was the rising number of tourists pouring into the valley from around the country.
The mass-casualty attack on Tuesday has exposed the limits of that strategy.
In recent years, India has been preoccupied with a bigger threat on its northern border, as a more hawkish China in 2020 clashed with Indian forces in the Himalayan region of Ladakh and encroached on Indian territory.
India and China’s militaries remained on a war footing for over four years, only disengaging recently. During that time, India tried to avoid the prospect of a two-front conflict by agreeing to a cease-fire along its boundary with Pakistan.
While diplomatic contact between India and Pakistan has remained minimal and infiltration of militants has continued into India, the cease-fire has largely held.
A speech last week by Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, caused a stir in India, where many saw it as a provocation. Addressing a gathering of overseas Pakistanis, General Munir spoke of Kashmir as “our jugular vein” and said “we will not leave our Kashmiri brethren in their heroic struggle that they are waging against Indian occupation.”
The comments have resurfaced on Indian television channels and social media since Tuesday’s attack. Deadly Kashmir attack threatens new escalation between India and Pakistan (Washington Post)
Washington Post [4/23/2025 2:46 PM, Shams Irfan and Karishma Mehrotra, 3531K]
This Himalayan town, known locally as “mini-Switzerland,” would normally be bustling with tourists at this time of year, photographing fields of wildflowers and riding ponies beneath snowcapped peaks.But on Wednesday, Pahalgam was eerily still. Schools and markets across Indian-administered Kashmir were shuttered. Cabs once packed with vacationers were stopped at security checkpoints on their way out of town. The violence of the previous day was still in the air.On Tuesday, gunmen emerged from the forest with assault rifles and opened fire on tourists who had gathered in a popular meadow. At least 26 people — 25 Indians and one Nepalese citizen — were killed, police said. It was the deadliest attack on civilians in India in more than a decade.Indian media blamed the attack on the Resistance Front, a militant group banned by New Delhi in 2023 as a terrorist organization, but there was no verifiable claim of responsibility.The suddenness of the violence, and the gruesome nature of the killings, sent shock waves across the country, rekindling painful memories from the 1990s, when Kashmir was gripped by a bloody insurgency — and civilians often bore the cost.India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed rivals that both claim Kashmir and administer separate parts of it, are now at a dangerous crossroad, analysts said, after years of diplomatic stagnation.“We were in a bad place, and we weren’t actively getting worse,” said Srinath Raghavan, a historian and security analyst at Ashoka University. “Now, it will actively get worse.”
‘All bets are off’The assault in Pahalgam risks unraveling a fragile ceasefire between India and Pakistan that was sealed through back-channel diplomacy in 2021.The agreement halted once-daily exchanges of fire along the Line of Control, the de facto border between Indian- and Pakistani-held Kashmir; the dispute over the territory has led to three wars between the countries.“That is the last thread that remains in an otherwise very skeletal relationship,” said Happymon Jacob, an international studies professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University. “If that gets damaged and ruptured, then all bets are off.”Vikram Misri, India’s minister of foreign affairs, told reporters Wednesday that Pakistani nationals would be banned from traveling to India, Indian defense advisers would be withdrawn from Pakistan and a key water treaty between the countries would be put on hold. Pakistan’s energy minister condemned the move as “an act of water warfare.”For decades, armed insurgents in Kashmir — some seeking independence, others favoring accession to Pakistan — have waged a separatist struggle against Indian control. The violence has ebbed in recent years amid an intense crackdown by Indian security forces, whom rights groups have accused of carrying out arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial killings against the Muslim-majority population.Militants still launched periodic attacks against Indian soldiers, migrant workers and Hindus, but Tuesday’s targeted killings of civilians were an unprecedented escalation.“Those responsible for the attacks and the people responsible will very soon feel a loud response,” Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said Wednesday.Though he did not mention Pakistan by name, the implication was clear, and other prominent figures were far more direct.Shama Mohamed, a spokesperson for the opposition Congress party, said on X Wednesday that “Rawalpindi should be flattened,” referring to the city where Pakistan’s military is headquartered. “Time to teach Pakistan a lesson they don’t forget,” she added.India has long accused Islamabad of supporting separatist violence in Kashmir, and Indian security analysts said the perpetrators were probably linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba — the Pakistan-based militant organization that carried out the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, when gunmen killed 166 people and injured more than 300.Indian politicians and analysts were quick to point to a speech last week by Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, who called Kashmir the country’s “jugular vein,” adding, “We will not leave our Kashmiri brothers in their heroic struggle.”Officials in Pakistan condemned Tuesday’s killings and rejected accusations of involvement. In a statement Wednesday, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it was “concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives.”
“We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” the statement continued.Pakistani Sen. Sherry Rehman posted on X that “the reflexive finger-pointing already at play against Pakistan has become the boilerplate response for a New Delhi that is unable to contain its own spectacular failures.”Pakistan is mired in a security crisis of its own, struggling to contain attacks by Islamist insurgents and Baloch separatists, some armed with American-made weapons left behind in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. troops.The Pahalgam attack coincided with a high-level diplomatic trip to India by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, which analysts said was probably no accident. In 2000, militants killed 35 Sikhs in Kashmir during Bill Clinton’s state visit to India.President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, said the United States “stands strong with India against Terrorism,” adding that India has “our full support and deepest sympathies.”Experts on both sides said the role of Washington will now be critical in determining what happens next.Pakistan will be “reaching out to friendly countries, especially the United States, to stop any escalation,” said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a Pakistani political analyst. “The United States definitely doesn’t want war.”RetaliationThe Indian government revoked Kashmir’s semiautonomous status in 2019 and imposed sweeping security measures. New Delhi hailed a return to relative stability, encouraged investment and trumpeted the return of tourists to the region.Tuesday’s assault upended that narrative in an instant. “It’s misleading to tell your own citizens to come to this place and not ensure their safety and protection,” said Anuradha Bhasin, the managing editor of the Kashmir Times.A hotel manager in Pahalgam, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he feared retaliation by the authorities, said he was hosting a family of 15 from Maharashtra this week. They were out sightseeing when the attack happened and rushed back to the hotel, he said, refusing to come out even for dinner.“It took us years to build this trust, but now it is dented for years to come,” he said. “I cannot forget the look on their faces and their nightlong wails.”Indian soldiers were out in force across Kashmir on Wednesday. A famous dry-fruit market on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, usually buzzing with tourists, was closed. In 2019, a suicide bomber killed more than 40 soldiers near the market. India retaliated with strikes in Pakistan — setting off a brief but nerve-racking aerial battle along the Line of Control.In the aftermath, relations between the countries nosedived. Islamabad expelled India’s envoy, suspended trade and took its grievances to the United Nations. India refused to engage with Islamabad over Kashmir. Despite the 2021 ceasefire, the relationship has remained largely frozen.Now, analysts said, New Delhi will be weighing how to retaliate.Syed Akbaruddin, a former Indian diplomat at the United Nations, said the number and diversity of the victims, coming from all corners of India, made a military response more likely.“It has hit a nerve which not many incidents of violence have,” he said. “There will be pressure to find the perpetrators and go after them.”Modi will want to “show that India is strong,” Rizvi, the political analyst, predicted. “Pakistani forces are ready to face any such situation.”There are concerns that the tragedy could also inflame tensions inside India. National media has directed its ire not just at Pakistan but in many cases at Muslims more broadly.“The repercussions would not be borne by not just Kashmiris but also Muslims elsewhere in India,” said Bhasin, of the Kashmir Times.India, meanwhile, will intensify its clampdown in Kashmir, analysts said, which will risk further fueling local backlash.“There is a deepening resentment at the ground level, but it’s silenced because of the military jackboots,” said Bhasin. “Although that does not automatically translate into a violent reaction, it does give that a space to grow.” India blames Pakistan for a deadly attack in Kashmir and suspends a key water treaty (AP)
AP [4/23/2025 3:19 PM, Aijaz Hussain, Sheikh Saaliq, and Rajesh Roy, 1413K]
India blamed Pakistan on Wednesday for a militant attack that killed 26 people in Indian-held Kashmir, downgrading diplomatic ties and suspending a crucial water-sharing treaty that has withstood two wars between the nuclear-armed rivals.The spray of gunfire at tourists Tuesday in a scenic, mountain-ringed valley was the worst assault in years targeting civilians in the restive region that is claimed by both countries. The unidentified gunmen also wounded 17 other people.India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, announced the diplomatic moves against Pakistan at a news conference in New Delhi late Wednesday, saying a special cabinet meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided that the attack had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. However, the government provided no evidence of this publicly.Pakistan said it would respond more fully to India’s actions on Thursday, but in the meantime Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad said that India was using “an unfortunate incident of terrorism” as a pretext to jettison a treaty it has long been trying to evade.India describes militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle. Misri said that the Indus Water Treaty would be suspended “until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.” He said a number of Pakistani diplomats in New Delhi were asked to leave, and Indian diplomats were recalled from Pakistan, reducing diplomatic officials for both countries from 55 to 30.Misri also said the main land border crossing between the countries would be closed.Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his country would respond to the Indian government’s decisions after a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday.The Indus Water Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, allows for sharing the waters of a river system that is a lifeline for both countries, particularly for Pakistan’s agriculture. The treaty has survived two wars between the countries, in 1965 and 1971, and a major border skirmish in 1999.Manhunt launched for the assailantsIndian forces on Wednesday launched a manhunt for the assailants. Tens of thousands of police and soldiers fanned out across the region and erected additional checkpoints. They searched cars, used helicopters to search forested mountains and in some areas summoned former militants to police stations for questioning, reports said. Many shops and businesses in Kashmir closed to protest the killings.Police called the assault a “terror attack” and blamed militants fighting against Indian rule. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh vowed to “not only trace those who perpetrated the attack but also trace those who conspired to commit this nefarious act on our soil.”Kashmir Resistance, a previously unknown militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack on social media. The group said Indian authorities had settled over 85,000 “outsiders” in the region and claimed that those targeted on Tuesday were not “ordinary tourists” but “were linked to and affiliated with Indian security agencies.”The group’s messages could not be independently verified.Earlier this month, the local government told its legislature that 83,742 Indians were granted rights to buy land and property in Kashmir in the last two years.The dead were mostly touristsOfficials said 24 of the people killed were Indian tourists. One was from Nepal, and another was a local tourist guide. At least 17 others were wounded.Pakistan extended condolences to the victims’ families.“We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement while wishing the wounded a speedy recovery.Kashmir has seen a spate of deadly attacks on Hindus, including immigrant workers from Indian states, since New Delhi ended the region’s semi-autonomy in 2019 and drastically curbed dissent, civil liberties and media freedoms.Kashmir has seen tourism boom despite spate of attacksNew Delhi has vigorously pushed tourism, and the region has drawn millions of visitors to its Himalayan foothills. Indian officials have claimed that as a sign of normalcy returning, despite the presence of ubiquitous security checkpoints, armored vehicles and patrolling soldiers. Until Tuesday, tourists were not targeted.Following the attack, panicked tourists started to leave Kashmir.Monojit Debnath, from the Indian city of Kolkata, said Kashmir was beautiful, but his family did not feel secure anymore.“We are tourists, and we should think about what safety we have here for us,” Debnath told the Press Trust of India news agency as he was leaving Srinagar, the region’s main city, with his family.“It’s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests from the valley after yesterday’s tragic terror attack,” Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media. “But at the same time, we totally understand why people would want to leave.”Indian home minister visitsOn Wednesday, India’s powerful home minister, Amit Shah, attended a ceremony at a police command center in Srinagar, where the slain tourists were paid floral tributes. He also met families of several victims.Shah vowed to “come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences.”Later, Shah visited the site of the killing at Baisaran meadow, some 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the resort town of Pahalgam.The meadow in Pahalgam is a popular destination, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and dotted with pine forests. It is visited by hundreds of tourists every day.Kashmir has been divided for decadesNuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.India has used heavy-handed tactics to maintain its control over the region, including giving the armed forces widespread powers to arrest, torture and summarily execute suspects, human rights groups say.In March 2000, at least 35 civilians were shot and killed in a southern village in Kashmir shortly before a visit to India by then-U.S. President Bill Clinton.In 2019, months before New Delhi revoked the region’s autonomy, a car bomb attack by militants in southern Pulwama district killed at least 40 paramilitary soldiers and wounded dozens more, bringing India and Pakistan close to war.Violence has ebbed in the Kashmir Valley, the heart of anti-India rebellion. Fighting between government forces and rebels has largely shifted to remote areas of the Jammu region, including Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua, where Indian troops have faced deadly attacks. India downgrades ties with Pakistan after attack on Kashmir tourists kills 26 (Reuters)
