epubdos : Afghanistan
SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO:
SCA & Staff
DATE:
Monday, February 3, 2025 6:30 AM ET

Afghanistan
The Taliban have no legal right to multibillion dollar Afghan fund, says US watchdog (AP)
AP [2/1/2025 9:48 AM, Staff, 1129K, Neutral]
The watchdog for U.S. assistance to Afghanistan said the Taliban have no legal right to billions of dollars in funding set aside for the country because they are not recognized as its government and are under sanctions.

In its latest report issued Friday, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, also said President Donald Trump’s administration and Congress may want to examine returning nearly $4 billion earmarked for Afghanistan to the "custody and control" of the U.S. government.

In 2022, the U.S. transferred $3.5 billion in Afghan central bank assets previously frozen in America to the Swiss-based Fund for the Afghan People. The fund has grown to nearly $4 billion since then, according to the inspector general.

Although no payments benefiting Afghans have been made, the fund is aimed at protecting and stabilizing the economy on their behalf.

"The Taliban want these funds even though they have no legal right to them since they are not recognized by the United States as the government of Afghanistan, are on the U.S. Specially Designated Global Terrorist list, and are under U.S. and U.N. sanctions," the report said.

Responding to the report Saturday, the Afghan Economy Ministry said more than $9 billion of Afghanistan’s foreign exchange reserves had been frozen and warned that any U.S. action regarding the allocation, use or transfer of these reserves was unacceptable.

It urged the international community to return the money to the central bank to ensure the country’s stability.

The ministry also said that U.S. expenditure had made no significant impact on the Afghan economy.

The SIGAR report follows Trump’s decision to freeze foreign aid for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether projects align with his policy goals.

According to the report, the U.S. has spent nearly $3.71 billion in Afghanistan since withdrawing from the country in 2021. Most of that has gone to U.N. agencies.

Another $1.2 billion remains available in the pipeline for possible disbursement, the report said.

U.S. humanitarian assistance may have "staved off famine" in the face of economic collapse, but it has not dissuaded the Taliban from taking Americans hostage, dismantling the rights of women and girls, censoring the media, allowing the country to become a "terrorist safe haven," and targeting former Afghan government officials, added the watchdog.

The U.S. remains the largest donor to Afghanistan, but the report said a lot of the money is taxed or diverted.

"The further the cash gets away from the source, the less transparency there is," Chris Borgeson, the deputy inspector general for audits and inspections at the watchdog, told The Associated Press last August.

Meanwhile, authorities in Afghanistan on Saturday clarified the circumstances behind their takeover of the country’s only luxury hotel.

The General Directorate of State-Owned Corporations said an international hotel brand, Serena, had signed an agreement in 2003 with the Tourism Promotion Services Company for Afghanistan. This contract was terminated by the Emirates Hotel Company last December. The hotel had continued its operations as usual since then.

Meanwhile, authorities in Afghanistan on Saturday clarified the circumstances behind their takeover of the country’s only luxury hotel.

The General Directorate of State-Owned Corporations said an international hotel brand, Serena, had signed an agreement in 2003 with the Tourism Promotion Services Company for Afghanistan. This contract was terminated by the Emirates Hotel Company last December. The hotel had continued its operations as usual since then.
Taliban decry US claims about frozen Afghan assets (VOA)
VOA [2/1/2025 3:11 PM, Ayaz Gul, 2717K, Negative]
Taliban officials denounced Saturday claims that the United States could regain custody of Afghanistan’s frozen central bank funds, warning that any such action would be "unacceptable.".

The Taliban-led Ministry of Economy issued the warning in response to the latest quarterly report released to the U.S. Congress on Friday stating that the government in Kabul is not recognized by Washington and has been subjected to economic sanctions.

In August 2021, when Taliban insurgents retook control of the country just days before the withdrawal of all American and NATO troops, then-President Joe Biden froze about $7 billion in assets that were held in the U.S. by the Afghan central bank. Additionally, European countries froze around $2 billion.

Washington subsequently transferred half of the frozen funds, amounting to $3.5 billion, to a newly established "Afghan Fund" in Switzerland. That fund is intended to support humanitarian assistance in impoverished Afghanistan while ensuring that the Taliban cannot access the money, but no payments have since been released.

The remaining $3.5 billion was retained in the U.S. to fund potential compensation for ongoing court cases against the Taliban, brought by families of the September 11, 2001, attack victims.

"With accrued interest, the fund has now grown to nearly $4 billion," said the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) in its report to Congress on Friday. "As part of the current review of foreign assistance, the administration and the Congress may want to examine returning these funds to the custody and control of the U.S. government," it added.

"The Taliban want these funds even though they have no legal right to them since they are not recognized by the United States as the government of Afghanistan, are on the U.S. Specially Designated Global Terrorist list, and are under U.S. and U.N. sanctions," the SIGAR stressed.

The agency referred to President Donald Trump’s order issued after his inauguration last month, which suspended almost all foreign aid for three months pending a review to determine what aligns with his "America First" policy.

The de facto Afghan ministry dismissed the objections, saying freezing central bank assets has undermined their national economy. It renewed Kabul’s call for the international community to return the more than $9 billion to the central bank, saying it belongs to the Afghan nation and can play a critical role in ensuring monetary and economic stability.

"Any action by the United States regarding the allocation, use, or transfer of these reserves is unacceptable," the Taliban statement warned.

The SIGAR report argued that Washington has spent more than $3.7 billion in Afghanistan since withdrawing its troops from the country, saying most of that money went to U.N. and partner agencies delivering humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan. It noted that another $1.2 billion remains available in the pipeline for possible disbursement.

However, the Taliban disputed the assertions and claimed that U.S. spending had no significant impact on the Afghan economy.

SIGAR said that the United States remains the largest donor to Afghanistan, where millions of people need humanitarian aid, according to U.N. assessments.

"While this assistance may have staved off famine in the face of economic collapse, it has not dissuaded the Taliban from taking U.S. citizens hostage, dismantling the rights of women and girls, censoring the media, allowing the country to become a terrorist safe haven, and targeting former Afghan government officials," the U.S. agency wrote in the report.

Since retaking power three-and-a-half years ago, the hard-line Taliban have banned girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and suspended female university education across Afghanistan. Women are prohibited from visiting public places, such as gyms and parks. They must wear face coverings in public and have a chaperone for road or air travel.

The Taliban defend their policies, saying they are aligned with Islamic law, or Sharia, and Afghan culture, dismissing international criticism as an interference in the country’s internal affairs.

The sweeping restrictions on Afghan women and other human rights concerns, as well as the Taliban’s alleged ties with terrorist groups, have deterred the international community from granting legitimacy to the de facto Afghan government.
Trump at odds with US military veterans over snarled Afghan relocations (Al Jazeera)
Al Jazeera [1/31/2025 7:25 PM, Joseph Stepansky, 19588K, Neutral]
When Ruqia Balkhi arrived in the United States in September 2023, she was greeted by a federally funded resettlement agency that helped her launch a new life.

Balkhi, a 55-year-old engineer, was one of the thousands of Afghans who worked alongside the US military during its two-decade-long intervention in her home country.

But after the fall of the US-backed government in 2021, it became unsafe for her to stay in Afghanistan under Taliban leadership.

So she left for the US. During her first 90 days in the country, Balkhi received temporary housing, language lessons, basic goods, mental health support and guidance on enrolling her 15-year-old son in a local school in Virginia.

However, when her husband, Mohammed Aref Mangal, arrived under the same visa programme in January, those services had been abruptly halted. President Donald Trump had just been inaugurated, and the US had tightened restrictions on federal funding and immigration.

“It was completely opposite for my husband,” Balkhi said of the circumstances he faced.

Advocates say her family’s story illustrates how Trump’s broad executive orders might have repercussions even for areas of bipartisan support.

Veteran organisations have largely supported efforts to bring Afghan citizens to safety in the US, particularly if they worked with US forces or the US-backed government.

But in the first days of Trump’s second term, the government paused the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), leaving some already approved Afghan applicants stranded abroad.

Another executive order halted foreign aid. That, in turn, has caused interruptions to the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) programme for Afghans who worked with the US military, like Balkhi and her husband.

Balkhi explained that her husband was luckier than most, given that he had a family already established in the US. But she expressed anguish for those entering the country without the same support system she received.

“Without help from the resettlement agency, I don’t think we would have been able to survive,” she told Al Jazeera in Dari, speaking through a translator provided by the Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area.

Some critics see the issue as a test of just how durable Trump’s hardline policies will be when their full impact becomes clear.

“My request from the new government is that they not forget their commitments to Afghan allies and Afghan immigrants,” Balkhi said.

An early-term ‘mistake’?

Trump’s campaign promises made no secret of his desire to overhaul the US immigration system, to fend off what he decried as a migrant “invasion”.

But his criticism of the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 had sparked hope among those advocating for services for Afghans involved with the US military.

“President Trump campaigned on a bunch of stuff related to Afghanistan, particularly how bad the withdrawal was,” Shawn VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, an organisation that supports Afghan resettlement.

“So I just don’t believe that he would do that and then not try to help our allies. I’m just hoping this is a mistake.”

In his latest bid for re-election, Trump repeatedly expressed sympathy for those caught up in the August 2021 troop withdrawal, during which a suicide bombing claimed the lives of 13 US service members and 170 Afghans.

Trump also blasted former US President Joe Biden for overseeing the incident, which he called the “Afghanistan calamity”. The day before his inauguration, on January 19, Trump pointedly visited the grave of three soldiers who died during the withdrawal effort.

VanDiver said Trump’s actions from here forward will be critical. If his administration changes course on Afghan resettlement, VanDiver sees that as a hopeful sign.

“But if they don’t change anything, well, then you can be left to conclude that maybe they did mean to do it.”

While Trump’s orders have not directly stopped processing under SIV, they have snarled a pipeline for those seeking relief under the programme, which requires federal funding to operate.

Earlier this month, 10 national organisations that rely on federal support to provide “reception and placement services” received an order to stop work immediately — and incur no further costs.

The State Department’s freeze on foreign aid has also gutted services for those waiting abroad in places like Qatar and Albania, including medical care, food and legal support, VanDiver explained.

Most significantly, Trump’s orders have cut funding for relocation flights run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Most SIV recipients relied on that transportation reach the US.

“The shutdown of these services isn’t just an inconvenience,” VanDiver said, pointing to the delicate living situations of many Afghans seeking safety. “It could be a death sentence for some of the most vulnerable evacuees.”

Refugee suspension

The SIV programme is not the only one hampered by Trump’s new orders, though.

Refugee resettlement has likewise ground to a halt. Under the previous US administration, Afghans facing persecution from the Taliban could apply for relocation under special refugee categories.

The P1 category was reserved for Afghans referred by the US embassy, while P2 was available for those who worked with the US military, US government-affiliated programmes or nonprofits based in the US. A third category also allowed for family unification, for those with relatives already in the US.

Those pathways have all been closed amid the wider suspension of the US refugee programme.

Kim Staffieri, the executive director of the Association of Wartime Allies, said individuals seeking refuge through those programmes should receive the same urgent attention as SIV recipients.

“There are a lot of people that helped us, who worked for the same goals over there that are very much in danger, but they just don’t qualify for the SIV because it’s got such tight requirements on,” Staffieri said.

She added that she expected Trump’s administration to have given more consideration to Afghan refugees, given the bipartisan support for them.

“We expected some challenges. What we didn’t expect were these broad, sweeping strokes of pausing and suspending necessary programmes,” she told Al Jazeera.

“It feels like either they didn’t have knowledge or they didn’t take time to really think what the downstream effects would be in their entirety.”

Veteran support

Polls have repeatedly shown wide support for resettling Afghans who supported US forces during the war in Afghanistan.

In September 2021, for instance, a poll from NPR and the research firm Ipsos suggested that two-thirds of US respondents backed the relocations, far outpacing support for other groups seeking refuge.

That high level of approval has continued in the years since. An October 2023 poll from the With Honor advocacy group found that 80 percent of respondents signalled continuing support for Afghan resettlement.

US military veterans have been at the forefront of the relocation effort. That demographic, while diverse, typically skews conservative. About 61 percent supported Trump in the 2024 election, according to the Pew Research Center.

Andrew Sullivan, the chief of advocacy and government affairs of No One Left Behind, an SIV advocacy group, described the support as “a matter of national honour and of national security”.

“It is certainly a veterans issue. And so it’s been a bipartisan issue,” said Sullivan.

A veteran of the Afghanistan war himself, Sullivan worked closely alongside an Afghan interpreter when he was an army infantry officer. That interpreter — whom Sullivan identified only by a first name, Ahmadi — has since relocated to the US through the SIV programme.

Sullivan said he was optimistic Trump would eventually create “carve-outs” for Afghans, pointing to the large number of veterans from the Afghanistan conflict in the Republican’s administration.

One of those veterans, former Congressman Mike Waltz, has since become Trump’s White House national security adviser. Waltz previously put pressure on former President Biden to “bring home our Afghan allies”.

Sullivan explained he has repeatedly engaged with Waltz on the issue, and he left feeling hopeful.

“He understands on that personal, visceral level, how much these folks mean to [veterans],” Sullivan said. “So I know he gets it.”

‘A screeching halt’

Other advocates, however, are less hopeful. James Powers, a grassroots organiser from Ohio who focuses on veterans issues, pointed to immigration hardliner Stephen Miller’s role in the new administration.

Miller had served in Trump’s first administration when SIV processing had slowed to a trickle.

“It only makes sense that [the programme] would come to a screeching halt as soon as he got back into power to influence the current president,” Powers said.

Advocates also worried that the years of work to grow the current system were at risk.

Just last year, Congress passed a law with bipartisan support that created a special office to coordinate and streamline SIV relocations.

Over the last four years, the Biden administration also expanded the processing of both SIVs and other Afghan refugee categories. Biden’s government issued 33,341 SIVs in fiscal year 2024, about triple the number issued in 2022, the first full fiscal year following the withdrawal.

Afghan refugee admissions also increased from 1,618 in fiscal year 2022 to 14,708 in 2024.

All told, over 200,000 Afghans have been relocated to the US since the withdrawal, including tens of thousands flown on evacuation flights in the immediate aftermath.

