SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO: | SCA & Staff |
DATE: | Friday, February 28, 2025 6:30 AM ET |
Afghanistan
US porn actor visits Afghanistan in a trip unacknowledged by the Taliban (AP)
AP [2/28/2025 3:27 AM, Staff, 456K]
A US porn actor has traveled to Afghanistan in a trip unacknowledged by the Taliban, who have restricted the rights of women and girls and imposed strict morality laws since seizing power in 2021.
Whitney Wright, who caused uproar with a visit to Iran last year as authorities there cracked down on women, posted images of her trip to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan on her Instagram account.
They show a plane from national carrier Ariana on a runway, a tiled ceiling from the Western city of Herat, supermarket items and vehicles. Wright does not appear in the images.
She did not respond to messages from The Associated Press on Friday. Nobody from the Taliban was immediately available for comment.
The Taliban are keen to attract tourists and promote a different side of the country. Foreigners are visiting, encouraged by the drop in violence.
As a U.S. citizen born in Oklahoma City, Wright would need a visa to enter Afghanistan but there are no operational Afghan embassies or consulates in the U.S. The Taliban have control of some 40 diplomatic missions around the world.
The State Department says U.S. citizens should not travel to Afghanistan for any reason due to civil unrest, crime, terrorism, kidnapping and limited health facilities. It also says there is a risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals.
Wright has traveled to Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon in recent years. Despite restrictions, Afghan women provide health care (VOA)
VOA [2/27/2025 4:46 PM, Sarah Zaman, 2913K]
Sana Safi, a young a doctor in Afghanistan, takes pride in her work, for she is among a shrinking group of female health experts in a country where women are banned from pursuing education or working in most sectors.
"I am making a real difference in the lives of my patients, especially women who have limited access to health care," the doctor told VOA on the phone from Nangarhar province.
But she also is afraid of drawing attention to herself for fear of reprisal and asked to be called Sana Safi to avoid revealing her real identity.
Many female doctors have left Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. New women may not be entering the health sector any time soon, as the hardline de facto authorities banned medical education for women last December, leaving many final year students without a formal degree.
The edict was one in a long line of restrictions the Taliban’s reclusive spiritual leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, has placed on women, using extremely strict interpretation of Islamic teachings that he claims are divine commands.
The United Nations has called Taliban’s treatment of women "gender apartheid.".
Health is one of the few sectors in which Afghan women are allowed to work. Safi works in obstetrics and gynecology, one of the few specializations that women can practice.
Safi said she sees up to 40 women patients daily.
"What makes me sad about my work is the lack of resources, the restrictions on female health care workers, and the fact that many women are unable to get the medical attention they need due to cultural and political barriers," the doctor said.
Barriers that women face in accessing health care vary according to local culture across the war-torn, mountainous country.
"Patients in restricted [conservative] provinces are not allowed to come to the health facility without a mahram [male guardian]," a health sector researcher told VOA by phone from Kabul.
She asked that we call her Amina to protect her identity as her work requires cross-country travel to collect data.
"We have had these reports from the health facility level that the female who did not have the mahram with herself at the moment of delivery of the baby, she died because of this issue," the researcher said.
She said such restrictions are applied stringently in government-run health facilities in conservative towns but are largely ignored in private clinics, especially in urban centers like Kabul and Jalalabad.
A World Health Organization donor appeal issued last month said 14.5 million people, or 33 percent of Afghans, live in areas where primary health care cannot be accessed within a one-hour walk.
Since a majority of Afghans in the poverty-stricken country rely on state-run hospitals and health centers that provide care at little to no cost, women from poor households are forced to comply with the requirement of having a male guardian – who can even be a minor.
Amina, who travels with her husband for her research, told VOA that many female health workers also must bring a male family member to work with them in conservative parts of the country.
Taliban workers from the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, commonly called PVPV, routinely visit health centers to ensure compliance.
"They are regularly checking each health facility to see that each female health worker brought their mahram with herself or not," said Amina.
The researcher said that the requirement that a male family member must accompany a woman outside the house, though, existed in conservative parts of the country under the U.S.-backed regimes, as well, because of cultural norms.
The checks under Taliban are thorough.
"They check the attendance sheet and ask who is a particular doctor’s mahram," the researcher said.
The restrictions come at a financial cost to families, while men who could work sit idle as chaperones.
From pharmacies to hospitals, Taliban have put men in charge. However, performing duties amid restrictions on the mixing of sexes is a challenge for them, too.
Pharmacy workers in areas under strict Taliban control are discouraged from giving medicine to women without mahram, and hospital chiefs are punished for holding meetings with female staff, according to Amina’s research.
A hospital head in Badakhshan province spent two weeks behind bars after a meeting with female employees, Amina said.
Staff in private hospitals don’t face similar restrictions.
"In emergency situations or when no other doctor is available, I may also assist male patients, if necessary," said Safi.
She told VOA she does not take a male guardian with her and that her employer provides transportation.
Amina said she believes Taliban are willing to look the other way because private hospitals pay taxes, contributing to the treasury.
Despite the Taliban’s ban on women’s education, a few medical institutions also continue to train women in Kabul. However, the fields are limited to midwifery and dentistry.
Both Safi and Amina worry that the limits on what female medical students can study will leave female patients with little help.
"It breaks my heart to see patients suffer simply because there aren’t enough medicines, equipment, or female doctors available," Safi said.
Public health facilities across Afghanistan operate mostly with support from United Nattions agencies and other international aid organizations.
Amina said the Taliban-run health ministry pays attention to research reports and donor feedback. She pointed to the authorities’ support for vaccination programs.
Still, there is no sign the de facto authorities will lift restrictions on women’s education or access to work in health care despite international calls and dissent from within Taliban circles.
Cultural norms coupled with official restrictions mean some of the most vulnerable cannot receive the care they need.
"I hope for a future where health care is accessible to all," Safi said. "And female doctors can work freely without fear or restrictions.". Girls miss out on life saving surgery under Taliban ‘gender apartheid’ (The Telegraph)
The Telegraph [2/28/2025 4:00 AM, Arthur Scott-Geddes and Akhtar Makoii, 234K]
Afghan girls are going without vital surgical procedures because of discriminatory restrictions put in place by the Taliban, new medical data and first-hand accounts from the country suggest.
Instead they are being forced to rely on faith healers and traditional medicine – even in cases of serious and life-threatening injury and illness.
Despite a fifty-fifty gender split among children, over 80 per cent of all surgical procedures carried out at a charity-run paediatric unit in Kabul were performed on boys, according to a survey of its first 1,000 operations.
The research, published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, focused on the Ataturk Hospital, a government-run facility where a paediatric operating room was built in 2023 by Kids Operating Room (Kids OR), a UK-based charity.
Of 1,014 patients under the age of 14, 80.5 per cent were male. The proportion of boys being given elective surgeries was even higher, at 84.6 per cent, while emergent procedures – interventions required immediately to address life-threatening conditions – were also skewed heavily towards boys, who made up 72.7 per cent of those cases.
Analysing their findings, the report’s authors suggested several factors were to blame for girls not receiving surgeries – ranging from “local referral tendencies and socio-cultural features” to boys being more exposed to traffic or explosive remnants from Afghanistan’s decades of conflict.
Evidence gathered by The Telegraph through interviews with doctors and families from across the country suggest draconian restrictions introduced by the Taliban are preventing girls and women from accessing life saving medical care.‘The only thing they are still allowed to do is breathe’
Since they swept back into power in 2021 on the back of a calamitous deal struck by the first administration of US President Donald Trump, a deluge of regime diktats has barred women from leaving home without a male relative, working, going to school or training as doctors and nurses.
Women have even been banned from raising their voices in public and speaking loudly inside their homes.“It’s not just about surgeries for girls – their access to healthcare has been severely restricted since the Taliban takeover, especially in remote areas,” said Ejaz Nemati* a doctor working in Herat.“In the city, people can speak about it and it’s different, but in small clinics outside cities, our colleagues are not even allowed to treat female patients. If they do, punishment awaits them,” he said.“Girls here are deprived of everything – the only thing they are still allowed to do is breathe.”
Taliban officials insist there are no official policies that explicitly prohibit women from being given medical treatment.“We provide healthcare services to everyone – girls and boys, women and men – equally, according to Islam,” said Faridullah Omari, a doctor at a Taliban-controlled hospital in Kabul.
But Taliban rules on women, which rights groups describe as a regime of gender apartheid, are clearly deterring many women and girls from even seeking care.
Golnesa*, whose husband was killed last year in a family dispute in their village in western Afghanistan, told The Telegraph of the challenges she faced as a woman with getting help for her daughter.“My eight-year-old daughter had a severe cough, and I tried several times to take her to a doctor,” she said.“Each time I stood by the road and waited for a car to take us to the city’s hospital, the Taliban would approach us to ask where my husband was, and I would tell them he was dead – he had been killed. “I would tell them I needed to take my daughter to the hospital but they would say I was lying,” she said, adding that Taliban morality police enforcers had accused her of wanting to visit the city unaccompanied for sinful reasons.
Eventually, as her daughter’s condition worsened, Golnesa was able to enlist the help of a male relative from a neighbouring village who accompanied them on the long journey to a medical centre, where the eight-year-old stayed for a week before being discharged.
But when she needed to take her daughter back for further treatment, she faced the same scepticism and accusations, and the fear of falling foul of the morality police has confined her to the village.‘Pneumonia cannot be treated with herbal medicine’
Across Afghanistan, there are only five facilities specifically equipped to treat children – two government children’s hospitals, a paediatric department within another government hospital, and two privately-run hospitals – and all of them are in Kabul. On top of this, the families of the sick or injured almost always have to foot the bill for any treatment they decide to get.
Together with the prohibitive cost and lack of availability of healthcare, the Taliban’s restrictions mean more families are turning to faith healers and herbal remedies for healing – sometimes with disastrous consequences.
In recent weeks local media has been awash with messages from Afghan doctors warning parents not to use home remedies to treat serious illnesses in their children.
Dr Farhad Hamdard, a paediatric specialist in Nimruz province in the country’s far south-west, urged families to seek medical care for cases of pneumonia.“Pneumonia cannot be treated with herbal medicine,” he told Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency.“Some children have been brought to me who had simple pneumonia, but after being treated with herbal remedies, their condition worsened,” he said.
In other reports, Afghan doctors have warned against the use of onion juice or warm mustard oil to treat ear infections, or attempting to deliver babies at home without any medics present, or against swaddling children in blankets to try and cure them of measles.
Afghans, particularly in villages and remote areas, have long sought medical care from Mullahs rather than from modern medicine for children, a practice rooted in religious and cultural beliefs.
Since the Taliban’s return to power, more people go to them before doctors as the country is now run by clerics, some of whom do not believe in modern medicine.
The Telegraph was told about a girl living in a village in eastern Afghanistan, who was born with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) – a small hole in her heart.
