SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO: | SCA & Staff |
DATE: | Tuesday, January 28, 2025 6:30 AM ET |
Afghanistan
Taliban Warns Rubio Over Bounty Threat for Detained Americans (Newsweek)
Newsweek [1/27/2025 9:37 PM, Shamim Chowdhury, 6595K, Neutral]
A Taliban envoy on Monday cautioned U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio against escalating tensions with threats of bounties on Afghan leaders. Why It Matters
The warning came after Rubio suggested the U.S. would consider offering large rewards for the Taliban’s top figures in response to the continued detention of American nationals in Afghanistan.
What To Know
The exchange of prisoners last week, which saw the release of two U.S. citizens, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, was brokered under the Biden administration before it left office.
In return, the U.S. freed Khan Muhammad, a member of the militant group.
Despite the deal, two more Americans, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi, remain in Taliban custody.
How Many American Nationals Remain in Afghan Custody?
The Taliban have not disclosed the total number of foreign nationals held by the regime.
The remarks quickly drew a response from Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s ambassador to Qatar, who asserted the Afghan government’s stance on resolving such issues peacefully through dialogue. Shaheen also delivered a pointed message to Rubio, warning that aggression would only escalate matters.
Who Is the Taliban’s Suhail Shaheen?
Shaheen, a key member of the Taliban’s negotiating team during the Doha peace talks, pointed out the Taliban’s long history of resisting foreign intervention, having fought U.S. and NATO forces for two decades before returning to power in August 2021 following the chaotic withdrawal of foreign troops.
The Taliban official also referred to the recent release of Canadian national David Lavery, who was freed from Afghan custody through mediation by Qatar, a country with strong ties to the Taliban.
Newsweek contacted the U.S. State Department and the Qatar Embassy in Washington D.C. for comment by email Monday morning.
The move marked a rare instance of diplomatic cooperation with the militant regime on such matters.
Earlier in the day, Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly confirmed that she had spoken with Lavery after his arrival in Qatar, where he was in "good spirits."
Joly also expressed gratitude to Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, for facilitating Lavery’s release.
What People Are Saying
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter): "Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported. If this is true, we will have to immediately place a very big bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on (Osama) bin Laden."
Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s ambassador to Qatar, said: "In the face of pressure and aggression, the jihad (struggle) of the Afghan nation in recent decades is a lesson that everyone should learn from."
What Happens Now
The continuing negotiations surrounding the release of detained foreign nationals remain a sensitive and volatile issue between the Taliban and the international community. The fate of the remaining Americans in Taliban custody, along with the broader diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan’s new rulers, is likely to remain a point of contention in U.S.-Taliban relations.
Taliban caution US against bounty threats over alleged American detainees (VOA)
VOA [1/27/2025 12:21 PM, Ayaz Gul, 2717K, Negative]
A diplomat from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban cautioned the United States on Monday against threatening retaliatory measures in response to detentions of U.S. nationals in the country.
"Our policy is to reach a solution through peaceful means," Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban ambassador to Qatar, told VOA in written remarks.
He spoke two days after the new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened that Washington may place a "very big bounty" on Taliban leaders, suggesting they might hold more American hostages in the country than previously known.
Last week, the de facto Afghan authorities released two Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, in exchange for a Taliban member serving a life sentence in a U.S. federal prison on drug and terrorism charges. The swap was negotiated by former President Joe Biden’s administration.
"In the face of pressure and aggression, the jihad [holy war] of the Afghan nation in recent decades is a lesson that everyone should learn from," Shaheen stated.
The Taliban have not revealed how many foreigners are still in their custody in Afghanistan. However, relatives and U.S. officials report the detention of at least two additional Americans. They are George Glezmann, a former airline mechanic, and Mahmood Habibi, a naturalized American.
"Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported," Rubio wrote on social media platform X on Saturday. "If this is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on bin Laden.".
The chief U.S. diplomat did not elaborate or specify the number of Americans being detained in Afghanistan.
Washington offered a bounty of $25 million for information leading to the capture or killing of Osama bin Laden for planning the deadly Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States. Congress subsequently authorized the secretary of state to increase the bounty to a maximum of $50 million.
U.S. forces searched for bin Laden in Afghanistan for years before finding his hideout and killing him in neighboring Pakistan in 2011.
Meanwhile, a former Canadian soldier detained by the Taliban was freed Sunday after more than two months of imprisonment in a deal brokered by Qatar.
"I just spoke with David Lavery upon his safe arrival in Qatar from Afghanistan. He is in good spirits," Canadian foreign minister Melanie Joly announced on X. Joly credited the tiny Gulf nation’s prime minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani with helping in Lavery’s release.
"Thank you to my Qatari counterpart, @MBA_AlThani_, for helping facilitate the release of our Canadian citizen," she wrote.
The Taliban waged a lethal insurgency in Afghanistan that persisted for nearly two decades, ultimately regaining power in 2021, mere days before a hasty and chaotic withdrawal of all U.S.-led Western troops from the country along with thousands of Afghan allies.
Taliban leaders have since imposed their strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, banning girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade, prohibiting most women from workplaces, and blocking women’s access to public life at large.
The United Nations has designated the restrictions as "gender apartheid," and the international community has refuted the Taliban’s request for legitimacy to their government due to their severe treatment of the female Afghan population.
The restrictions stem from numerous decrees issued by the reclusive Taliban supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, from his base in the southern city of Kandahar, with his aides defending the government as in line with Sharia.
Last week, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced that he had applied for arrest warrants for Akhundzada and Afghanistan’s chief justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of persecuting women and girls.
The Taliban rejected the allegations as baseless and condemned the arrest warrants for their leaders as "devoid of just legal basis, duplicitous in nature and politically motivated.". Tensions Rise As U.S., Taliban Exchange Threats (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [1/27/2025 10:28 AM, Staff, 1089K, Negative]
Tensions between Washington and Taliban leaders in Afghanistan are rising a week into President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened on January 25 to place a bounty on Taliban leaders if the United States determines the group has imprisoned American citizens.
"Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported. If this is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on [Al-Qaeda leader Osama] Bin Laden," Rubio wrote on X.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s acting interior minister, is currently the only senior member of the group on the FBI’s most wanted list. However, dozens of Taliban officials are sanctioned by the United Nations.
Rubio’s comment came days after the Taliban released two Americans in exchange for a member of the Taliban serving a life sentence in the United States on drug and terrorism charges.