“They’ve got to do a better job,” Powers said of the Trump administration. “There are fair experts on both sides of the aisle, on all ideological spectrums, that will tell them there are better ways.”
At least one dead after firing incident at UN compound in Kabul (Reuters)
Reuters [2/3/2025 4:28 AM, Charlotte Greenfield, 5.2M, Negative]
A firing incident at a United Nations compound in Kabul has killed one person and injured another, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement on Monday.

Guards belonging to the Taliban were involved in the incident and investigations are on, the statement said.
A Taliban highway could lead to the future. But it’s stuck in the past. (Washington Post)
Washington Post [2/1/2025 4:23 PM, Rick Noack and Carolyn Van Houten, 40736K, Neutral]
More than three years after the Taliban seized power, Afghanistan remains economically decrepit and politically isolated. But now, the Taliban government has a plan to turn one of the country’s remotest corners into a global trade hub.

The regime wants to build a highway through the Wakhan Corridor, the narrow, rugged panhandle in the far northeast, to connect the Afghan heartland with China — and place itself at the center of international commerce.

If the road is ever completed, it would bypass Pakistan, dramatically cutting travel times between Central Asia and China and potentially promoting trade in rare minerals and other resources, such as lithium, cobalt and gold. The highway’s boosters see it returning Afghanistan to the central place it held ages ago on the Silk Road, as China pushes forward with plans to build a modern version of the route with an intercontinental network of land and maritime routes. “Wakhan is part of it,” said Abdul Salam Jawad, a spokesman for the Taliban-run Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

The Taliban says its initial task is to pave a 30-mile stretch of dirt road just west of the Chinese border, though 200 more miles are also largely unpaved and badly in need of improvement. Ultimately, the route will require building durable bridges and eliminating river crossings that become inaccessible in high water.

But its detractors say the road could easily become a highway to nowhere.

Satellite images from Maxar, a commercial imaging firm, show that on the Afghan side of the border, no new construction has occurred on the corridor’s Wakhjir Pass since August and that the completed segment ends in rough terrain, less than a half-mile from the border.

“Our government doesn’t have enough budget,” Zabihullah Amiri, director of the provincial Information Ministry, acknowledged in an interview. “We hope that China will help.”

Chinese companies have struck numerous deals to mine rare minerals in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover. But despite the Taliban’s claims that China is eager to team up with the regime to facilitate trade via the Wakhan Corridor, Beijing has so far stayed away from undertaking large infrastructure projects.

The challenges facing the project are the same as those confronting the Afghan economy as a whole. The Taliban’s tightening restrictions on women and girls have left Afghanistan economically isolated, with many foreign governments, multinational companies and international agencies reluctant to invest under these repressive conditions. Security also remains a grave concern for development amid persistent attacks by Islamist militants, at times targeting Chinese visitors.

Along with a team of Washington Post journalists, I recently traveled from the capital, Kabul — 600 miles from the Chinese border — to the Wakhan Corridor to explore the factors afflicting the highway project and the Taliban’s broader aspirations.

The view from Kabul

Most of the work on the highway so far has occurred over the border in China. Satellite imagery shows that small portions of roadway there have been recently paved, improving the existing road, and that additional guard posts have been erected at the border.

But Afghan state media has focused instead on even the tiniest progress on the Afghan side.

In Kabul, the headlines about such progress have prompted enthusiasm. Abdul Jabar Saqib, 39, is preparing for what he projects will be an influx of Chinese merchants. He just opened a Chinese restaurant in downtown Kabul and is planning branches elsewhere in the city. Visitors arriving at Kabul’s airport, meanwhile, are greeted these days by a billboard advertising a recently opened Chinese hotel.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting interior minister, recently met with the Chinese ambassador to discuss the Wakhan Corridor and “the enhancement of trade relations,” said Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the ministry.

So far, demand appears to be primarily driven by companies that can afford to take risks. Some long-standing Chinese merchants, however, say the number of Chinese people starting businesses in Kabul has actually declined since the Taliban takeover, with some citing concerns over the safety of their investments.

A language teacher in Kabul said an initial wave of interest in learning Chinese may already be fading. There is no shortage of work for the limited pool of well-qualified interpreters. But the teacher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing Chinese funding, said scholarship applications to study in China are being rejected en masse by the Chinese government. Only a few Chinese construction companies have shown interest in recruiting entry-level graduates for road construction or mining projects.

Wary investors

To reach the Wakhan Corridor from Kabul, we first had to follow the main road north, eventually passing through the infamous Salang Tunnel, a claustrophobic, smog-filled 1.7-mile passage built by the Soviet Union at an altitude of over 11,000 feet, where even the most seasoned travelers can experience altitude sickness. The tunnel was a remarkable engineering achievement when it was built in the 1960s, but today, with heavier traffic volumes, travelers often find themselves mired in long jams. The Taliban has announced plans to build a second tunnel, but the cost could be prohibitive.

Upgrading the roadways to Wakhan and then constructing a connecting road to China could require financing like that in the Cold War, international organizations suggest, when the Soviet Union and the United States pumped money into the country because they saw it as strategically important.

Supporters of the Taliban say there has been a noticeable increase in the construction of infrastructure under its rule. But much of that work has been in cities like Kabul, rather than on the eroded network of Afghan highways spanning thousands of miles.

One reason for the continued neglect of highways has been a lack of international funding due to the Taliban’s crackdown on women’s rights, according to foreign donors. Western governments are wary of being seen as supportive of the regime; many international donors have yet to resume funding for major development projects; and Afghanistan’s banking system remains internationally ostracized.

Still, many Afghan men in places like Baghlan — at the north end of the tunnel — are optimistic about the future because the withdrawal of U.S. troops put an end to the country’s long war. Mohammad Wali Baghlani, a 60-year-old businessman in Baghlan, says his region’s golden era is still ahead.

But for women, peace has come at a steep cost. “We’re waiting for a miracle to happen,” said a 23-year-old woman in Baghlan, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid drawing scrutiny from the regime.

Security fears

Beyond Baghlan, the road eventually came to a junction and we turned east, arriving before too long at Taleqan. Under the Taliban’s plans for the Wakhan Corridor, this city would become a major transport hub.

These days, convoys carrying Taliban soldiers race along Taleqan’s roads with sirens blaring. Rumors of robberies and militant attacks are ubiquitous. Such security fears could derail the Taliban’s plans for Wakhan, in part because violence could scare off the Chinese engineers and other experts that the Afghan government is counting on. Continuing attacks could also depress commerce.

Islamic State-Khorasan, the local Islamic State affiliate, has asserted responsibility for numerous attacks in various parts of Afghanistan since 2021, including a December 2022 assault on a hotel in Kabul that injured five Chinese citizens. ISIS-K views the Chinese government as a target, railing against what the group has called “China’s daydream of imperialism.” The increasing reach of the militants was illustrated late last year when a bombing claimed by ISIS-K killed an Afghan cabinet minister, Khalil Haqqani.

In neighboring Pakistan, attacks that have killed 20 Chinese nationals since 2021 brought a strong reaction from the Chinese government, which warned that plans for major construction projects could be in jeopardy and demanded that the Pakistani government take action against the militants responsible for the violence.

The Taliban claims it isn’t worried. “Finally, after four decades of war, we have reached full security across the country,” reads a large roadside billboard on the way north.

But the closer one gets to Afghanistan’s northern border, the more hushed conversations become about the security situation and the more guarded the behavior, with residents often avoiding eye contact. Government snipers were positioned above Taleqan’s market square.

At the end of an interview, Zabihullah Ansar, head of the Taliban’s information directorate in the city, advised us to keep a low profile and hide our foreign identities. “The security situation is dire,” he said.

Someone to blame

More than 100 miles farther east, we finally reached the Wakhan Corridor. It is here that the Taliban dreams of a vibrant commercial artery. Today, it is home to little more than sleepy, neglected villages. The main road is patched together from gravel and pavement, and mostly devoid of traffic.

At the town of Ishkashim, at the western entrance to the corridor, a slogan carved into the mountainside by the previous Afghan government still welcomes visitors. It reads, ironically, “Education For Everyone.” The Taliban has banned girls and women from secondary and university education.

“Maybe, if the road was opened and foreigners came from afar, the Taliban would have to give us more freedom,” mused a 25-year-old woman.

But there is a widening gulf between ambition and reality in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. And as this gap becomes more obvious, some Afghans are looking for someone to blame.

Without providing evidence, local officials in the region are spreading word that foreign powers are behind a plot to prevent the Wakhan road from ever being built. Some Taliban officials and supporters claim that neighboring Pakistan, which could lose the most if the highway is built, may be preparing to invade Afghanistan to block the project.

Paranoia seems to be on the rise here. In Wakhan, Mohammad Zakir Ahmadi, a 54-year-old shepherd, said he was stunned to pass 150 Taliban security checkpoints over two weeks while herding about 20 of his yaks through the corridor.

There is little here to suggest a new future for Afghanistan. But the wreckage of Russian tanks rusting in riverbeds and abandoned NATO military bases with faded camouflage tarps offer ample reminders of the past that Afghans dream of leaving behind.
The Taliban take over Afghanistan’s only luxury hotel, more than a decade after attacking it (AP)
AP [1/31/2025 4:42 PM, Staff, 1129K, Neutral]
The Taliban are taking over the operations of Afghanistan’s only luxury hotel in Kabul, more than a decade after they launched a deadly attack there that killed nine people.

The Serena Hotel said Friday it was closing its operations in the Afghan capital on Feb. 1, with the Hotel State Owned Corporation taking over. The corporation is overseen by the finance ministry.

The finance ministry wasn’t immediately available for comment. Neither the Serena nor the government clarified the terms under which the hotel was changing hands.

The Taliban first targeted the Serena in 2008 and again in 2014. Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani acknowledged planning the 2008 attack, which killed eight, including U.S. citizen Thor David Hesla.

A statement from the Serena, a brand owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, said it had trained thousands of Afghan nationals, hosted large numbers of foreign guests and delegations, and set high international benchmarks in hospitality standards.

It asked people to direct their queries to the Hotel State Owned Corporation. Kabul no longer appears as a destination on the Serena website.

According to information on the finance ministry website, the corporation’s mission is to revive and develop Afghanistan’s hotel industry. It operates three other hotels in Afghanistan, two in Kabul and one in the eastern city of Nangarhar.

Tourism official Mohammad Saeed told The Associated Press last year that he wanted Afghanistan to become a tourism powerhouse.

At that time, in a sign the country was preparing for more overseas visitors, the Serena reopened its women’s spa and salon for foreign females after a monthslong closure, only to shut them again under pressure from authorities.

The Taliban have barred women from gyms, public spaces including parks, and education. Last year, they ordered the closure of beauty salons, allegedly because they offered services forbidden by Islam.
The Moral and Strategic Case for Taking in the Afghan Refugees (New York Times – opinion)
New York Times [2/1/2025 4:14 PM, Elliot Ackerman, 831K, Neutral]
On a recent Saturday afternoon, I took my son to the newly opened Afghanistan and Iraq exhibit at the National Museum of the Marine Corps near Quantico, Va. As we walked among the weapons, equipment and uniforms, one display stood out. It contained an unusual uniform worn by a Raider, a member of U.S. Marine Corps special operations.

I served in the Raiders and as an adviser to Afghan special operations units between 2008 and 2011. But, like the one on display, the uniform I wore wasn’t American — it was Afghan. I explained to my son that we dressed this way for tactical reasons, but also because implicit in wearing Afghan uniforms was a promise: We and our Afghan allies were one.

The Afghan withdrawal four and a half years ago broke that promise. Today, America has an opportunity to redeem at least a part of it.

The last U.S. military aircraft left Kabul in August 2021. But the withdrawal is not over. More than 1,600 of our Afghan allies are stranded overseas and trying to resettle in the United States. The Trump administration has canceled their entry to the United States as part of a broad suspension of the Refugee Admissions Program. This decision, if not reversed, is yet another betrayal of my former colleagues.

The stranded Afghan refugees are not migrants like those who have come across the southern U.S. border illegally, or even like those who overran the airfield at Kabul International in 2021. They are colleagues of our service members, men and women who have been fully vetted and cleared by the State Department for entry into the United States.

A number of these stranded refugees are former members of the Afghan military who fought in the same types of special operations units that I advised. They are also members of Afghan civil society, including activists who stood up for women’s rights at our country’s urging. Many are family members of U.S. citizens, including children and spouses of active-duty U.S. military personnel.

During the Afghan withdrawal, the Taliban drew up lists of our allies to hunt and kill because they had worked with us. A number of these people are on those lists. Due to bureaucratic inertia and a lack of political will, the Biden administration failed to bring them to the United States.

During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump heavily criticized Mr. Biden’s withdrawal while standing by his first administration’s decision to negotiate its framework with the Taliban. Mr. Trump’s argument was that the United States needed to get out of Afghanistan, but that the Biden administration botched the execution. Now he is making the same mistakes his predecessor made.

One of the denunciations leveled by critics of the Biden administration was that abandoning our Afghan allies after the withdrawal harmed the credibility of the United States. This was a fair criticism then, and it is a fair criticism now. The United States is confronting a world as turbulent as any since the end of the Second World War. In addition to enduring threats from terrorist groups like ISIS, it is a world characterized by the return of great power competition. This country doesn’t fight on its own; it has always fought alongside its allies.

During the withdrawal I was one of thousands of American veterans who worked on what came to be called a “digital Dunkirk.” We used our phones and encrypted apps to save the lives of Afghan friends and colleagues when the U.S. government abandoned them. We made lists of Afghans who required assistance, shepherded them onto convoys and helped them navigate checkpoints.

I was personally involved with several hundred Afghan evacuation cases. We knew that eventually our efforts would have to end — we would have to tell the remaining, deserving Afghans begging for our help that we couldn’t help them any more, that the last flight had left. Since then, the Taliban have taken retribution against some of them; others have fled the country or remain in hiding inside of Afghanistan.

The Trump administration has a powerful opportunity here, not only to honor the lives of our allies but also the sacrifices of a generation of American veterans who served in their country. By bringing this group of vetted Afghans to the United States, Mr. Trump would differentiate himself from Mr. Biden and show that he would have handled the aftermath of the withdrawal differently. He would also send a signal that the United States is reliable, even as we are renegotiating our relationships with international partners.

Surely many around the world are watching — in Ukraine, for example, which itself is in a war of strategic consequence to the United States..