Reuters [4/23/2025 6:54 PM, Fayaz Bukhari, Sakshi Dayal, and YP Rajesh, 126906K]
India announced a raft of measures to downgrade its ties with Pakistan on Wednesday, a day after suspected militants killed 26 men at a tourist destination in Kashmir in the worst attack on civilians in the country in nearly two decades.Diplomatic ties between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours were weak even before the latest measures were announced as Pakistan had expelled India’s envoy and not posted its own ambassador in New Delhi after India revoked the special status of Kashmir in 2019.Pakistan had also halted its main train service to India and banned Indian films, seeking to exert diplomatic pressure.Tuesday’s attack is seen as a setback to what Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party have projected as a major achievement in revoking the semi-autonomous status Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed and bringing peace and development to the long-troubled Muslim-majority region.On Wednesday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a media briefing that the cross-border involvement in the Kashmir attack was underscored at a special security cabinet meeting, prompting it to act against Pakistan.He said New Delhi would immediately suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty "until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism."The treaty, mediated by the World Bank, split the Indus River and its tributaries between the neighbours and regulated the sharing of water. It had so far withstood even wars between the neighbours.Pakistan is heavily dependent on water flowing downstream from this river system from Indian Kashmir for its hydropower and irrigation needs. Suspending the treaty would allow India to deny Pakistan its share of the waters.India also closed the only open land border crossing point between the two countries and said that those who have crossed into India can return through the point before May 1.With no direct flights operating between the two countries, the move severs all transport links between them.Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under special South Asian visas, all such existing visas were cancelled and Pakistanis in India under such visas had 48 hours to leave, Misri said.All defence advisors in the Pakistani mission in New Delhi were declared persona non grata and given a week to leave. India will pull out its own defence advisors in Pakistan and also reduce staff size at its mission in Islamabad to 30 from 55, Misri said."The CCS reviewed the overall security situation and directed all forces to maintain high vigil," Misri, the most senior diplomat in the foreign ministry, said referring to the security cabinet."It resolved that the perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice and their sponsors held to account...India will be unrelenting in the pursuit of those who have committed acts of terror, or conspired to make them possible," he said.There was no immediate response to the Indian announcement from Pakistan’s Foreign Office.Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called a meeting of the National Security Committee on Thursday morning to respond to the Indian government’s statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar posted on X.TOURIST BOOMIndia’s response came a day after the attack in the Baisaran Valley in the Pahalgam area of the scenic, Himalayan federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir.The region has been at the heart of India-Pakistan animosity for decades and the site of multiple wars, insurgency and diplomatic standoffs.The dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national and at least 17 people were also injured in the shooting that took place on Tuesday.It was the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai shootings, and shattered the relative calm in Kashmir, where tourism has boomed as an anti-India insurgency has waned in recent years.A little-known militant group, the "Kashmir Resistance," claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 "outsiders" had been settled in the region, spurring a "demographic change".Indian security agencies say Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, is a front for Pakistan-based militant organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.Pakistan denies accusations that it supports militant violence in Kashmir and says it only provides moral, political and diplomatic support to the insurgency there."We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives," Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement earlier on Wednesday. "We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery."SETBACK TO MODIIn Kashmir, security forces rushed to the Pahalgam area and began combing the forests there in search of the attackers.Police also released sketches of three of the four suspected attackers, who were dressed in traditional long shirts and loose trousers and one of them was wearing a bodycam, one security source said.There were about 1,000 tourists and about 300 local service providers and workers in the valley when the attack took place, he said.On Wednesday, the federal territory shut down in protest against the attack on tourists, whose rising numbers have helped the local economy.Protesters turned out in several locations shouting slogans such as "Stop killing innocents", "Tourists are our lives", "It is an attack on us.""I want to say to the people of the country that we are ashamed, Kashmir is ashamed," former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said. "We are standing with you in this time of crisis."Airlines were operating extra flights through Wednesday from Srinagar, the summer capital of the territory, as visitors were rushing out of the region, officials said.Militant violence has afflicted Kashmir, claimed in full but ruled in part by both Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan, since the anti-Indian insurgency began in 1989. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, although violence has tapered off in recent years. After Kashmir attack leaves 26 dead, India revokes key treaty, tells Pakistani nationals to leave (CBS News)
CBS News [4/23/2025 2:21 PM, Arshad R. Zargar, 51661K]
A day after 26 people were killed and many others injured in an attack by suspected Pakistan-based militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir, India announced it will put a key river water sharing agreement on hold.
India’s External Affairs Ministry said on Wednesday night that the Indus Water Treaty "will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism." The suspension of the 1960 World Bank-brokered treaty would mean India would stop the water supply of Indus River and its tributaries – the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Satluj – to Pakistan, impacting millions of people in that country.
The decisions were taken by India’s Cabinet Committee on Security, the country’s top defense decision making body headed by the Prime Minister.
Tuesday’s attack in picturesque Pahalgam area of Indian-controlled Kashmir left 26 people dead – 25 of them tourists – and 17 others injured, when suspected militants opened fire on them, according to Indian authorities in the region. The majority of the victims were Hindus.
The brazen attack – one of the worst in Kashmir’s history – at one of its most popular tourist spots, dotted with meadows and surrounded by glaciers, has shocked India and been condemned by leaders around the world.
Indian security forces spread out across Kashmir a day after the attack, as police, army and paramilitary forces continued their manhunt for the perpetrators. Many businesses were closed Wednesday to protest the brutal attack on civilians, heeding a call from Kashmiri religious groups and political parties.
A lesser-known militant group called The Resistance Front claimed responsibility for the attack on social media. CBS News cannot independently verify the claim. India media outlets reported the group was backed by Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).
Pakistani nationals asked to leave, visas cancelled.
In addition to the suspension of the water treaty, India also ordered all Pakistani nationals currently in the country to leave within 48 hours and gave a week to the Military Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi to exit India. India said it will also recall its own military advisors from Islamabad.
"These posts in the respective High Commissions are deemed annulled," said an Indian External Affairs Ministry statement. The ministry said both the high commissions will be down-staffed from current 55 to 30.
India has also decided to close the Integrated Check Post Attari, a key road link between the two countries.
"Those who have crossed over with valid endorsements may return through that route before 01 May 2025," the ministry said in a statement.
The Kashmir conflict
Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, but each nation has controlled its own portion of the mountainous region for decades.
The scenic Himalayan region has been hit regularly by militant violence since an armed anti-Indian insurgency began in 1989. The simmering conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives over more than three decades.
Tuesday’s attack at the popular tourist beauty spot came when tourism in the Kashmir region was picking up. The last major attack happened in June 2024, when nine people were killed and 33 injured as militants attacked a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims.
Eight pilgrims were killed and 19 injured in a similar attack in the region in 2017, when militants attacked a bus carrying them back from the famous Amarnath Cave Temple in south Kashmir.Widespread condemnation
U.S. President Donald Trump pledged his support for India after the deadly attack.
"Deeply disturbing news out of Kashmir," Mr. Trump wrote on social media. "The United States stands strong with India against Terrorism.".
The attack came as U.S. Vice President JD Vance, along with his wife Usha and their children, paid a largely personal visit to India. Vance met earlier in the week with India’s leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Usha Vance is a practicing Hindu whose parents are from India.
"I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest," Prime Minister Modi said in a social media post on Tuesday. "Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice... they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.".
Leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, France, Italy and the UAE have also expressed condemnation. A Perfect Day in a Gentle Meadow Is Shattered by Bloody Carnage (New York Times)
New York Times [4/23/2025 4:14 PM, Anupreeta Das, PragatiK.B., Showkat Nanda, and Suhasini Raj, 831K]
At around two o’clock on Tuesday afternoon, when mild sunshine and a gentle chill wrapped the Baisaran Valley in Kashmir, two newlyweds, Shubham Dwivedi and Aishanya Pandey, rented horses and rode up a gentle hill.
They wanted to catch what they had heard was a mesmerizing view: a lush meadow fringed by pine trees, with snow-capped Himalayan peaks gleaming in the distance.
Less than an hour later, Mr. Dwivedi was dead.
He was among 26 people killed by militants who approached a group of visiting sightseers and then opened fire. Another 17 were injured.
The massacre, which occurred near Pahalgam, a town in the southern part of Indian-administered Kashmir, was one of the worst attacks on Indian civilians in decades.
It was a reminder that the region, long contested by India and Pakistan, remains vulnerable to attack even after the Indian government moved to bring its part of Kashmir more firmly under its control in 2019, which brought years of relative calm and a tourism boom.
Victims, eyewitnesses and those who heard accounts directly from family members described scenes of chaos and horror. Blood spilled from bodies punctured by bullets as people begged for their lives. Video from the scene showed another married couple, the woman in a tan jacket, sitting motionless on the ground next to her dead husband, her wrists adorned with the red-and-white bangles that many new Hindu brides traditionally wear. She had been married for less than a week.
When Waseem Khan, a member of the region’s tourism police force, stepped away from the meadow on Tuesday to perform prayer ablutions in a nearby stream, “people were making merry,” he said.
About 10 minutes later, at 2:47 p.m., Mr. Khan said, he heard the sound of what he thought was firecrackers set off by the tourists. “Then I saw three people lying in a pool of blood,” he said.
He said he had helped hoist injured people onto horses, assisted by “pony walas,” or guides who offer rides to tourists, so they could be taken to safety. People scrambled downhill by foot or on horses, eyewitnesses said.
Mr. Dwivedi and Ms. Pandey, who married in February, were sitting at a table along one edge of the meadow where vendors sold tea and snacks, digging into instant noodles made by Maggi, a popular brand, according to the groom’s cousin Saurabh Dwivedi.