She died at the age of 10 last year after being taken repeatedly to a Mullah who attempted to cure her by writing Quranic verses on pieces of paper, burning them, and getting her to inhale the smoke.“All of these restrictions imposed by the Taliban, like the ban on women travelling on their own or leaving the house after a certain hour and so on [mean] women in general tend not to actually seek professional help as much as they would in the past,” said Jelena Bjelica, a senior analyst at the Afghanistan Analysts Network.“The fact is that the current environment, or the current legal regimen in Afghanistan, is such that they [women] have so little movement, their movement is so restricted that they wouldn’t even ask for help except in an emergency,” she told The Telegraph. “So the tendency is that they prefer not to leave the house and go for the traditional remedies.”‘Afghanistan is on the brink of a healthcare catastrophe’
Afghanistan has one of the world’s least-developed healthcare systems, and women and girls have long struggled to access treatment.
But beyond deterring women and girls from seeking help, Taliban policies have now degraded the provision of medical care to a critical point.
Fada Mohammad Peykan, a former deputy health minister, said: “A massive brain drain is underway, and the number of female doctors is falling rapidly. Outside major cities, most surgeons are men, and under Taliban rules, they cannot treat female patients.“The situation is critical. No new female doctors are being trained, and those who remain are either confined to their homes or fleeing the country. Afghanistan is on the brink of a healthcare catastrophe,” he said.
Trump’s decision to freeze US aid threatens to tip the country over the edge. His country is the largest donor to Afghanistan by far – it has sent $21 billion (£16.6bn) to the country since it withdrew its forces.
Afghanistan is totally dependent on US aid, receiving almost three-and-a half times its health budget in assistance from Washington.
The Afghan government is now scrambling to keep hospitals running and schools open.
With public services on the brink of collapse, the medical care needs of women and girls are falling even further down the list of priorities.“Even before, people had little understanding of healthcare for girls. Under Taliban rule, the situation is deteriorating every day,” said Dr Nemati, the doctor from Herat.“Many of those who cared about their daughters have fled the country. Those who remain are struggling to survive.” Pakistan
Bomb kills six at Pakistan Islamic seminary, wounds son of late Taliban doyen (Reuters)
Reuters [2/28/2025 5:22 AM, Mushtaq Ali and Asif Shahzad, 78938K]
A bomb blast at an Islamic seminary in northwestern Pakistan known as a historic training ground for the Afghan Taliban killed six worshippers during Friday prayers, police said.Several others were wounded including the head of the religious school, Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq, son of the late Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, considered the father of the Taliban.Regional police officer Najeebur Rahman said Haq was in critical condition.Tucked away in a dusty Pakistani town off the main motorway to the Afghan border, Darul Uloom Haqqania university was the launch pad for the Taliban movement in the 1990s and is still often described as an incubator for radical Islamists.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.Pakistan is battling twin insurgencies, one mounted by Islamists and the other by ethnic militants seeking secession over what they say is the government’s unfair division of natural resources. Pakistan’s opposition alliance demands elections, political prisoners’ release (VOA)
VOA [2/27/2025 1:24 PM, Ayaz Gul, 2913K]
An alliance of opposition parties in Pakistan called for new national elections Thursday, accusing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government of suppressing political rivals, curtailing dissent and violating human rights.
The Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan, or the Movement to Safeguard the Constitution, concluded a two-day conference in Islamabad by demanding the release of all political prisoners and rejecting the outcome of parliamentary elections held last year.
"The results of the rigged February 8, 2024, elections bear direct responsibility for the country’s prevailing political, economic, and social crisis," the declaration stated.
It asserted that Pakistan’s parliament lacked "moral, political, or legal standing" because it stemmed from a manipulated vote, and "the only way to resolve the current political crisis is through free, fair, and transparent elections.".
Sharif’s government, believed to be backed by the powerful military, rejects opposition allegations, claiming they are aimed at hindering efforts it is making to reform and stabilize the economy.
Leaders from imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, journalists and civil society representatives were also among the attendees of Thursday’s conference.
The conference occurred a day after U.S. Republican Representative Joe Wilson announced on X that he was "nearly finished drafting" a bill seeking "to restore democracy in Pakistan.".
US concerns
Wilson wrote that his proposed bill "mandates a 30-day determination of sanctions" on Pakistan’s military chief, General Asim Munir, and "reviews all generals & gov[ernment] officials & their families for sanctions." He did not provide further details.
On Tuesday, Wilson and Republican Representative August Pfluger wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging him to engage with "the military regime of Pakistan to free Imran Khan.".
VOA contacted the spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry for a response to U.S. lawmakers’ claims but did not receive an immediate reply.
Michael Kugelman, who directs the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, cautioned that Wilson’s proposed bill could be troubling for Pakistan.
"It’s a really big deal if it’s passed. It’s one thing to condemn the assaults on democracy in Pakistan, but it’s a whole new ballgame to threaten sanctions," Kugelman told VOA in written comments.
"Of course, Congressional action does not represent U.S. policy, but the leadership in Pakistan would not want to see the broader mood on Pakistan in Washington reflected in this way," he said.
Khan’s removal from power
Khan has repeatedly accused Munir of being behind his prosecutions and crackdown on his political party.
The 72-year-old former prime minister was removed from power in April 2022 after failing to secure a vote of confidence from parliament, a move widely viewed as an attempt by the powerful military to silence a popular politician.
His ouster plunged the South Asian nation of more than 240 million people into ongoing political turmoil, undermining Sharif’s attempts to attract foreign and domestic investment to overcome economic woes.
In August 2023, the former cricket star-turned-deposed prime minister was convicted on contested graft charges and jailed. Khan remains embroiled in dozens of other lawsuits that he rejects as politically motivated and alleges the military is behind them to keep him from returning to power.
Khan accuses the Pakistani military of manipulating last year’s elections to prevent his party from winning the vote and enabling Sharif to form a coalition government, charges the military and Sharif reject.
Authorities have also carried out a crackdown on the jailed leader’s party, rounding up hundreds of his workers and leaders, including women, with many of them remaining in custody for nearly two years without being formally charged. Pakistan reports 2 new polio cases of the year despite anti-polio drives (AP)
AP [2/28/2025 12:52 AM, Staff, 456K]
Pakistan has reported two new cases of polio in its southern and eastern provinces, health officials said on Friday, posing a setback to the country’s efforts to eradicate a disease that remains endemic only in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan.
The latest cases, confirmed by the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program, were detected in Sindh and Punjab provinces. This brings the total number of polio cases in Pakistan to five since January 2025. In 2024, Pakistan recorded 74 polio cases.
The latest development comes as health workers conclude a targeted vaccination drive in high-risk areas later Friday. Earlier this month, authorities launched a weeklong nationwide anti-polio campaign aiming to immunize 44.2 million children under the age of five.
Escorted by police, polio teams go door-to-door to administer the oral vaccine, though they are often attacked by militants who falsely claim that vaccination efforts are part of a Western plot to sterilize Muslim children. Since the 1990s, more than 200 polio workers and the police assigned to protect them have been killed in attacks. Cybercrime laws risk ‘steady criminalization’ of journalists, analysts warn (VOA)
VOA [2/27/2025 2:13 PM, Tabinda Naeem, 4K]
As more countries enact cybercrime legislation, analysts warn that efforts to combat legitimate concerns could also allow for easier targeting of critics.Analysts have warned that amendments in Pakistan and Myanmar in recent months could add to already repressive environments.Some point to Nigeria as a test case. Since passing its cybercrime law in 2015, watchdogs have documented 29 cases of journalists being charged, including four who were charged in a Lagos court in September.“What we are seeing is a steady criminalization of journalists around the world, and it’s a huge threat to press freedom,” said Jonathan Rozen, a senior researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ.In Pakistan, the government in January amended the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act of 2016 (PECA). Authorities said the changes would curb cybercrime, online harassment and the spread of hateful content that could instigate violence.Pakistan’s federal information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the law was needed “to regulate social media.”
“Countries across the world have some codes or standards under which social media operate, but there was none in our country,” he told reporters last month.The amendment led to protests by journalists and civil society, who said the changes would make it easy for authorities to prosecute people whose opinions are not in line with those of the government.Analysts pointed to broad terms, including definitions of “unlawful” content and “person,” with the latter now including state institutions and corporations.Another amendment proposed the creation of a Digital Rights Protection Authority that can remove content from social media platforms.Critics and media rights groups worry this could expose journalists and social media users to increased restrictions and legal action, restrict dissent and open doors for the powerful military establishment to target and harass civilians.Before the reforms, watchdogs recorded more than 200 cases of journalists being investigated since PECA was passed. Joshua Kurlantzick, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the changes in Pakistan’s cybercrime law would make an “already repressive online atmosphere even worse and restrictive.”Pakistan’s military has imposed a “much tougher crackdown” in the past year, said Kurlantzick.“They have gone well out of their way to target individuals, civil rights activists, journalists, and use anti-freedom laws to target those people, and often put them in jail,” he said.Pakistan’s Ministry of Information did not respond to VOA’s request for comment.Similar concerns are shared in Myanmar, where the junta last July passed an expansive cybercrime law. The law targeted virtual private networks, or VPNs, that allow internet users to circumvent blocked websites and censorship.The junta said the new law was needed to protect against cyberattacks and cybercrimes that could threaten the country’s stability.Since seizing power in a coup in February 2021, Myanmar’s military has revoked broadcast licenses, blocked access to websites and jailed journalists. The country is the third worst jailer of journalists, with 35 detained, according to the latest CPJ data.An expert with the Myanmar Internet Project, a digital rights group, told VOA at the time that the law was more focused on suppressing rights than protecting the public."All the provisions of the law are designed to suppress rather than protect the public," the expert, who asked to be identified only as U Han, said. "We believe that the junta will use this bill as a weapon prepared for this purpose."Kurlantzick, however, believes the military would struggle to restrict the online space."Myanmar’s military has no power to restrict online dissent anymore, as 70% of the country is in control of the opposition groups,” he said. “The government, which can’t provide power, water or other services even in the biggest cities, doesn’t have the ability to crack down on the internet now.”In Nigeria, the 2015 Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act has been used to file cases against journalists who investigate corruption. But the government has made some reforms based on civil society and press freedom group recommendations.Two sections of the cybercrime law had been of particular concern because of the “very broad and vague wording” that allowed the arrest of journalists for sending what were deemed “annoying” or “defamatory” messages, said CPJ’s Rozen.Changes made in 2024 narrowed the language.“It constrained the opportunity for authorities to arrest journalists only if the messages were knowingly false, or if it was causing a breakdown of law or causing a threat to life,” said Rozen, who added that other areas remain “overly broad and could be abused.”One section he cited allows for law enforcement to access information from service providers without a court order.Nigeria’s police have used this to access data of journalists, said Rozen, noting that four journalists are currently facing prosecution under the cybercrime act.Rozen agrees that “misinformation and disinformation are challenges for society, but what is being observed,” he said, “is a criminalization of journalists on accusations that they are sharing false information, and in many cases, this is used as a shorthand to smother or crush" dissenting voices.With more reporting and publishing taking place online, the tools some governments use to suppress journalists are adapting to the modernization of the industry, Rozen said. Bandit Rule: Pakistan’s Burning Domestic Security Issue (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [2/27/2025 10:57 AM, Muhammad Murad, 777K]
Pakistan faces a range of internal and external security challenges. While there has been significant concern regarding the ongoing law-and-order situation due to continuous terrorist attacks, the country also grapples with an internal security issue: banditry (known locally as dacoity). Bandit rule, or Daku Raj, is particularly notorious in northern Sindh Province and southern Punjab Province.