On inauguration day, Mr. Trump vowed that under his new administration he would create “peace through strength.” But peace through strength has never been solely about American might. This is why in the arena of great power competition — from the First and Second World Wars to the Cold War — the United States has won. We have forged strong, enduring alliances.

Breaking faith with former allies projects weakness to current, and future, partners. Weakness will never breed peace. And fighting without allies means that any future losses will primarily be our own.
Pakistan
18 Pakistani soldiers killed in fighting with separatist rebels in Balochistan (AP)
AP [2/1/2025 10:40 AM, Abdul Sattar, 33392K, Negative]
Pakistani troops fought separatist insurgents who set up roadblocks in the restive northwestern region of Balochistan, leaving 18 paramilitary security forces and 23 rebels dead in some of the heaviest clashes in recent years, officials said Saturday.

The military said troops suffered casualties when they engaged the insurgents who erected barricades on a key highway in Kalat, bordering Afghanistan.

The security forces “successfully removed the roadblock” following the fighting overnight into Saturday morning, the military said in a statement.

It said 18 security personnel died during the operation and vowed that “the perpetrators, facilitators and abettors of this heinous and cowardly act, will be brought to justice.” Security forces recovered the bodies of 12 insurgents, the military said.

Troops also killed another 11 insurgents in an operation that was still underway, it said.

Pakistan’s civil and military security forces in 2024 witnessed a 40% surge in militant attacks by all groups, compared to 2023. However, in December the military insisted that security forces killed 925 insurgents in 2024, a record high compared to the past five years, while 383 soldiers were killed in such operations last year.

The latest attacks drew condemnation from Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as well as provincial leaders in Balochistan, who also praised the security forces for eliminating the “terrorists.”

Zardari and Sharif said the operations will continue in Balochistan until the insurgents are eliminated.

The Baloch Liberation Army separatist group claimed responsibility for attack.

In a statement, BLA spokesman Azad Baloch said their fighters “have made significant progress in the Kalat attacks, achieving their targeted objectives.” He also claimed that insurgents attacked a military post in the district. Baloch said their 100 fighters took part in the coordinated attacks on security forces in Kalat district.

Abdullah Khan, the managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, said the latest attack showed that the insurgent group’s capability to carry out multiple attacks and hold highways in their control had increased. “The latest attack is one of the deadliest ones since last year,” he said.

Khan said Pakistan witnessed a sharp increase in militant attacks in January, surging by 42% compared to the previous month. As many as 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide in January, he said.

The BLA often targets security forces, civilians and foreigners, especially Chinese working on multibillion-dollar projects in Pakistan. In November, a BLA suicide bomber detonated at a train station in the southwestern city of Quetta, killing 26 people, including soldiers and railway staff.

Since then, the military and police have stepped up operations against the insurgents in the oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan, which is a hub for the country’s ethnic Baloch minority, whose members say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government.

Balochistan has for years been the scene of a long-running insurgency, with several separatist groups staging attacks, targeting mainly security forces in their quest for independence. The province also has an array of militant groups that are active there.

The BLA also enjoys the backing of Pakistani Taliban, who are known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and are a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban.

Authorities say the BLA and TTP have been using weapons that fell into their hands after the Afghan Taliban came into power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. The Islamic State group also has a presence in the province.
Jailed ex-Pakistani PM Imran Khan draws parallels to President Trump in fight for justice (FOX News)
FOX News [2/2/2025 9:38 AM, Avi Kumar and Kyra Colah, 57114K, Neutral]
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was jailed last month on charges of corruption, is being compared by supporters to President Donald Trump given the way they say authorities in Pakistan have persecuted him.

Many have linked his situation to Trump’s and blamed the government for jailing the popular former prime minister. Khan’s plight has also been highlighted by longtime Trump ally and adviser Richard Grenell, who took to social media late last year when he tweeted, "Free Imran Khan!".

A Pakistani court sentenced Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 14 and seven years in jail after finding them guilty of corruption. They were convicted for allegedly accepting land as a bribe through the Al-Qadir Trust, which they had set up while Khan was in office. Khan, however, maintains his innocence, describing the events as a "witch hunt" in exclusive comments to Fox News Digital. It is just one of the more than 100 cases he is facing.

In response to Fox News Digital questions about Khan’s conviction, Pakistan’s federal minister for information and broadcasting, Ata Ullah TararIn, defended Khan’s conviction. "The 190 million pound case is one of the biggest corruption cases in the history of Pakistan, and it is a mega scam in which former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have been found to be guilty. There is irrefutable evidence that they not only used the official position to grant illegal favor to a property tycoon, but they also received gratification and formed a sham trust in order to grant this favor to a property tycoon.".

He continued, "This is corruption of the highest order, and the former prime minister has been convicted on the basis of irrefutable evidence of corruption and this, this scam, which is the biggest scam in the history of Pakistan, has reached its legal conclusion.".

Khan has denied the charges and says his 2023 arrest and consequent sentencing was a plot to stop him from returning to office.

Khan’s responses to Fox News Digital questions came via his spokespeople, who communicated them with the former prime minister. Khan noted the parallels between himself and Trump, saying the two shared similar experiences. "The world today needs steadfast leadership that champions peace, democracy, and human rights, and I hope that his leadership can contribute to that vision".

Trump’s and Khan’s experiences with the authorities share are a key similarity, but their stories mirror each other in ways that go beyond just that.

While Trump transformed the U.S. political scene with his "Make America Great Again" movement, Khan energized Pakistanis with his "Naya Pakistan" (New Pakistan) vision. And in a manner similar to Trump, Khan did away with the elitism of politics, focusing on the average person instead.

Khan told Fox News Digital that his political party "is an inclusive party that represents the diverse fabric of Pakistan." He noted that while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was initially perceived as a party of the educated elite, that notion was "quickly dispelled.".

Khan continued, the "PTI resonates with people from all walks of life – rural and urban, middle class and marginalized – and it’s because our policies prioritize inclusion, merit and justice." He added, "We represent all provinces, castes and religions, ensuring that every voice has a place in shaping Pakistan’s future. This inclusivity is what makes us the largest national party, uniting Pakistan under the principles of equity and fairness.".

Zuhair Ahmed, a waiter from Lahore, told Fox News Digital, "Imran Khan resonates with a diverse crowd from all ethnic groups and religious sects. We have never seen a leader who has this much grassroots support-base. That’s the beauty of it, and we are confident that he will return to power and make the country better.".

In Pakistan’s turbulent politics, it has been observed by some analysts that "Allah, the army and America" are the key to rule. Since Trump’s return to office, the South Asian nation has been buzzing with speculation and hope over whether he will force Khan’s release. The two have a friendly relationship, with Trump calling Khan "a very good friend of mine" at a 2020 forum in Davos. The two first met in Washington in July 2019, which at the time was considered a reset for U.S.-Pakistan relations.

Shortly after Trump’s win in November, Grenell wrote on X "Watch Pakistan… Their Trump-like leader is in prison on phony charges, and the people have been inspired by the U.S. Red Wave. Stop the political prosecutions around the world!".

Richard Grenell has stated his support for freeing Imran Khan on social media.

Zulfikar Bukhari, special assistant to Khan, told Fox News Digital "They say Grenell seems to be the second most popular man in Pakistan due to his tweet supporting Khan." He added that Trump prevailed in a similar situation, and "it’s only a matter of time before Khan also returns.".

Khan tweeted his congratulations to Trump on winning November’s presidential election, noting, "The will of the American people held against all odds.".

When it comes to national priorities, Trump and Khan have put the economy at the forefront. Khan has also asserted that Pakistan will thrive when he makes his comeback. The country’s economy has teetered on the verge of collapse over the past few years.

"Economic diplomacy will be central to my approach. Pakistan is rich in natural resources, yet we have barely scratched the surface of our potential in agriculture, industrialization, and IT," Khan stated. "These sectors hold immense promise, both domestically and globally.".

Explaining his aspirations, Khan concluded, "Rather than relying on handouts, we must focus on self-sufficiency and leveraging our strengths to build sustainable economic relationships. With a population of 250 million, what succeeds internally can and should be positioned globally, creating opportunities for trade and investment that benefit the nation and our international partners alike.".

Khan’s message to his supporters and foes alike, "The people of Pakistan have never been more awake or more determined. They see with clarity what is happening to their nation, and they understand the forces at play. I firmly believe that truth and justice will ultimately prevail. And as long as I have breath, I will continue to fight for this cause and for a Pakistan that reflects the will and aspirations of its people.".
A police officer working on Pakistan’s first polio drive of the year is killed by gunmen (AP)
AP [2/3/2025 1:36 AM, Munir Ahmed, 456K, Negative]
A police officer working on Pakistan’s first polio vaccination drive of the year was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen Monday, police said.

Pakistan deployed thousands of police officers to protect health workers who go house-to-house to inoculate children and are targeted by militants who falsely claim the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.

The police officer was killed in Jamrud, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, local police official Jamshed Khan said.

More than 200 polio workers and police assigned for their protection have been killed in Pakistan since the 1990s, according to health officials and authorities. In December, a roadside bomb exploded near a vehicle carrying police officers assigned to protect polio workers in the restive northwest, killing three officers and wounding two others.

Though militant groups have stopped claiming attacks on polio workers and police escorting them, authorities say Pakistani Taliban and other breakaway factions of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, have been behind such attacks. The TTP is an ally of the Afghan Taliban who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched the vaccination campaign Sunday when he met with medical staff and representatives of international aid agencies and vowed that Pakistan would win the war against polio. The campaign that began Monday aims to vaccinate 44.2 million children younger than 5 and will continue through next Sunday.

Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s adviser for polio eradication, urged parents to cooperate with the polio workers to protect their children from the disease.

Polio is an infection caused by a virus that mostly affects children under 5. Most children infected with polio don’t have any symptoms, but it can cause fever, headaches, vomiting and stiffness of the spine. In severe cases, polio can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis within hours, according to the World Health Organization.

Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries where the virus has never been stopped. Pakistan reported one case in January and had 77 cases last year. Afghanistan had 23 cases in 2024, according to WHO data.

Pakistan wants both countries to launch vaccination campaigns simultaneously to eradicate the disease. The Afghan Taliban in September suspended house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns, forcing parents to take children to designated places to inoculate their children.
India
India asks whether global tax deal can work after US withdrawal (Reuters)
Reuters [2/3/2025 3:57 AM, Nikunj Ohri and Manoj Kumar, 5.2M, Neutral]
India is assessing whether a global corporate tax deal agreed between 140 nations can work following U.S. President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the landmark 2021 arrangement, a senior bureaucrat in the finance ministry said.

Last month, Trump declared the global corporate minimum tax deal "has no force or effect" in the U.S., effectively removing his country from it.

"If you say that the U.S. as a country goes away, then I think we will have to evaluate whether the whole framework will work," Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey told Reuters in an interview on Sunday.

After years of stalled negotiations on global tax issues hosted by the Paris based-Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a global deal to ensure big companies pay a minimum tax rate of 15% was sealed in 2021.

The two-part tax deal aims to end competitive reductions in corporate tax rates around the world and made it harder for highly profitable multinational companies to avoid taxation.

India, party to the second of the two pillars in the deal, will assess how the arrangement can work when major technological companies based in the U.S. do not have to honour it, Pandey said.

"It was a global thing, it can’t be unilateral," Pandey added.

Separately, India has long lodged its reservations against the first pillar of the deal and Pandey said those issues have not been addressed.

Its concerns included the subjection of tax-related disputes to international arbitration and the treatment of withholding tax under the "Pillar 1" arrangement.
India vows to avoid protectionist signals on trade (Reuters)
Reuters [2/2/2025 11:02 PM, Nikunj Ohri and Manoj Kumar, 48128K, Neutral]
India does not want to give any signal that it is protectionist, the top bureaucrat in the finance ministry said, after slashing import duties on high-end motorcycles, amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s moves on tariffs.

Sunday’s remarks came a day after Trump ignited a trade war with sweeping tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. None were aimed at India, although Trump had called it a tariff abuser during his election campaign last year.

"We don’t want to give anybody any signal that we would like to be protectionist," Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey told Reuters. "Our stance is that we don’t want to increase protection.".

Trade and immigration issues will take centrestage when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Trump this month.

India has been trying to placate the Trump administration after it accused the South Asian nation of maintaining very high tariffs that hurt prospects for American firms.

Trump’s administration has upped the ante by recently raising the issue of undocumented Indians living in the United States, a topic on which India’s foreign ministry has said it is in dialogue with U.S. authorities.

India slashed custom duties on motorcycles with engine capacity of 1,600 cc or more to 30% from 50% on fully-built imports in Saturday’s budget, which Pandey said also cut its average level of tariffs to 11% from 13%.

"We should give the right signal for the world, as well as to our own industry," Pandey added, saying the tariff measures aimed at helping domestic companies initially but would be phased out as those industries developed.
Putin ally says he leaves for India for ‘important’ negotiations (Reuters)
Reuters [2/2/2025 1:24 AM, Lidia Kelly, 48128K, Positive]
Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of parliament, said on Sunday that he was leaving for India for a series of ‘important’ talks.

"We will be in New Delhi by nightfall, important meetings and negotiations are planned tomorrow," Volodin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said in a post on his Telegram messaging app.

"India is a strategic partner. We have long-standing relations of trust and mutually beneficial cooperation with it. It is necessary to develop contacts in all areas.".
The Divine, the Digital and the Political at Humanity’s Largest Gathering (New York Times)
New York Times [2/2/2025 4:14 PM, Anupreeta Das and Hari Kumar, 831K, Neutral]
High above the millions of Hindu pilgrims walking the grounds of the Maha Kumbh Mela, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India beams down from giant billboards and posters as far as the eye can see. Elsewhere, there are life-size cutouts of the leader, luminous at night, with his hands folded in greeting.

The Maha Kumbh, a spiritual festival widely considered the largest gathering of humanity, is taking place this year in the city of Prayagraj, where the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers meet. Hindus believe that a third, mythical river called the Saraswati joins them there. Throngs of devotees take a dip in the holy waters in the belief that doing so will purge them of sins and grant them salvation.

It is a mesmerizing spectacle. There are ash-smeared monks, naked ascetics, priests with vermilion paste on their foreheads, ordinary pilgrims, tourists with selfie sticks, awe-struck foreigners, entertainers, small vendors and big advertisers. It is also a feat of urban planning, an overnight megalopolis built on land borrowed from the receding Ganges in the state of Uttar Pradesh, with tents, toilets, roads, streetlights and even automated ticket vending machines.