He constructed a version of events based on what Ms. Pandey told her father-in-law, who was part of their travel group. Several men in uniform approached the couple and asked if they were Muslim, leading to a heated exchange. Not long after, the attackers shot Mr. Dwivedi but told his wife they would not kill her. “Go back and tell your government what happened,” they said.
Most of the dead and injured were ordinary people drawn to Kashmir, a scenic region made even more wondrous in the minds of many Indians because tourism had been restricted there for decades.
Among the visitors on Tuesday were groups of families and friends, as well as young couples. A group of 17 salespeople were among the tourists, enjoying an all-expenses-paid company trip for hitting their sales targets. They were on horseback, not far from the meadow, when their guides heard about a shooting and ran off, abandoning their horses and customers, according to Suman Bhat, a member of the group.
They would have reached the site sooner, Ms. Bhat said, but the group had decided to have some ice cream. “Thank god, we stopped for ice cream,” she said.
Kashmir has a long history of violence stemming from the partition of India and Pakistan into two separate nations in 1947. Both countries lay claim to the region and have fought several wars over it.
The border between the Indian- and Pakistan-administered sides of Kashmir is heavily patrolled. India has dealt with a separatist movement in Kashmir, which it accuses Pakistan of fomenting. In 2019, India revoked the region’s semiautonomous status, a move the government claimed would help spur development in Kashmir and integrate it more fully into the Indian economy.
Since then, a combination of rising middle-class incomes, promotion by government tourism boards and high temperatures in many parts of India has made Kashmir’s cool summers even more attractive. On Tuesday afternoon, when New Delhi hit 104 degrees, Pahalgam, the town closest to the Baisaran Valley, hovered around 65 degrees.“It is said to be heaven on earth, so anybody would want to go,” said Kunal Gunbote, whose parents were sightseeing in the area on Tuesday.
After the attack, Mr. Gunbote, 31, was able to locate his mother, although she was too shocked to talk. But his father was missing.
On Wednesday morning, when Mr. Gunbote reached Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, from Pune, another Indian city, he found his father in a coffin at the hospital, waiting to be identified.
Mr. Gunbote said that his mother, Sangeeta Gunbote, had told him that the attackers did not appear to be in a hurry.“My mother said the terrorists came at leisure, strolling around and asking people their names,” he said.“They took their time to kill, but no security was there for miles around,” he added, belying the government’s claims that the area is secure.
Mr. Gunbote said that his parents loved to travel and that it was their first trip to the region. Just hours before the attack, his father had shared vacation photos with Mr. Gunbote’s wife. “She was about to call him in the afternoon, but then it all went haywire,” he said.
By late Tuesday, tourists were fleeing the Pahalgam area, leaving hotel and tour operators frantic about the loss of business. On Wednesday, dozens of vehicles loaded with luggage on their roofs crowded the road from Pahalgam to Srinagar, where flights to Mumbai and Delhi were being added.
Mushtaq Pahalgami, president of the Pahalgam Hotel and Guest House Owners Association, said that nearly 7,000 tourists had been staying in Pahalgam at the time of the attack, but most of them had now left.“The fear was so strong that by the morning, hotels were nearly empty, despite locals offering them to stay in their homes,” Mr. Pahalgami said. Modi Summons Ministers After 26 Die in Kashmir Attack (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [4/23/2025 8:53 AM, Santosh Kumar, Sudhi Ranjan Sen, and Advait Palepu, 3973K]
Gunmen killed as many as 26 people in the northern Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir, one of the worst attacks in years on civilians in the region that prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia and summon an urgent meeting with his top ministers.
Local officials confirmed at least 16 dead, although people familiar with the matter said the death toll was about 25 to 26, with several others injured. The people asked not to be identified as the information isn’t public. The army and police have started a search operation to locate the attackers.
The gunmen started firing indiscriminately at tourists near the popular tourist destination of Pahalgam, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) east of Srinagar, Press Trust of India reported. Two foreigners were among those killed in the attack, it said. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
Modi returned to India, cutting short his two-day trip to Saudi Arabia, where he had earlier met with the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The prime minister condemned the attack and said those behind the act "will be brought to justice.".
He held a meeting with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar at the airport upon his arrival, PTI reported, citing officials it didn’t name. He is scheduled to chair a meeting of the Cabinet Committee of Security - India’s top security body comprising the defense, foreign, home and finance ministers - on Wednesday, during which the nation is expected to discuss how to react to the attack.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also announced plans to truncate her U.S. and Peru trip and take "the earliest available flight back to India.".
The Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir is heavily fortified with hundreds of thousands of troops deployed. The region is claimed in full by India and Pakistan but ruled in part by the two countries and is a source of constant friction between the nuclear armed South Asian neighbors.
While the region continues to see sporadic militant strikes, attacks on tourists are relatively rare. The last big assault occurred in February 2019, when a suicide bomber killed 40 members of India’s security forces. Jaish-e-Mohammed (Soldiers of Mohammed), a Pakistan-based jihadi group, claimed responsibility at the time, prompting India to respond with its first airstrikes on Pakistani soil since 1971, and resulting in an aerial dogfight.
Tuesday’s incident happened in the scenic town of Pahalgam, also known as "mini Switzerland," a popular spot among tourists for its hills and meadows.
The attack came during U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s four-day visit to India, where he met Modi in New Delhi on Monday and was in Jaipur on Tuesday. He traveled to Agra on Wednesday for a stop at the Taj Mahal.
Vance described the attack as "horrific" in a post on X, while President Donald Trump pledged the U.S.’s "full support and deepest sympathies" to Modi and the Indian people. According to Indian government officials, Trump also called Modi and again offered to stand with the country in its fight against terrorism. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry said it is "concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives" in the attack and extended condolences to the near ones of the deceased. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told a local television channel the country has no link to the attack and doesn’t support terrorism in any form.
Rahul Gandhi, India’s main opposition leader, said the country is united against terrorism and called on the government to take concrete steps to prevent such incidents rather than making hollow claims about security in the region.
The region’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the attack was "much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years," according to a post on X.
Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Srinagar on Tuesday night and was due to hold a security review meeting with all agencies. The region’s government and police also opened a helpline for tourists and others seeking help. India will pursue perpetrators of Kashmir attack to "ends of earth", Modi says (Reuters)
Reuters [4/24/2025 4:30 AM, Shivam Patel and Fayaz Bukhari, 5.2M]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed on Thursday to pursue, track and punish terrorists and their backers in a strong reaction to a deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir, where police have identified two of the gunmen as Pakistani.
At a speech in India’s eastern state of Bihar, Modi folded his hands in prayer in remembrance for the 26 men who were shot and killed in a meadow in the Pahalgam region of Indian Kashmir, exhorting thousands gathered at the venue to do the same.
"We will pursue them to the ends of the earth," Modi said, referring to the attackers, without referring to their identities or naming Pakistan.
His comments are, however, bound to further inflame ties between the nuclear-armed rivals after India downgraded ties with Pakistan late on Wednesday, suspending a six-decade old water treaty and closing the only land border crossing between the neighbours.
Pakistan’s Power Minister Awais Lekhari called the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty "an act of water warfare; a cowardly, illegal move".
Police in Indian Kashmir published notices on Thursday naming three suspected militants "involved in" the attack, and announced rewards for information leading to their arrest.
Two of the three suspected militants are Pakistani nationals, the notices said. They did not say how the men were identified.
India and Pakistan control separate parts of Kashmir and both claim it in full.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Wednesday a cabinet committee on security was briefed on the cross-border linkages of the attack, the worst on civilians in the country in nearly two decades.
Misri, the top diplomat in India’s foreign ministry, did not offer any proof of the linkages or provide any more details.
New Delhi will also pull out its defence advisers in Pakistan and reduce staff size at its mission in Islamabad to 30 from 55, Misri said.
India has summoned the top diplomat at the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi, local media reported, to give notice that all defence advisers in the Pakistani mission were persona non grata and given a week to leave, one of the measures Misri announced.Modi has also called for an all-party meeting with opposition parties to brief them on the government’s response to the attack.
PROTEST AT EMBASSY
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi’s diplomatic enclave on Thursday, shouting slogans and pushing against police barricades.
In Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was scheduled to hold a meeting of the National Security Committee to discuss Pakistan’s response, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a post on X.
The Indus treaty, mediated by the World Bank and signed in 1960, regulated the sharing of waters of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan. It has withstood two wars between the neighbours since then and severe strains in ties at other times.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were weak even before the latest measures were announced as Pakistan had expelled India’s envoy and not posted its own ambassador in New Delhi after India revoked the semi-autonomous status of Kashmir in 2019.
Tuesday’s attack is seen as a setback to what Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party have projected as a major achievement in revoking the special status Jammu and Kashmir state enjoyed and bringing peace and development to the long-troubled Muslim-majority region.
India has often accused Islamic Pakistan of involvement in an insurgency in Kashmir, but Islamabad says it only offers diplomatic and moral support to a demand for self-determination.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir since the uprising began in 1989, but it has tapered off in recent years and tourism has surged in the scenic region. Kashmir Attack Exposes Modi’s Challenges (Bloomberg – opinion)
Bloomberg [4/23/2025 6:35 PM, Karishma Vaswani, 16228K]
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised that he would bring peace to Kashmir. Tuesday’s terror attack that killed at least 26 people at a popular tourist destination shows how misguided he was: When long-suffering grievances aren’t addressed, they erupt.