The Taliban’s first formal response to Rubio came on January 27, with Suhail Shahin, the group’s ambassador to Qatar, claiming that it was the Taliban’s policy to resolve issues peacefully through dialogue.
However, he warned in a statement to RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi, "in the face of pressure and aggression, the jihad [struggle] of the Afghan nation in recent decades is a lesson that everyone should learn from.".
The Taliban fought U.S. and NATO troops for nearly 20 years until its return to power in 2021 following a chaotic and bloody withdrawal of foreign forces.
A U.S. Department of Defense report in 2022 said around $7 billion dollars worth of military equipment was left behind in Afghanistan during the withdrawal, which were subsequently seized by the Taliban.
Ahead of his inauguration on January 21, Trump warned that if the Taliban did not return U.S. military equipment, he would cut future financial assistance to Afghanistan.
The Taliban has not publicly responded to Trump, but a source told Radio Azadi that the group "will not give even a single bullet back to the United States.".
Since the withdrawal of foreign forces, the United States has channeled around $3 billion through the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations to help humanitarian programs in Afghanistan. Wife of Atlanta man being held by Taliban hoping Trump administration can bring husband home (WSB-TV 2 Atlanta)
WSB-TV 2 Atlanta [1/27/2025 6:50 PM, Staff, 57114K, Neutral]
An Atlanta man the Taliban is holding hostage in Afghanistan was left out of a prisoner swap that freed two other Americans.
He’s been in captivity for more than 2 years.
Now, George Glezmann’s wife tells Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne that she is putting her hopes in the new presidential administration.
Aleksandra Glezmann said days before former President Joe Biden left office, the State Department called and said negotiations had ended and had not resulted in a deal to bring her husband home.
But she said she was stunned days later to learn about a prisoner swap that did not include her husband, George.
"I feel really misled by the previous administration. But I’m still really hopeful because I know that Trump’s administration will deal with my husband’s case differently," Aleksandra Glezmann said.
In the waning hours of the Biden presidency, the administration called Aleksandra Glezmann and told her that Ryan Corbett, who had been her husband’s cellmate, was coming home along with another American in a prisoner swap.
Her husband George would be left behind and she said no one gave her the reasons behind that outcome.
"Of course, I’m really happy for the Corbett family," Aleksandra Glezmann said. "I know that the family went through really tough times. The past two years, I’ve been told by the Biden administration and by the State Department that they were working on a group deal that would include both Ryan Corbitt and my husband George.".
Aleksandra Glezmann told Winne that her hopes now turn to the new administration and on its second day, she got a call from a senior Trump administration official expected to play a key role in negotiations for Americans held hostage.
"This just highlighted his commitment to my husband’s case. And I’m really grateful for that," Aleksandra Glezmann said.
"Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported. If this is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on Bin Laden," new Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X.
"I think this tweet shows that there will be more firm action this time. And I think this is exactly what we need to bring George home," Aleksandra Glezmann said.
"We celebrate the release of Ryan Corbett and William McKenty who have been reunited with their families and loved ones, and also thank the Government of Qatar for their assistance. The Trump Administration will continue to demand the release of all Americans held by the Taliban, especially in light of the billions of dollars in U.S. aid they’ve received in recent years," a US official emailed Winne on Monday.
Aleksandra Glezmann said she was given a letter from her husband soon after he was left behind. It said, in part: "Twenty-six months of mental torture, hoping and then losing hope, trying to keep sanity at bay for no crime committed whatsoever other than holding a U.S. Passport.".
She said she spoke to George by phone on Sunday.
"I just tried to keep his hope and his spirits elevated, which is very difficult to do at this point because George does not have the mental and physical strength to continue this fight," Aleksandra Glezmann said.
The Associated Press has reported that the Taliban’s ambassador to Qatar said the Afghan government’s policy was to resolve issues peacefully through dialogue. "Just bread and tea": WFP says aid cuts to Afghanistan leave millions hungry this winter (Reuters)
Reuters [1/27/2025 7:24 AM, Charlotte Greenfield, 5.2M, Negative]
The head of the World Food Programme in Afghanistan says the agency can only feed half the millions of Afghans in need after cuts in international aid and an impending freeze in U.S. foreign funding.
Many people were living on just "bread and tea", WFP Country Director Hsiao-Wei Lee told Reuters.
Afghanistan was tipped to the brink of economic crisis in 2021 as the Taliban took over and all development and security assistance to the country was frozen, with restrictions also placed on the banking sector.
Since then humanitarian aid - aimed at funding urgent needs through non-profit organisations and bypassing government control - has filled some of the gap. But donors have been cutting steadily in recent years, concerned by Taliban restrictions on women, including their order that Afghan female NGO employees stop work, and competing global crises.
Lee told Reuters shortly before finishing her three-year term in Afghanistan that funding cuts had meant that roughly half the 15 million Afghans in acute need of food were not receiving rations during this year’s harsh winter.
"That’s over 6 million people who are probably eating one or two meals a day and it’s just bread and tea," she said in an interview on Saturday. "Unfortunately this is what the situation looks like for so many that have been removed from assistance."
Afghanistan’s humanitarian plan was only just over half funded in 2024, according to U.N. data, and aid officials have flagged fears this could fall further this year.
The U.S. State Department issued a "stop-work" order on Friday for all existing foreign assistance and paused new aid, according to a cable reported by Reuters, after President Donald Trump ordered a pause to review if aid allocation was aligned with his foreign policy.
It was not immediately clear how that would impact Afghanistan’s humanitarian operations, which in 2024 were over 40% funded by the United States, the largest donor.
"I think any potential reduction in assistance for Afghanistan is of course concerning...whether it is assistance to WFP or another actor," Lee said.
"The levels of need are just so high here in Afghanistan. I certainly hope that any decisions made, any implementation of decisions made take into consideration the needs of the people – the women, the children," she said.
Western diplomats and humanitarian officials have said aid is dropping to Afghanistan in part due to global emergencies in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza and also because of concerns with Taliban restrictions on women.
Last week, the International Criminal Court prosecutor announced he had applied for arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders, including supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, accusing them of the persecution of women and girls.
Lee said the operating environment had been a "rollercoaster" in the last three years, but that WFP was trying to prove to donors concerned about the plethora of restrictions on women that they were still reaching female beneficiaries and their children with aid.