For Mr. Modi and his close ally Yogi Adityanath, the hard-line Hindu monk who is the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the Maha Kumbh provides a marketing opportunity like no other. It is a platform to show off India’s achievements — and therefore their own — before a rapt citizenry and a watching world.

The political sensitivity of the event was apparent this past week when 30 pilgrims died and 90 were injured in a stampede, according to official counts. Mr. Adityanath appeared to try to minimize the episode, as it took him nearly 15 hours to acknowledge that people had died and to provide a death toll.

Mr. Modi expressed grief and offered help, but otherwise kept a distance from the tragic news. For him, the Kumbh represents an important opportunity to advertise himself as the man who will transform India into a well-governed, efficient, tech-savvy and business-friendly heavyweight.

A positive picture of the festival also helps Mr. Modi, a Hindu nationalist, satisfy a desire among his right-wing base to promote a glorious Hindu cultural and religious past.

Mr. Modi “is someone who has mixed religion and politics, religion and state,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, an author who has followed the rise of the Hindu right as it has sought to uproot the secular foundation laid down by India’s Constitution.

Keenly aware of the importance of image, Mr. Modi has enhanced his power by projecting himself not only as a political leader, but also as the caretaker of Hindu traditions. He is both the prime minister and “the head priest of Hinduism in the entire country” performing rituals familiar to many Hindus in public settings, Mr. Mukhopadhyay said.

Mr. Modi is expected to take his holy dip at the Maha Kumbh on Wednesday, the same day that the capital, New Delhi, holds regional elections. The media spotlight on him that day will spill over to his Bharatiya Janata Party as it contests the election.

Mr. Adityanath has been equally active in seeking political advantage from the spiritual event.

Last month, Mr. Adityanath, who has been seen at times as a potential successor to Mr. Modi, held a special cabinet meeting for state ministers in Prayagraj. There, they announced infrastructure projects and bathed at the confluence of the rivers — yet another sign, Mr. Mukhopadhyay said, of the increasingly blurred lines between religion and state.

A week later, after the stampede, Mr. Adityanath worked to spin the disaster as showcasing the prowess of the Maha Kumbh’s rescue operations.

The Kumbh Mela and other ritual bathing events have been around for centuries. Hindu legend holds that when gods and demons fought over a pitcher, or “kumbh,” of the nectar of immortality, the gods spilled drops in four places — each an Indian city that holds a Kumbh Mela every 12 years.

For decades, the festival was overseen largely by various orders of Hindu monks. But governments have long been facilitators, ensuring that the events are orderly and safe.

Kumbh Mela festivals have steadily increased in size over the decades, from a total attendance of a few million people to hundreds of millions, as better infrastructure and facilities attracted more pilgrims.

The central and state governments earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars for this year’s event, called the Maha Kumbh, or “Great” Kumbh, because it coincides with a rare celestial alignment last seen 144 years ago. The festival began in mid-January and will end late this month.

Government involvement is inevitable given the vastness of the pilgrimage, but “people don’t come to the Mela because it’s advertised or promoted by the government,” said Diana L. Eck, a professor emerita at Harvard Divinity School who worked on a 2015 study called “Kumbh: Mapping the Ephemeral Mega City.”

Still, Mr. Adityanath has gone to great lengths to pitch this year’s festival as a tourist event, with Kumbh “experience” packages, luxury tents and efforts to attract celebrity guests. As he made it a P.R.-driven affair, some attendees said he had distracted from the essence of the festival.

“Politicians should do politics and saints should do their religious work,” said Narender Kumar Sahoo, a pilgrim from the state of Madhya Pradesh who runs a grocery store in his village.

The stampede also led to criticism from opposition parties that Mr. Adityanath’s courting of wealthy and influential attendees came at the cost of arrangements for ordinary pilgrims.

Amanda Lucia, a professor in the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of California-Riverside, has attended the Kumbh Mela many times. Dr. Lucia recalled being astounded during her first visit to a smaller version of the Kumbh in 1997, boarding a packed train from the Indian city of Varanasi to Prayagraj, where she was forced to sit under a sink for the roughly three-hour journey.

Promotion of the event, both domestically and globally, increased significantly after Mr. Modi came to power in 2014, Dr. Lucia said. In 2019, months before Mr. Modi was elected to a second term, he and Mr. Adityanath upgraded a “half” Kumbh Mela that occurs every six years into a so-called full Kumbh, a move meant to win support for his campaign.

“A lot of people were calling it the ‘government Kumbh’” and complaining that the overtly political ploy had cheapened the event, Dr. Lucia said.

One major change for this year’s Kumbh is its heavy marketing as a cultural and developmental showcase — “The Greatest Show on Earth” for Hinduism — rather than as a religious event. The state has highlighted how revenue from commerce associated with the festival will add to official coffers.

The government of Mr. Adityanath has wowed devotees by showering them with rose petals dropped from helicopters. Billboards and digital displays trumpet the government’s investments in infrastructure. Officials share endless data points, including the number of bathers and foreign tourists, feeding the hype.

State government posters have advertised the Maha Kumbh as “divine, grand, digital” — a modern twist for a country that sees itself as a model of homegrown high-tech innovation.

Digital technology has made it far easier for people to find their way around the temporary city. QR codes provide links to hotels, food, emergency assistance and the Mela administration authorities. Nestled among those offerings is a code with a link to the “achievements” of the state government.

Officials said they were using sophisticated technology powered by artificial intelligence to monitor and manage crowds. At the lost-and-found center, workers have been using facial recognition technology to track missing people.

Private companies have supplied artificial intelligence software that can record specific information like the number of people taking holy dips at a certain hour, said Ashok Gupta, a police inspector overseeing the Integrated Command and Control Center.

The software can also determine the inflow and outflow of people in a certain area and manage the risk of overcrowding by redirecting people, although that system could not stop this week’s stampede.

For many of the millions of pilgrims, however, the marvel of the Maha Kumbh Mela is neither political nor organizational.

Dharmendra Dubey, 28, walked for miles toward the confluence of the rivers, reaching the waters after dark. As he toweled off after his dip, shivering as the temperature hit the low 50s, Mr. Dubey, who works in a private bank, said he felt energized.

Despite the long walk, he said he could go into the cold water again.

“No tiredness now,” Mr. Dubey said. “It’s gone.”
Hindu nationalists make gains among India’s tribes and spur backlash (Washington Post)
Washington Post [2/1/2025 1:00 AM, Karishma Mehrotra, 40736K, Neutral]
Even in dense jungles, India’s right-wing Hindu movement is pursuing its project of transforming this historically secular country into a Hindu nation, seeking to convince millions of tribal people who have long remained outside mainstream religion that they, too, are Hindu.

Millions of missionaries work in schools, hospitals, technology centers, labor unions, even exercise groups and animal sanctuaries — masking their religious objectives with development work.

This evangelical campaign is among the most consequential endeavors of Rashtriya Swayamsevek Sangh (RSS), a paramilitary volunteer organization that serves as an umbrella for Hindu nationalist groups and is allied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The work has proved unexpectedly effective, with analysts and observers within these communities saying they have been surprised at the headway missionaries have made in persuading tribal people to join their ranks, construct temples and change their religious patterns, if not their religious identifications.

But the missionaries’ success has prompted a backlash over the past decade, deepening divisions in tribal communities among Hindus, Christians and nature-worshipers. “The resistance is also becoming more strategic, more powerful and more vocal,” said Jacinta Kerketta, a tribal writer from Jharkhand state who documents tribal struggles.

India recognizes 700 tribal communities, each with its own language and some with a degree of self-government. Some of the 100 million tribal people are eligible for affirmative action in government hiring and university admissions because of their marginalized status. The communities, scattered across the country’s hills and forests, began to develop a shared political identity about a century ago, calling themselves adivasis — meaning “original inhabitants,” akin to Native Americans in the United States.

‘An extended Hindu family’

On a chilly November evening, Kumkum Maitra was feeling disappointed that her political party, the BJP, had lost in the Jharkhand elections. But she said she had important work to get to.

Maitra oversees educators at a local school for Vikas Bharati, a Hindu cultural organization. She is part of a network of 2,000 workers deployed in schools, hospitals and agricultural centers, including some government-owned facilities managed by the organization.

Vikas Bharati, affiliated with the RSS, operates in the hills of Bishunpur, in Jharkhand — a state born from a tribal political movement. The history of this mineral-rich area is similar to those of many tribal regions in India, with decades of insurgencies as well as widespread displacement due to development projects.

In the school courtyard, which was adorned with Hindu idols, Maitra prepared 350 tribal children for their 5 a.m. prayers. The school, which provides free uniforms, hostels and meals, is part of the largest private school system in India, according to “The RSS: A View to the Inside,” a book by Walter Andersen and Shridhar Damle.

That afternoon, Maitra traveled with volunteers to give seeds to tribal farmers but also to cajole them into planning a festival for Shivratri, a Hindu celebration. Her colleagues told stories of tribal uprisings against British and Mughal rulers, omitting how these revolutions often challenged Hindu social structures as well.

Maitra explained, “You can’t force Hinduism. You have to live among them and respect them to create an extended Hindu family.”

Ashok Bhagat, the head of Vikas Bharati, said the goal is a social movement that will create a nation of citizens who don’t just vote as Hindus but truly identify as Hindus.

The first RSS affiliate that worked among tribal people, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, focused its efforts on one of India’s oldest and largest Catholic communities in the neighboring state of Chhattisgarh, starting in 1952.

Nandini Sundar, a sociologist at the Delhi School of Economics, said the work of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram’s schools and hospitals fueled “competitive proselytization” between Hindus and Christians among tribal communities.

Organizations like Vikas Bharati seek not only to persuade non-Christian tribal people to identify as Hindu, but also to conduct what the Hindu right calls “ghar wapsi,” or “homecoming”: a process of “reconverting” Christian tribal people to their “original” Hindu status.

“It’ll take generations of work,” RSS leader Sunil Ambekar said. “Acceptance will come after decades, and then it will be a chain reaction.”

These efforts exploit the “absence of the state,” as did Christian missionaries, but are also helped by government support, said Dhirendra Jha, an author who has studied the RSS, which marks its 100th anniversary this year. Vikas Bharati’s reports show that nearly 90 percent of its funding comes from governments.

“Because we are seeped in the community, their vote for us is increasing,” Bhagat, the organization’s head, said in his official compound in Ranchi, Jharkhand. But for the deeper revolution, he added, “the Christians had a 200-year head start.”

“Hindus learned from the Christians,” said Kerketta, the tribal writer. “It’s not just about winning elections. They deeply desire a Hindu nation for them to grab real power.”

Seeking a distinct identity

Across Jashpur, in Chhattisgarh state, flags emblazoned with Hindu gods flutter. But, now, so do flags that symbolize the demand for an independent tribal religion, a challenge that vexes those affiliated with the RSS.

“We are now facing a new conspiracy,” said Manijar Ram Bhagat, a tribal man who volunteers with Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram.

Non-Christian tribal people are increasingly calling themselves nature-worshipers, not Hindus. The new flash point is a campaign for a separate religious category in the census, which picked up momentum after the BJP came to power in 2014. The category would recognize the Sarna belief system, a nature-worshiping religion followed by some tribal communities.

Across Jashpur and Bishunpur, a growing number of tribal people, including some of those who identify as Hindu or collaborate with Hindu missionaries, are advocating for a distinct religious identity. A nurse working with the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk freely, expressed her support for a separate “Sarna code” in the census.

“Hindus are saying that everyone should call themselves Hindus,” she said. “But our community is different than theirs. Why should we mark ourselves as Hindu?”

Amid growing religious tensions, tribal scholars long at the forefront of struggles for land rights and human dignity report a rise in mob lynchings, land disputes, and conflicts over places of worship and cultural festivals. “This power dynamic means tribals feel they need protection,” said Kerketta. “And then they feel it’s better to join the majority and become stronger.”

Some see an existential threat to their unique identity. “We see it as them trying to finish off tribals and the tribal worldwide vision,” said James Herej, a leading tribal activist in Jharkhand. “If there are no more tribals, then there is no more discussion of tribal rights.”

For Manijar Ram Bhagat, the fight for a Sarna code undercuts the unity Hinduism needs to “protect itself from foreign religions.”

He vividly recalls the day a Christian nun at school cut his braid, a religious symbol for upper-caste Hindus. The 12-year-old ran to Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram’s school, where his understanding of Hindu identity began.

“We only fight because they mess with our religion,” he said. “We won’t let them break our majority.”
Jailed Indian Muslims fight Delhi election to ‘set the record straight’ (Al Jazeera)
Al Jazeera [2/3/2025 12:00 AM, Yashraj Sharma, 19.6M, Neutral]
Nooreen Fatima, 41, anxiously watches the hands of the clock, waiting for her sons to return from school. She has a surging crowd of supporters waiting for her on the corner of her street, and she needs to meet them as soon as she can.

When they arrive, she hastily collects their schoolbags, then slides into a skin-toned abaya to rush downstairs before her team stops her to shoot a crowdfunding appeal, canvassing votes for her jailed husband, Shifa ur Rehman.

“Fighting for your rights, my husband has been in jail for nearly five years,” she says, scratching her fingers nervously.

In April 2020, Rehman, a 48-year-old human rights activist, was arrested by the Delhi police, accusing him of mobilising student protests against a controversial citizenship law. Critics have described the law as discriminatory because it fast-tracks naturalised citizenship for people from India’s neighbouring nations if they belong to any minority community — other than Islam.

Rehman and Tahir Hussain, another prisoner waiting for his trial in cases related to the riots and demonstrations that erupted in New Delhi in 2020 over the law, are running in upcoming elections to the Indian capital’s legislative assembly on February 5. In all, 53 people were killed in the 2020 violence, a majority of them Muslims.

After five years of intense legal battles, and dozens of appeals before Indian courts, their families are now turning to the Delhi election with a hope for redemption.

“We have been treated as gangsters and terrorists [since Rehman’s arrest]. In this election, we have to prove our innocence,” Fatima tells Al Jazeera. “When we win, people unjustly imprisoned for years win with us.”