Over the years, bandit rule has taken hold in the riverine belt commonly known as the Kacha area. This region spans three districts in Sindh – Kashmore, Ghotki, and Shikarpur – and extends into Southern Punjab, covering Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, and Rahim Yar Khan. The river network in the area was formed as a result of changes made to the irrigation system by British colonial rule in the early 20th century.
Previously resembling irrigation plains, the area was transformed by the irrigation system in the lower Indus region, particularly below Kot Mithan in South Punjab. Now it suffers from regular flooding during the monsoon season. In the summer, the Indus River overflows its banks. In contrast, during the winter, the river shrinks to a thin stream, leaving both banks dry. This land is utilized for cultivation.
The recurring floods have left the Kacha area devoid of proper infrastructure, making it difficult for the general public to access. This region has thus become a natural hideout for bandits.
Since the 1980s, bandit rule has been firmly established along the riverine belt. There are rumors, especially in Sindh, that during the era of military dictator General Zia ul Haq, the government intentionally sheltered these bandits in the Kacha area. This move was intended to weaken the Pakistan People’s Party in Sindh, particularly after the successful "Movement for the Restoration of Democracy." Since then, bandit rule in the area has never been completely eradicated, despite many operations by law enforcement agencies. Bandits have become infamous for conducting raids to plunder, commit murders, and kidnap people before disappearing into their shelters established along the river.
Today, the bandits are equipped with modern weaponry – reportedly including weapons left behind by the United States during its hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan – which makes it more difficult to carry out a successful clearance operation. A police officer told The Express Tribune, the bandits "have better weapons than ours [the police force’s] and this is the ground reality… The bandits have mortars, RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] and anti-aircraft guns. The weapons they possess can even blow up an armoured vehicle.".
Due to their increasing notoriety, residents of the districts in the Kacha area habitually restrict their movements after sunset, only leaving their homes for emergencies. People from neighboring districts avoid unnecessary travel to these areas, even during the daytime. There is a growing fear of being mugged or even kidnapped at any time of day.
These bandits often target Hindus – not only for kidnapping for ransom but also for extortion in the form of "protection money," as many members of this minority community are traders by profession. The bandits obtain lists of affluent individuals within the Hindu business community from local intermediaries, then they issue extortion demands accompanied by deadlines and threats if the demanded amounts are not paid on time. Typically, those targeted feel compelled to comply with the demands, fearing for their safety.
Bandits have also been known to set "honey traps," which involves using women to lure men. Once the targets arrive, the bandits kidnap them and hold them for ransom. Despite public warnings from the police, many men still fall victim to these schemes.
With the increasing prevalence of social media across Pakistan, bandits often record videos of their victims – often in poor health with visible injuries – to pressure their families into arranging the ransom without involving law enforcement agencies. The gangs torture the victims so that they appeal to their families to pay the demanded amount to their kidnappers. These videos often go viral on the different social media platforms, which signals that they are not only meant for victims’ families – the intent is spreading fear among the masses, particularly in but not limited to the areas surrounding the riverine belt along the Indus.
As part of this psychological campaign, the bandits have also taken to social media to make fun of authorities. They launched their own YouTube channel to openly mock law enforcement agencies for their ineptitude. Bandit gangs also have a presence on other platforms including Facebook and TikTok, where they frequently post content pertaining to social injustices. Posts often criticize the "feudal system" in Pakistan, which the bandits claim compelled them to take up weapons.
Bandit rule has become notorious over the decades, instilling a permanent fear in the minds of people in Pakistan. Although there have been periods of peace, Pakistan is in the middle of an upsurge in such criminal activity. There is an urgent need for effective police operations against the bandits; however, it is often alleged that these criminals are supported by local influential figures, including political leaders and police officials. Putting an end to bandit rule in the Kacha area will require not only political willpower but also a strategic approach to ensure a long-term peace. India
India, EU to Push for a Trade Deal This Year, Says Von der Leyen (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [2/28/2025 1:51 AM, Shruti Srivastava and Sudhi Ranjan Sen, 5.5M]
India and the European Union will try to seal a trade deal during this year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.“A free trade agreement between the EU and India would be the largest deal of this kind anywhere in the world,” Von der Leyen said at an event in New Delhi. “You can count on my full commitment to make sure we can deliver,” she said, adding that the EU and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have agreed to “push to get it done during this year.”
The two sides have been negotiating a free trade pact since 2007 but the talks were suspended in 2013 due to lack of progress on issues including lower tariffs for European cars, wine, dairy products, among others. Discussions resumed in 2022 and the 10th round of negotiations is scheduled for next month in Brussels.“We can offer each other distinctive alternatives and tools to make ourselves stronger, more secure and more sovereign in today’s world,” she said. “The kind of offer that cannot really be replicated by others.”
Modi’s meeting with the European Commission President comes during a period of increased global uncertainty following US President Donald Trump’s threats to impose higher tariffs on rivals and allies alike even.
The EU trade bloc is India’s largest trading partner, with total trade of $137.4 billion in fiscal year 2023-24, according to India’s commerce ministry. European Commission chief says India and EU have agreed to conclude a free trade agreement this year (AP)
AP [2/28/2025 3:08 AM, Staff, 456K]
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday said the EU and India have agreed to push to get a long-pending free trade agreement done this year and that the two sides will strengthen their partnership in the areas of trade, technology, connectivity and defense.“It is time to be pragmatic and ambitious. And to realign our priorities for today’s realities,” von der Leyen said at an address to a think-tank in New Delhi. Her remarks came ahead of her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.“You can count on my full commitment to make sure we can deliver,” she said, adding that the “free trade agreement between the EU and India would be the largest deal of this kind anywhere in the world.”
The European Commission chief is in India on a two-day visit from Thursday and is accompanied by top leaders of the EU member nations.
India and the EU relaunched talks on a long-pending free trade agreement in 2021, but issues like market access for products such as cars and alcoholic beverages have been sticking points. The next round of negotiations is set to take place in March.
India and the EU cooperate closely on issues including foreign policy, security and technology. But Brussels is ramping up efforts to finalize the free trade agreement with New Delhi in the face of potential U.S. tariffs. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is planning to hit goods made in the EU with tariffs of 25%.
The EU is India’s largest trading partner, ahead of the U.S. and China. In 2023-24 fiscal year, exports and imports to the European bloc accounted for more than $130 billion, marking an increase of about 90% over the past decade. Over 6,000 European companies are also present in India.
Von der Leyen said the EU and India have the potential to be one of the defining partnerships of this century.“I want this visit to be the start of this new era. Prime Minister Modi and I share the same view. It is time to take our EU-India Strategic Partnership to the next level,” she said.
For New Delhi, the trade talks have renewed significance after Trump’s decision to impose reciprocal tariffs on imported goods from countries including India.
Last year India signed a trade agreement with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, who comprise the European Free Trade Association, that includes a commitment of $100 billion in investments. The investments are expected to be made across industries including pharmaceuticals, machinery and manufacturing. India, EU agree to wrap up free trade pact this year (Reuters)
Reuters [2/28/2025 2:32 AM, Manoj Kumar and Shivangi Acharya, 5.2M]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the European Union have agreed to push for the conclusion of a free trade pact this year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.
The visit by von der Leyen, accompanied by leaders of EU nations, comes at a time of rising geopolitical tension, with Brussels and New Delhi set to outline key areas for closer cooperation as part of their strategic partnership.
"We are both looking to diversify some of our most critical value chains," said von der Leyen, who began a two-day visit to India on Thursday.
She called for an "ambitious" trade and investment deal that could cover industries from batteries and pharmaceuticals to semiconductors, clean hydrogen and defense.
Talks for an India-EU free trade deal resumed in 2021 after having been stalled for eight years, and now cover issues from investment protection to geographical indications.
The EU is India’s largest trading partner in goods, with two-way trade growing about 90% over a decade to stand at $137.5 billion in fiscal year 2023/24.
Speaking at an event in New Delhi, von der Leyen said troubled times offered great opportunities for partnership between India and the EU.
The two leaders had agreed to push to conclude a free trade pact this year, she added.
"We both stand to lose from a world of spheres of influence and isolationism, and we both stand to gain from a world of cooperation and working together," she said, ahead of talks with Modi.
"But I believe this modern version of great-power competition is also an opportunity for Europe, and India to reimagine its partnership."
The deal had been delayed for many years by New Delhi’s reluctance to lower tariffs in some areas, while the European Union proved reluctant to ease visa curbs on Indian professionals.
The EU wants India to lower tariffs of more than 100% on imported cars, whiskey and wine, while India seeks greater access for its cheaper drugs and chemicals in the EU market.
India also wants lower tariffs on its exports of textiles, garments, and leather products. It also opposes an EU proposal to fix tariffs of 20% to 35% from January 2026 on high-carbon goods, including steel, aluminum and cement.
"It won’t be easy to conclude the free trade talks unless India agrees to drastically cut tariffs on automobiles and other products that could hit domestic industry," said Ajay Srivastava, of Delhi think-tank Global Trade Initiative.
"The EU would also have to open its markets for Indian products and meet demands on data security and visas," added India’s former negotiator in EU trade talks.U.S. President Donald Trump, who has called India one of the countries imposing the highest tariffs, has threatened a reciprocal tariff by April, although India hopes to clinch a deal with Washington. India’s first trans clinic forced to close after USAid cuts (The Telegraph)
The Telegraph [2/27/2025 7:46 PM, Samaan Lateef, 52868K]
India’s first dedicated transgender healthcare clinic has closed after the Trump administration froze USAid funding for overseas projects.
Mitr Clinic, located in the south Indian city of Hyderabad, had its US foreign funding cut off under a 90-day USAid freeze signed off by Donald Trump.
Clinic staff have been fired and patients were advised to seek alternative treatment elsewhere.
"We were informed that the funds had been cut off because president Trump ordered a freeze on our clinic’s funding," a former clinic official told The Telegraph.
"We had been serving hundreds of transgender patients, providing mental healthcare and transition-related medical services. We stopped operations in early February, with no hope of resuming.".
Roomy, a transgender patient who used to visit the clinic, said: "Mitr was the only facility where we were getting free healthcare without any discrimination. I am heartbroken and enraged with its closure.".
Funding for Mitr Clinic criticised
The abrupt closure highlights the global consequences of US foreign aid cuts, particularly across Africa and South Asia.
Established in 2021 by USAid in partnership with Johns Hopkins University under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Mitr Clinic functioned as a one-stop centre offering free general health consultations, HIV screening and treatment, mental health support, and gender-affirming services.
It is one of many healthcare centres across Africa and South Asia affected by Mr Trump’s funding freeze, which supporters have defended as a measure to prevent US taxpayer money from supporting gender-affirming healthcare abroad.
Last month, US Senator John Kennedy criticised Mitr Clinic’s funding, arguing that Americans should not foot the bill for transgender clinics in India.
Since returning to office, Mr Trump has reinstated policies limiting transgender rights, including a ban on gender-affirming care for individuals under 19 and restrictions on transgender individuals serving in the military.
His administration has also barred transgender women and girls from participating in women’s sports in federally funded schools and mandated that detainees be housed according to their sex assigned at birth, raising concerns about safety.