Though the Taliban have said female Afghan NGO workers must stop work, many humanitarian organisations have said they have been granted exemptions, especially in areas like health.Lee said WFP had adapted and been able to reach women despite funding cuts and official restrictions. Thousands of Afghans who helped the US lose access to critical resources following Trump directives (CNN)
CNN [1/27/2025 5:25 PM, Priscilla Alvarez, Haley Britzky, and Jennifer Hansler, 987K, Neutral]
Thousands of Afghans who worked directly for or on behalf of the US government in Afghanistan have been cut off from critical resources and face huge uncertainty over whether they’ll be able to travel to the United States following moves by the Trump administration to halt foreign aid and bar federally funded help according to multiple sources.
Last week, the Trump administration halted refugee flights across the globe, froze almost all foreign assistance, and cut off assistance for newly arrived refugees in the United States.
These actions have had immediate repercussions for the thousands of Afghans who served alongside the US military.
For those who are now in limbo in third countries like Qatar, the freeze means they have lost access to services and even goods like diapers and toiletries that were funded by the US government, sources told CNN.
They added that the freeze on foreign assistance directly impacts the ability of Afghans who received special immigrant visas (SIVs) to travel to the US, including translators who worked for the US military, people who were on US bases or compounds, among others. While some can pay their own way to the United States, others rely on flights paid for by US assistance that is now frozen.
Others who worked alongside the US and qualified for other kinds of refugee visas have also been impacted by the administration’s actions.
There are around 3,000 Afghans currently in Qatar and 500 in Albania who are awaiting onward travel to the US, according to Anna Lloyd of Task Force Argo, a volunteer group that works to relocate vulnerable Afghans.
"This freeze has hurt them significantly, not just for a pause in further relocation and resettlement to America, but a pause in providing them basic necessities there in Doha," she told CNN.
The freeze on foreign assistance abruptly halted services - including mental health services, education for children, sewing or music classes, and even the distribution of things like diapers and toiletries - provided by organizations in these third-party countries.
"We are only able to provide life sustaining services - food and emergency medical," a US official said. It’s unclear at this point what constitutes emergency medical services.
For those still in Afghanistan, the impact of the freeze could mean placing them in immense danger of retaliation from the Taliban government.
Some Afghans expecting to leave ‘sold everything’
Lloyd explained that Afghans who were told they were on future flights have likely "sold everything" and left their homes to await their flights.
"And now the flights have stopped and they have to return to what? Where do they return? If they return to their village, they’ll be identified as somebody who did not make it out on a US flight," she said.
The risk to Afghan allies who remained in the country is one that now-national security adviser Mike Waltz used to stress when he was serving as a lawmaker. In 2022, Waltz said the Biden administration "abandoned" Afghan allies and called for officials to be held accountable for the "thousands of allies we abandoned and made unkept promises of security for their safety."
Meanwhile, organizations have scrambled to deal with the impact of the aid suspension, and a separate memo placing an indefinite halt on providing services for refugees already in the United States.
"We have these immigrants here legally, who no longer have those services, they’re stuck in hotels. They came here with a backpack on their back, not with a shipment of household goods. They didn’t come here with a large bank account. They came here because of the honorable and faithful service they gave to America," Lloyd told CNN.
Several organizations including Task Force Argo and #AfghanEvac, a coalition of organizations that has been working to bring Afghan allies to safety since the end of the war in Afghanistan in 2021, have urged the administration to exempt Afghans allies from the freeze in services.
Within the administration, conversations are also ongoing about what, if anything, can be done to carve out those Afghans who helped the US abroad, according to two sources. It’s unclear if the impact to SIV recipients was an unintended consequence of the cable, the US official told CNN.
"If it’s not on purpose, it shouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility to do a waiver," the official said. "If they refuse to do a waiver, then whether it was unintended or not, it’s now on purpose."
An expected 40,000 SIV recipients are expected to be impacted, according to #AfghanEvac.
The impact to SIV recipients is in addition to the already-impacted group of refugees around the world who have had flights cancelled after the Trump administration suspended the refugee admissions program.
While SIV recipients must prove they worked directly for the US government, many who assisted the US are not eligible for SIVs and instead come to the US through the refugee track. That group of impacted individuals includes the families of roughly 200 US service members.
To be eligible for a SIV, according to the State Department, an individual must prove that they were employed in Afghanistan for or on behalf of the US government for at least a year and provided "faithful and valuable services," which is documented in a letter of recommendation. Many Afghans who worked for the US military, for example, submit letters of recommendation by US military commanders for whom they worked attesting to their service.
Under the Biden administration, more than 180,000 Afghans were resettled following the collapse of the Afghan government to the Taliban and the withdrawal of the US, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in December.
"We still have a lot more to do," Blinken said at the time. "A lot more to do for Afghans in our country, a lot more to do for those who are still on the way."
Trump administration officials have previously said they support Afghan allies who helped the US during its two decades in Afghanistan.
Asked about Afghan allies on Monday morning during his arrival to the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters, "We stand by our allies." Afghans who helped the U.S. are in dangerous limbo after Trump’s order on refugees (NPR)
NPR [1/27/2025 3:45 PM, Diaa Hadid and Juliana Kim, 243K, Neutral]
Surayya’s flight to the United States was already booked when President Trump ordered a pause on the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Not long after, her flight was canceled and her stomach dropped.
"I don’t know what to do," she said. "If I go back to Afghanistan, I will be prosecuted or even be killed by the Taliban."
Surayya, who asked NPR not to use her full name for safety reasons, used to work on women’s rights projects with the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. But when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Surayya and her children fled to neighboring Pakistan. There, she applied for resettlement in the U.S. and was approved.
Now, Surayya’s future and safety look uncertain, along with tens of thousands of other Afghans who risked their lives working for the U.S. government or military.
During Trump’s first day in office, the president issued an executive order to pause refugee applications and travel plans, citing concerns over the country’s capacity to absorb large numbers of refugees.
It remains unclear how long the suspension will last, but the order does allow the secretary of state and the secretary of homeland security to admit refugees on a "case-by-case basis." The U.S. State Department did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.
Longstanding pathways for Afghan allies hang in the balance
The U.S. is home to over 200,000 Afghans who arrived as refugees, according to Shawn VanDiver, a military veteran and the president of #AfghanEvac, a nonprofit that helps people from Afghanistan resettle in America.Around the world, over 40,000 Afghans are still actively pursuing resettlement in the U.S., with more than 10,000 approved to relocate by the U.S. government.