Modi has condemned the violence, saying those behind it "will not be spared," and cut short a trip to Saudi Arabia to deal with the unfolding crisis. Schools and shops in the Muslim-majority province are closed in response to what Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described as one of the largest attacks on civilians in recent years.This isn’t an isolated event. There has been a spate of incidents, far less publicized, that show militant violence never subsided — contradicting Modi’s claims that normalcy has returned under his leadership. Kashmir is anything but normal — it is one of the world’s most heavily militarized zones.The region’s modern-day crisis has its roots in the bloody Partition of 1947, when British-ruled India was divided into two independent countries: India and Pakistan. The regions of Jammu and Kashmir had the opportunity to choose which side they would eventually accede to, Hindu-dominated India, or Muslim-majority Pakistan.Initially Kashmir’s monarch sought independence, but ultimately he agreed to join India. The eventual outcome was a unique arrangement under Article 370, which granted Kashmir special semi-autonomous status, its own constitution, and even a separate flag.India and Pakistan — both nuclear-armed nations — have fought several conflicts since independence and Kashmir has been at the heart of all of them. Thousands, including civilians, army, police and militants, have died in the process, either as a result of counter-insurgency exercises or terrorist attacks. Ending that cycle of violence is the reason Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah gave when they revoked the state’s special status in 2019. “The peace that has come to Jammu and Kashmir has to be converted into permanent peace,” Shah said as recently as Feb. 24. The attack at Pahalgam, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) east of the capital Srinagar, shows that hasn’t materialized.While it’s not immediately clear who was responsible, this is sure to cause tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. Pakistan’s foreign ministry voiced concerns at the loss of tourists’ lives and extended condolences to their families, while Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told local media that Islamabad has no link to the attack. As an opening salvo, India moved to suspend a decades old water treaty with Islamabad and downgrade diplomatic ties.Modi had justified revoking Kashmir’s autonomy by saying it was about boosting its economy. But despite grand claims from his Bharatiya Janata Party, there have been limited investments in the territory. If anything, Kashmiris have become even more disempowered during his tenure. In a region fortified with hundreds of thousands of troops, they’ve had to deal with rising anti-Islamism and policies aimed at changing the province’s demographics by encouraging Hindu settlers. They’re also facing the potential loss of jobs and land ownership rights, while living with relentless interrogations and repressive media policies.India uses restrictive travel bans and arbitrary detentions under stringent anti-terror laws to intimidate critical dissenting voices from speaking out, Amnesty International noted last year ahead of the first regional elections in the last decade. These long-standing grievances came to a head during that poll. Voter turnout was an impressive 63.8%, and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, the largest political party opposed to India’s revoking Kashmir’s semi-autonomy, won the most seats. This attack provides an opportunity for New Delhi to address some of those long-simmering issues. Modi’s first instinct will be to further shutter the region. That would be a mistake. All the curbs he put in place in 2019, including the prolonged suspension of internet services, the detention of political leaders and a strict lockdown, just bred more resentment. Those measures were gradually lifted, but the damage was done.Modi may be tempted to allow anti-Muslim sentiment to continue running unchecked in mainstream and social media. Again, that would be unwise — he should act as a leader for all Indians and issue a call for restraint. Instead, India has vowed to retaliate, with Shah saying the country won’t “bend to terror.” Cooler heads should prevail. Bessent says India will be first to make deal avoiding Trump tariffs — while China is ‘put to the side’ (New York Post)
New York Post [4/23/2025 1:33 PM, James Franey and Steven Nelson, 54903K]
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed Wednesday that he expects India to strike the first bilateral trade deal to avoid President Trump’s suite of "reciprocal" tariffs — with any potential agreement with China "put to the side" for now.
Bessent told a roundtable of about a dozen reporters that trade talks with India were "very close" to reaching a successful conclusion because the world’s most populous nation doesn’t have "so many high tariffs.".
India also has "fewer non-tariff trade barriers, obviously, no currency manipulation, very, very little government subsidies, so that reaching a deal with the Indians is much easier," Bessent said at the DC event on the sidelines of the annual World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings.
Vice President JD Vance and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a roadmap Tuesday to proceed with trade talks to avoid a possible 26% tariff rate taking effect in early July.
Trump has demanded that other countries break down their tariffs and non-tariff barriers to American goods, as well as eliminate US trade deficits.
India accounted for nearly 3% of imported goods to the US as of February, according to Census Bureau data. The US had a $45.7 billion trade deficit with India in 2024, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.
Bessent also said Wednesday that Chinese trade negotiations were not proceeding, despite repeating that he views current tariff rates topping 145% on Beijing’s imports as not feasible.
"Neither side believes that these are sustainable levels, so I would not be surprised if they went down in a mutual way," the Treasury secretary told reporters, before insisting that Trump would not unilaterally offer to reduce duties from the American side.
"As I said yesterday, this is the equivalent of an embargo, and a break between the two countries in trade does not suit anyone’s interest … I think the Chinese trade minister called it a joke," Bessent added. "They must have a different sense of humor in China than we do, because I don’t think any of this is funny, but I do think that de-escalation by both sides is possible.".
Bessent also said talks continue to focus on America’s top 15 trading partners apart from China — a list that includes Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the United Kingdom.
A Japanese delegation left Washington last week without announcing a final deal to avert that nation’s possible 24% rate, but announced plans for a second round of discussions later this month.Trump’s massive new "reciprocal" duties took effect April 9 but were paused hours later to allow for 90 days of negotiations. The president left in effect a new 10% baseline tariff on most imports. Narendra Modi Proposes India, Saudi Arabia Build ‘New Silk Route’ – Challenging China (Breitbart)
Breitbart [4/23/2025 12:02 PM, Frances Martel, 2923K]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the "limitless potential" of their bilateral ties.
While Modi cut his planned two-day visit to Jeddah short due to a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, his time in the Saudi city included the signing of a variety of memoranda of understanding and a joint statement in which both countries vowed to increase their bilateral trade, focusing particularly on investment in oil and green energy including the development of a joint oil refinery. India is one of the world’s largest oil consumers and refiners, but does not have meaningful natural oil resources, making it heavily dependent on countries such as Saudi Arabia and Russia.
The two world leaders embraced upon Modi’s arrival at Jeddah’s Al-Salam Palace in images shared by the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
Key to their discussions in the meeting was the development of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC), a plan to dramatically boost infrastructure development and trade between Asia and western Europe intended to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI is a debt-trap program in which the Chinese Communist Party offers predatory loans to poor countries, meant to build massive infrastructure projects that the countries cannot afford. When the countries fail to pay their debts, China uses that leverage to erode their sovereignty or seize the projects. The intended goal of the BRI is to reconstruct the Ancient Silk Road that once connected traders in Asia with those in western Europe.
The IMEEC debuted as a joint program led in part by Saudi Arabia and India during the 2023 G-20 Summit, which India hosted, and has attracted support from the United States in addition to countries in the region.
In an interview with Saudi Arabia’s Arab News published on Tuesday, Modi described the IMEEC as a plan to create "the new Silk Route of the 21st century that will bring benefit to the generations to come" — a direct challenge to the stated goal of China’s BRI.
"This corridor will define the future of connectivity in all forms for centuries to come. It will become the key catalyst of commerce, connectivity, and growth in the entire region," Modi predicted. "The corridor will enhance connectivity in all its forms, be it physical or digital. It will facilitate development of resilient and dependable supply chains, increase trade accessibility, and improve trade facilitation.".
"The corridor will increase efficiencies, reduce costs, enhance economic unity, generate jobs, and lower greenhouse gas emission, resulting in a transformative integration of Asia, Europe and the Middle East," he continued. "We are working on clean and green hydrogen and related supply chains under this initiative. I visualize this initiative has a transformational potential for humanity.".
Saudi Arabia and India published a joint statement on Wednesday following Modi’s meeting with the crown prince that contained a provision on cooperation within the framework of the IMEEC.
"Both sides recalled the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Principles of an India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor," the statement read in part, "and expressed mutual commitment to work together to realize the vision of connectivity as envisaged in the Corridor.".
That vision will include, the joint statement claimed, "the development of infrastructure that includes railways and port linkages to increase the passage of goods and services, and boost trade among stakeholders, and enhance data connectivity and electrical grid interconnectivity.".
The two countries listed a variety of specific industries they hoped to increase their bilateral cooperation in, including "defense, security, energy, trade, investment, technology, agriculture, culture, health, education, and people-to-people ties." Saudi Arabia specifically expressed an intent to invest in Indian "energy, petrochemicals, infrastructure, technology, fintech, digital infrastructure, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and health.".
Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia followed the Indian leader hosting American Vice President JD Vance in New Delhi for talks that also centered heavily on economic cooperation. President Donald Trump announced a complete overhaul of American trade policy in early April through an initiative he called "Liberation Day" in which he imposed tariffs on nearly every country that trades with America. India was among them, receiving a 34-percent tariff hike that has since been paused to allow for negotiations. Vance led the first high-level foray of negotiations this week.
Both Modi and Vance described their approaches to each other’s countries, and the prospect of a new trade deal, in optimistic terms. In a speech on Tuesday, Vance announced that "America and India have officially finalized the terms of reference for the trade negotiation," a first step towards negotiating the details of such an agreement.
"In the years to come, we’re going to see data centers, pharmaceuticals, undersea cables, and countless other critical goods being developed and being built because of the American and Indian economic partnership," Vance predicted. India Is Testing New Defense Technologies That Mirror Russia And Ukraine (Forbes)
Forbes [4/23/2025 8:21 AM, Vikram Mittal, 91738K]
Over the past three years, the Russia-Ukraine War has transformed modern warfare, as new technologies are being rapidly developed and fielded to provide enhanced capabilities to the warfighters. Both countries are heavily leveraging commercial technology, especially in the drone and counter-drone space, to defeat traditional military systems, such as tanks and artillery. This shift has allowed different countries, including India, to become larger players in the defense technology domain. In particular, India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has conducted a number of tests in the last few months on cutting-edge drone and counter-drone systems.
Founded in 1958, the DRDO’s mission is to reduce India’s dependence on foreign defense systems by creating indigenous technologies. The organization currently employs more than 5,000 scientists in a broad network of laboratories and research centers. Despite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on military modernization and domestic production, the DRDO still operates on a fairly limited budget compared to the defense budgets of other countries. As such, they appear to be prioritizing their research efforts, especially in the drone and counter-drone space, to align with technologies that are finding success on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield.
Recent DRDO Drone Development Efforts
The DRDO has a long history of drone development efforts, having built a diverse fleet of autonomous vehicles that leverage domestic, commercial technology. The drones range from the Trinetra, a small quadcopter with advanced sensing and autonomy, to the Rustom, a larger fixed-wing aircraft capable of carrying various payloads. The DRDO is transitioning these drones into products for the Indian military, while further developing them to have new capabilities. In the past year, the Indian army placed an order for 700 Trinetra drones. Meanwhile, the DRDO is continuing the development of the Archer-NG, the newest variant of the Rustom, which has reported range of 1,000 km with a payload capacity of 300 kg.
More recently, the DRDO has been testing glide bombs, a variant of drone technology that has been used extensively by Russia in their missile strike campaigns. In early April, the DRDO successfully tested two glide bombs. The first, the Gaurav, which was developed with industry partners, is reported to have a range of 100 km and a weight of 1,000 kg. The second glide bomb, the Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon, has a similar range, but is smaller, only weighing 125 kg. However, it uses advanced optics for increased accuracy with a focus on striking airfields. According to both reports, the glide bombs successfully hit their targets.
While air-based drones have shaped much of the current conflict, Ukraine has also demonstrated the strategic value of water-based drones, which have limited Russian operations in the Black Sea. The DRDO has followed suit, with its Naval Science and Technology Laboratory testing the High Endurance Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (HEAUV) in a lake in late March. The HEAUV is 10 meters long, weighs six tons, and carries a payload of advanced sensors. It is designed for 15 days of endurance at a cruising speed of 3 knots. The tests showed that the HEAUV could successfully navigate both underwater and on the surface. Once further testing is complete, the HEAUV will likely be used by the Indian Navy to monitor their maritime borders.
Recent DRDO Counter-Drone Development Efforts
With the rise of drone technology, there has been a corresponding push in counter-drone technology. Both Russia and Ukraine have deployed a mix of kinetic and non-kinetic solutions to neutralize aerial threats. Similarly, the DRDO maintains a broad portfolio of counter-drone efforts, encompassing both types of systems. These technologies are at varying stages of technical maturity, with two recently reaching the testing phase.
In February, the Research Centre Imarat, a DRDO laboratory, tested the Very Short-Range Air Defense (VSHORAD), a comparable system to the Igla-S, which the Russian military uses extensively to counter low-flying aerial threats. The VSHORAD is a man-portable system intended to engage drones, helicopters, and low-flying aircraft at a range up to 6 km using an infrared-homing missile. In the test, the VSHORAD successfully intercepted multiple small, low-signature drones.