"The US, once a global leader in transgender rights and healthcare, has suddenly become a dangerous place for transgender people," said Aqsa Shaikh, an associate professor at the Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.
"This development is disastrous. India must now step up and create an ecosystem that provides transgender persons with the life-saving care they need.".
As of January 2025, the Hyderabad clinic employed seven transgender staff members and provided healthcare services to 150–200 LGBT individuals every month. Since its inception, it has registered over 4,900 patients, with a significant focus on HIV treatment.
Until June 2024, the clinic reported a 6 per cent HIV positivity rate, with 83 per cent of diagnosed patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). India Economy’s Recovery Likely Clouded by Trade Risks Ahead (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [2/27/2025 8:00 PM, Ruchi Bhatia, 5.5M]
India’s economy likely rebounded last quarter, although growth prospects remain uncertain in coming months as US President Donald Trump threatens to upend global trade with tariffs.
Data due Friday will likely show gross domestic product grew 6.2% in the three months to December, according to a median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg. While that’s higher than a seven-quarter low of 5.4% in the July-September period, it falls short of the central bank’s projection of 6.8%.
The Indian government has already lowered its GDP growth estimate for the current fiscal year through March to 6.4% — the weakest pace since the pandemic — with economists expecting another downward revision on Friday. Growth is projected by the government to be below 7% in the coming fiscal year as well, compared with 8% expansion in the previous year.
While India is still the fastest-expanding major economy, growth is still well below the 8% pace economists say is required for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfill his bold pledge of converting the country into a developed nation by 2047.
Last quarter’s growth was likely boosted by a pick-up in government spending and strong rural consumption. However, with India being among the nations most exposed to Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, the outlook remains unclear.“Weak net exports and slow urban consumption is going to weigh on headline GDP growth,” said Sonal Varma, chief economist for India at Nomura Singapore Ltd., forecasting a 5.8% expansion for the quarter.
Next year, trade disruptions will be a major headwind, she said, indicating that “there needs to be a bigger policy focus on boosting domestic demand, because external growth drivers may not be available to tap.”
Government Spending
After a slowdown during the elections, the government sped up spending on infrastructure in the final three months of 2024. Official data showed the government spent 2.7 trillion rupees on roads, ports and highways in the quarter. It used 61.7% of its budgeted capital spending in the first nine months of the financial year, compared to 37.7% until September.
Rural consumption also likely improved during the festive season of Diwali, with farmers benefiting from surplus rains and a bumper harvest.
To stimulate the economy further, the finance minister announced record tax cuts of 1 trillion rupees in the federal budget earlier this month, just days before the central bank reduced interest rates for the first time in almost five years. Central bank policymakers expressed concern that economic growth would be damaged by excessively restrictive monetary policy.
Most economists in a Bloomberg survey forecast the Reserve Bank of India will lower rates by another 50 basis points in 2025 to shore up demand. The RBI is also in the process of injecting more than $25 billion through liquidity measures to tackle a cash crunch in the banking system.
While growth indicators point to clear improvement in December, data trickling in for January shows some softness, led by trade and transport, according to HSBC Holdings Plc.“The message is clear: even as December GDP looks stronger, support from RBI rate cuts and liquidity may have to continue,” Pranjul Bhandari, an economist at HSBC, wrote in a note. India names Finance Secretary Pandey to lead market regulator (Reuters)
Reuters [2/28/2025 12:21 AM, Nikunj Ohri and Ira Dugal, 5.2M]
The Indian government on Thursday appointed Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey as chief of the country’s market regulator, replacing Madhabi Puri Buch, whose terms ends this month.
Pandey has been appointed chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for three years, a government order showed.
He comes in at a time when the market regulator is trying to expand the suite of regulated financial investment options available to investors while also trying to curb volatility and malpractice in the derivative market.
Pandey was appointed as finance secretary in September 2024, adding to his role overseeing the divestment department. He was the longest serving divestment secretary, a post he held for over five years, and oversaw listing of country’s largest insurer Life Insurance Corp. of India (LIFI.NS.)
He also led the government’s successful sale of Air India to Tata Group, one of the few accomplishments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s privatisation effort.
As privatisation slowed, Pandey prioritised value creation by state-run companies, pushing them to generate better returns and making them more accountable.
As the country’s finance and revenue secretary from January 2025, Pandey worked towards lowering import duties on high-end motorcycles as India prepared to shed its protectionist tag.
He holds masters degrees in economics and business administration from Panjab University and the University of Birmingham.
Buch, who has helmed SEBI for the past three years, came under attack from Hindenburg Research towards the end of her term. Hindenburg alleged conflict of interest in SEBI’s investigations into the Adani group because of previous investments, which Buch and the Adani group both denied.
While SEBI’s investigations into allegations against the Adani group have been completed, orders are yet to be released.
The first woman to head SEBI, Buch made significant regulatory changes, including tighter rules for India’s derivative markets to protect retail investors punting on risky financial products.
She has instead championed safer small investment options as a way to widen the reach of financial investments.
Buch has also enforced tougher disclosures for corporates, fund houses and moved the Indian markets towards same-day settlement. IMF keeps India’s ‘stabilised’ exchange rate classification through 2024 (Reuters)
Reuters [2/27/2025 9:11 AM, Swati Bhat, 5.2M]
The International Monetary Fund retained its classification of India’s "de facto" exchange rate regime as "stabilised" for the period of December 2022 to November 2024 after its latest article IV review, it said in a statement on Thursday.
"While the exchange rate has depreciated moderately from November 2024, more observations are necessary to determine its new trend. Until then, the de facto exchange rate arrangement remains classified as a stabilised arrangement," IMF said.
While IMF directors recommended greater exchange rate flexibility as the first line of defence in absorbing external shocks with interventions limited to addressing disorderly market conditions, a few saw the need for FX interventions in other cases, noting limitations in the current global financial safety net.
The IMF had first moved to the "stabilised" classification for India from "floating" in December 2023.
"Greater exchange rate flexibility would reduce the need for holding costly precautionary FX reserves, promote FX market development, prevent moral hazard by encouraging firms to actively manage their currency risk through hedging, and reduce fluctuations in domestic financial system liquidity," it said.
However, during periods of global financial stress leading to destabilising premiums, FX interventions can play a supporting role to improve market functioning and mitigate adverse impacts on output and inflation, it added.
IMF expects India’s real GDP to grow at 6.5% in 2024/25 and 2025/26, supported by robust growth in private consumption on the back of sustained economic and financial stability.
India’s recent tariff reductions can enhance competitiveness and foster India’s role in global value chains, IMF said.
The report recommended comprehensive structural reforms which would be crucial to create high-quality jobs, invigorate investment, and unleash higher potential growth.
The global lender also expects headline inflation to converge to the 4% target as food price shocks wane while on the external front, it said the current account could widen somewhat but remain moderate at -1.3% of GDP in 2025/26.
IMF directors commended the Indian authorities for their commitment to fiscal prudence and welcomed the adoption of a debt target as the medium-term fiscal anchor, which would enhance transparency and accountability, the report said.
They also broadly agreed that a more well-rounded fiscal framework that includes state and central government, as well as a more detailed fiscal deficit path with sufficient flexibility, could be used as a guide.
On monetary policy, IMF noted that opportunities may arise to gradually lower the key policy rate further, and stressed that monetary policy should remain data-dependent and well communicated. Dozens missing in Indian Himalayas avalanche (BBC)
BBC [2/28/2025 5:10 AM, Nikhil Inamdar, 5.5M]
At least 41 road workers have been trapped after a massive avalanche struck a remote border area in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, officials say.Police spokesperson IG Nilesh Anand Bharne told ANI news agency that 16 workers had been rescued and moved to an army camp nearby.The avalanche hit a camp of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in Mana in Uttarakhand which shares a border with Tibet, officials say.A senior district official, Sandeep Tiwari, told BBC Hindi that there was no information yet about whether there were fatalities.Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed on X that rescue work was being carried out by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the BRO and other teams.Ambulances and emergency teams have been dispatched, but treacherous conditions continue to pose challenges for rescuers.Colonel Ankur Mahajan, a commander with the BRO, told the Hindustan Times newspaper that those who have been rescued are receiving treatment "but the extent of their injuries is unclear".Gaurav Kunwar, a former village council member of Mana, told BBC News that details of the incident were sketchy."No-one lives there permanently. It’s a migratory area and only labourers working on border roads stay there in the winter. There’s also some army presence there. We’ve heard that it has been raining in the area for two days. The road workers were in a camp when the avalanche hit."Earlier on Friday, the India Meteorological Department warned of heavy rainfall and snow in the northern Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand as well as Jammu and Kashmir.Orange alerts have also been issued for snowfall in several districts of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. India in talks for 10 more Airbus C-295 aircraft in ageing fleet revamp, sources say (Reuters)
Reuters [2/28/2025 3:21 AM, Aditya Kalra, Shivam Patel and Tim Hepher, 5.2M]
India is in talks to purchase 10 more Airbus C-295 military transport aircraft than the 71 it had planned, as the country ramps up efforts to replace its ageing fleet with locally built planes, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The discussions come as a boost for Airbus’ (AIR.PA) partnership with Indian conglomerate Tata Group after they jointly opened an assembly line for the C-295 in the western state of Gujarat last year.
India’s government in 2021 struck a $2.52 billion deal for 56 C-295 aircraft for the Air Force, and last year gave an initial nod for 15 more for its navy and coast guard. Now, talks are on to add up to 10 aircraft to the 2024 order, said the three sources, who declined to be named as the talks are private.
One source said the additional planes are for the Indian Air Force.
"The Indian Air Force has significant transport capability requirements; they need a lot of aircraft," said Laxman Behera, a defence expert at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems, which is running the project, declined to comment. India’s defence ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Going by the deal value of the 2021 purchase of 56 aircraft, an expanded order for 25 C-295s could be worth $1.1 billion.
India is the world’s biggest arms importer but has been trying to boost domestic production and self reliance as it looks to counter neighbouring China’s rapidly growing military.
The C-295 is a multi-role transport aircraft that can carry up to 70 troops or eight tonnes of cargo and can carry out missions such as airborne warning, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Airbus has said the Indian Air Force will soon become the largest C-295 operator, and that in India, all of the aircraft’s structural components are being made locally.
AIR FORCE’S GROWING NEEDS
The source who said the expanded order was for the Air Force also said the Indian government is likely to place more orders for C-295s, while a separate industry source, familiar with the Ministry of Defence’s thinking, said New Delhi wants up to 75 more C-295s, above the 56 ordered in 2021.
Sixteen C-295s from the 2021 order are due to come from Airbus’ site in Spain while the remaining are expected to be assembled at the Airbus-Tata facility in India by 2031.
The new purchased C-295s could come solely from the Gujarat assembly line, but if New Delhi wants delivery faster, some may still need to come from Spain, the first source added.
The C-295 replaces India’s legacy fleet of 56 Avro HS-748, which were first introduced in 1961 and formed the backbone of the Air Force’s transport fleet.