Fatima leads a group of women, raising slogans from handheld speakers, through narrow lanes dotted with potholes, leaking sewers, and fading slogans on the walls from the days of the protest movement. “How will we answer oppression?” she shouts at the top of her voice. “By our vote to Shifa!”

‘Setting record straight’

As she campaigns in southeast Delhi’s Okhla constituency, Fatima recalls the dark days after Rehman was arrested, right when COVID-19 had also first hit. The pandemic was “the worst of times”, Fatima says.

She remembers the time when her sons, Zia and Arhan, would fall sick and there were no good hospitals nearby. Now, when she steps out for campaigning, she not only reminds people of her partner’s imprisonment, or difficulties during the pandemic, but also about clogged sewage, dusty roads, and crumbling infrastructure.

Both Rehman and Hussain are contesting on tickets of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), headed by Asaduddin Owaisi. Though the party is contesting only these two seats, Owaisi, a five-time member of parliament from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, has been campaigning to rally support for them.

In one rally for Rehman, Owaisi hit out at former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has been in power for 10 years in the capital city. The AAP has won a bulk of the Muslim votes in the last two Delhi elections. But many in the community believe it has since let them down at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — in power nationally — has increasingly faced accusations of adopting Hindu majoritarian policies. The AAP, for instance, has backed the controversial citizenship law that lead to the 2020 protests and has refused to support those imprisoned over protests.

“I dare him, to ever come to Okhla, and walk on these streets,” Owaisi said. “Then he will know how people live here.”

Okhla is among seven constituencies in the 70-seat assembly where Muslims are either in a plurality or have a large enough population to significantly affect the election outcome. With many analysts predicting a close contest between the BJP and the AAP in Delhi, these seven seats could prove critical in determining who rules in a city that enjoys major political influence in India as the capital. Okhla is witnessing a four-cornered contest, with the ruling AAP, the BJP, India’s grand old party Congress, and AIMIM competing.

The AAP has refrained from personally targeting Rehman and Hussain but took digs at Owaisi. Amanatullah Khan, AAP’s sitting MLA in Okhla, told Al Jazeera that AIMIM’s entry to the fray “is meant to divide Muslim votes and hand over the seat to the BJP”. Meanwhile, the BJP has hit out at Owaisi too, warning against “polarising the elections” by nominating candidates accused in riot-related cases.

Fatima walks through a dense market area near Shaheen Bagh — which was a hub of women-led demonstrations against the contentious citizenship law five years ago — and approaches an eatery. She tells the elderly man who runs the shop to press on Rehman’s “kite” symbol on the electronic voting machine when he votes on February 5.

Nasruddin Shah, 61, blesses Fatima and pledges his support. “The government’s arrogance needs to be shattered. Shifa is one of us and he fought for us,” Shah tells Al Jazeera later.

“Unlike Delhi, we are not voting to form the government here. We are voting to set the record straight,” says Shah, walking out of his shop and joining Fatima.

‘It is overwhelming’

Nearly 25km (15 miles) away, on the northeastern border, the dusty district of Mustafabad — among Delhi’s most densely populated — is abuzz with election chatter. The area is among the least developed in Delhi, and the blackened facades of several buildings are reminders of the fire that broke out here during the 2020 protests.

In a room full of men passing around paan (betel-leaf) and tobacco while speaking loudly, a teenager sits on a wooden chair in a corner preparing for a political rally.

Shadab Hussain, 19, is visibly tired and his throat is sore. But he and the others in the room have heard some good news: In late january, India’s top court had allowed his father, Tahir Hussain, a six-day parole from custody to campaign for his election.

The last time Shadab was part of a political rally was in 2017, when his father won the local council election. “I remember that winning rally when I walked with him; I was only 11,” Shadab says, sitting in his father’s office while his mother, Shama Anjum, goes door-to-door to canvass votes for Hussain.

Hussain had made his impact in local politics under Kejriwal’s AAP banner. But the party expelled him after the police accused him of inciting riots in 2020.

Shadab says his father’s absence for the last five years has left a deep void in his family. “My father was targeted because he is Muslim; because of his influence here,” Shadab tells reporters gathered around him. “Through this election, we will remove the stains.”

The campaign focuses on the poor sanitation, water and overall development in the constituency, with 250,000 voters, and Shadab concedes that it can get “really overwhelming”.

And the elation over Hussain’s parole is tempered by details that soon filter in: the Supreme Court had restricted Hussain’s parole to daytime hours, barred him from visiting his home, and ordered that he return to the jail before sunset. Still, Shadab says, “I’m just happy that my father is able to walk in these streets and be among his people”.

‘Never be afraid’

Back in Okhla, after the top court granted Hussain custodial parole, Rehman’s campaign too moved the court and secured parole the next day, under similar restrictions.

“Never be afraid, never be weak, because Shifa ur Rehman was never weak,” Rehman says in a thundering voice, as he descends from a police vehicle for a rally, his hair and beard greyer than they look in his campaign posters.

“It is not about winning or losing. It’s about proving that we want our self-respect and our dignity. We won’t bow before anyone,” Rehman says, surrounded by police personnel.

Fatima and the children meet him briefly. Then Fatima and Rehman head out in different directions, both campaigning. Unlike Rehman — whom she lovingly describes as stubborn — Fatima says she is not really cut out for political rallies. “I’m not that type of a person,” she says. “But I got to do this.”

Because, she says, the election results on February 8 will hold a deep significance for her. “I want to be able to teach my children to stand up for [what is] right,” she says, holding back tears. “Their father, Shifa, fought for people but was called a terrorist.”

She pauses for a long breath, and continues, “Five years is a very long time: imagine five Eids, five Ramzans [Ramadans], five birthdays, without Shifa, and I saw everyone moving on with their lives. But I cannot do it any more.”
Who Gains, Who Loses as India Doles Out $12 Billion in Tax Sops (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [2/1/2025 4:54 AM, Satviki Sanjay and Rakesh Sharma, 21617K, Positive]
India cut taxes for the country’s middle class, putting about $12 billion more in their pockets as the Narendra Modi-led government aims to bolster consumption spending.

Indians with annual income up to 1.2 million rupees ($13,854) will effectively be exempt from paying income tax, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Saturday in her budget speech, raising the cap from 700,000 rupees.

The tax changes will lead to the federal government foregoing 1 trillion rupees ($11.6 billion) in tax revenue, Sitharaman said, spotlighting the quantum of extra income that’ll be left in the hands of Indian households.

The minister also narrowed the budget deficit for the coming fiscal year through March 31, 2026 to 4.4% of gross domestic product. The NSE Nifty 50 Index plunged over 300 points from the day’s high of 23632.45 while the budget speech was on, before trimming losses.

The budget aims to uplift household sentiment, enhance spending power of India’s rising middle class and boost private investment to “unlock greater prosperity,” Sitharaman said at the start of the speech.

Indians have been hit hard by a double whammy of falling wages and rising prices, as the economy is set to log its weakest growth since the pandemic in the year through March.

The announcements show the revised priority of the government as allocation for infrastructure spending was nearly flat at 11.21 billion rupees over the estimates in full budget last year.

Here are the key winners and losers from budget 2025:

WINNERS

Consumption

Tax sops, which Sitharaman saved as the last bit in her budget speech, aims to tackle head-on the consumption malaise in the world’s most-populous nation and cheered the stocks of India’s consumer-facing firms.

The 77-member BSE Fast Moving Consumer Goods Index, which includes hotels, cookie makers to school supply makers rose the most since June.

Ahead of the budget, firms from Tata Motors to Hindustan Unilever had sought measures to boost consumer spending.
Insurance Sector

The government raised foreign direct investment limit to 100% in the sector from 74% at present.

“This is expected to bring in more players and more capital from existing players,” Balamurugan Shanmugam, Chief Investment Officer at Aviva India said after the budget.

Agriculture

The government will facilitate credit for 17 million farmers, and also announced a six-year mission for self reliance in pulses. Kaveri Seeds Co., Godrej Agrovet were among the stocks that surged after the announcement.

The finance minister also announced setting up a board for fox nuts — considered a super-food — in Bihar as well as setting up of a fertilizer plant in Assam, a North Eastern state ruled by Modi’s party.

Manufacturing

The budget aims to make the country a global manufacturing hub of toys, and announced measures focused on small and medium businesses, calling them a second engine for growth in the country. Footwear makers including Relaxo rose after the government announced a policy to boost production in the sector.
Startups

The country has planned a 100 billion rupee-fund for startups to boost entrepreneurship in the country, which already has the third-largest ecosystem in the world for new businesses.

Nuclear Power

Finance Minister Sitharaman said that India will amend its Atomic Energy Act, paving way for private investment in nuclear power projects, and also tweak the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act that has held back investments in the sector.

She also outlined plans to boost nuclear power by over 12-fold to 100 GW by 2047, which will help nuclear gear makers like BHEL, Walchandnagar Industries.

LOSERS

Infrastructure

India’s largest construction firm Larsen and Toubro, and others including Siemens, Indian Railway Finance Corp. were among the biggest underperformers in the Nifty 100 index as the government’s increased allocation on capital expenditure by less than 1% from a year ago. The government also reduced planned capital spending for the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2025.

Cement makers like UltraTech, Ambuja and ACC were among the firms trading down as their fortunes are closely linked to infrastructure projects.

Refineries

Shares of Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroluem Corp fell after the budget did not have any provision for compensating state-owned retailers for selling cooking gas below cost, something the oil ministry had been seeking.

Also, the overall subsidy for the petroleum sector has been cut to 121 billion rupees for the year ending March 31, 2026 against 147 billion rupees in revised estimates for the current fiscal.

India’s largest firm Reliance Industries Ltd., which earns a big chunk of revenues from its oil business, was trading lower.

Fertilizer Firms

The government will slash fertilizer subsidy to 1.68 trillion rupees next year in an attempt to narrow its budget deficit. Shares of Indian crop nutrient producers like National Fertilizers Ltd., Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd., Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd. fell.

Health Care

Lack of measures to boost health care spending by India’s government sent drugmakers shares lower. The country is among the lowest spenders on healthcare globally at about 3.3% of its GDP. This compares with about 5.4% in China and about 16% in the US, according to latest data from the World Bank.
NSB
Tulip Siddiq investigators in Bangladesh assisted by National Crime Agency (The Telegraph)
The Telegraph [2/2/2025 8:51 AM, Hayley Dixon and Samaan Lateef, 57114K, Negative]
Britain’s National Crime Agency is assisting investigators in Bangladesh as they probe corruption claims against Tulip Siddiq.

Officers from the UK travelled to Dhaka to offer support to authorities who are looking into claims that the former economic secretary to the Treasury benefitted from a controversial nuclear power plant deal.

Ms Siddiq is accused of enjoying privileges through her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the Bangladeshi dictator who was ousted last year after 15 years in power.

The Labour MP was forced to resign from the frontbench last month after Sir Keir Starmer’s ethics adviser found that she had inadvertently misled the public over the scandal.

Ms Siddiq, whose brief as Treasury minister had included combating corruption, had referred herself after weeks of questions over her use of properties in London linked to her aunt’s political party.

Bangladesh’s anti-corruption commission is investigating Ms Siddiq, Hasina and other members of their family for alleged embezzlement of £3.9 billion connected to a Russian-funded nuclear power plant.

Sheikh Hasina fled to India after being ousted from power - AFP/via Getty Images.

Now details have emerged of the involvement of British police in the probe. The NCA first visited in October last year to offer assistance to the Bangladeshi government in recovering billions that were allegedly siphoned off by Hasina and her allies.

It is understood that officers have offered to assist the authorities hoping to "bring about a prosecution" in Bangladesh.

Sources in the country told The Mail on Sunday that the meeting raises the prospect that officers could be gathering evidence against the Hampstead and Highgate MP for a potential criminal case in the UK.

During meetings the NCA team asked questions about Ms Siddiq specifically, it is claimed. Ms Siddiq denies any wrongdoing.

The NCA is one of the bodies responsible for looking at allegations of international bribery and corruption linked to the UK. It can investigate individuals suspected of money laundering in the UK from political corruption abroad and allegations of bribery and corruption against UK nationals.

Ms Siddiq’s aunt Hasina, 77, is now in India, having been ousted last August following violent protests.

Ms Siddiq with her aunt Sheikh Hasina (centre) and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, during a meeting in Moscow in 2013 - Mikhail Metzel/AP Pool.

During her tenure, opponents were attacked, arrested and secretly imprisoned as the regime carried out extrajudicial killings. The former prime minister and her allies are also accused of looting billions from the country.

Since her fall, Bangladesh’s anti-money laundering agency has asked the country’s main banks to supply information on Ms Siddiq’s accounts and transactions in the country.

In an official notice, it has requested the financial records of Ms Siddiq and six of her family members including her mother, sister and brother.

A spokesman for Ms Siddiq said: "Absolutely no evidence has been presented for these allegations. Tulip Siddiq has not been contacted on these matters and totally refutes the claims.".

An NCA spokesman said: "We do not routinely comment on the nature of international assistance, nor confirm or deny if the agency has opened an investigation or is supporting a partner’s investigation.".

A senior anti-corruption commission official told the Telegraph: "The investigation into Tulip Siddiq is still at a preliminary stage, but we are actively examining multiple angles.

"Our focus is on uncovering any links between her and the acquisition of properties through illicit means in Bangladesh, her associations with corrupt businessmen, and potential connections to money laundered out of Bangladesh.".

Ahsan Mansur, Governor of the Central Bank of Bangladesh, said: "We greatly appreciate the support of the British Government and international investigative agencies in our efforts to trace the billions of dollars laundered from Bangladesh to the UK and beyond.

"Recovering these funds is a top priority for us, and we are counting on global cooperation to bring this money back where it belongs. We have already begun reaching out to various governments and global agencies to tackle this issue head-on.

"The UK has been cooperating with us in this effort, and our next step is to identify the properties and bank accounts where the laundered money has been stashed across different countries, including the United Kingdom. We are committed to taking decisive action to reclaim these funds and hold those responsible to account.".
India says Maldives’ fiscal stability at risk from recent trade pacts, without naming China and Turkey (Reuters)
Reuters [1/31/2025 10:07 PM, Shivam Patel, 5.2M, Neutral]
India is concerned recent trade pacts signed by the Maldives will likely hurt the archipelago’s cash-strapped economy, the Indian foreign ministry said on Friday, in a reference to agreements between the Maldives and China, as well as Turkey.