While conventional systems remain effective, both Russia and Ukraine are advancing new counter-drone technologies as well. One of Ukraine’s most recent innovations is the Tryzub, a laser weapon designed to shoot down aerial threats. India has taken a similar approach. In mid-April, the DRDO tested the Mk-II(A) Laser Directed Energy Weapon system, which uses radar and electro-optical sensors to track low-flying targets, including quadcopters and helicopters. Once a target is identified, a 30-kilowatt laser delivers structural damage to disable the aircraft. The system was developed by the DRDO’s Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences, with support from Indian industry and academic institutions. It was successfully tested earlier this month, shooting down a small Chinese-manufactured drone.
Future Trends for India and the DRDO
The Russia-Ukraine War is highlighting the fast-paced future of defense technology, particularly in the drone and counter-drone sectors. While the United States, Russia, and China have long dominated many military systems, this field has seen a broader range of countries rapidly developing new capabilities. India is emerging as a key player. Recent testing by the DRDO shows India’s ability to quickly develop critical drone and counter-drone technologies that have found success on the modern battlefield. As these systems mature, they will equip Indian forces and potentially support foreign military sales, boosting India’s presence in the global arms market. More broadly, these efforts will strengthen India’s defense industrial base, allowing India to position itself to be a more self-reliant and agile force in the evolving global defense landscape. Usha Vance, a Quiet Confidante, Becomes Celebrity on India Trip (Wall Street Journal)
Wall Street Journal [4/23/2025 9:00 PM, Natalie Andrews, Kristina Peterson, and Krishna Pokharel, 810K]
Vice President JD Vance was less than two minutes into a speech in Jaipur, India this week, when he had a question for one of his most trusted advisers.
He had just visited the Akshardham Temple, he said, turning to his wife, second lady Usha Vance, seated in the front row. “Did I pronounce that right, honey? I did OK?” he asked.
The 39-year-old lawyer has long been her husband’s sounding board on questions of policy and politics, in addition to pronunciation, a quiet role more apparent this week as the family of five toured India on an official visit.
She sat for an Indian television interview, met with India’s prime minister and received widespread attention as she traveled through her parents’ homeland.“It is, in many ways, a trip of a lifetime,” she told NDTV, a popular Indian news channel. It is the first time the vice president and their three children had visited the country, she said.
The family met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence and visited a string of historical landmarks, including the Taj Mahal. The Vance children wore traditional Indian clothing that Usha Vance said she ordered for them online.“Their children embraced India’s vibrant culture,” MyGovIndia, a public platform of the Indian government, noted on social media, and Indian news outlets recorded in headlines.“She’s a bit of a celebrity, it turns out, in India. I think more so than her husband,” the vice president noted in Jaipur, an echo of former President John F. Kennedy’s remark that he was “the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris.”
A former registered Democrat who eschews the flashy makeup and fashion of many in the MAGA world, Usha Vance now backs the controversy-courting Trump administration, people close to her said. The couple began to sour on the political left in 2018 when Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was accused of sexual misconduct in his confirmation hearings, sparking a fraught national debate, according to a person familiar with the couple.
Friends have described Usha Vance as private and her trajectory surprising for someone who never appeared overtly political. Other children of immigrants have wondered how she can square her life experience with her husband’s politics.
Vance herself clerked for Kavanaugh from 2014 to 2015 after graduating from Yale Law School, where she met her husband. Some of the clerks from her year defended Kavanaugh when he faced accusations of sexual assault during his confirmation hearing. “It was really, really challenging to see, not a different side of him, but a different way of people engaging with him,” Usha Vance said on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” last year.
She has kept gray streaks in her hair and regularly wears flats. For Tuesday’s television interview, where she described Indian heritage influencing the second family, she wore the same outfit she had on while sightseeing that day.“My parents brought with them many traditions of scholarship, of a respect for knowledge, of the primacy of books and learning in life—and that translated to the way that they built their household, and that, in turn, has translated to the way that we’ve built ours,” she said.
Those close to the couple say Usha Vance is her husband’s most trusted adviser, and committed to his future political aspirations that could land her in the White House alongside him. The two talk frequently throughout the day. She gives feedback on his speeches before he delivers them. JD Vance recently acknowledged his wife’s advice, saying she encouraged him to be kinder on social media. “JD really listens to Usha,” said Charlie Kirk, a friend of the vice president and the co-founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative-advocacy organization.
The second lady has yet to unveil a portfolio of issues she wants to highlight from her position, though it is in the works, a person familiar with her plans said. She is most likely to take on projects that draw from her experience as a mother, the person said. Usha Vance has hired aides, including a chief of staff, a policy expert and a communications director, but she has largely focused on getting her three young children settled into their new home and navigating the end-of-school-year activities and sports, according to several people.
The California native has been spotted occasionally around Washington—working out at a high-intensity cardio and weight exercise class at Orangetheory Fitness, and on the sidelines, with her husband, at one of their son’s weekend soccer games.
The vice president wrote in his bestselling book “Hillbilly Elegy” in 2016 that he was captivated by a young Usha when the two met, calling her a “genetic anomaly, a combination of every positive quality a human being should have.”
Her husband’s political career has moved her into the public spotlight, first when he was elected to the Senate from Ohio in 2022, then through the bruising 2024 campaign for the White House. She introduced him at the Republican National Convention, noting that he learned how to cook Indian food from her mother.
When the couple began dating, “he started eating all sorts of vegetables he’d never thought of or encountered or thought he’d want to try,” Vance told The Wall Street Journal in an interview during the campaign, though she noted steak remained his favorite food. In India, Vance said the vice president has recently been “making a specialty of desserts” and trying various lamb recipes.
Until last year, she was an attorney for Munger, Tolles & Olson, a law firm she worked at for more than six years. The firm has since taken on the Trump administration by representing Perkins Coie, a law firm that President Trump accused of weaponizing the American legal system.
Vance has at times seemed caught off-guard by the attention. Trump named her as a trustee of the Kennedy Center, and the couple was booed in March when they attended a performance there. Usha Vance told the Free Press in her first interview as second lady that they didn’t anticipate anyone would notice them in their balcony seats.
Her husband has nodded at the reality of what his victory has meant for her. In March, at an event at a plastics company in Michigan, Vance joked that “because the cameras are all on, anything I say, no matter how crazy, Usha has to smile and laugh and celebrate it.”
She laughed. Don’t be fooled by the optics of Vance’s trip to India (Washington Post – opinion)
Washington Post [4/23/2025 6:45 AM, Rana Ayyub, 31735K]
As Vice President JD Vance arrived in India on his first official visit on Monday, the trip was already being cast by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the language of symbolism: shared culture, democratic values and the deepening of ties between two of the world’s largest democracies. But beneath the ceremonial optics lies a more complex geopolitical context. The U.S.-India relationship is far more fragile, asymmetrical and contradictory than either side would publicly admit.From the airport, Vance and his wife, Usha, went straight to the famed Akshardham temple in the nation’s capital with their three children, who were dressed in traditional Indian attire. That evening the family dined at Modi’s home. From the itinerary of the vice president and his wife — they also were to visit the Taj Mahal and other tourist and shopping sites — this seems to be a cultural trip sprinkled with diplomacy in the fog of global trade wars. There was no mention of uncomfortable topics in the warm speech Vance delivered on Tuesday to an audience of dignitaries in Jaipur. Meanwhile, a terrorist attack in Kashmir that killed more than 20 people subsumed the news cycle.But many uncomfortable topics remain. Early in the Trump administration, 104 Indian citizens, including women and children, were deported from the United States — shackled in chains, loaded onto military aircraft, and flown back to India. When opposition legislators protested outside Parliament, some wearing shackles, the minister of external affairs brushed the incident away. But the image of Indian nationals returning home in handcuffs isn’t just a footnote; it is emblematic of the imbalance of power in the Indo-American equation.Indians make up one of the larger cohorts of undocumented immigrants in the United States. They constitute 73 percent of holders of H-1B specialty work visas and hold more student visas than any other country. Trump administration policies are affecting all these groups: Nearly 50 percent of international students whose visas were revoked in the past month, for instance, are Indian, according to a study by the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has only recently started pushing back diplomatically, and there was no statement about whether Modi raised these subjects with Vance.The chemistry evident between Modi and Donald Trump was headline material dating back to the first Trump administration: from the massive “Howdy Modi” rally in Houston (2019) to “Namaste Trump” in Ahmedabad (2020), both leaders showcased their populist flair and personal rapport. But did all this bonhomie deliver tangible policy wins for India? Not really. Defense deals moved forward and conversations about 5G cooperation took place, but trade talks stagnated. Trump was obsessively focused on India’s $20 billion to $25 billion annual trade surplus. In 2019, he revoked India’s preferred trade status, affecting $5.6 billion worth of exports.Talks to resolve this issue dragged on during the Biden administration, but India’s preferred trade status was never restored. When Trump returned to power, India expected special consideration. What it got instead were higher tariffs on steel and aluminum, threats on auto parts, and tighter H-1B visa restrictions. Trump’s tone toward India was often cordial in public, but his policy was transactional. On April 3, he announced a 26 percent retaliatory tariff against India — part of which has since been suspended. “India — very, very tough. The prime minister just left and is a great friend of mine,” Trump remarked early this month. “But I said to him, ‘You’ve not been treating us right.’”In Indian American circles — especially in the affluent, upper-caste Hindu groups — the prominence of such individuals as FBI Director Kash Patel and Usha Vance is often celebrated as proof of increasing Hindu or Indian visibility in U.S. politics. Yet neither of them has been outspoken about their connection to the country. Patel rose to prominence as a Trump loyalist whose worldview — and policy priorities — are molded more by MAGA politics than by any Indian diaspora connection. Usha Vance, though culturally resonant, plays no active political role.Meanwhile, Trump-era immigration policies disproportionately hurt Indian professionals. Restrictions on H-1B visas tightened significantly, anti-immigrant rhetoric surged, and “Buy American” policies undercut India’s IT services sector. Yet segments of the Indian diaspora in the U.S. continue to lionize Trump — influenced by social media echo chambers and right-leaning groups such as the Hindu American Foundation. This support persists despite the Republican Party’s broader stance: largely anti-immigrant, pro-Christian nationalist, and mostly disengaged from South Asian affairs.India’s foreign policy posture was rattled in 2023 by accusations of assassination plots abroad. U.S. prosecutors have charged Indian nationals in connection with a failed plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun — a U.S. citizen — in New York City. And Canada has accused Indian intelligence of orchestrating the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist who was shot dead outside a temple in British Columbia.India has also shown a tendency toward knee-jerk diplomatic reactions. When the Trump administration began dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Modi government jumped on board in condemning the agency and accused it of funding anti-India narratives. Soon after, it emerged that some of Modi’s own flagship programs had received funding from USAID.Tech diplomacy is the newest frontier in U.S.-India ties. In February, Modi met Elon Musk in Washington to discuss Tesla’s entry into India, Starlink’s satellite internet rollout, and potential collaboration between SpaceX and India’s space agency. Musk expressed excitement about investing in India and announced plans to visit later this year.But if history is any guide, India should proceed with caution. Musk has been erratic with India for years — praising its market one month, grousing the next over import duties, infrastructure concerns or red tape. His plans for Starlink were once “imminent” but haven’t materialized. India’s ambition to be a tech superpower requires more than photo ops with billionaires.The Vance visit makes for compelling visuals. But beneath the sheen, the U.S.-India relationship remains mostly one-sided. India must resist the urge to mistake symbolism for substance. Only by confronting the contradictions in its alliances — and tempering ideology with pragmatism — can it secure a truly reciprocal relationship with the United States. Until then, expect more hugs onstage and handcuffs off it. NSB
Bangladesh, World Bank sign $850 million deal to boost jobs, trade (Reuters)
Reuters [4/24/2025 1:03 AM, Ruma Paul, 5.2M]
Bangladesh and the World Bank on Wednesday signed two financing agreements worth $850 million to strengthen the South Asian country’s trade capacity, create jobs, and modernise its social protection system, the Washington-based global lender said.