The Indian Air Force chief this year criticised slow deliveries of fighter jets from state-run warplane maker Hindustan Aeronautics (HIAE.NS) and has emphasised increasing production speed and called for opening up warplane manufacturing to private firms to boost competition. In northeast India, a border fence could cut through villages, houses and lives (AP)
AP [2/27/2025 11:02 PM, Yirmiyan Arthur, 777K]
To the people who live there, Longwa is a typical hilltop village. The most imposing structure is a corrugated tin roof belonging to the Angh, a hereditary tribal chief.But recently, residents have been worried about another, less visible, local landmark: the border between India and Myanmar, which runs right through the village’s center.National boundaries never mattered before to the local Konyak tribe. “I eat in Myanmar and sleep in India,” says Tonyei Phawang, the Angh, whose house sits on the border.The Indian government is now seeking to stop border crossings for the first time, revoking a system that made it legal for Indigenous people to cross freely and threatening to build a border fence that could cut villages like Longwa in two.Two countries, one communityOn a Thursday in December, Longwa’s marketplace was bustling with shoppers from the Myanmar side, motorbikes loaded with as much salt, flour, biscuits, clothes, milk, tea, soap as they could carry. The nearest town with a market on the other side of the border is Lahe, a full day’s drive away.Locals have long come and gone to shop, study or seek medical care, with no sign that they’re crossing an international border except a border marker sitting on a hilltop in the village. The Angh and village council members say their forefathers had no idea that the concrete pillar was meant to divide them when it was built in the early 1970s.“At that time we had no idea this is India or Myanmar. It was a free land. There was nobody who understood English or Hindi. They understood nothing,” Phawang says.Like dozens of other Indigenous Naga tribes, the Konyak’s land straddles the mountains that divide India and Myanmar. Naga villages are usually built on hilltops for security, something that wasn’t considered when the British East India Company drew the border in an agreement with the then-Kingdom of Burma.The Constitution of India does not allow dual citizenship, but people in Longwa see themselves as belonging to both countries.“I am from both India and Burma,” Phawang said, using another name for the country officially known as Myanmar. “I vote in the Burmese election. And when the Indian election comes I vote there too.” Phawang is chief of six Konyak villages in India and more than 30 in Myanmar, whose residents pay allegiance with a yearly feast as they have for some 10 generations.The reach of the Indian state was very limited in these borderlands until recently. People here often have documents from both governments, said Khriezo Yhome, a senior fellow and editor at Asian Confluence, a think tank working to create an understanding of eastern South Asian. “However, there was practically no way for the state to do anything to check it.”Border guards and fences could cut the villageUntil recently, residents from both sides could travel legally within 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) of the border, but that started to change in February 2024, when the government revoked the Free Movement Regime “to ensure the internal security of the country and to maintain the demographic structure of India’s North Eastern states bordering Myanmar.”Change has come slowly in Longwa: it took almost a year before soldiers stationed in the village began checking documents, and Longwa residents still move freely after their shifts end in the early afternoon. But people from other villages in Myanmar are afraid to travel beyond Longwa to reach schools or medical care, said B. Phohi Konyak, a former local leader of an organization representing Konyak women. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said the government has decided to construct a fence along the entire 1,643-kilometer (1,021-mile) long Indo-Myanmar border.If it follows the legal border, it would have to cut through dozens of houses. Of the 990 buildings in the village, 170 lie on the boundary line — including a government school, the church and an army camp. Locals say a fence won’t helpWangron Konyak, 23, drove five hours on his motorcycle from the village of Momkho to pick up his sister as school closed for vacation. “If we are not allowed to come this side then we will suffer a lot. For those studying in Myanmar school it will be alright, but people like my sister who study in India will be very affected.”Residents and state officials are rejecting the changes.The Nagaland state government passed a resolution opposing the end of the Free Movement Regime and plans for border fencing, and on Feb. 3 Longwa residents staged a protest carrying placards with slogans like “Respect Indigenous rights, not colonial legacy!”Yhome, the expert, said that an effort to stop locals from crossing the border could violate the U.N. Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People, which seeks to protect the integrity of border-straddling communities.“For us there is no Burma Longwa or India Longwa,” Yanlang, a 45-year-old village council member. “How can one village and one family be divided?” asked. Militia fighters surrender looted weapons in restive Indian state (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [2/28/2025 12:14 AM, Staff, 813K]
Militia fighters from rival ethnic groups in India’s conflict-torn Manipur have surrendered scores of guns and other gear looted from security forces, police said Friday, days after the state was placed under New Delhi’s direct rule.
Manipur has been split along ethnic lines since the outbreak of deadly violence between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community in May 2023.
At least 260 people have been killed and tens of thousands have fled their homes in the northeastern state along India’s border with war-torn Myanmar.
The state’s chief minister, N Biren Singh, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, resigned this month after criticism that his government had not done enough to quell the violence.
Community groups welcomed his resignation and the subsequent imposition of direct rule by New Delhi, hoping it would end mutual suspicions and allegations by the rival ethnic groups of favouritism by the state authorities.
The Manipur police, in a series of posts on X on Friday, shared photos of hand grenades, pistols, rifles, helmets, bulletproof jackets and ammunition surrendered by ethnic militias from across the state.
At least 307 weapons were handed over in the last week, police said in a statement.
The "request for the surrender of looted and illegally held weapons and ammunition has yielded a positive response", it added.
"Such voluntary surrender of weapons will significantly help in restoring peace, communal harmony and lawfulness in the state of Manipur."Those who gave up weapons would not be criminally charged, police said.
Long-standing tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities revolve around competition for land and public jobs.
Rights activists have accused local leaders of exacerbating ethnic divisions for political gain.
Internet services were shut down for months in Manipur during the outbreak of violence, which displaced around 60,000 people from their homes, according to government figures.
Thousands of the state’s residents have still not returned home due to ongoing tensions. India Could Put Chabahar on Slow Burner as IMEC Gathers Pace (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [2/27/2025 5:18 AM, Elizabeth Roche, 777K]
To apply "maximum pressure" on Iran to "end its nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program and stop its support for terrorist groups," U.S. President Donald Trump signed a Memorandum in early February to "modify or rescind sanctions waivers, particularly those that provide Iran any degree of economic or financial relief, including those related to Iran’s Chabahar port project.".
In November 2018, Trump 1.0 had provided a narrow waiver on the sanctions imposed earlier on the strategic Iranian port, as it was seen to facilitate reconstruction and economic development of Afghanistan. That sanctions waiver is now in danger of being rescinded.
That the Trump administration is determined to press ahead on this matter is evident from the fact that a joint statement issued on February 13 after a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump in Washington had no reference to the Chabahar port or the sanctions. However, the statement did refer to the ambitious India-Middle East-Europe-Economic Corridor (IMEC).
Additionally, in their joint press conference, Trump, with Modi by his side, described the IMEC as one of the "greatest trade routes in all of history." It has triggered questions whether India would now prioritize IMEC over Chabahar.
For India, it’s not an either-or choice. It would gladly be part of both. It would welcome both projects taking off. Except that India is not in a position to influence outcomes in either case.
It was in 2003 that the then Iranian President Mohammad Khatami mooted the idea of the joint development of a deep-sea port at Chabahar. The project was slow to get off the ground mainly because India looked to forge a civil nuclear partnership with the U.S., and India was keen to avoid drawing Washington’s ire over cooperation with Iran. Also, with sanctions being imposed on Iran, New Delhi was reluctant to risk investing large amounts on the port project. It was only in 2015 that India and Iran — with whom India shares a millennia-long history of civilizational and cultural links — signed a pact on "Partnership of India in the Development Plan of Chabahar Port." The broader idea behind Chabahar was for India to connect to Afghanistan and onward to Central Asia via Chabahar port. The Iranian port was important for India given the fact that Pakistan has denied India overland access to Afghanistan.In 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed a Trilateral Agreement to establish the International Transport and Transit Corridor. This period broadly coincided with Iran and the international community negotiating and reaching the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal.
In 2018, the India Ports Global took over the operations of Chabahar Port. Though President Trump announced in May 2018 that the U.S. was walking out of the JCPOA, India won a reprieve — the sanctions waiver for India would remain as Chabahar’s development was seen as a way of stabilizing Afghanistan economically. This, even as Trump kept up the pressure on India to stop buying oil from Iran. Despite the reprieve, Indian companies feared sanctions and were uncomfortable with partnering government efforts to develop Chabahar.
In May last year, India Ports Global Limited signed a 10-year contract with Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization for equipping and operating the Shahid Beheshti Terminal of Chabahar Port. The pact was sealed only months before Trump staged a comeback.
As it stands, India has already supplied port equipment worth about $24 million to develop the Chabahar Port, and procurement of other equipment for Chabahar Port "is underway," according to a government document.
Unlike the Chabahar port project, which is more than two decades in the making, the IMEC project is new. The IMEC partnership agreement was announced at a special event on the sidelines of the New Delhi G-20 Summit in September 2023.
IMEC aims to economically integrate India with the Middle East and Europe. It provides for a connectivity corridor that envisages a sea route between India and the UAE, a rail route across the Middle East (through Saudi Arabia and Jordan) to Israel. From Israel’s Haifa port, goods are expected to be shipped to Europe via Greece (or Italy or France). The movement of goods is expected to be complemented by a network of hydrogen pipelines and undersea optical data cables.
In addition to speeding up trade between India and Europe, IMEC will reduce dependence of shippers on the Red Sea route. And it has the U.S. President’s support as evident during the Modi-Trump joint press conference.
Trump’s support for IMEC is not surprising.
He was the driver of the Abraham Accords that culminated in the establishment of diplomatic ties and normalization of relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors starting in 2020. In fact, the India-Israel-UAE-U.S. (I2U2) grouping established in 2022, was an offshoot of the new realities in the Middle East following the normalization of ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
While Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli waging of war on Gaza slowed the process of getting IMEC off the ground, the fate of IMEC has improved somewhat with the ceasefire coming into force last month and holding despite turbulence. This is a positive development for the future of IMEC.However, the vision for post-war Gaza and the future of the Palestinians are among several questions on which hinge the normalization of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel – two key members of the IMEC and influential countries in the region.
With Trump set to use maximum pressure on Iran and sanctions on Chabahar likely to return, India can be expected to go slow on Chabahar. India will, of course, seek to engage in dialogue with the Trump administration on Iran and Chabahar in a bid to get the sanctions waiver extended. Given Chabahar’s immense importance for India — India’s Central Asia ambitions cannot be realized without trade via this port — abandoning Chabahar isn’t an option India would like to pursue. New Delhi should keep it on the agenda for talks with the U.S. NSB
Bangladesh student protesters to form new party in political shake-up (Financial Times)
Financial Times [2/27/2025 5:13 PM, Redwan Ahmed and John Reed, 14.6M]
Student protesters in Bangladesh who led a revolt that topped former leader Sheikh Hasina last year are set to form a new political party, challenging the country’s entrenched political duopoly.
Students Against Discrimination, which was formed last summer to oppose government job quotas before leading a broader uprising against Sheikh Hasina’s regime, planned to launch the new “National Citizen party” on Friday, spokesperson Sarwar Tusher told the Financial Times.
Preparations had been under way for months, members of the nascent party said.
Nahid Islam, a prominent student leader, who will lead the party after resigning from his position as an adviser to Muhammad Yunus’s government on Tuesday, trumpeted the event as “the rise of a new political force”.