Many of those affected by the pause on the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) are Afghan lawyers and judges who put Taliban fighters behind bars, as well as members of the Afghan military who trained and fought alongside American troops. The families of about 200 active duty U.S. service members are also being impacted, VanDiver said.
"We made a promise to our Afghan allies, and fulfilling that promise is not just about policy - it’s about honor and integrity," he added.
USRAP is one of the pathways for Afghans who risked their lives to support U.S. missions. The other is called the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), specifically designed for Afghan interpreters, drivers and other contractors who worked directly with American forces.
The SIV program is in jeopardy too, following a separate executive order suspending foreign aid, including funding for refugee resettlement agencies. The order similarly stalls relocation flights, as well as hinders organizations from processing SIV cases and providing critical travel loans, according to VanDiver.
"This isn’t just a humanitarian issue - it’s an economic one. The ripple effects will be felt across the U.S. as resettlement agencies close their doors and jobs are lost," he said.
"He is unfortunately putting our lives in grave danger"
Surayya said she was supposed to be evacuated to the U.S. after the Taliban seized Kabul. But like thousands of others, she was not able to get on a plane during America’s chaotic retreat from Afghanistan in 2021.
The exit happened during former President Biden’s time in office, but it was set in motion by the first Trump administration, which signed a deal with the Taliban in 2020 to withdraw after two decades in the country.
While Surayya currently resides in Pakistan, it is not a permanent solution. Over the years, Pakistan has deported hundreds of thousands of Afghans. Without a chance to move to the U.S., Surayya does not know where else to go.
"Police of Pakistan are searching for Afghans," she said. "I am not safe here. And if I go back to Afghanistan, my life is not safe, my kids’ life is not safe."
Many Afghans who worked for the U.S. but were unable to escape Afghanistan now live in hiding from the Taliban, like Roshangar, who asked NPR not to include his full name because he’s been on the run.
Roshangar said he used to work alongside American pilots, helping review and approve airstrikes against Taliban fighters. He was on the last step of his application before the refugee program was suspended. Roshangar said he feels that the Trump administration turned its back to America’s Afghan allies.
"He is unfortunately putting our lives in grave danger," he said.
Veterans rally behind Afghan allies, urging the Trump administration to reverse course
For Army veteran Mark Kirkendall, the issue is deeply personal. "I called these Afghan engineers I worked with my adopted sons," he said. "That’s how close we are."
Kirkendall was deployed to Afghanistan over a decade ago. Since then, he kept in regular contact with the engineers he worked with, helping many of them resettle to the U.S.
Kirkendall, who voted for Trump, is hoping the president will make an exemption for Afghan allies. With three engineers still in Afghanistan - and having lost two to the Taliban - Kirkendall said he sees it as a matter of life or death.
"U.S policy has always been to take care of our allies, and we’re not doing a good job of that; we’re failing the Afghan people," he said.
To Army veteran Alex Waller, who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2017, he believes the U.S. has a moral responsibility to protect those who risked their lives to serve alongside American troops.
"By and large, they are productive members of society that want to be here, that want to make good life for themselves, and who are - in my opinion - they’re outstanding people," he said.
For the past two years, Waller and other veterans have been working with Task Force Argo, a volunteer group dedicated to helping Afghan allies evacuate, to bring to the U.S. a former member of the Afghan military who is currently in Turkey.
Waller said the soldier was known for participating in dozens of raids against the Taliban and helping evacuate a wounded American. Since Waller learned that USRAP was paused, he couldn’t help but wish he had acted more quickly.
"We should not assume that the countries that they are hiding in will continue to, like, let them hang around out of the kindness of their hearts or something," he said.
Last week, hundreds of veterans signed an open letter to the Trump administration organized by #AfghanEvac, urging that Afghans who put themselves in harm’s way working for the U.S. should be exempt from the executive order blocking refugee pathways. They argued that failing to do so would jeopardize America’s credibility with potential allies in future conflicts:
"To abandon them now would be a betrayal of the values we fought to defend and the trust built through years of shared struggle and sacrifice." Pakistan
Afghan women take scholarship tests offered by Pakistan (VOA)
VOA [1/27/2025 9:19 PM, Muska Safi and Roshan Noorzai, 2.7M, Neutral]
It took Susan Salih about eight hours to travel from Kabul, Afghanistan, to Peshawar, Pakistan, to take a scholarship exam the Pakistani government offers to Afghan students.
Salih, 25, and a group of other young Afghan women who took the exam at the Institute of Management Sciences in Peshawar told VOA that despite being able to take the test online, they traveled, accompanied by family members, to sit for the exam in person "to not miss the opportunity."
"I hope this will pay off at least for those girls who now have the chance [to pursue their higher education]," said Salih, who could not pursue her dream of a post-graduate degree in Afghanistan after the Taliban banned women from attending universities in 2022.
Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission said about 5,000 young women were among 21,000 applicants for the 2,000 scholarships announced for Afghan students.
These scholarships are part of the 4,500 Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships for Afghan Students, the commission said.
The Pakistan government said the undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships are fully funded, covering tuition fees, hostel dues, and living, book and travel allowances.
Tests for the scholarships took place in-person and online on Saturday and Sunday in Peshawar and Quetta.
Muhammad Waqar Khan, senior project manager at the Higher Education Commission, said students will be "short-listed" for scholarships based on merit.
"After this [the tests], we will conduct interviews" with those students, Khan said.
Pakistani officials earlier told VOA on the condition of anonymity that the Taliban agreed to let female students pursue higher education in Pakistan, provided that their male guardians are granted visas to accompany them.
But the Taliban, who seized power of Afghanistan in 2021, denied Monday that they reached any "conditional agreement" regarding the scholarships.
The Taliban have "no agreement with Pakistan or any other country regarding scholarships for girls. ... Such unfounded claims are propaganda by certain malicious groups against the Islamic Emirate," said a statement posted on the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education website.
The Taliban banned women from traveling long distances without a chaperone, working with the government and nongovernment organizations, and going to public baths, beauty salons and public parks.
Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission said the scholarships aim to "strengthen [the] bilateral relationship" between the two countries.Salih said these scholarships offer Afghan women hope.
"We want to be a beacon of hope for those still in Afghanistan," said Salih, adding that "even in tough times and with many limitations, there is always hope and a path forward." Pakistan faces mounting calls to release jailed ex-PM Khan (Nikkei Asia)
Nikkei Asia [1/28/2025 2:50 AM, Adnan Aamir, 1.3M, Neutral]
Talks between Pakistan’s government and jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan have collapsed, dousing hopes for an end to a political crisis as mounting calls for his release win support in the U.S.