China and India both vie for influence in the strategically located Indian Ocean nation, whose $7.8 billion economy has struggled with low foreign exchange reserves and substantial external debt, sparking fears of a default.

Analysts have previously said that a free trade agreement between China and the Maldives, which came into effect on Jan. 1, risks increase Male’s balance of payments deficit with China, one of its main sources for consumer goods, lead to customs duty losses, and make it vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.

The Maldives also signed a trade pact with Turkey last year, which local media reports said involved reduced tariffs on both sides.

"Recent agreements that are likely to result in revenue loss for the Maldives government are obviously a matter of concern and do not bode well for the long-term fiscal stability of the country," Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.

"We would obviously need to take that into account while framing our own policies," he added, without naming any country.

The embassy of the Maldives in New Delhi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Much of the money the Maldives owes is to China and India, which have extended $1.37 billion and $124 million, respectively, in loans, World Bank data shows.

In October, India signed a $400-million and a 30-billion rupee ($346 million) bilateral currency swap agreement with the Maldives and also agreed to initiate talks on a free trade agreement focusing on goods and services.

But reserves still remain very low in lieu of "substantial external debt obligations", ratings agency Moody’s said in December, adding that it expected the Maldives "to continue to be tested on securing bilateral and multilateral financing to shore up external buffers".
Central Asia
Kyrgyzstan Bans Islamic Niqab As Critics Warn It Could Alienate Some Women (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [1/31/2025 11:49 PM, Farangis Najibullah, 1089K, Neutral]
Kyrgyzstan has become the latest country in Muslim-majority Central Asia to ban the Islamic niqab, a long garment that covers the body, hair, and face, except the eyes.

Effective February 1, the ban imposes a fine of 20,000 som ($230) on women who wear the niqab in public places.

Female Islamic clothing and men’s beards have long been the focus of government campaigns and public debates in Central Asia, where staunchly secular governments fear the growing influence of Islam.

Kyrgyz lawmakers have said the ban is needed for security reasons -- so people’s faces can be seen and individuals identified. But opponents say the ban deprives women of the freedom to choose what they want to wear.

‘Part Of Our Traditions’

The ban is part of an amendment to the Religious Sphere Act. Signed into law by President Sadyr Japarov on January 21. It does not explicitly mention the niqab, locally known as "parandzha.".

But it bans "clothing that makes it impossible to identify a person in government offices and public places," a euphemism used in Central Asia to describe the niqab. Face coverings that are required as part of work or worn for medical reasons are exempt.

Lawmakers and government-backed religious figures insist the ban does not extend to the hijab, the Islamic head scarf that covers the hair and neck but leaves the face visible.

Kyrgyzstan is the only country in Central Asia that allows hijabs in schools and offices.

"There will be no restrictions on the head scarf. Our mothers and sisters have always worn head scarves as part of our traditions and religion," parliament speaker Nurlanbek Shakiev told lawmakers when he presented the bill last year.

The niqab is common in the Arab Gulf states. Although there is no tradition of wearing the niqab in Kyrgyzstan, the garment has become increasingly popular among some conservative women in recent years.

Intense Debate

There has been intense public debate over the niqab in Kyrgyzstan for years. Its growing popularity prompted a state-backed campaign called Where Are We Headed? nearly a decade ago.

In 2023, lawmaker Sharapatkan Mazhitova spearheaded a new campaign against the niqab after visiting the southern region of Osh, where she said she was shocked by how many local women were donning the all-encompassing niqab.

"Every fourth woman in Osh wears the niqab, and their number is growing by the day," Mazhitova claimed during a parliament session.

Mazhitova’s campaign also targeted men’s beards, which are widely seen as a sign of religious conservatism. She called on the government and parliament to ban the niqab and long beards, calling them "security" threats.

The state-backed Kyrgyz Muslim Spiritual Directorate has publicly stated that "the hijab is obligatory [for Muslim women] but the niqab is not.".

But critics have warned a ban will alienate and isolate women who wear the niqab.

A 38-year-old housewife who wears the niqab told RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service that the ban will complicate her life.

The mother of two, speaking on condition of anonymity, said she began wearing the niqab at the request of her husband, who works in Russia, when she got married six years ago.

"Now there is a ban, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what my husband will say when he returns home," said the woman, who lives in the southern town of Kara-Suu.

"Since I read about the ban on the Internet, I’m trying not to leave the house anymore. [When I must go out] I’m covering my face with a medical mask," she added.

In The Name Of Security

Other Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, have banned the hijab in schools, offices, and government buildings.

Police in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have conducted raids in the streets and bazaars to round up men sporting long beards and forced them to shave off their facial hair.

The clampdowns on any outward signs of Islam are often carried out in the name of preserving security and upholding traditional values.

Authorities in Central Asia insist their national attire meets the requirements of Islamic clothing for women.

Turkmenistan has not officially banned the hijab, but it demands women wear Turkmen national clothing to work and at public events. There have been reports that several hijab-wearing women have been ordered by the authorities to remove their head scarves.

Tajikistan routinely promotes Tajik traditional clothing for women, while outlawing what it calls outfits "alien" to Tajiks, in reference to Islamic clothing.
Georgia and Kyrgyzstan suspected of being auto suppliers for Russia, trade data indicates (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [1/31/2025 4:14 PM, Brawley Benson, 57.6K, Neutral]
In 2023, Georgia’s government banned the re-export of automobiles to Russia, a move intended to align with international sanctions against Moscow. But recent trade data is buttressing suspicions that Georgia is still serving as a key waypoint in a network used by Russia to import goods, especially automobiles.

According to figures released by the National Statistics Office of Georgia, for the second year in a row, cars were the most exported item from Georgia in 2024, totaling more than $2.4 billion and accounting for 37 percent of the country’s overall volume of exports. Curiously, the top destination for all exports was not a neighboring country, but Kyrgyzstan, a Central Asian nation state situated more than a thousand miles away. Exports from Georgia to Kyrgyzstan totaled $1.3 billion last year, marking a remarkable 85 percent increase over the previous year’s total.

The Georgian-Kyrgyzstan connection has long faced scrutiny for being a major supply channel relied on by Russia to overcome Western sanctions.

Since Western nations started sanctioning Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has used Kyrgyzstan as a backdoor to obtain sanctioned goods, especially dual-use components that help keep the Russian war effort going. Autos are also a big import item: the number of cars entering Kyrgyzstanexploded to more than 180,000 in 2023, up from around 40,000 in 2022, the year the Russia-Ukraine war began.

Georgia has long been known as a regional purveyor of used cars. But the latest data represents a change in the dynamic of Georgian exports. In 2023, Azerbaijan was the country’s top trading partner, and automobiles comprised the bulk of exports from Georgia, according to local media, with Azerbaijan importing more than $430 million in automobiles. That figure decreased last year, although Azerbaijan – a country that has also been accused of re-exporting sanctioned goods, including automobiles, to Russia – was still Georgia’s third-largest trading partner in 2024.

Observers note that discrepancies in official data figures indicate that many cars ostensibly sold by Georgian sellers to Kyrgyz buyers aren’t making it to their supposed destination. Instead, they may be diverted to Russia.

“According to Georgian statistics, in [the first] 10 months of [2024] … cars worth $964 million were sold as re-exports from Georgia to Kyrgyzstan. According to the statistics of Kyrgyzstan, cars worth about $50 million entered from Georgia. Where did goods worth more than $900 million disappear?” asked Georgian opposition politician Roman Gotsiridze last November, adding that he believes the cars are ending up in Russia.

Authorities in both countries claim they are striving to contain illicit trade. While Georgian officials seem to be turning a blind eye to the passage of sanctioned dual-use goods through the country, their counterparts in Kyrgyzstan have nominally taken measures of late to corral sanctions-busting practices.

Last fall, under pressure from the United States, Kyrgyz officials started requiring traders to confirm that goods they are paying for will arrive in Kyrgyzstan within 60 days. The government also established a new state regulatory entity to monitor trade.

The impact of such measures is not reflected in the 2024 trade data, and whether the new rules and procedures are being effectively implemented remains uncertain.
Back At Home, Kyrgyz And Uzbeks Get Light Punishments For Joining Russia’s War (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [2/2/2025 3:27 AM, Chris Rickleton, 1089K, Negative]
In October, Russian lawmaker Sergei Mironov stirred anger in Uzbekistan after calling for visa restrictions on millions of Uzbeks who travel to Russia every year in search of work.

The reason for his threat?

Uzbekistan’s consulate in the Russian city of Kazan had just issued a notice, warning citizens against participation in foreign wars and reminding them that breaking this Uzbek law could lead to jail sentences of up to 10 years.

Mironov’s words triggered counterreactions from at least two Uzbek lawmakers and plenty of noise from social media users tired of what they see as Russian politicians’ interference and intimidation.

But the recent rulings by Uzbek courts suggest that citizens sentenced in their homeland for fighting on Russia’s side in its full-scale war on Ukraine can be hopeful of much less than a 10-year sentence.

And, after Uzbekistan’s neighbor Kyrgyzstan appeared to cave under Moscow’s pressure regarding a jailed Russian military recruit last year, the legal disincentives that might push citizens of both countries to ignore the Kremlin’s manpower drive suddenly look much weaker than they did at the start of the nearly three-year war.

Kyrgyz Precedents

There is no reliable data on the number of nationals from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

But evidence points to many more of them fighting for Moscow than for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, nationals of the last three countries have been specifically targeted by the Kremlin’s recruitment drive owing to their massive presence on the Russian labor market.

And that has left Russia’s partners in the region in an awkward position as they try to deter their citizens from accepting promises of fast-tracked Russian citizenship and other material benefits to join a war that none of them have publicly endorsed.

In May 2023, Kyrgyz citizen Askar Kubanychbek-uulu was handed a 10-year sentence by a court in his homeland after enlisting in the Russian Army.

Kyrgyzstan’s law prohibiting participation in foreign wars allows for prison sentences of up to 15 years.

Russian officials did not hide their displeasure.

That summer, a member of Russia’s Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, Kirill Kabanov, said Moscow should "use all possible mechanisms of pressure as a response to [what are] clearly unfriendly actions on the part of Kyrgyz authorities," if Bishkek did not free him.

In January last year, Kubanychbek-uulu was released from jail and his prison term was reduced to a conditional sentence of seven years in the event of any violations during a three-year probation period.

But probation was never enforced.

Kyrgyz probation officers claimed not to have received the paperwork from the Supreme Court and, by the end of April, Kubanychbek-uulu had traveled to Russia to sign a fresh military contract and receive his new Russian passport.

In an August interview with the Kremlin-funded RT television network, Kubanychbek–uulu thanked RT and other Russian media for covering his plight and promised to "go and defend the homeland -- the interests of Russia.".

Under a presidential amnesty in July, Kyrgyzstan released another citizen -- Beknazar Borugul-uulu -- who had been jailed for fighting for Russia. Borugul-uulu, a former inmate in a Russian jail, had been recruited by the Wagner Group.

He spent less than a year in prison.

Like A ‘Sales Campaign’

While the Kyrgyz cases have played out in public, the names of Uzbek citizens sentenced over their participation in the war are not known.

Nor is it clear what role, if any, Russian pressure played in the process.

But local media have reported on the details of the cases, as released by the various Uzbek courts that tried the individuals.

Last year, a court in the southeastern province of Qashqadaryo sentenced a local man to six years in a penal colony in connection with his fighting for Russia in the Ukraine war.

The court heard that the defendant was at the front for only a few days before he was injured by a drone explosion and allowed to recuperate in a hospital in Russia. He later returned to Uzbekistan, where he confessed to his crime.

This month, that six-year incarceration was turned into a six-year conditional sentence by the judge of an appeals court.

In their appeal, the defendant’s lawyers cited his cancer diagnosis -- not something that would always get a convict off the hook in Uzbekistan’s punitive legal system.

In the second half of last year, according to monitoring by RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service, at least four other Uzbek citizens received noncustodial sentences for fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

One of the men, tried by a court in the city of Andijon, admitted during the proceedings that he had killed "more than 10 Ukrainian soldiers" while at the front.

In his defense, he said he had been motivated by a promised salary of around $4,500 -- more than three times what he eventually received -- and that he was the only breadwinner in his family of three children.

He received a noncustodial sentence of four years and two months.

These lenient punishments have not gone unnoticed in Ukraine.

Hryhoriy Pyrlyk, a journalist and author of the Ukraine-Central Asia Telegram channel who has also written for RFE/RL, said that the Uzbek judge in that case "put the children of the convict above the children of Ukrainians.".

To date, Russia’s war has left 13,000 Ukrainian children without one parent and more than a thousand orphaned, Pyrlyk said.

Uzbek journalist Mukhrrim Azamkhojaev was also unimpressed.

"This looks like a sales campaign that says: ‘Join the Russian Army, fight against Ukraine, and live happily in Uzbekistan on the money you earn,’" he said.
Turkmenistan Tells Its Pensioners To Prove They Are Not Dead (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [2/2/2025 10:34 PM, Chris Rickleton, 1089K, Negative]
Twice a year in Turkmenistan, older citizens must scramble for documents proving to their authoritarian government that they are still alive and eligible for their meager pensions.

The requirement for Turkmen pensioners to prove they are not deceased has been in place since 2018.

For anyone who fails to confirm their own existence, pensions are simply not processed.

Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have previously told RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service that their aim is to prevent relatives of the deceased from withdrawing their pensions, which are transferred onto plastic cards.

It is not clear how widespread this problem is.

But for the country’s seniors, the biannual demand can be a headache to navigate, especially when the government keeps changing the process without letting people know.

According to one woman, whose 70-year-old mother has been struggling to get the proper documentation, the current process involves visiting one doctor and three government offices.

Not only that, but citizens must visit them in the correct order.

"When she couldn’t reach the family doctor, she went to the housing administration office in her district to get the certificate," the resident of the western city of Balkanabat told RFE/RL, speaking on condition of anonymity. "But they told her they could only issue a certificate once the doctor had issued his.".

After that, said the woman, her mother needed to visit the police for another document, before taking all of the documents to the regional pension fund, so that her payments could finally be unfrozen.

No Country For Old People

If getting approved for monthly pension payments is one thing, withdrawing them is another entirely.

Turkmenistan suffers from a cash crisis that the government doesn’t openly acknowledge, and so converting the virtual balance on the cards to cash is fraught with problems.