Politics in Bangladesh have for decades been dominated by Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League and the rival Bangladesh Nationalist party, which are led by dynasties that trace their legitimacy to Bangladesh’s 1971 independence and have traded political control of the country for decades, often violently.
The students say they want to break this deadlock by using an election expected within the next year as a prelude for drafting a new basic law to govern Bangladesh.“We propose that the next election should be for a constitutional assembly tasked with drafting a new democratic constitution,” Tusher said. “This is the foundation of our political agenda moving forward.”
Yunus, who took over in August after Sheikh Hasina fled the country, has vowed to hold an election by March 2026. His cabinet, which includes student advisers, is drawing up reforms of the judiciary, police and other institutions that he claims were captured by what he has called the “fascist” Awami League.
The 84-year-old Nobel laureate has ruled out running for office himself.Bangladesh lacks reliable opinion polling, making it difficult to gauge the level of popular support for the student force, and it will lack the established party machinery of the BNP and Awami League.
Analysts said the coming months would provide a test of whether the student movement can sustain its grassroots momentum amid a volatile security situation and fragile economic backdrop.“We are seeing a new political force,” said Mubashar Hasan, a postdoctoral research fellow at University of Oslo. “Even if they do not win seats, they will influence public discussion for years to come.”
Some Bangladeshis, including Awami League supporters in exile or in hiding, have raised concerns about Yunus’s student allies, accusing them of using mob tactics against their adversaries and being soft on Islamist extremism.
Earlier this month, a group of protesters vandalised and burned a museum devoted to Sheikh Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is regarded as the father of Bangladesh’s independence.
The government of India, where Sheikh Hasina has been sheltering since fleeing in August, condemned the incident. “The expectation from the new political party is that inclusivity should go beyond rhetoric — it must be genuine and not just tokenism,” said Prapti Taposhi, a 25-year-old university student.“After six months of chasing populism, my hope is that they will now truly work for all citizens of Bangladesh, with a specific focus on uplifting marginalised and indigenous communities, and women.” US aid freeze hits health, development projects in Nepal (Deutsche Welle)
Deutsche Welle [2/27/2025 12:23 PM, Lekhanath Pandey, 126906K]
It’s not clear how Nepal, one of the poorest countries worldwide, could provide funding for these projects without Washington resuming financial aid.
Nepal has been forced to halt a number of US-funded development projects in recent days, after President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause in US foreign assistance on the day he returned to the White House.
The Himalayan nation’s Finance Ministry said USAID-financed projects in the fields of education, health and agriculture, among others, have been affected.
Last week, Nepal was informed that the freeze also includes the multimillion-dollar grant assistance provided to the country by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a US government aid agency.
What’s the MCC grant about?In September 2017, the MCC agreed to provide $500 million (E480 million) for Nepal to upgrade the dilapidated road networks and build electric lines in the Himalayan nation, one of the world’s poorest countries.
The agreement, signed during Trump’s first presidential term, remained stuck in Nepal’s parliament due to differences within the then-ruling ruling coalition government and criticism from other political forces.
Opponents said the grant would undermine Nepal’s laws and sovereignty as Kathmandu would not have sufficient control over the projects. But supporters argued that it would economically benefit the landlocked country.
The MCC project also fueled geopolitical tensions, dragging the US and China into a faceoff in Nepal as their diplomats indulged in verbal barbs. At the time, China accused the US of playing "coercive diplomacy" and pressuring Nepal to accept it.
Nepal’s parliament finally ratified the pact in February 2022.
A "wait and see phase"
The latest suspension of US aid has drawn mixed reactions in Nepal.
While those who opposed the MCC deal from the beginning welcomed the decision, supporters of the pact were upset.
Pradeep Gyawali, a senior leader of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) and former foreign minister, warned that the abrupt halt in US funding poses serious challenges to Nepal. He saod the funding cut is affecting programs related to education, poverty alleviation and health care, including those targeting child and maternal mortality rates.
The nation of about 30 million people is already grappling with a high budget deficit and struggling to finance key development programs.
Shyam Bhandari, a spokesperson for Nepal’s Finance Ministry, told DW that the government is in a "wait-and-see phase" as the aid is currently halted only for 90 days.
"A final decision on alternatives can only be made if the suspension becomes permanent. For now, we remain hopeful that MCC funding will resume," he said.
Tough to replace US funding
Indra Adhikari, a member of Nepal’s Policy Research Institute, expressed surprise at the US move, particularly after Washington pushed Kathmandu hard for ratification of the compact.
"If the US withdraws, other players may step in," she told DW, referring to Nepal’s powerful neighbors China and India."There is intense geopolitical competition, and any vacuum will be filled by another power.".
Adhikari also argued that Beijing could use the situation to portray Washington as an unreliable partner, even without stepping in directly.
Treading the line
Anil Giri, a senior diplomatic correspondent for The Kathmandu Post, told DW that it wouldn’t be easy for Nepal to replace US assistance.
If Nepal were to invite either China or India, it would be viewed with skepticism and suspicion in the other country and create further geopolitical complications.
Gyawali, the former foreign minister, echoed this concern.
"It would be wiser to explore neutral funding sources such as the Asian Development Bank or the World Bank, potentially as soft loans," he said. Nepal’s Kathmandu rattled by strong quake, no casualties reported (Reuters)
Reuters [2/27/2025 6:35 PM, Gopal Sharma, Chandni Shah, and Kritika Singh, 5.2M]
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck north of Nepal’s Kathmandu on Friday, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre.
The earthquake struck around Bhairab Kunda in the Sindhupalchok District in Nepal, close to the Himalayan mountain range that runs along the border with Tibet.
The German Research Center for Geosciences placed the magnitude of the earthquake at 5.6, and the depth at 10 km (6.21 miles) while the U.S. Geological Survey pegged it at magnitude 5.5.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the earthquake.
Pasang Nurpu Sherpa, chairman of the Bhote Koshi rural municipality, where the epicentre is located, told Reuters, "I have no information of any damage so far. The earthquake has triggered a landslide at Dugunagadi Bhir across the river. There are no houses around the site of the landslide."
Kiran Thapa, district governor of Sindhupalchok, said, "One inmate of the district jail broke his hand while trying to run after the quake and he is now undergoing treatment at a hospital. One police post building developed minor cracks at Kodari."
"It shook us from our sleep strongly," Ganesh Nepali, a senior official of Sindhupalchok district, told Reuters. "We rushed out of our home. People have now returned home. We have not received any report of damage or injuries so far." Central Asia
Kazakhstan selects site for its first nuclear power station (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [2/27/2025 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K]
Kazakhstan has settled on a site for the construction of the country’s first nuclear reactor. The next big question is who will build it?
The selected location is the village of Ulken, situated on the shore of Lake Balkhash, almost 300 miles northeast of Kazakhstan’s commercial capital Almaty. “The Balkhash site is very promising,” Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev told journalists at a February 26 briefing. “The relevant hearings were held there, but the exact site will be determined after engineering surveys. They are already being conducted. If potential vendors make a proposal to use another site, we will, of course, consider it. But the final decision will be made after the completion of engineering surveys.”
Satkaliyev added that Kazakhstan intends to build three reactors over the medium term. In a major policy speech in January, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev warned of a growing “energy deficit” and called for the creation of a nuclear power “cluster” to ensure the country can remain on a stable economic growth trajectory.
Kazakh officials have stated they will award the construction contract for the Ulken facility by the end of 2025. Presently, the four entities in the running are: Russia’s Rosatom; China’s National Nuclear Corp.; France’s EDF; and (South) Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power.
Kazakh delegations have visited all four countries in recent months to review proposals from the bidders. The most recent presentation, by Rosatom officials, occurred in late January, according to an Energy Ministry statement. The contracting decision will not be based solely on financial considerations but will also consider the “national interests of Kazakhstan, international norms and obligations,” the statement added.
Observers in Kazakhstan widely believe Rosatom has the inside track on securing the contract. But in recent days, there have been indications that a bidder from the United States may seek to enter the tender sweepstakes, if not for the Ulken project then perhaps for other planned reactors.
During a recent conversation between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, Rubio highlighted Washington’s desire to explore “opportunities for investment in … US civil nuclear energy technologies” in Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan, like Kazakhstan, is intent on building nuclear power stations. Kyrgyzstan has also expressed interest in developing nuclear energy. In mid-2024, Uzbekistan signed an agreement with Russia to build a low-power nuclear reactor with a generating capacity of 55 Megawatts. But Uzbek authorities intend to add more low-power nuclear facilities in the future.
Rubio’s remarks during his discussion with Saidov signal a US intent to compete with Rosatom in Central Asia – not only in Uzbekistan but also in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Uzbek officials have already indicated an openness to forming an international consortium to build a reactor “as efficiently as possible and with the best technologies,” the Gazeta.uz outlet quoted Azim Akhmedkhadzhayev, the head of Uzbekistan’s Atomic Energy Agency, as saying. Kyrgyzstan Says To Swap Land With Tajikistan, Ending Years-long Spat (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [2/27/2025 4:09 AM, Staff, 813K]
Kyrgyzstan announced Thursday it would exchange territories disputed with Tajikistan since the fall of the Soviet Union, ending a decades-long spat between the Central Asian neighbours.
The border between the two countries has seen sporadic deadly clashes since both became independent in 1991, with the neighbours fighting over access to water and resources in the remote region.
Both sides announced a border demarcation deal last December, but neither had detailed territorial concessions until now.
Under the deal, Kyrgyzstan will receive around 25 square kilometres (10 square miles) from Tajikistan in exchange for land and better access to shared water resources, according to the head of Kyrgyzstan’s secret service Kamchybek Tashiev.
"Negotiations have reached the final point and can be discussed openly from today," Tashiev told the Kyrgyz parliament.
"After parliamentary consideration, the presidents will sign, then ratification, and finally, the final version will be signed by the heads of two states. And a treaty will be drawn up between the two countries."
Several controversial roads will be declared neutral and be used by both parties under the agreement, while the two will ease access to oil wells, Tashiev said.
The authorities will also relocate the inhabitants of the villages exchanged under the agreement, some of which will be destroyed and rebuilt, he added.
The two countries also reached an agreement on easing access to a zone around a canal vital for agriculture, an important industry in both countries.
The border dispute stemmed from Soviet times, when a simple administrative demarcation was drawn between the mountainous neighbours.
Autumn 2022 saw the worst fighting over the border since the fall of the Soviet Union, with dozens killed and thousands fleeing their homes in frontier villages.