Khan called off the negotiations last week after three rounds of talks failed to generate a deal to halt a wave of instability that has gripped the South Asian nation since the popular politician was ousted in a 2022 no-confidence motion.
The 72-year-old Khan was jailed the following year on a raft of charges, including corruption and instigating violence, which he rejects as politically motivated.
This month, a court sentenced Khan to 14 years in prison in a land corruption case, while the government seeks the extradition of a billionaire property tycoon linked to Khan. The former politician’s wife was also sentenced to jail in the graft case.
During the talks, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party had demanded that the government form judicial commissions to probe May 2023 unrest following his arrest, which led to allegations that PTI supporters attacked military installations. The party is also calling for an investigation into a government crackdown that saw a dozen Khan supporters killed during November protests that brought Islamabad to a standstill.
"[PTI] called off the talks with the government because [the government] refused to form [judicial] commissions," Zulfi Bukhari, an international media adviser to Khan, told Nikkei Asia.
"After the breakdown of talks, now the country will go back into political instability," he added.
The PTI, which demands Khan’s release, won the most seats in last year’s general election but failed to secure a majority to form a government. The military-backed administration of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a fierce rival of Khan’s, has launched a series of crackdowns on the party and its members since the polls.
"The talks established one important thing: the military is willing to talk to the PTI and the PTI is willing to talk to both the government and the military that backs it. With the precedent set, there will be further attempts sooner or later," said Cyril Almeida, a political commentator in Islamabad.
But the timing of the collapsed negotiations is tricky as Sharif’s government faces growing pressure to release Khan, a cricket star turned politician, from prison.
In November, American foreign policy adviser Richard Grenell -- the former Acting Director of National Intelligence and U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for Envoy for Special Missions -- called for Khan’s release in a pair of viral social media posts, including one that compared Khan’s prosecution to the criminal cases filed against Trump.
"Watch Pakistan. Their Trump-like leader is in prison on phony charges, and the people have been inspired by the U.S. Red Wave," Grenell wrote. "Stop the political prosecutions around the world!"
After a recent meeting with Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson called for Khan’s release and, in October, dozens of Democratic lawmakers urged former U.S. President Joe Biden to pressure Islamabad on the issue.
Last week, a group of Pakistanis living in the U.S. briefed Congress on the government’s crackdown against Khan’s supporters in November.
"PTI’s lobbying and influence [overseas] have grown to rival those of the state, a reality decision-makers [in Pakistan] must reckon with," said political analyst Shahid Maitla.
"On the other hand, the Government lacks the influence, lobbying power and authority to secure meaningful support for itself, leaving it vulnerable and isolated on the international stage," he added.
The growing political influence of Khan’s supporters in the U.S. and Trump’s unpredictable nature could prove to be a dangerous combination for Sharif’s government, analysts said.
"The overseas Pakistani community in the United States holds some sway. While this is not a significant issue, the unpredictable nature of Trump, his administration, and key advisers could create an impact," said Tahir Naeem Malik, a professor of international relations at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) Islamabad.
"Even a single statement or tweet from them could shift dynamics," he added.
Meanwhile, Islamabad could face an uphill battle to extradite real-estate magnate Malik Riaz Hussain from the United Arab Emirates over allegations the billionaire sold land that he did not own. Hussain has claimed the case is punishment for his refusal to testify against Khan in the separate graft case.
"Malik Riaz [Hussain] remains a powerful figure, virtually immune to extradition," Maitla said. "His connections within Pakistan’s elite circles...make him untouchable." Pakistan’s Senate passes bill which critics claim will suppress freedom of speech (AP)
AP [1/28/2025 4:59 AM, Staff, 21617K, Neutral]
Pakistan’s upper house of parliament on Tuesday passed a controversial bill that critics argue is designed to suppress freedom of speech.The bill, which was passed by the lower house of parliament last Thursday, grants the government extensive powers to impose heavy fines and incarcerate social media users for spreading disinformation.The approval on Tuesday by the Senate removes the last obstacle in the bill’s path. It will now be sent to the President Asif Ali Zardari, who is likely to sign it quickly.Under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, authorities would create an agency with the power to order the immediate blocking of content deemed “unlawful and offensive” from social media, such as content critical of judges, the armed forces, parliament or provincial assemblies.Those failing to comply could face temporary or permanent bans. The law also makes spreading disinformation a criminal offense, punishable by three years in prison and a fine of 2 million rupees ($7,150).The latest development comes days after National Assembly passed it despite protests by the opposition. On Tuesday, Shibli Faraz, an opposition leader in the Senate, opposed the bill, saying it was being passed in a haste and without consulting all the stake-holders.Zulfiqar Bukhari, a spokesman for former Prime Minister Imran Khan, said their Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, would challenge the legislation in the court. “The bill has been passed from the both houses of the parliament to silence the freedom of expression on the pretext of combating fake news, and no democracy-lover can support it,” he said in a statement.Pakistan’s media has faced growing censorship in recent years, but the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the law is necessary to limit the spread of disinformation. Pakistani journalists fear amended cybercrime law will further curb freedoms (VOA)
VOA [1/27/2025 5:56 PM, Sarah Zaman, 2717K, Negative]
Pakistan is pressing ahead with amendments to its digital crimes act to stem what it says is an influx of fake news. But media rights groups warn the changes, if passed, will suppress freedom of expression by exposing journalists and social media users to legal action.
New amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (2025), commonly known as PECA, call for a three-year prison term and a fine of over $7,000 for spreading fake and false information.
The amendments also broaden the definition of content that authorities can block and set up four new bodies to regulate online content.
The amended law now awaits passage in the Senate after its Standing Committee on Interior approved the amendments Monday. The National Assembly, the lower house of the country’s bicameral parliament, passed the amended bill last Thursday as opposition members and journalists walked out in protest.
"The fact that [the] interior ministry is involved in this clearly shows that this is being turned into a national security matter," said Nayyar Ali, secretary of the National Press Club that represents journalists in Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi.
The law
Originally promulgated as Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (2016), PECA, as it is commonly known, was meant to curb cybercrime, online harassment, and the spread of hateful content that could instigate violence.
Media and human rights groups call the law "draconian" and say successive governments have used it to muzzle dissent.