The bulk of the funding, $650 million, will support the Bay Terminal Marine Infrastructure Development Project, an initiative to expand and modernise port facilities in the southeastern district of Chittagong.
The project will include constructing a 6-km (3.7-mile) climate-resilient breakwater and access channels, allowing the port to accommodate larger vessels. This is expected to sharply reduce turnaround times, lower transportation costs, and boost Bangladesh’s export competitiveness.
Officials estimate the improvements could save the economy around $1 million per day.
The Bay Terminal is projected to handle 36% of the nation’s container traffic, benefiting more than one million people by improving access to transport and regional markets. The project will also promote women’s participation in port operations and support women-led businesses in exploring trade opportunities.
"To remain on a sustainable growth path, Bangladesh must create quality jobs for its population, particularly for the nearly 2 million youth who enter the labor market every year," Gayle Martin, the World Bank’s interim country director for Bangladesh, said in a statement.
The remaining $200 million will go toward the Strengthening Social Protection for Improved Resilience, Inclusion, and Targeting project, which will deliver cash and livelihood services to 4.5 million vulnerable people. Its focus will be on youth, women, persons with disabilities, and workers in climate-affected areas.
The project will establish a national registry to improve targeting and service delivery. It will also provide skills training, micro-credit, and entrepreneurship mentoring.
The financing comes from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), which has committed more than $45 billion to Bangladesh since its independence in 1971. Central Asia
Kazakhstan Is Working With OPEC+ to Resolve Oil Output Issues (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [4/23/2025 1:09 PM, Nariman Gizitdinov, 16228K]
Kazakhstan is fulfilling its OPEC+ obligations and has an ongoing dialogue with the group to find "mutually acceptable solutions" to its oil production management, said Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov.
"Our participation in OPEC+ is an important tool for ensuring global stability," the minister said in an emailed statement. Kazakhstan will follow its national interest while also observing its international obligations, he said. "We are committed to constructive work within the framework of the agreement.".Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry issued the statement after earlier comments by Akkenzhenov to Reuters sent crude prices plunging. The country is unable to reduce production at its three largest projects because they are controlled by international oil majors, he told the news agency. At other older and smaller fields output cannot be halted because it could damage the reservoirs, he said.Oil has declined sharply this month, touching a four-year low at one point, as the onslaught of President Donald Trump’s tariffs was compounded by rising production from the OPEC+ alliance, reviving concerns about a supply glut.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries accelerated its production revival earlier this month, with the intention of driving down prices to punish perennial over-producers like Kazakhstan. Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said at the time the hike would be just an “aperitif” if those countries didn’t improve their performance. Kazakhstan says oil output levels decided by national interest, not OPEC+ (Reuters)
Reuters [4/23/2025 2:57 PM, Tamara Vaal, 126906K]
Kazakhstan will prioritise national interests over those of the OPEC+ group when deciding on oil production levels, the country’s newly appointed energy minister told Reuters, ratcheting up the standoff with the group.Kazakhstan has repeatedly exceeded its oil output quotas over the past year, angering some OPEC+ members, including top producer Saudi Arabia, which pushed for speedier hikes of OPEC+ production at the last meeting, OPEC+ sources have said.Kazakhstan pumps about 2% of global output and relies for most of its production on global majors, such as U.S. Chevron t;CVX.Nࢀt; and Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) which have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in the country since the collapse of the Soviet Union.OPEC has a history of similar clashes with countries such as Nigeria and Angola, where production exceeded targets and governments did little to curtail it despite often having built into their contracts the right to regulate output.As a result of such tensions Angola left OPEC+ in 2023. Qatar left OPEC in 2018 citing rising gas production and domestic considerations."We will try to adjust our actions. If our partners ... are not satisfied with the adjustment of our actions, then again we will act in accordance with national interests with all the ensuing consequences," energy minister Erlan Akkenzhenov, who was appointed last month, told Reuters in an interview."This is a broad formulation, but it completely covers the entire situation that we have now. Act only in accordance with national interests," he said.Kazakhstan is unable to reduce production at its three large oil projects because they are controlled by foreign majors, especially at the Tengiz field, led by Chevron (CVX.N) Akkenzhenov said.The energy ministry also issued a statement, quoting the minister as saying that Kazakhstan was a responsible participant in the international energy community and it was interested in predictability and the demand and supply balance."Our participation in OPEC+ is an important tool for ensuring global stability, creating conditions for the implementation of national plans and attracting investment. We are committed to constructive work within the framework of the agreement and fulfilling our obligations," the statement quoted Akkenzhenov as saying.Kazakhstan reported a 3% decrease in oil output in the first two weeks of April from the March average but it still exceeded the OPEC+ quota.Kashagan and Karachaganak, Kazakhstan’s two other large upstream projects, are also operated by Western oil majors.The government would hold talks with majors but did not hold much sway over them, Akkenzhenov told Reuters: "We can’t. We don’t control these processes there. Because our international colleagues make the decisions".The three projects account for 70% of Kazakhstan’s output. Other fields are more mature and Kazakhstan risked losing them entirely if it started reducing output there."If we start to shut down old deposits, it will be a shot in the foot."The Central Asian state has pledged to compensate for overproduction by reducing oil output through to June 2026.Kashagan project is operated by a consortium which includes Eni (ENI.MI), Shell (SHEL.L), and Kazakhstan’s KazMunayGaz.Karachaganak is controlled by a group which also includes Eni, Shell and KazMunayGaz.Kazakhstan will export 1.2 million barrels per day this year via the CPC pipeline via Russia, Akkenzhenov said. The pipeline, operated by a consortium that includes Chevron and Exxon, accounts for 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports.
It will undergo maintenance in the second half of May but stockpiles at the Russian port of Novorossiisk will ensure steady loadings, Akkenzhenov said.
Kazakhstan can also boost oil exports via Russia’s Druzhba pipeline to Germany to over 2.5 million tons a year, though it would depend on Moscow’s agreement, he said.
Kyrgyzstan detains Russian government agency worker accused of recruiting fighters for Ukraine war (Reuters)
Reuters [4/23/2025 7:27 AM, Aigerim Turgunbaeva, 41523K]
Kyrgyz security services have detained four people, including an employee of a Russian government agency, on suspicion of recruiting Kyrgyz citizens to fight in the Russian army, officials said on Wednesday.
Kyrgyzstan’s domestic security agency told Reuters the detainees included an employee of Rossotrudnichestvo, a Russian agency for cultural exchange, in Kyrgyzstan’s second city of Osh, as well as an employee of Osh city hall’s press service.
In a statement on Telegram, Rossotrudnichestvo’s Russian House cultural centre in Osh said that its activities were all legal. It said it was "anxious" for the fate of the detained employee, Natalia Serekina, who it said was a citizen of Kyrgyzstan.
The suspects are being held under charges related to recruiting and supporting mercenaries for participation in armed conflicts abroad.
A court in the country’s capital, Bishkek, charged the four suspects with mercenary activity, and placed them in pre-trial detention until June 17.
Hundreds of Central Asian nationals, principally from Kyrgzystan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, are believed to have enlisted in the Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
Moscow offers high salaries and Russian citizenship to foreigners who sign up, an offer which has drawn takers from as far afield as Cuba, Nepal and India.
Several of these countries have asked Moscow to stop recruiting their citizens, and send serving soldiers home.
Kyrgyzstan has maintained its traditional alignment with Russia throughout the more than three-year war in Ukraine, even as Kyrgyz authorities have prosecuted citizens for joining the Russian army.
The mountainous and mostly Muslim country of 7 million is heavily economically dependent on Russia, where many of its nationals migrate for work, and hosts several Russian military bases. Kyrgyzstan Detains Suspected Mercenary Recruiters (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [4/23/2025 10:10 AM, Staff, 931K]
A court in Kyrgyzstan told AFP on Wednesday that the Central Asian country had arrested several people suspected of recruiting mercenaries, with media reports saying they were destined for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
An employee of a Russian government agency was reportedly among those detained.
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has rattled its allies in Central Asia, who have warned their citizens against being lured into fighting for Moscow.
The Pervomaysky court in Bishkek said it had ruled on April 19 to hold four people in pre-trial detention until at least mid-June on the demand of the country’s powerful security services.
It said the detainees were suspected of violating a law against recruiting, financing, materially helping and training mercenaries to take part in foreign conflicts, without giving details of the accusations.
The court said the suspects would remain in custody until at least June 17.
It identified them only by their initials but they matched Russian media reports of those arrested in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh, including Natalya Sekerina, an employee of the Russian House in the city.
The Russian House, run by a state agency, Rossotrudnichestvo, confirmed that Sekerina was arrested on April 17.
"Unfortunately, we do not have the full information on what she is accused of, but we are concerned about the fate of our employee and colleague," the organisation said in a statement.
The Russian House said it deals "exclusively" with educational and cultural issues.
It added that Sekerina was a Kyrgyz citizen who had worked since July 2024 at the organisation in charge of media relations, calling her a "conscientious, open and responsible employee".
Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that a press officer of the Osh mayoral office, Sergei Lapushkin, was also among those arrested.
Russia has offered lucrative salaries for joining its war effort in Ukraine, often targeting Central Asian migrant communities, with reports of people in the ex-Soviet republics also being recruited. Tajikistan: Big purge at Interior Ministry (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [4/23/2025 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K]
The government personnel carousel keeps spinning in Tajikistan. Ostensibly, President Emomali Rahmon says recent reshuffles at key government ministries are designed to improve professionalism, but many observers believe he is trying to clear the way for his politically inexperienced son, Rustam Emomali, to assume the leadership once he leaves the scene.
Since the start of 2025, Rahmon has overhauled Tajikistan’s state security structures, the Ministry of Internal Affairs being the latest agency to undergo a personnel make-over. In an April 22 presidential statement, Rahmon announced sweeping changes at both the national and district levels, emphasizing improvements in the training of “young personnel within Interior Ministry structures should be given serious attention.”
While removing veteran leaders from the power ministries, Rahmon at the same time has given his 37-year-old son Rustam, already the mayor of Dushanbe and the senate speaker, greater visibility in positions of responsibility. For example, in an unusual break from protocol, Rahmon had Rustam give the annual New Year’s address to the nation. It was the first time Rahmon had not spoken on the occasion since he assumed Tajikistan’s presidency in 1994.