The deal comes amid a general warming of relations between the five ex-Soviet Central Asian republics, which also include Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon had discussed border issues in a rare meeting at a UN summit in 2023, sparking optimism that a deal was possible. Indo-Pacific
Key Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing remains shut, disrupting trade and movement of people (AP)
AP [2/27/2025 12:47 PM, Riaz Khan, 777K]
A nearly weeklong closure of a key crossing on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border has disrupted bilateral trade and the movement of people, causing financial losses to traders and leaving people stranded in harsh winter conditions, officials said Thursday.The Torkham border crossing has remained closed since Feb. 21 after Pakistan shut it down over a dispute concerning Afghanistan’s construction of a border post.Since then, more than 5,000 trucks and vehicles carrying goods, including fruits and vegetables, have been stranded on both sides, awaiting the reopening of the trade route, according to Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, a director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry.Torkham also serves as a vital corridor for transporting goods between Pakistan and Central Asian countries, and Sarhadi urged both countries to resolve their dispute so that bilateral trade and movement of people could resume.At Torkham, truck driver Najeeb Ullah said that he was forced to sleep in his vehicle because he can’t leave it unguarded on the road.“We request Pakistan and Afghanistan to have mercy on us, as we are suffering without any reason,” he told reporters.Hundreds stranded near the borderMustafa Khan, another driver, said that he was hoping to return to his northwestern city of Peshawar after delivering a supply of cement in Afghan city Jalalabad, but “I am stuck here since Friday, and I have no idea for how many days we will have to face this trouble.”Farhad Nusrat, an Afghan citizen, said that he was returning home with his mother and children, and the closure of the border crossing has forced them to spend their days and nights in the open area. He appealed to Pakistani authorities to reopen the border.Authorities said that hundreds of Pakistanis were also stranded on the other side of the border.There was no immediate comment from Pakistan. However, Abdul Jabbar Hikmat, the commissioner on the Afghan side of the border, confirmed the closure by Pakistan.“Whenever Pakistani authorities conduct construction on their side, we say nothing. But whenever we do something, they close the border,” Hikmat said.Border fence to strengthen controlAbdul Salam Jawad, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Trade and E-commerce, said that the border crossing was shut by Pakistan unilaterally and the Afghan authorities were trying to resolve this issue.He said the closure also affected landlocked Afghanistan’s transit trade. He provided no further details, but other Afghan Taliban and Pakistani local officials said those stranded on both sides included Afghan women, children, and patients who were either returning home or wanted to travel to Pakistan to receive medical treatment.Border closures at Torkham are common because of disputes over new posts along the porous Durand Line, which Afghanistan has never officially recognized. Pakistan, meanwhile, has nearly completed a border fence to strengthen control.The Torkham crossing is located on the edge of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Pakistani Taliban militants frequently target security forces.The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, are a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, which seized power in 2021. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the TTP, and increasing attacks by TTP on security forces in Pakistan has strained relations between Islamabad and Kabul. Refugee aid groups say Trump administration is trying to circumvent court order (AP)
AP [2/27/2025 3:15 PM, Gene Johnson, 2017K]
Refugee aid groups said in a federal court filing Thursday that President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be trying to circumvent a ruling this week that blocked his efforts to suspend the nation’s refugee admissions program.
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle had determined on Tuesday that while the president has broad authority over who comes into the country, he cannot nullify the law passed by Congress establishing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden, said Trump’s actions amounted to an "effective nullification of congressional will," and from the bench, he granted the aid groups’ request for a preliminary injunction blocking Trump’s executive order suspending the refugee resettlement program. He promised a written ruling in the next few days.
But Wednesday, aid groups, including Church World Service and the Jewish refugee resettlement organization HIAS, received notifications that their "cooperative agreements" with the State Department had been canceled.
The groups on Thursday asked Whitehead for an emergency hearing to discuss the impact of the termination notices, or to make clear that his ruling also applies to those newly issued notices. The groups called the administration’s actions a "flagrant attempt" to evade the court’s ruling.
"Defendants are continuing to implement their defunding of the USRAP, and an emergency hearing is necessary to ensure that Defendants are not permitted to evade this Court’s bench ruling and the forthcoming written order with antics designed to confuse the state of play," the motion said.
Whitehead set a hearing for Monday.
The State Department acknowledged receipt of an email from The Associated Press about the plaintiffs’ motion, but did not otherwise respond to questions about it. The notices indicated the cooperative agreements with the resettlement agencies were being terminated "for the convenience of the U.S. Government pursuant to a directive from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for alignment with Agency priorities and national interest.".
The refugee program, created by Congress in 1980, is a form of legal migration to the U.S. for people displaced by war, natural disaster or persecution — a process that often takes years and involves significant vetting. It is different from asylum, by which people newly arrived in the U.S. can seek permission to remain because they fear persecution in their home country.
Despite longstanding support from both parties for accepting refugees, the program has become politicized in recent years. Trump also temporarily halted it during his first term, and then dramatically decreased the number of refugees who could enter the U.S. each year.
There are 600,000 people being processed to come to the U.S. as refugees around the world, according to the administration.
Trump’s order and the administration’s subsequent withholding of funds stranded refugees who had already been approved to come to the U.S., forced the refugee aid groups to lay off staff, and cut off short-term assistance, such as rent, for those who had recently resettled here, the organizations said in the lawsuit challenging the actions.
Thursday’s filing came the day after the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to block another court order requiring it to release billions in suspended foreign aid. The administration also outlined plans to cancel more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world.
Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts, said the termination of the contracts would hurt Afghans who worked closely with the U.S. during its more than two-decade-long war in Afghanistan and are now at risk. They have been resettling in the U.S. via the refugee program as well as the special immigrant visa program.
While the special immigrant visa program is still operational, the contract terminations strip away funding that went to helping those who qualified come to America and start new lives here.
"Now Afghans are on their own to get here," he said.
"Make no mistake about it, this is a betrayal on par with what we all felt in August of 2021," he said, referring to the chaotic American withdrawal from Kabul under the Biden administration. Migrants in limbo in Panama jungle camp after being deported from US (Reuters)
Reuters [2/27/2025 2:27 PM, Sarah Kinosian, 41523K]
Lawyers for migrants from around the world who were deported from the United States and moved to a remote jungle camp in Panama in recent weeks say they have been unable to communicate with their clients since they arrived there.Some 112 deported migrants are being held in the "San Vicente" immigration center deep in the dense jungle that separates Panama from Colombia, according to Panamanian authorities. Their future is uncertain as they wait to see if they will be granted asylum in Panama or elsewhere."Individuals, including families like our clients, are being sent to Panama without any screening for asylum and despite not having any connection to Panama," said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union."And when they get there, they are disappearing into a black box without access to counsel," he said.Gelernt is one of several lawyers challenging a January 20 executive order from newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump that broadly blocked migrants from claiming asylum at the Mexico border.In recent weeks, the U.S. has deported some 300 people to Panama, including people from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. These flights are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to sidestep the fact that some countries refuse U.S. deportation flights due to strained diplomatic relations or other reasons.The arrangement with Panama allows the U.S. to deport these nationalities and makes it Panama’s responsibility to organize their repatriation.But the process, which in this case included an interim stop at a hotel in Panama City where the group was detained by armed guards, has been widely criticized by human rights groups that worry migrants could be mistreated and fear for their safety if they are ultimately returned to their countries of origin.When asked at a press conference on Thursday why the migrants at the camp had been denied access to legal counsel, Panamanian President Jose Mulino replied that he "didn’t know."When asked if he was concerned about the situation, he said "Yes, but isn’t it curious that they have lawyers in Panama?" and did not elaborate on what he meant before ending the press conference.A U.S. State Department official said, "The governments of transit countries will make decisions about who is or is not removable from their countries in accordance with their laws and international obligations."National Immigrant Justice Center attorney Keren Zwick said she was "gravely concerned" about the safety of a Turkish woman and her daughter who were deported from the U.S. to Panama and have since been sent back to Turkey, according to her husband.A copy of the legal complaint against the U.S. government from the ACLU, NIJC, and other rights groups - which Reuters reviewed - said the Turkish woman and her daughter told U.S. immigration officials they had come to seek asylum. They arrived to the U.S. on February 3, after the January 20 executive order, before being deported on a military plane to Panama nine days later.Neither Gelernt nor Zwick has spoken with them since they were in the hotel in Panama City.The woman and her husband had been involved in a religious non-violence movement in Turkey before the government issued a warrant for his arrest because of his involvement, causing him to flee the country, the complaint said. The woman then fled Turkey with her daughter after repeated incidents of harassment, said the complaint.The woman’s husband told Zwick that his wife and her daughter had been deported to Turkey on Wednesday.Analysts say arrangements such as the Panama one are part of the Trump administration’s effort to "outsource" its deportation plans to countries in Central America. Costa Rica has also received migrants from various nationalities that were deported from the U.S. in recent weeks.The 112 migrants being held in the jungle camp initially refused repatriation, Panamanian authorities say. Meanwhile President Mulino said at Thursday’s press conference that 113 migrants have already returned to their countries of origin, 16 were traveling on Thursday and another 58 are awaiting tickets for flights home.JUNGLE CAMPSSusana Sabalza, a Panamanian lawyer representing a family from Taiwan that is being held in the jungle camp, told Reuters she had been asking the government for over a week for access to her clients."This isn’t normal, we have never seen this in Panama before," she said. "I should be able to talk to my clients."Ali Herischi, a lawyer in Washington, D.C., representing 11 Iranians in the camp, said his clients were each given a three-minute phone call by the Red Cross in Panama on Tuesday to speak with their families, but were barred from calling their lawyer.The immediate role of Red Cross in Panama at the camp was recent and its personnel were authorized by authorities to provide health services and to re-establish contact between migrants and their families, the International Committee of the Red Cross said."Our services, which include telephone calls, have the exclusively humanitarian purpose of preventing disappearance or loss of family contact, so they are not intended for audiences other than family relatives," an ICRC spokesperson told Reuters.Two other lawyers seeking to offer representation to the deported migrants say they were barred access first to the hotel and now to the jungle camp, where they said authorities have also taken away cell phones from several migrants.Vincente Tedesco, one of the two lawyers, said he attempted to offer the migrants legal assistance at the Panama City hotel but was barred entry.A week later he sent a formal request, seen by Reuters, to Panamanian Security Minister Frank Abrego asking to clarify the migrants’ legal status and why they had been barred from receiving legal counsel.Tedesco said that he had not received a formal response."They are violating these people’s right to due process and international conventions," he added.Panama’s security minister did not respond to a request for comment. Twitter
Afghanistan
IOM Afghanistan@IOMAfghanistan
[2/27/2025 8:28 AM, 24.5K followers, 7 retweets, 15 likes]
Heavy rains over the past two days have triggered flash floods in #Afghanistan, resulting in casualties and damaging over 270 homes across 13 provinces. Our teams are on the ground, assessing the impact and have already provided emergency aid to 92 affected families.
Shawn VanDiver@shawnjvandiver
[2/27/2025 1:59 PM, 31.5K followers, 52 retweets, 172 likes]
The @StateDept just permanently terminated reception and placement contracts. That means that the aid pause impacting #SIV relocations has just become permanent. There will be no government funded help for our allies. Read @WorldRelief’s statement https://worldrelief.org/pr-world-relief-strongly-urges-trump-administration-to-reverse-terminations-of-refugee-resettlement-and-humanitarian-aid/e
Shawn VanDiver@shawnjvandiver
[2/27/2025 2:39 PM, 31.5K followers, 9 retweets, 58 likes]
This doesn’t change anything from yesterday, except that the *pause* has become permanent. That could change if Congress steps in. And this doesn’t change anything about SIV processing, that’s still happening. There are efforts underway to help with relocation assistance.
Shawn VanDiver@shawnjvandiver
[2/27/2025 4:26 PM, 31.5K followers, 43 retweets, 129 likes]
The SIV program is NOT closed. What’s closed, permanently, is the government funded resettlement support that refugees and SIVs used to receive (before Jan 20th) on arrival. Afghans with approved visas can still self-fund travel. The news today: the permanence.