Press freedom groups have recorded more than 200 incidents of journalists and media persons investigated since PECA became law in 2017.
The latest changes to the law come just days before Pakistan marks a year since its elections last Feb. 8 were marred by allegations of widespread fraud.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, one of the most popular leaders, remains in jail and his party is deprived of its share of seats reserved for women and minorities.
However, his supporters continue to run a formidable online campaign when most TV channels avoid saying the leader’s name.
"State and private players have been able to tame mainstream media," said journalist Arifa Noor about the decline in press freedom over the past several years. "It has pushed a considerable amount of the commentary and reporting onto social media, and this is why they now want to go after social media.
"They can’t tame it and they want to tame it," she said.
Pakistan ranks a low 152 out of 180 countries on Reporters without Borders’ global press freedom index, where 1 shows the best media environment. Freedom House ranks it "not free" for internet freedoms.
Amendments
PECA (2025) as approved by the national assembly expands the definition of unlawful content to include information that is false, harmful, and damages the reputation of a person including members of the judiciary, armed forces, parliament or a provincial assembly.
It also broadens the definition of "person" to include state institutions and corporations.
Critics worry this will muzzle dissent and open doors for the powerful military to target civilians.
Minister for Information for Punjab province Azma Bukhari rejected the concerns as "undue.".
"The [military] institution also belongs to this country," he said. "If the institution has an objection over someone, should it not object [just] because it’s an institution?".
The amendments come as Pakistan’s military routinely faces criticism online for its role in civilian affairs as well as for its alleged interference in political affairs, which it denies. Faced often with smear campaigns, the military’s top brass has repeatedly called for a crackdown on "digital terrorism.".
"What we need is strong civil laws that treat defamation as a civil problem," Noor said.
The amended law stipulates a punishment of up to three years in prison and a fine of more than $7,000 for intentionally disseminating information that a person knows or believes is "false or fake and likely to cause or create a sense of fear, panic or disorder or unrest in general public or society.".
"What is fake news? They don’t bother to define it," Noor, the journalist, said. "They want to call everything that they don’t like fake news.".
Journalists’ bodies say the impact of the amended law will not be limited to social media content makers.
"All the media is digital now," said Ali, secretary of the National Press Club, as mainstream media outlets and prominent journalists use social media to deliver information that can draw state backlash if delivered on TV channels.
New powers
The bill proposes creating a Digital Rights Protection Authority, a Social Media Complaint Council, a Social Media Protection Tribunal and a National Cyber Crime Investigation Authority.
Decisions made by the tribunal can only be challenged in the Supreme Court, bypassing the traditional appeals process that includes provincial high courts.
Punjab information minister Bukhari defended the amendment saying, "we are giving access to the highest forum in the country." However, the Press Club’s Ali said most citizens do not have the financial means to approach the country’s top court through lawyers.
Bukhari, who has been a target of an AI-generated smear campaign, told VOA that Pakistan needs such a law.
"Those who deal in fake news should be fearful of this law," she said. "Those who file with checks and balances should not worry.".
However, Noor said journalists are also caught in a bind when government officials give contradictory information that causes the spread of false information.
Rushed passage
Some journalists’ bodies have said they support government efforts to regulate digital spaces, however they are questioning the speedy passage of the amended law in the National Assembly and approval of amendments by the Senate committee.
Expressing concern over the chilling effects of the amendments, the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan as well as Amnesty International last week called on the government to consult journalist bodies before turning the bill into law.
In a statement Thursday, the Joint Action Committee, a coalition of major media bodies of the country "rejected any PECA amendments that are passed or approved without consultation with media bodies.".
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists has called for nationwide protests on Tuesday afternoon. How Pakistan’s military is taking over its economy (Financial Times)
Financial Times [1/27/2025 4:14 PM, Humza Jilani, 14.8M, Neutral]
On a sunny early January afternoon, two thousand fishermen, farmers and activists gathered on the dry river bed outside Kotri Barrage in Pakistan, the final dam before the waters of the Indus flow into the Arabian Sea. “Send this message to Islamabad, send this message to Pindi: we will not drink your gutter water!” shouted one activist, referring to Rawalpindi, where the army is headquartered. “We reject the canal!” roared the crowd.
The protests were against a Rs200bn ($720mn) project to build canals that would divert water upstream to eastern Pakistan. There, an agricultural company led by the military, Green Pakistan, hopes to turn a large swath of desert into fertile farmland that will guarantee a steady supply of grain and attract investment from Gulf states.
The canal project is being directed by the government, but led by the Special Investment Facilitation Council, an investment body co-led by Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief of staff. Other SIFC initiatives, led mostly by serving and retired officers, include plans to renovate hotels at the foot of the snowcapped peaks in Pakistan’s north and schemes to exploit mineral and natural gas riches in the mountainous frontier with Afghanistan.
Proponents say the army’s role is crucial in projects like this: as well as cutting through red tape and settling the squabbles that have prevented Pakistan from developing export and tourism sectors, it can draw in much-needed foreign investment and reshape one of Asia’s most troubled economies.
The army has always had an outsized role in Pakistani politics. No fewer than four military dictators have ruled the country since independence in 1947 — most recently Pervez Musharraf, who was ejected from power in 2008. Even when civilian governments have been in power, there is widespread evidence that army chiefs have held considerable sway.
Analysts and officials say that the military’s influence over the country’s civilian government is at its highest level since Musharraf’s resignation.
But in recent years especially, the tentacles of the military have extended even further, deep into Pakistan’s economy. A 2021 UN report described military-linked businesses as the “largest conglomerate in Pakistan”. And at the launch of Pakistan’s new five-year economic plan on New Year’s eve, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly thanked chief of staff Munir for helping save the country from the brink of default in June 2023.“I must tell you, without any fear of any kind of exaggeration, that I . . . never experienced this kind of co-operation which I’ve received from the army chief and the institution,” he told the audience.
Critics warn that the military’s ever-expanding economic footprint raises the risk that it will favour its own interests over others. There are also concerns that its involvement in politics and the economy is distracting it from counterterrorism work, increasing societal unrest and deterring foreign investment.
The military’s presence also offers acute challenges for the political factions that govern this country of 240mn people. The Pakistan People’s party is the third-largest party in Islamabad and the ruling party in Sindh — a province of 50mn people where there is widespread opposition to the canal project.