While the purchase of foreign currency has been officially prohibited in Turkmenistan since 2016, shortages of national currency are a more recent trend.

A pensioner in the eastern city of Turkmenabad told RFE/RL that of the 600 manat pension he was able to draw at an ATM recently, "200 manats were issued in old, torn bills" that many shops and market traders would not accept.

Turkmenistan has a de facto dual exchange rate, with the government’s official rate of 3.5 manats to the dollar effectively a fiction. On the black market, considered by Turkmen as a more reliable indicator of the currency’s true value, the rate is closer to 20:1.

The pensioner tried at two banks to change the old bank notes for new ones, including the bank whose ATM had issued the low-quality notes, but was unsuccessful.

Turkmenistan Bank denied any responsibility for the bills and demanded video evidence of the withdrawal, the man said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

At the other bank, Halk Bank, he was rudely dismissed by the cashier, who he noticed was attempting to repair ripped bank notes when the pensioner approached his window.

Purchasing power has plummeted over the last decade or so in Turkmenistan amid a protracted economic crisis caused by the country’s near-total dependence on revenue from hydrocarbon sales and systemic economic mismanagement.

The country’s official minimum pension is 550 manats per month, or about $27.50 in black market terms.
Turkmenistan: Taking megalomania to new heights (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [1/31/2025 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K, Neutral]
The cult of personality built by Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Turkmenistan’s paramount leader, is already well documented. He has unveiled golden monuments to himself in the capital Ashgabat, made underlings kow-tow before him, and has pleasured in posting videos of his various exploits for all to see.

And since the beginning of the year, he has effectively made it a crime to deface or otherwise disrespect either his image or his son’s featured in printed matter published in Turkmenistan.

Given that Turkmenistan has one of the most tightly state-controlled media environments in the world, Turkmen periodicals are not known for their readability. But printed matter does tend to contain a plethora of pictures extolling the virtues of Berdymukhamedov and his son, Serdar, the country’s nominal president.

Government employees and students are often required to subscribe to state-controlled newspapers and periodicals. Under the new directive, which RFE/RL reports went into effect earlier in January, anyone using a newspaper for any purpose other than reading is subject to punishment.

This has created a quandary for many Turkmen. According to the RFE/RL report, newspapers and other Turkmen-published periodicals are rarely read, but still have a wide range of uses. “More often they [Turkmen citizens] find practical uses: they are used for lining shoes in rainy weather or in everyday life,” the report stated. “Considering the low income level of the population, newspapers are also used as toilet paper.”

Authorities are reportedly considering adding QR codes to every newspaper page to give the security services the ability to track down potential offenders.

“We are afraid to let children touch newspapers at home. If a child accidentally tears or throws away a photo of the president, it could cost us our job,” the RFE/RL report quoted a Turkmen bureaucrat as saying, who naturally requested anonymity to avoid retribution.

While the Berdymukhamedovs create more kindling for what inevitably someday will feed a bonfire of their vanities, Turkmen citizens are suffering. For example, a World Bank report published January 27 shows Turkmenistan presently is the only former Soviet country with a double-digit rate of Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity.
VOA Uzbek: US-Uzbekistan military relationship solid, officials say (VOA)
VOA [2/2/2025 2:54 PM, Navbahor Imamova, 2717K, Positive]
At a Washington event marking Uzbekistan’s 33rd Armed Forces Day, held at Uzbekistan’s Embassy, Uzbek and U.S. officials — both civilian and military — recognized each other for fostering a strong relationship and maintaining close cooperation in defense and security, particularly in areas such as Afghanistan and regional stability.

Most of the American planes and helicopters flown to Uzbekistan by Afghan pilots who fled the Taliban in August 2021 were later donated to the country. Seven of the assets the Pentagon deemed suitable, including Black Hawk helicopters, have now been returned to the United States, officials confirmed.
Uzbekistan offers prisoners reduced sentences for reading books (The Telegraph)
The Telegraph [2/2/2025 10:27 AM, James Kilner, 57114K, Neutral]
Prisoners in Uzbekistan may soon be able to reduce their sentences by reading a book.

Under the initiative, three days will be knocked off sentences for each book an inmate reads from a list curated by the Uzbek government’s Center of Spirituality and Enlightenment.

The National Revival political party, which proposed the law, said that it had been pushing for the reforms for several years.

"Finally, a draft law has been developed on this," it wrote on Telegram, the social media platform, adding that a maximum of 10 books can be read per year, meaning prisoners could reduce their sentences by 30 days annually.

To qualify for the reduction, prisoners must also pass an exam on each book to prove that they have read and understood it.

According to local media reports, Uzbek lawmakers have said that they hope the scheme can set an example and be rolled out around the world.

The image you might expect to see at an Uzbek prison: hard labour. But now inmates are being encouraged to read their way to redemption - Bridgeman Images /Shamil Zhumatov.

But the reading-for-a-reduced-sentence proposal is not entirely new.

A Russian politician proposed a similar scheme last year to encourage prisoners to read Russian classics such as Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Kazakhstan has also been trialling the scheme in one of its prisons since 2021.

In Brazil, a similar program was introduced in 2012 where prisoners have up to 30 days to read a book and another 10 days to write a review.

Unesco said of the Brazilian scheme that it "seeks to rehabilitate prisoners by helping them develop into critical, creative and informed readers".

Uzbekistan’s conservative National Revival Party is the second biggest party in parliament and part of a government coalition, where it focuses on proposing plans to boost the former Soviet country’s language and culture.

Uzbekistan’s Republican Centre for Spirituality and Enlightenment was set up in 1994 with a mission statement to boost citizens’ "sense of military patriotism, spiritual level, intellectual potential".

The influential body is chaired by Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the country’s president, and this year, its annual budget increased by 11 per cent to £4.7 million.

Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia. Human rights advocates have said that although Mr Mirziyoyev has opened up the country to Western businesses since he became president in 2016, dissent is not tolerated and elections are not free.

Uzbek bloggers who criticise the government are routinely arrested and thrown in prison.
Indo-Pacific
Old India-Pakistan rivalry drives South Asia diplomatic reshuffle (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [2/1/2025 12:19 AM, Peter Martell, 63029K, Neutral]
Old rivalries between India and Pakistan are driving a shift in regional ties, with New Delhi courting Afghanistan’s Taliban while Islamabad befriends the new leaders of post-revolutionary Bangladesh.

Diplomatic dynamics in South Asia are rooted in long-running distrust between the region’s two most populous nations.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan -- carved out of the subcontinent at the chaotic end of British colonial rule in 1947 -- have fought multiple wars and remain bitter foes.

The rivalry shows no sign of abating, with New Delhi denying in January it had launched covert operations to kill anti-Indian militants on Pakistani soil.

"You can’t have snakes in your backyard and expect them to only bite your neighbours," Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters in dismissing the allegations.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have also worsened since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul nearly four years ago.

Islamabad has accused Taliban authorities of failing to rein in militants they say are using Afghan territory to stage attacks that have killed thousands of Pakistani security personnel.

Pakistan launched deadly air strikes in Afghanistan border regions in December, with subsequent cross-border exchanges of fire.

The Taliban’s austere interpretation of Islamic law seems at first glance an unlikely pairing for the Hindu nationalism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but India has nonetheless moved to exploit the opportunity.

"India has been pursuing this path quite consistently for quite some time," international relations professor Hassan Abbas of the National Defense University in Washington told AFP.

"They don’t want the Taliban to give space to any group that is going to ultimately be a bigger threat to India," he said, adding that the prospect of "annoying Pakistan" was also appealing for New Delhi.

India’s top career diplomat, Vikram Misri, met with Taliban foreign minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai in January.

Jaiswal described the meeting as the "highest level of engagement" yet, adding that New Delhi was determined to "strengthen our longstanding relationship with the people of Afghanistan".

Muttaqi had in turn "expressed his hope for the expansion of relations", a spokesman for his ministry said.

Jaiswal said it was agreed at the meeting to "promote the use" of India’s $370 million development of Iran’s Chabahar container port "for supporting trade and commercial activities" to landlocked Afghanistan.

Chabahar is just west of Pakistan’s Gwadar port, which is considered a cornerstone of the infrastructure expansion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Pakistan.

India has long been wary of China’s growing regional clout and the world’s two most populous countries compete for influence in South Asia, despite a recent diplomatic thaw.

The Times of India said in an editorial after the Dubai meeting that New Delhi’s "quiet yet deliberate engagement" with the Taliban was reshaping strategic regional ties.

"Despite not officially recognising the Taliban government, India understands the importance of maintaining a foothold in Afghanistan," the newspaper wrote.

"The move also aligns with India’s broader regional strategy, which seeks to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its influence in neighbouring Pakistan," it said.

At the same time, old enemies Pakistan and Bangladesh now speak of "friendly" ties.

Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation but split in a brutal 1971 war, with Bangladesh then drawing closer to India.

However, long-time Bangladeshi premier Sheikh Hasina was ousted in an August 2024 revolution, fleeing by helicopter to her old ally India, where she has defied Dhaka’s extradition requests to face charges including mass murder.

Relations between India and Bangladesh’s new government have been frosty since then, allowing Islamabad and Dhaka to slowly rebuild ties.

The first cargo ship in decades to sail directly from Pakistan to Bangladesh successfully unloaded its containers in the port of Chittagong in November.

Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus also met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in December, saying he had "agreed to strengthen relations".

Top Bangladeshi army commanders later visited Pakistan, discussing training programmes and praising the "friendly relationship" between the nations.

Dhaka University professor Amena Mohsin told AFP that the sudden closeness reflected one of the oldest dictums in international diplomacy.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," she said.
South Asia’s geopolitical landscape is shifting, creating new alliances (South China Morning Post – opinion)
South China Morning Post [2/3/2025 12:00 AM, Chietigj Bajpaee, 9.4M, Neutral]
Within a span of six months, South Asia’s geopolitical landscape has undergone profound changes. Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s removal from power in August was followed by the conclusion of a border agreement between China and India in October and the Indian foreign secretary meeting the Afghan foreign minister in Dubai last month. Each of these developments signal shifting geopolitical alignments across the region.

In Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina had been a key regional partner for India. Her departure has prompted New Delhi’s long-time adversary Pakistan to make inroads into the country.

Evidence of this can be seen with Dhaka’s announcement of a relaxation of visa rules for Pakistani nationals, the establishment of direct sea links between the ports of Karachi and Chittagong, and an easing of trade restrictions between both countries. This month, Bangladesh is set to participate in Pakistan’s Aman naval exercise in Karachi.

Underpinning this rapprochement is a string of high-level exchanges between Dhaka and Islamabad. This includes a visit to Bangladesh by Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar this month and the head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency Asim Malik last month. This follows several meetings between Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

While it would be too simplistic to view Dhaka’s relations with New Delhi and Islamabad in zero-sum terms, these developments signify a shift in Bangladesh’s foreign relations.

In particular, it represents a change of fortune for Islamabad, which had long been seen in a negative light following Bangladesh’s bloody secession from Pakistan in 1971. Under the Hasina government, opposition parties such as Jamaat-e-Islami came under scrutiny for their historically close connections to Pakistan. Now those same groups are part of, or are supporting, Bangladesh’s interim government.

The China-India border agreement has helped to de-escalate tensions following the deadly clash in 2020. The disengagement entails the resumption of patrols and grazing rights in two contested areas in eastern Ladakh and Aksai Chin. A meeting last month between Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong also discussed the revival of “people-centric” initiatives.

The agreement does not resolve their long-standing border dispute, with neither side rescinding claims to disputed territories and no agreement over the delineation of their western border, known as the Line of Actual Control. A sizeable military presence remains on both sides with no signs of an imminent troop reduction.

The border deal also makes no reference to other disputed areas. Neither does it address contentious issues such as water disputes, which threaten to flare up amid Beijing’s plans to build the world’s largest dam along the Yarlung Tsangpo, or Brahmaputra, which traverses both countries.

Nonetheless, the agreement is an acknowledgement by both sides of the need to establish guard rails in the bilateral relationship as they face more pressing concerns at home and abroad.

For China, recent efforts to de-escalate tensions with neighbouring countries, including India but also Japan, signals a push to stabilise its periphery as Beijing prepares for a more pronounced strategic rivalry with the United States under a second Trump administration. For India, de-escalating border tensions is a prerequisite to renewed economic engagement with Beijing amid recognition that India cannot meet its ambitions to emerge as a global manufacturing hub without components and raw materials sourced from China.

Misri’s meeting with acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqi is the latest sign of a gradual rapprochement between New Delhi and Kabul since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. In November, the Taliban appointed an acting consul general in Mumbai after New Delhi reopened its embassy in Kabul in 2022.

Historically, New Delhi has kept the Taliban at arm’s length, given its extremist ideology and close affiliation with the Pakistani military and intelligence establishment. At one time, Afghanistan was seen as a source of “strategic depth” in Pakistan’s rivalry with India.

These concerns were fuelled by attacks on Indian nationals in Afghanistan, including at the Indian embassy in Kabul in 2009 and consulate in Herat in 2014. Now the tables have turned, with Afghanistan becoming a liability rather than an asset for Islamabad, as evidenced by a string of recent border clashes.

Underlying these developments are broader strategic considerations. Bangladesh’s foreign policy realignment is an extension of the country’s chronic identity crisis with politics swinging (often violently) between competing national identities.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban is trying to break free of its international isolation. It wants India to join the ranks of China and Russia as its development partner, particularly as the Trump administration has announced a cessation of foreign aid. For India, the Taliban represents a “lesser evil” than groups like Islamic State.

Additionally, as the only country that shares borders with every state in the region, recent developments serve to both help and hinder India’s broader foreign policy aspirations. On the one hand, New Delhi’s deteriorating relations with Bangladesh complicate India’s eastward engagement under the framework of its “Act East” policy. On the other, New Delhi’s improving relations with Kabul support India’s broader objective of strengthening connectivity with Central Asia.

A realignment of relations is under way across South Asia. Bangladesh is moving closer to Pakistan while it seeks a more balanced relationship with India. Afghanistan is moving closer to India while it seeks a more balanced relationship with Pakistan. Meanwhile, China is seeking to stabilise its periphery as it focuses on the US as the primary external threat to its security and prosperity.
Twitter
Afghanistan
Habib Khan
@HabibKhanT
[2/2/2025 4:31 PM, 247.5K followers, 11 retweets, 69 likes]
Many Afghan politicians and leaders exaggerate Afghanistan’s importance, but the truth is, it holds no weight on the global stage—it’s practically irrelevant.