Nilofar Ayoubi@NilofarAyoubi
[2/27/2025 9:57 AM, 69.2K followers, 1 like] Today marks Soldier’s Day in the Afghan calendar. On this day, let’s remember our heroes who were betrayed and humiliated by Ghani and his Politicians. These are the same generals and politicians who organize gatherings; some advocate for division, others fuel the fire of ethnic fascism, and the rest focus on lining their pockets and keeping their projects active in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, they play both sides while distracting the youth with social media conflicts.
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[2/27/2025 8:30 AM, 218.6K followers, 10 retweets, 14 likes]
This week for @ForeignPolicy I explain why it’ll be tough for President Trump to get US weaponry back from the Taliban-and why his administration will face big challenges in Afghanistan more broadly. https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/26/afghanistan-trump-taliban-military-weapons/ Pakistan
Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan@PakPMO
[2/28/2025 1:58 AM, 3.7M followers, 16 retweets, 41 likes]
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif addresses a breakfast session with the newly inducted members of the Federal Cabinet in Islamabad. February 28, 2025.
Dr. Arif Alvi@ArifAlvi
[2/28/2025 12:00 AM, 4.4M followers, 1K retweets, 2.8K likes]
Why @ImranKhanPTI did not agree to a pardon from the President? My message to him in this regard and his response, even asking His reaction to my insistence on resigning after regime change but specially after false flag operation of May 9, 2023 Pakistan was formed on the ideological principle of the Two-Nation theory, through a democratic struggle that included voting in important constituent regions. It was a political movement and not a struggle to establish a theocracy. Despite coercion, brutality and destruction of institutions we remain steadfast to our vision. A clip from my interview with Dr @YasirQadhi Chairman Fiqh Council of North America & Dean of the Islamic Seminary of America at the beautiful EPIC mosque in Dallas. Watch complete discussion at: https://youtube.com/watch?v=SWXO2ErgSTg Ashok Swain@ashoswai
[2/27/2025 3:35 PM, 621.6K followers, 958 retweets, 2.1K likes]
Pakistan is classified as an authoritarian regime by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Democracy Index. Its democracy ranking fell six spots in 2024 to 124th globally, placing it among the "top 10 worst performers". Asim Munir should be given ‘credit’ for this.
Ashok Swain@ashoswai
[2/27/2025 3:40 PM, 621.6K followers, 9 retweets, 65 likes]
Though Bangladesh witnessed a revolution in 2024 and overthrew an authoritarian regime, the country has failed to hold an election and elect its government. That has pushed the Country 25 places behind last year to 100th place globally and is called a hybrid regime.
Ashok Swain@ashoswai
[2/27/2025 3:45 PM, 621.6K followers, 6 retweets, 39 likes]
India remains a flawed democracy as per the Democracy Index 2024 - Though there was a general election in 2024, as Modi managed to capture the power through coalition, India’s ranking didn’t improve from 2023. India remains at 41st place globally. India
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[2/27/2025 11:24 PM, 105.5M followers, 2.3K retweets, 10K likes]
Greetings on National Science Day to those passionate about science, particularly our young innovators. Let’s keep popularising science and innovation and leveraging science to build a Viksit Bharat. During this month’s #MannKiBaat, had talked about ‘One Day as a Scientist’…where the youth take part in some or the other scientific activity.
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[2/27/2025 11:03 AM, 105.5M followers, 2.9K retweets, 14K likes]
The Ayush sector has played a pivotal role in promoting holistic well-being and good health. Today, chaired a review meeting to further strengthen its impact through research, innovation and global collaborations. India remains committed to making traditional medicine a key pillar of healthcare. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2106735
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[2/27/2025 11:03 AM, 105.5M followers, 533 retweets, 1.2K likes]
In the last decade, the Ayush sector has grown exponentially in India. With initiatives like Ayush Visa, AI-driven research, and the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar, India is leading the way in evidence-based traditional medicine.
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[2/27/2025 11:03 AM, 105.5M followers, 556 retweets, 1.3K likes]
Yoga, Ayurveda, and traditional medicine are integral to our heritage and the world’s future. Deliberated on ways to enhance digital outreach, boost research and increase accessibility.
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[2/27/2025 10:19 AM, 105.5M followers, 3K retweets, 19K likes]
I will be attending Jahan-e-Khusrau at 7:30 PM tomorrow, 28th February at Sunder Nursery in Delhi. This is the 25th edition of the festival, which has been a commendable effort to popularise Sufi music and culture. I look forward to witnessing Nazr-e-Krishna during tomorrow’s programme. I compliment Muzaffar Ali Ji and team of Rumi Foundation for their work in this field over the years. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2106691
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[2/27/2025 4:00 AM, 105.5M followers, 10K retweets, 58K likes]
As the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj concludes, penned few thoughts on this landmark gathering, which wonderfully illustrated the cultural, societal and spiritual strength of our land. Do read my blog in English. https://www.narendramodi.in/prime-minister-narendra-modi-shares-his-thoughts-on-the-mahakumbh-591281
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[2/28/2025 1:18 AM, 3.4M followers, 58 retweets, 333 likes]
On National Science Day, greetings to our scientists and innovators who have propelled our nation towards excellence. Their remarkable achievements in space, healthcare, IT and renewable energy continues to inspire India’s youth to explore, innovate and excel for building a #ViksitBharat.
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[2/28/2025 12:55 AM, 3.4M followers, 142 retweets, 985 likes]
Participated in the 2nd India - EU Trade and Technology Council meeting along with my cabinet colleagues @PiyushGoyal and @AshwiniVaishnaw. Thank @HennaVirkkunen, @MarosSefcovic and @EZaharievaEU for their partnership. Took stock of the significant progress made in digital partnership, clean & green energy initiatives and trade, investments & resilient supply chains. Exchanged views on new opportunities in semiconductors, AI, 6G, EVs, Green Hydrogen and a mutually beneficial trade regime. Confident that today’s discussions will translate into new economic, trade and tech linkages.
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[2/27/2025 10:14 AM, 3.4M followers, 185 retweets, 1.2K likes]
A special delight to join @LtGovDelhi and witness the 10th India-International Dance and Music Festival. The performances in unison by artistes from Mongolia, Rwanda, Russia, South Africa and India embody the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Appreciate efforts by @iccr_hq and Delhi Development Authority in organising this special event at the Baansera Park on the banks of Yamuna.Ashok Swain@ashoswai
[2/27/2025 5:35 PM, 621.6K followers, 14 retweets, 59 likes]
BNP says when it will come to power, it will sign a deal with China to build a barrage on Teesta. India has many dams on the upstream of Teesta & refuses to sign a water sharing deal with Bangladesh. The real ‘water war’ will start in 22 months, when Ganges Treaty will expire. NSB
Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh@ChiefAdviserGoB
[2/27/2025 10:45 AM, 118.3K followers, 71 retweets, 873 likes]
Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus urges global efforts to make the upcoming Rohingya conference a success, aiming to revive global attention & support for the long-persecuted minority. He made the call during a meeting with UNHCR chief @FilippoGrandi in Dhaka. #RohingyaCrisis
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[2/27/2025 11:43 AM, 112.2K followers, 125 retweets, 125 likes]
President Dr @MMuizzu officially inaugurates Izzuddin Jetty after renovation and upgradation of its superstructure. Special attention was given to incorporating Maldivian culture and identity in redesigning the jetty. The new design is inspired by the Presidential Jetty designs during the tenures of the first Maldivian President Mohamed Amin Didi and third President Uz @maumoonagayoom. A special logo, depicting the crest of the last Sultan Mohamed Fareed Didi has also been incorporated into the design.
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[2/27/2025 8:49 AM, 112.2K followers, 94 retweets, 89 likes]
First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed officiates the groundbreaking ceremony for the new community park on HA. Ihavandhoo. Earlier during her visit, the First Lady inaugurated the dialysis service at the Amina Dhiyo Health Centre, toured the facility, and inquired about the services provided.
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[2/27/2025 8:29 AM, 112.2K followers, 102 retweets, 95 likes]
First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed officially inaugurates the dialysis service at the Amina Dhiyo Health Centre on HA. Ihavandhoo. During her visit, the First Lady toured the facility and engaged with staff to learn more about the services provided at the Health Centre.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives@MoFAmv
[2/27/2025 1:57 PM, 55.4K followers, 12 retweets, 19 likes]
Foreign Minister @abkhaleel hosted a traditional Maahefun for heads of resident Diplomatic Missions in Maldives. This unique opportunity for the diplomats to experience the rich cultural heritage and culinary delights of Maldives was organised by Ministry staff.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake@anuradisanayake
[2/27/2025 10:15 PM, 145.9K followers, 6 retweets, 64 likes]
Yesterday (27), I directed the District Secretaries to allocate Rs. 1,400 billion for recurrent expenditure over the next eight months to implement productive grassroots projects. By developing the rural economy, we can elevate our country’s growth by 3% to 4%. We must enhance existing opportunities and create new sources of growth. It’s time to address the negative perception of the public sector and work towards an efficient government service. Development is more than just buildings; it’s about uplifting our social structure.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake@anuradisanayake
[2/27/2025 5:36 AM, 145.9K followers, 12 retweets, 129 likes] I met with senior officials of the Sri Lanka Air Force today (27) to discuss the country’s security situation. We focused on strengthening the Air Force as a maritime security force in the Indian Ocean and enhancing its support for Army & Navy operations. Budgetary allocations and operational needs were also reviewed.
Namal Rajapaksa@RajapaksaNamal
[2/27/2025 7:06 AM, 436.8K followers, 21 retweets, 66 likes]
We need answers on USAID! At the Parliamentary Business Committee today, I raised concerns with the Speaker over the delay in appointing a Parliamentary Select Committee to probe the USAID funds. It was a proposal made by the SLPP weeks ago. The Speaker assured he would give me a reply soon but there has been no indication if and when such a PSC would be appointed. It is of utmost importance that the govt. provides answers as to how and who the recepients of these funds were for the benefit of Sri Lankans as well as US tax payers. In a democratic society, undemocratic practices must be avoided at all costs especially when the USAID has been exposed by their own government for funding groups to cause destabilization in some countries. Central Asia
Navbahor Imamova@Navbahor
[2/27/2025 11:14 AM, 24.1K followers, 1 retweet]
Tajikistan’s Mansuri Manuchekhri, 33, was arrested yesterday in New York for allegedly conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and ISIS-K, possessing firearms while unlawfully in 🇺🇸, and immigration fraud.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz
[2/27/2025 11:25 AM, 212.9K followers, 10 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting on improving the judicial system, emphasizing transparency and digitalization. Plans include a transition to fully digital case management, establishing an IT Center at the Supreme Court, AI integration, and electronic data exchange to expedite case processing. Judicial databases are set to link with law enforcement, a uniform judicial practice will be introduced in economic courts, while court infrastructure will be expanded.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz
[2/27/2025 10:02 AM, 212.9K followers, 1 retweet, 11 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev met with International @Judo Federation head @MariusVizer Talks focused on technical and expert support for athlete training, coaching and talent selection, with a proposal to host regular international judo events. The President awarded Marius Vizer the “Dustlik” Order for his contributions to judo development in #Uzbekistan.{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.