The party can either resist “or sell out, letting other, more violent and nationalist forces step in”, says Naveed Qamar, one of its senior members of the national parliament. “We could see our support completely collapse in Sindh.”
Munir has leaned into the army’s “saviour complex”, says Madiha Afzal, a fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. The military has come to believe “that it alone can fix Pakistan, that it alone can guarantee the political stability needed for economic progress and can ensure that the economic ship is righted,” she adds.
Pakistan’s military leaders began ramping up their involvement in economic matters around the time of Imran Khan’s ascent to power in 2018. Amid an economic slowdown and the accelerating growth of its great rival, India, the military played a prominent role in Khan’s rise.
But the former prime minister fell out with the top brass, and generals grew more sceptical that electoral democracy could deliver growth, enable Pakistan to compete with India or serve the army’s own widespread political and business interests, analysts and former officials say.
The need for a rethink became more acute as Pakistan’s importance to the outside world waned. “Ten years ago, the US was in Afghanistan, so Pakistan’s geopolitical position was secure,” says Stefan Dercon, a professor at Oxford who has advised Sharif on economic reform. “They could expect to be seen as too big to fail.”
Counting on waivers and bailouts from friendly countries worried that its collapse might put nuclear weapons within the reach of Islamist terror groups, Pakistan put off serious structural reforms. “It was an overdraft without ever needing to be called in,” says Dercon. “That’s changed now.”
When Munir became chief of the army staff in November 2022, seven months after Khan was ousted and replaced by Sharif, the country was still haemorrhaging dollar reserves, inflation was rocketing and insurgencies were starting to flare up along the Afghanistan border.
Since then, the general has made saving the economy a core part of his public image. Last November, he told a group of businessmen in Karachi that “all indicators of Pakistan’s economy are positive”, according to a report by the state news agency. “Where are the people now who spread disappointment and talked about default?” he added.
Munir has secured an extension to his term, potentially allowing him to stay in office for 10 years rather than the usual maximum of six.
Pakistan’s elected government now comprises an alliance of parties whose leaders have all fallen foul of the army in the past, but have united to prevent Khan — whose allies won the most votes in last February’s contested election — from returning to power.
With Khan in prison, the government wants to use its time in power to pursue ambitious reforms that ministers say will transform Pakistan’s boom-and-bust economy.
Their close ties to the army, they say, insulate them from the feuds and public backlashes that have prevented past prime ministers from completing full terms. “There is a broad understanding between all pillars of state that any political uncertainty and political instability would be suicidal for Pakistan,” says planning minister Ahsan Iqbal. “There is very good positive synergy . . . between the establishment [a common euphemism for the military] and the government to take this economic recovery path together,” he tells the Financial Times.
In addition to Munir sitting atop the SIFC, alongside the prime minister, serving generals also run Pakistan’s national population registry, its anti-corruption watchdog and task forces pursuing tax reform and the renegotiation of energy contracts.
Munir also directed a 2023 operation against currency smuggling, while admirers also cite his ties to the Gulf monarchies that Pakistan depends upon for financing.
One senior government official acknowledges that “there has definitely been mission creep”, but blames politicians: “We failed to take the steps we should have taken before to fix the economy.”“[The army] acts as a nudge to get us to tax our voter bank, or right-size the government,” the official adds. “They see themselves as guardrails for the economic reform journey.”
In the 18 months since Pakistan’s near-default, the country has returned to a semblance of economic stability. In September, it secured a $7bn IMF bailout and inflation fell to 4.1 per cent in December — having peaked at 38 per cent in June 2023. The central bank has cut interest rates and has enough dollar reserves to cover over two months of imports.
To shore up its finances and retain IMF support, Pakistan’s government raised taxes on salaried workers, removed popular energy subsidies and promised to introduce taxes on the politically sensitive agriculture and real estate sectors. It has also said it would slash trade tariffs by a third over three years.
But the country’s economy is still growing more slowly than its population, with a million more people entering the workforce each year than there are formal jobs. “Growth is still very low,” says Hasnain Malik, head of equity and investment strategy at emerging and frontier market research company Tellimer.“The huge devaluation of the currency has left its scars on consumption power without yet triggering an export boom, and external debt refinancing needs are still very high.”
In mid-January, a group of Pakistani wind energy executives sat down in a conference room in a military base in Rawalpindi.
According to two of those present, a team of bureaucrats flanked by half a dozen uniformed army officers demanded that they revise the state-backed contracts they had signed years before — changes the government says would bring down electricity prices for ordinary people.
One of the executives says they were informed by a bureaucrat that “if you do not want to work with us, we will let the right people get in touch” — meaning one of the officers behind him.“The message was clear,” says the executive, who asked to remain anonymous. “We will probably need to shut down our wind farm in Sindh to avoid going into default now.”
The episode was the one of several negotiations with power producers that Pakistani authorities, with the support of the security services, have undertaken since August.
Nadeem Anjum, the then head of Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan’s foreign spy agency, also met energy executives towards the end of 2024 to discuss renegotiating power contracts.
A decade ago, Pakistan attracted heavy foreign investment in its power sector by promising dollar-indexed, state-guaranteed returns. But the recent surge in electricity prices has turned such investors into public villains.
Sharif has celebrated these renegotiations as proof that his government will take bold steps to bring down power bills. But they have unnerved the business community and foreign investors, according to seven energy sector executives who shared details with the Financial Times.“We can’t lawyer up and go to arbitration — we have to live and do business in this country,” complains another energy executive who had his contract terminated last year.
A Ministry of Power spokesperson says the ongoing renegotiations “will be according to law and with mutual agreement as in the past”.
A letter sent by the German embassy to Munir in October, and seen by the FT, questioned the “unusual manner” in which negotiations over Rousch Power, a company in which a unit of German engineering giant Siemens held a significant stake, were being conducted. It went on to warn that the affair was “already damaging the trust of German enterprises and investors”.
Siemens confirmed that Pakistan’s government had asked to renegotiate the power contracts but did not comment on the contents of the letter. Germany’s foreign ministry offered no comment either.
Critics say that these disputes are hindering Islamabad’s efforts to pursue other reforms, such as the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines. One businessman, who also asked for anonymity, says that having his company’s power contract terminated had forced him to pull out of talks about the airline.
Two other investors say their participation in a second round of bidding for PIA will depend on the government protecting their stakes in the airline. They also say that they plan to reach out to Fauji Foundation, a conglomerate linked to the military, to join their consortium “as an insurance policy”.