Rahmon also rushed to wrap up long-standing conflicts with neighboring states. To settle a border dispute with neighboring Kyrgyzstan in March that had sparked armed clashes in 2021 and 2022, Tajik negotiators made a significant concession, agreeing to let a 1991 map guide the delimitation process, not earlier maps from the 1920s. As a result, Tajikistan ceded thousands of hectares of territory to Kyrgyzstan.
It is an open secret that Rahmon is angling to hand power over to his son. Some of the recent moves have sparked speculation about the 72-year-old incumbent’s health.
An underlying reason for recent personnel reshuffles is viewed as a desire on Rahmon’s part to remove influential powerbrokers who are not necessarily supportive of a dynastic transfer, and who could potentially mount considerable opposition to Rustam’s authority.
Foreign observers are skeptical that, despite all of Rahmon’s machinations, Rustam can survive on his own for long at the pinnacle of Tajik politics. Two significant factors are working against the father-son transfer of power scheme: one, there is apparently significant opposition to the plan within Rahmon’s own extended family, with some influential members viewing Rustam as unqualified to protect the clan’s political and economic interests; in addition, there is persistent economic dysfunction in Tajikistan, which is gripped by poverty and unemployment. “The issue of power succession in Tajikistan has been discussed for more than five years,” noted a commentary published by the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta in March, during a visit by Rahmon to Moscow. “Despite many years of chatter, favorable political and socio-economic conditions for the transfer of power by inheritance are not yet evident.”
During his Moscow trip, Rahmon reportedly sought Kremlin backing for a Tajik political dynasty. According to the Nezavisimaya analysis, Russian support for Rustam would come at a steep price in terms of favorable “investment projects in the field of energy, in particular in the field of renewable energy sources and development of rare earth metal deposits.”
Galiya Ibragimova, a Central Asian expert, wrote in an analysis published by Carnegie Politika that Rahmon’s recent personnel moves may have done more harm than good for Rustam’s political survival prospects.“The total cleansing of all spheres of power before a transition only creates the ground for new conflicts and struggle for influence. The long wait for the change of power and uncertainty undermine the patience of even loyal officials,” Ibragimova wrote. “Internal conflicts are too deep, and Rustam can hardly compare with his father, in terms of authority and ability to keep the country under control.” As Russian Ruble Surges Against The Dollar, Central Asia Reaps Windfall (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [4/24/2025 12:01 AM, Nargiz Khamrabaeva, Aya Renaud, and Ray Furlong, 235K]
As suited traders stare at their screens on global foreign currency markets, migrant workers from Central Asia are paying just as much attention in cities across Russia.
With the US dollar tanking in value amid global market turmoil since the Trump administration unveiled a massive tariffs package, the Russian ruble has risen sharply.
This means migrants in Russia are suddenly sending home much more money.
"People wait months before sending money, hoping that the exchange rate will rise. As soon as it does, they run to the bank or send money on an app. Their moment has come," said 60-year-old Tajik worker Ali, who works in Novosibirsk.Like other migrant workers interviewed for this article, his full name is being withheld for security reasons. RFE/RL is effectively banned in Russia and speaking with it is a criminal offense.
"It’s beneficial for us when the ruble rises. It affects whether your family can get through the month, buy food, or pay for medicine," Ali said.
According to the World Bank, remittances make up 45 percent of Tajikistan’s gross domestic product (GDP). In Kyrgyzstan it is 24 percent and in Uzbekistan 14 percent. Most of those funds flow from Russia.‘We Could Not Pay The Mortgage’
Daler, also from Tajikistan, works in Moscow. He sends home around 10,000 rubles every month. That is 123 dollars, based on market rates on April 23 . Back in January, it was worth around 90 dollars.
"My wife used to say, ‘the money has come, it will barely last two weeks.’ Now, she’s even able to save a little."
Daler’s family is using the money to build a new home. "It would buy a sack of cement, now I can buy two. Everything is more accessible: both building materials and food."
Anara, a Kyrgyz taxi driver, has been working in Russia for several years.
"We found (extra) part-time jobs, sleeping four hours a night. Without a part-time job, we could not pay the mortgage and feed our family," she said.
"Now we have more than enough money."
Nigora, 47, has four children and an elderly mother back home in Tajikistan. By day she washes dishes in a cafe, by night she works as a cleaner.
Every morning, she and her colleagues discuss the latest events -- and how they may influence exchange rates.
"When [US special envoy Steve] Witkoff came to Moscow, the exchange rate went up. And when Trump spoke about Russia not meeting its obligations, the ruble suddenly fell a bit," she said.
This volatility is a reminder that the ruble’s current strength may not last long.
A recent Reuters survey of economists predicted that it would be at around 100 to the dollar, compared to its rate of 82.9 in Moscow afternoon trading on April 23.
Russia’s Migrant Crackdown
Alisher Ilkhamov, head of Central Asia Due Diligence, a London-based think tank, pointed to high interest rates in Russia, improved relations with Washington, and the general weakness of the dollar as reasons for the ruble’s surge.
"In the coming months the rate of the ruble will depend largely on oil prices and the performance of the dollar," he said.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the current strength of the ruble has led to an increase in people coming to Russia to seek work.
According to the Russian Interior Ministry, at the end of 2024 there were 6.3 million foreign nationals in the country. The vast majority come from three countries: Uzbekistan (23.3 percent), Tajikistan (16.7 percent), and Kyrgyzstan (10.4 percent).
But coming to Russia is not without risks, ranging from casual racism to full on police brutality.
War And Terrorism
There is also the danger of being forced into military service and sent to Ukraine.
"These days, heading to Russia to earn money is also a journey into the unknown. The increased rate of the ruble creates a stimulus for migration, but increased pressure from the authorities and the risk of ending up at the front in Ukraine make it nerve-wracking and unpredictable," said Ilkhamov.
There has also been a marked increase in deportations, with official figures showing a record 190,000 people kicked out of Russia last year. This was a 31 percent increase on the previous year.
Since the Crocus City Hall terror attack in Moscow in March 2024, migrants have been met with increased harassment.
"Migrants from Central Asia are increasingly seen in Russia as a security threat," said Nodira Abdulloyeva, a Netherlands-based human rights lawyer.
"It leads to harsher laws, entrance restrictions, mass checks…a general climate of fear."
Central Asian nations are seeking alternative destinations for their migrant workers, but language -- Russian is spoken by the vast majority of people in the region -- plays a big role in attracting them to Russia.
So for now, they’ll keep following the course of the ruble. Twitter
Afghanistan
Shawn VanDiver@shawnjvandiver[4/23/2025 1:43 PM, 33.2K followers, 22 retweets, 113 likes]
The Ninth Circuit just sided with the Trump Admin on most of the refugee freeze. They say that only Afghans already booked on flights before Jan 20 are protected. Everyone else—including family of U.S. mil—remains in limbo. America made a promise. Time to keep it. #AfghanEvac
Jahanzeb Wesa@Jahanzeb_Wesa
[4/23/2025 3:55 PM, 5.7K followers, 22 retweets, 38 likes]
A new video shows Afghan journalist Mehdi Ansari, held by Taliban for 4 months, forced to “confess” under visible torture. This isn’t justice—it’s a crime against truth, humanity, and press freedom. The Taliban fear the truth and the people’s voice. Global silence enables them.
Abdul Qahar Balkhi@QaharBalkhi
[4/23/2025 6:46 AM, 257.1K followers, 466 retweets, 2.4K likes]
Remarks regarding recent attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GpNtQV7XwAAYtKY?format=jpg&name=900x900 Bilal Sarwary@bsarwary
[4/24/2025 12:31 AM, 255.1K followers, 8 retweets, 43 likes]
The Taliban’s condemnation of the attack in Jammu and Kashmir starkly contrasts with their own history of violence in Afghanistan, where for decades they targeted civilians, bombed public places, and assassinated local leaders. While they now position themselves as guardians of regional stability, their past and ongoing actions such as extrajudicial killings, suppression of dissent, and attacks on political opponents mirror the very terrorism they claim to oppose. This selective morality raises serious questions about their credibility and true commitment to peace and regional security.
Lina Rozbih@LinaRozbih
[4/23/2025 11:45 AM, 428.3K followers, 1 retweet, 7 likes]
The Taliban are planning to lay off staff in defense and civil ministries, starting with the Education Ministry. Are they trying to copy U.S. government reform vibes to win recognition? Pakistan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan@ForeignOfficePk
[4/24/2025 2:47 AM, 481.9K followers, 7 retweets, 20 likes]
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 held a telephone conversation with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich @FM_Saidov. DPM shared with him his recent discussions in Kabul regarding the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Line Project and hoped that the three countries would soon sign the framework agreement for this important regional connectivity project. The two leaders also discussed strengthening bilateral relations, enhancing economic and trade connectivity, promoting people-to-people ties, and exchanged views on current regional and international issues.Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan@ForeignOfficePk
[4/23/2025 5:56 AM, 481.9K followers, 13 retweets, 69 likes]
Special Secretary, Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan, met with the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Ambassador Andrey Rudenko, for the sixth round of Pakistan-Russia Bilateral Political Consultations in Islamabad today. The two sides reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations, expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory, and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening ties.
Dr. Arif Alvi@ArifAlvi
[4/23/2025 7:21 PM, 4.4M followers, 3.7K retweets, 7.2K likes]
Please retweet this tweet as much as possible because: It was very clear then, and very clear now that Pakistan wants peace. But if India lifts a foolish fickle finger against Pakistan, the resolve shown by @ImranKhanPTI in 2020, is our promise today. Let there be no doubt that the nation and its armed forces are united in defending our homeland if it is attacked. See below the bold, historic, crisp and clear admonition, followed by appropriate reaction and then a very hot cup of tea.
Dr. Arif Alvi@ArifAlvi
[4/23/2025 7:53 AM, 4.4M followers, 958 retweets, 4K likes]
The tragic attack in Pahalgam, in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) that has claimed over twenty lives, is unequivocally and strongly condemned. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and reaffirm Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to eradicating terrorism. Combating this scourge is a shared responsibility of the civilized world. Pakistan, having endured the devastating impact of terrorism for decades, continues to face it and fight it with resilience. We insist on peaceful resolution of all conflicts. Any attempt to unjustly implicate Pakistan in this act, or to exploit it for reckless escalation, will be met with the unified strength of our nation. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), under the vision of Founding Chairman Imran Khan, has consistently condemned provocative and irresponsible rhetoric that fuels conflict. Let there be no doubt that we stand firmly with our armed forces and our people in their resolute determination to counter any aggression from the Indian government. We are united and speak with one voice in defense of peace and sovereignty.
Anas Mallick@AnasMallick
[4/24/2025 1:13 AM, 76.5K followers, 12 retweets, 102 likes]
Pakistan’s National Security Committee to meet today, shortly, where the highest civil military huddle will deliberate on countermeasures to India.
Hamid Mir@HamidMirPAK
[4/23/2025 4:24 AM, 8.6M followers, 51 retweets, 243 likes]
Attack on a Polio team in Mastung,Baluchistan is an attack on humanity. 2 Levies jawan martyred who were protecting the Polio team. Govt must recognise their services and compensate their families. Pakistan is one of the two countries still fighting Polio. https://www.samaa.tv/2087332198-two-polio-cops-martyred-in-attack-in-mastung India
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[4/23/2025 11:13 AM, 107.7M followers, 19K retweets, 130K likes]
In the wake of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, chaired a meeting of the CCS at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.