Habib Khan
@HabibKhanT
[2/2/2025 2:21 PM, 247.5K followers, 79 retweets, 267 likes]
In tears, this Afghan woman speaks of harassment in Iran and the heartbreak of being unable to return to Afghanistan, where her 15-year-old daughter is banned from school. It has been 1,234 days since the Taliban banned teenage girls from school.
Pakistan
Imran Khan
@ImranKhanPTI
[2/1/2025 11:38 PM, 21.1M followers, 11K retweets, 17K likes]
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Important Message to the Nation from Adiala Jail - February 1, 2025
"You were robbed of your mandate on February 8th (2024). Therefore, you must take to the streets and observe this date as a ‘Black Day.’ Farmers, laborers, lawyers, and citizens from all walks of life must come out on February 8th to protest the blatant theft of their rights because a nation in chains has no future. Struggle is essential to breaking the shackles of slavery. This nation’s mandate was stolen on February 8th, plunging the country into gloom and despair. Pakistanis came out in droves and voted for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) overcoming all hurdles and challenges, but their votes were trampled upon, and democracy was attacked. Democracy has been shackled in this country and human rights have been brutally violated. Overseas Pakistanis must reduce their foreign currency remittances as protest until democracy is restored.

Justice is essential to saving democracy. This is why we demand a judicial commission to investigate the events of May 9th (2023) and November 26th (2024), so the victims and their families can get justice. It takes moral courage to deliver justice. Where moral strength exists, justice prevails. A true leader possesses moral strength. Democracy is based upon the principles of ethics, yet the current government completely lacks them. They, in cohorts with their handlers, orchestrated the biggest robbery in history, depriving the people of their right to elect their representatives. To cover up their heist, an illegitimate and incomplete parliament is continuously legislating to suppress the truth and extend their illegitimate rule.

The Constitution has been shredded to bits, freedom of speech has been severely curbed, and laws like the PECA Amendment have been enacted to silence dissent against their fascism. After subjugating electronic media, they are now restricting social media, causing the country billions in losses. The 26th Constitutional Amendment has clipped the judiciary’s wings, judges are being pressured, and human rights are being grossly violated. Peaceful political workers are being treated like beasts.

The actual duty of intelligence agencies is to protect the borders and prevent terrorism. If they remain engaged in political engineering and dismantling PTI, then who will defend our borders? Terrorism is resurging in Balochistan, yet no political solution is being sought. Unless and until a government based on public trust is established, it is impossible to get stability across the country, including in Balochistan."

Imran Khan
@ImranKhanPTI
[1/31/2025 10:12 AM, 21.1M followers, 15K retweets, 23K likes]
“When all organs and agencies of the state that are mandated by the law to exercise power in order to safeguard life, liberty and democracy stand subjugated by brute force and are acting in aid of persecution and fraud. It is the duty of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to intervene.” Writes the Former Prime Minister Imran Khan in his letters to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahya Afridi, and the head of the constitutional bench, Justice Amin Ud Din Khan, urging the Supreme Court to exercise its constitutional authority to safeguard the fundamental rights of the people of Pakistan. In his letter Imran Khan shares pictorial as well as documentary evidence of some of the ongoing murders, injuries, abductions and torture carried out against members and supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Below is the link to access copies of these letters sent by Imran Khan. https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1Zx6G4LfMHTYWS566TSao1LhMHM7yV5Ow

Anas Mallick
@AnasMallick
[2/3/2025 12:46 AM, 75.5K followers, 9 retweets, 46 likes]
Its Official, President @AAliZardari will undertake a state visit to #China from 4-8 February 2025, During the visit, President would hold meetings with Chinese leadership, including President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and other senior leaders in Beijing, says @ForeignOfficePk

Anas Mallick
@AnasMallick
[2/2/2025 9:30 AM, 75.5K followers, 10 retweets, 75 likes]
Pakistan’s Foreign Sect @amnabaloch4 has arrived in Tehran where she is scheduled to meet with Iranian officials over the next two days and also attend the meeting of the High-Level Committee of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). #Pakistan #Iran

Anas Mallick
@AnasMallick
[1/31/2025 7:42 AM, 75.5K followers, 60 retweets, 297 likes]
Two Afghan nationals among 10 killed by Pakistani security forces in operations against terrorist group TTP in KPK - Identified as Badruddin and Mahibullah, both were trainers for terrorist group TTP — 4 terrorists killed in DI Khan, 6 killed in North Waziristan.
India
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[2/2/2025 4:15 AM, 105M followers, 3.6K retweets, 18K likes]
My remarks during Maha Kumbabhishegam of Shri Sanathana Dharma Aalayam in Jakarta, Indonesia. https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1MnxnDPegYVGO

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[2/1/2025 4:04 AM, 105M followers, 5.4K retweets, 21K likes]
The #ViksitBharatBudget2025 reflects our Government’s commitment to fulfilling the aspirations of 140 crore Indians. https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1YqxovlVNdbJv

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[2/1/2025 12:30 AM, 105M followers, 9K retweets, 49K likes]
Finance Minister @nsitharaman Ji is presenting the Union Budget in Parliament. https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1OwxWNeqMeDJQ

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[2/2/2025 10:19 PM, 105M followers, 6.3K retweets, 43K likes]
Today, on their Raising Day, we laud the Indian Coast Guard for safeguarding our vast coastline with bravery, dedication and relentless vigilance. From maritime security to disaster response, from anti-smuggling operations to environmental protection, the Indian Coast Guard is a formidable guardian of our seas, ensuring the safety of our waters and people. @IndiaCoastGuard

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[2/1/2025 11:05 AM, 3.3M followers, 337 retweets, 3K likes]
Delighted to join The Air Force School alumni reunion in Delhi this evening. Our school shaped our camaraderie, discipline and patriotism. Happy to see so many old and new alumni sharing this spirit.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[2/1/2025 9:03 AM, 3.3M followers, 278 retweets, 1.7K likes]
An interaction with the South Indian Community of Delhi on ‘Viksit Delhi-Viksit Bharat’. https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1gqGvNrZBVqGB

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[2/1/2025 5:01 AM, 3.3M followers, 905 retweets, 7.5K likes]
Congratulate FM @nsitharaman ji for presenting a forward-looking, employment centric and growth - oriented Union Budget 2025. It is a roadmap for achieving PM @narendramodi’s vision of #ViksitBharat, building upon the structural reforms and transformative progress of the last 10 years. The #ViksitBharatBudget2025 recognises the energies and contribution of the middle class to nation- building. It reaffirms our steadfast resolve to the welfare of ‘Gareeb, Yuva, Annadata and Nari’. The focus on key engines of Agriculture, MSME, Investment, and Export will go a long way in building an #AtmanirbharBharat and deepening India’s engagement with the world.

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[1/31/2025 7:37 AM, 3.3M followers, 314 retweets, 2.3K likes]
Honoured to witness Rashtrapati ji’s address to the Parliament this morning. The Government led by PM @narendramodi is resolute in its commitment to the goal of #ViksitBharat. It is equally steadfast in establishing India as #VishwaBandhu.

Rahul Gandhi
@RahulGandhi
[2/2/2025 10:24 AM, 27.5M followers, 2.8K retweets, 9.9K likes]
The tragic loss of Mihir Ahammed to suicide due to bullying in a Kerala school is heartbreaking. My deepest condolences to his family. No child should endure what Mihir faced. Schools must be safe havens for children yet he suffered relentless torment. Those responsible—both bullies and those who failed to act—must be held accountable. Bullying isn’t harmless; it destroys lives. Parents must teach kindness, love, empathy, and the courage to speak up. Believe your child if they say they’re being bullied, and intervene if they are the bully.

Richard Rossow
@RichardRossow
[2/3/2025 12:45 AM, 29.8K followers]
India exported $37b in services in December 2024, easily the best month on record. Generating a $179b surplus over 12 months. https://rbi.org.in/scripts/BS_PressReleaseDisplay.aspx?prid=59656

Richard Rossow
@RichardRossow
[2/2/2025 7:59 AM, 29.8K followers, 1 retweet, 6 likes]
Coming on up 4.5 years since India’s Parliament approved the Industrial Relations Code. Relaxes some onerous labor regulations while providing additional protections to workers. But- Still waiting for its enactment.
NSB
Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[2/1/2025 8:33 AM, 218.2K followers, 100 retweets, 667 likes]
In Dhaka, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s likeness used to be seen everywhere. Now he’s nowhere to be found, replaced with extensive imagery (including colorful street murals) depicting last year’s Gen Z Revolution. It’s a vivid example of Bangladesh’s dramatic transformation.

Jon Danilowicz
@JonFDanilowicz
[2/2/2025 9:09 PM, 12.9K followers, 25 retweets, 94 likes]
How does @MEAIndia justify allowing Bangladesh’s deposed dictator to use her sanctuary in India to actively continue to provoke violence and attempt to destabilize Bangladesh? This is yet another example of India’s March of Folly in Bangladesh. All this does is further demonstrate ill will towards Bangladesh and make it more difficult for the current or future elected governments to improve relations with India. This will continue to push Bangladesh into the arms of others and act in ways that counter to India’s interests. India may not want to lose face by returning Hasina to Bangladesh to face justice. But the least it can do is muzzle her and prevent her and her henchmen from using Indian soil to destabilize Bangladesh.

Jon Danilowicz
@JonFDanilowicz
[2/1/2025 5:47 PM, 12.9K followers, 10 retweets, 64 likes]
The historic events of July/August 2024 that led to the flight of Bangladesh’s deposed dictator opened up a period of great hope and optimism for a better future. After years of repression, Bangladeshis at home and abroad were free to discuss, debate and decide about the direction Bangladesh 2.0 will take. I have been privileged to participate in many of these discussions with my old and new Bangladeshi friends in person and online. Their commitment to a better future remains undaunted and is infectious. In stark contrast, the direct beneficiaries of the deposed regime hide in dark corners afraid of being held to account for their crimes. They plot and scheme and spin lies to make themselves feel better and pretend that they still matter. Some must live lives of apparent luxury abroad on the wealth they stole from their fellow citizens. Perhaps others feel regret for their roles over the past 15 years. Time will tell if any truly repent and seek a place in a new Bangladesh. The process of building a new Bangladesh is far from complete. There will be many bumps along the road. But I would much rather accompany those heading towards a brighter future than be stuck with those longing for a nightmarish past.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
@anuradisanayake
[2/2/2025 1:09 PM, 145K followers, 6 retweets, 121 likes]
Justice Mohammed Thahir Laffar has been sworn in as the Acting President of the Court of Appeal before me today (02) at the Presidential Secretariat. This follows Justice Bandula Karunarathna proceeding on pre-retirement leave. The appointment will remain in effect until a new Acting President is appointed as per the Constitution.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
@anuradisanayake
[2/1/2025 9:58 AM, 145K followers, 17 retweets, 188 likes]
Joined the Kurunegala Friendly Get-Together of the National People’s Power today (01). Grateful to everyone who continues to strengthen this journey of Renaissance. Together, we build a better future!

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
@anuradisanayake
[1/31/2025 9:51 AM, 145K followers, 37 retweets, 348 likes]
Joined the Chavakachcheri Friendly Get-Together of the National People’s Power today (31). Grateful to everyone who continues to strengthen this journey of Renaissance. Together, we build a better future!

Namal Rajapaksa
@RajapaksaNamal
[2/2/2025 11:34 AM, 436.7K followers, 6 likes]
The inaugural event of the #Gamingamata initiative near the Ralapanawa reservoir in Nochchiyagama, Anuradhapura. A step towards empowering our villages and strengthening grassroots development. #GaminGamataNR #Anuradhapura #SLPP

Namal Rajapaksa
@RajapaksaNamal
[2/2/2025 2:13 AM, 436.7K followers, 4 retweet, 46 likes]
Visited the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura and received blessings from the Anuradhapura Atamasthanadhipathi, Chief Sanghanayake of Nuwara Kalaviya, Most Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Thero. #GamingamataNR

Namal Rajapaksa
@RajapaksaNamal
[2/2/2025 2:00 AM, 436.7K followers, 1 retweet, 15 likes]
The Politburo of the @PodujanaParty met yesterday under the patronage of our Party Chairman Ven. Uthurawala Dhammarathana Thero, alongside Hon. Ex-President @PresRajapaksa and General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam. Focused discussions as we move forward. #SLPP

Namal Rajapaksa
@RajapaksaNamal
[2/1/2025 9:02 AM, 436.7K followers, 5 retweets, 55 likes]
Paid my final respects to former MP & ITAK Leader Mavai Senathirajah in Jaffna today. Offered my deepest condolences to his family & the senior members of ITAK, remembering the contributions he made towards SL politics & the work he did for his people. His legacy will live on.
Central Asia
Javlon Vakhabov
@JavlonVakhabov
[2/1/2025 11:48 AM, 6.2K followers, 1 retweet]
Truly enjoyable to have had a candid and direct conversation over the Central Asia - Russia Ambassadorial Luncheon today.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[1/31/2025 11:18 AM, 211.3K followers, 4 retweets, 19 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev honored Islam Karimov by laying flowers at his monument in the capital. The event was attended by officials, intellectuals and local residents. Similar ceremonies took place in Samarkand and Karshi.

Uzbekistan MFA
@uzbekmfa
[2/1/2025 10:54 AM, 8.6K followers, 5 retweets, 22 likes]
On January 30-31, 2025, the first meeting of the Council of National Coordinators for Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan.

Bakhtiyor Saidov
@FM_Saidov
[2/1/2025 5:23 PM, 13K followers, 4 retweets, 7 likes]
Together with our delegation met with H.E. Said Darwazah, Executive Chairman of Hikma Pharmaceuticals. Appreciate the comprehensive presentation of company’s possibilities and interest to explore our region. We are ready to facilitate mutually beneficial cooperation.

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[2/1/2025 2:15 PM, 24K followers, 1 retweet, 2 likes]
civil & military officials praised each other for fostering strong relationship, maintaining close cooperation in defense/security, particularly on Afghanistan, recent transfer of 7 Black Hawks to U.S. from Uzbekistan … @UZEmbassyDC

{End of Report}
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