Randhir Jaiswal@MEAIndia
[4/23/2025 8:07 AM, 2.3M followers, 407 retweets, 2.5K likes]
Vice President @VP @JDVance called Prime Minister @narendramodi and strongly condemned the dastardly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. He conveyed his deepest condolences on the loss of lives and reiterated that the United States stands with the people of India in this difficult hour. He expressed that the United States is ready to provide all assistance in the joint fight against terrorism. PM thanked Vice President Vance and President Trump for their messages of support and solidarity.
Ashok Swain@ashoswai
[4/23/2025 12:17 PM, 621.5K followers, 525 retweets, 2.5K likes]
Indus treaty allocates the waters of 3 Western Rivers of the Indus River system for Pakistan. India, to stop that water flowing to Pakistan, needs to build dams and large storage facilities. Those cannot be built overnight. The World Bank is also a party to Indus treaty.
Ashok Swain@ashoswai
[4/23/2025 2:24 PM, 621.5K followers, 21 retweets, 93 likes]
In 2016, when Modi government was threatening to withdraw from the Indus Treaty, this is what I had written: The same conclusion remains valid even after 9 years: https://www.dailyo.in/politics/indus-waters-treaty-pakistan-world-bank-uri-attack-13068
Habib Khan@HabibKhanT
[4/23/2025 12:30 PM, 247.4K followers, 73 retweets, 613 likes]
India suspends the Indus Waters Treaty and closes the Attari-Wagah border in response to the Kashmir attack by Pakistan-backed jihadists. For water-scarce, economically fragile Pakistan, the consequences could be severe.
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[4/23/2025 2:23 PM, 219.4K followers, 101 retweets, 510 likes]
It’s hard to overstate the significance of suspending the IWT. It’s never happened before. It has been a consistent CBM for India-Pakistan relations—and also a success story for transboundary water agreements in a region that doesn’t have many of them that work well.
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[4/23/2025 11:41 AM, 219.4K followers, 517 retweets, 3.2K likes] India’s foreign secretary has announced:-Indus Waters Treaty suspended -Attari-Wagah border to be closed-India to reduce diplomatic presence in Pakistan
These are highly consequential retaliations, esp. #1. In 2019, India threatened to suspend IWT but didn’t follow through.
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[4/23/2025 8:01 AM, 219.4K followers, 133 retweets, 1K likes]
Much like after the Pulwama attack, global reactions to yesterday’s massacre in Kashmir have unsurprisingly been united in condemning it. India’s partners in the West and Middle East and many of its neighbors (including Bangladesh and Maldives). Notably, China has as well.
Brahma Chellaney@Chellaney
[4/23/2025 2:23 PM, 272.2K followers, 393 retweets, 1.4K likes]
The Indus Waters Treaty, a monument to India’s folly, leaves the lion’s share of the six-river Indus waters for downstream Pakistan. In 2016, after a Pakistan-scripted terrorist attack in Uri, Modi declared, "Blood and water cannot flow together.” But such is his government’s indecisiveness that it took another major terrorist attack eight years later to compel it to hold the treaty in abeyance (that is, temporarily suspend it). Contrast India’s diffident approach with the way the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from two landmark treaties with Moscow — the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.
Brahma Chellaney@Chellaney
[4/23/2025 1:59 PM, 272.2K followers, 332 retweets, 1.4K likes]
India has been bearing the burdens of the Indus Waters Treaty for 65 years without any benefits accruing to it from what remains the world’s most generous water-sharing pact. Now, it decides to hold the bilateral treaty in abeyance until Pakistan ends its cross-border terrorism. NSB
Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh@ChiefAdviserGoB
[4/23/2025 4:51 AM, 147.6K followers, 53 retweets, 617 likes]
SpaceX VP Lauren Dreyer Meets Chief Adviser Yunus, Confirms May as technical Launch Date as 90 days deadline come close. DOHA, April 23: Lauren Dreyer, Vice President for Global Engagement at SpaceX, met with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the Earthna Summit in Doha, Qatar on Wednesday. Their discussion centred on the final stages of the collaboration that is set to bring SpaceX satellite services to Bangladesh. Dreyer, who has worked alongside Elon Musk for the past two decades, conveyed optimism about the partnership’s progress. “We’re very close to the finish line. I’ve asked my team to be fully ready for a technical launch by May ,” she said.
During the meeting, Chief Adviser Yunus expressed national excitement about the development. “It’s big news in Bangladesh. People are counting down the days,” he told Dreyer. “And when the time comes, it has to be a big celebration.” This collaboration is expected to start with a technical rollout before moving to full deployment, pending resolution of a few final issues. PayPal which was also founded by Elon Musk is also being explored to support digital transactions related to SpaceX’s operations in Bangladesh. “From the outset, this has been one of the most streamlined and well-organised initiatives we’ve been part of,” said Lauren Dreyer to the Chief Adviser. Senior officials including Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman, SDG Affairs Secretary Lamiya Morshed were present during the meeting.
PMO Nepal@PM_nepal_
[4/23/2025 8:14 AM, 721.1K followers, 12 retweets, 47 likes]
H. E. Manohar Lal, Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs of India paid a courtesy call on the Rt. Hon. PM KP Sharma Oli today. During the call- on, issues pertaining to strengthening bilateral ties as well as enhancing cooperation in energy sector were discussed.
K P Sharma Oli@kpsharmaoli
[4/23/2025 4:45 AM, 869.1K followers, 590 retweets, 6K likes]
Spoke with Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and conveyed my deepest condolences on the loss of lives in the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Reiterated Nepal’s firm solidarity with India against such heinous acts. Grateful for his heartfelt condolences on the loss of Nepali citizen.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake@anuradisanayake
[4/23/2025 1:17 PM, 150.1K followers, 5 retweets, 73 likes]
Today, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated in the ‘Outcome is clear - Victory is ours!’ public rally in Ratnapura. Your presence and support have been vital in uniting our community and reinforcing our collective journey toward progress and renewal. Together, we stand for a brighter future!
Namal Rajapaksa@RajapaksaNamal
[4/23/2025 12:22 PM, 436.2K followers, 20 retweets, 79 likes]
The appointment of Shani Abeysekara to the team of Police officers studying the PCoI Report on Easter Sunday attacks raises serious red flags. It is completely inappropriate for someone who was not only involved in the original investigation but also named in the report and summoned as a witness to now be placed in a position of oversight. This is not merely a procedural misstep. It is a breach of every ethical standard. This casts a dark shadow over the credibility of the entire process. Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done. When public trust is already fragile, such decisions only deepen suspicion and disillusionment.
Shani Abeysekara, as Director of the CID during the time of the attacks, was at the heart of the initial investigations. To now place him in a role that demands objectivity and detachment is ironic, and raises justifiable concern, especially when the report itself names him. Further compounding this issue are recent political statements made by Shani Abeysekara, clearly exposing his political biases. How can the public be expected to believe in the neutrality of this process when the person overseeing it has clear political entanglements? This is not a partisan issue. It is a matter of moral clarity and institutional integrity. The victims of the Easter attacks and the people of Sri Lanka deserve a process that is transparent, credible, and above all, fair. Anything less would be an injustice not only to those who suffered but to the very idea of accountability. Commission Report: https://parliament.lk/uploads/documents/paperspresented/final-report-pres-commission-of-inquiry-on-bomb-attacks-21st-april-2019-en.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Namal Rajapaksa@RajapaksaNamal
[4/23/2025 2:31 PM, 436.2K followers, 2 retweets, 10 likes]
Attended public meetings organized by #SLPP candidates contesting the 2025 local government elections from the local council electoral areas of Dambulla, Laggala, and Matale in the Matale District. Encouraged by their commitment to serve the people. #LGE2025 #Matale #NRWayForward #NRGaminGamata Central Asia
MFA Tajikistan@MOFA_Tajikistan
[4/23/2025 6:56 AM, 5.3K followers]
The Collegium Meeting of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs https://mfa.tj/en/main/view/16927/the-collegium-meeting-of-the-ministry-of-foreign-affairs
Emomali Rahmon@EmomaliRahmonTJ
[4/23/2025 11:10 PM, 3.4K followers, 2 likes]
Tajikistan mourns with India. President Rahmon offers heartfelt condolences and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured in the Jammu & Kashmir attack. #Tajikistan #EmomaliRahmon #India #Condolences #TerrorAttack #JammuAndKashmir
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz
[4/23/2025 3:20 PM, 216.1K followers, 8 retweets, 14 likes]
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of Turkmenistan’s Khalk Maslakhaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov participated in the cultural events organized in the historical and ethnographic park “Eternal City”. The distinguished guest explored our cultural heritage through exhibitions showcasing craftsmanship and applied art.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz
[4/23/2025 12:06 PM, 216.1K followers, 12 retweets, 44 likes]
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of Turkmenistan’s the Khalk Maslakhaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov visited the Hazrati Khizr Complex, honouring the memory of the first President of our country
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz
[4/23/2025 8:37 AM, 216.1K followers, 6 retweets, 14 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev met the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of Turkmenistan’s Khalk Maslakhaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at the airport, which was solemnly decorated with the national flags of the two countries. They will hold talks and attend cultural events later in the day.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz
[4/23/2025 7:09 AM, 216.1K followers, 3 retweets, 15 likes]
Today President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev met with Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey #Lavrov, who conveyed sincere greetings from President Vladimir Putin. During the talks, sides discussed further developing Uzbek-Russian relations and exchanged views on the regional and international agenda.
Bakhtiyor Saidov@FM_Saidov
[4/24/2025 2:27 AM, 12K followers, 2 retweets, 2 likes]
Had a constructive phone conversation with H.E. @MIshaqDar50, Senator, Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister of Pakistan. We reaffirmed our shared commitment to further strengthening UZ-PK bilateral relations, discussed the steps to promote regional connectivity and prosperity. Our dialogue reflected the deep mutual trust and growing partnership between #Uzbekistan and #Pakistan.
Bakhtiyor Saidov@FM_Saidov
[4/23/2025 9:26 AM, 12K followers, 10 retweets, 26 likes]
Today, in #Samarkand, had a fruitful meeting with my colleague, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the #Russian Federation, H.E. Sergey Lavrov. We discussed a wide range of issues related to our multifaceted cooperation. Particular attention was paid to the practical implementation of the agreements reached during the top-level meetings between our Leaders. We agreed to continue the close cooperation between Foreign Ministries in fulfilling the instructions of the Heads of our two states aimed at strengthening allied relations and strategic partnership, developing political dialogue, expanding trade and economic ties, deepening cultural and people-to-people ties, and enhancing collaboration within multilateral platforms. Special emphasis was placed on advancing cooperation in the fields of education, innovation, infrastructure, regional security, and other key areas. We also discussed ways to encourage mutual investments and intensify business contacts between #Uzbekistan and #Russia.{End of Report} To subscribe to the SCA Morning Press Clips, please email SCA-PressOfficers@state.gov. Please do not reply directly to this email.