While a loss of external investment could yet create an incentive for reform, Ahmed Pirzada, a senior lecturer at the University of Bristol, says there is also “a risk that the country’s elites will respond by consolidating their control over resources, effectively grabbing a larger share of a shrinking economic pie to maintain their lifestyles”.
Azeema Cheema, a director at Verso Consulting, adds that the government’s unpopularity incentivises it “to stick to the few friends it has left, instead of governing for the public at large”.
Last year’s budget was peppered with pork-barrel spending and tax breaks, with legislators, bureaucrats and serving and retired military officers among the main beneficiaries. “The whole idea becomes spend, spend, spend on initiatives that . . . serve only to appease their household guards,” adds Cheema.
Pakistan’s military has also launched a broad-based crackdown against political opponents. Thousands of members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party have been taken to anti-terrorism and military courts, while many senior leaders have gone into hiding.
The detentions have drawn criticism from abroad, with the EU warning in late December that military trials for civilians were inconsistent with commitments Pakistan had made to gain access to a preferential trade agreement that has been a lifeline to its textile sector.
Since last year, protests like those in Sindh have erupted throughout the country. Demonstrators calling for Khan’s release clashed with police in Islamabad and others in Balochistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir staged sit-ins and strikes over crackdowns on civil rights.
Government and military officials say a muscular approach is needed to defeat terrorism and ensure the political stability necessary for investors to feel safe. But they have denied that their actions violate Pakistan’s constitution, and insist the military does not participate in politics.
The Pakistan Armed Forces and SIFC did not reply to repeated requests for comment.
Meanwhile, critics warn that public disaffection with the government is only increasing. They point to increasingly brutal insurgencies that last year led to more than 2,000 deaths in the western provinces where Pakistan is keen on tapping into mineral and gas reserves.
In Balochistan, “it is hard to find a single family that does not have someone missing or killed”, says Mahvish Ahmad, a professor in human rights and politics at the London School of Economics. The province is home to a Chinese-backed port, Gwadar, and Pakistan hopes to develop a giant copper mine there.
Sharif’s coalition has also sought to tighten its grip over the internet and social media, claiming that misinformation is undermining public faith in the government and the armed forces.
Kalsoom Lakhani, the co-founder of i2i Ventures, a Pakistan-focused venture capital firm, says throttling the internet “acts as a ceiling on the Pakistani start-up space and commerce as a whole”. “The arbitrariness of all of it also adds to overall uncertainty,” she adds, scaring investors away from an industry that contributed over $3bn in export earnings last year.
Afzal, of the Brookings Institution, says the military “sees political repression as generating political stability, which is needed for economic stability”.“But that political stability comes via cementing its own hold on power, with a politically subservient civilian government nominally in charge,” she adds. “Pakistan’s democracy looks worse now than at any point since 2008.” India
Trump Says India’s Modi Expected at White House in February (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [1/28/2025 12:57 AM, Stephanie Lai, 5.5M, Neutral]
Donald Trump said Narendra Modi will probably come to the White House in February, putting India’s prime minister among the first foreign leaders to visit Washington since the US president’s inauguration.“I had a long talk with him this morning and he’s going to be coming to the White House in the next month, probably in February,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
On the call, Trump called on India to increase its purchase of US-made security equipment in a bid to balance the trade relationship between the countries, the White House said in a readout. The pair also discussed security issues in the Indo-Pacific, Middle East, and Europe.
In a post on X, Modi said he congratulated Trump on his second term and said India was committed to a “mutually beneficial and trusted partnership.”
The planning effort for the leader-level meeting comes alongside some tensions between the two nations. Late last year, the US Justice Department announced bribery charges against Indian tycoon and Modi ally Gautam Adani. The Biden Administration also charged an Indian official with attempting to orchestrate a foiled plot to assassinate a US citizen in New York.
Trump and Modi have cultivated a close relationship, with multiple meetings during the US president’s first term. The US over multiple administrations has cultivated India as a regional partner and a bulwark against a more assertive China.
Military ties between the two countries have been steadily growing the last two decades. According to a December report by the US Congressional Research Service, India conducts more military exercises and personnel exchanges with the US than any other country.
The US is the third largest source of India’s military hardware after Russia and France, accounting for 10% of purchases, the report said, adding that India has contracted more than $20 billion worth of US-origin defense articles since 2008.
India’s purchases include naval long range maritime surveillance aircraft, artillery guns, helicopters, specialized missiles, transport planes and radars. The two countries are finalizing the purchase of more than $3 billion worth of US-made unmanned vehicles.
India has already signaled willingness to quickly accommodate Trump’s more hardline stance on immigration, with Modi’s government prepared to accept some 18,000 undocumented Indian migrants identified by the US, Bloomberg News has reported.
At the same time, the Trump has criticized India for its high tariffs and protectionist policies, saying they harm US businesses, and has vowed trade duties. Modi’s government is already considering options including cutting tariffs and importing more US goods to counter potential Trump trade actions and narrow its trade surplus with the US, which was $35.3 billion for the year ended March 31. Trump emphasizes ‘fair’ trade, discusses defense buys and immigration with Modi (Reuters)
Reuters [1/27/2025 9:55 PM, David Brunnstrom, Nandita Bose, and Kanishka Singh, 48128K, Negative]
U.S. President Donald Trump stressed the importance of India buying more American-made security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship in a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, the White House said.Trump later himself told reporters they also spoke about the issue of immigration and that Modi will visit the U.S. sometime in February. The White House said earlier that plans for a Modi visit were discussed by the two leaders.In what the White House called a "productive call," the leaders discussed expanding and deepening cooperation and issues including security in the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe.Reuters reported last week that Indian and U.S diplomats are trying to arrange a meeting of the leaders as early as February.Trump and Modi enjoyed warm relations in the U.S. president’s first term, but during his campaign for re-election Trump called India a "very big abuser" on trade and vowed to use tariffs on global imports into the U.S. to correct imbalances. Trump has also threatened the BRICS group of nations, of which India is a part, with tariffs if they did not accept his demand of committing to not create a new currency.In Monday’s call, Trump "emphasized the importance of India increasing its procurement of American-made security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship," a White House statement said.The U.S. is India’s largest trading partner and two-way trade surpassed $118 billion in 2023/24, with India posting a surplus of $32 billion.India is also an important strategic partner in U.S. efforts to counter China, and in a social media post on Monday, Modi called Trump a "dear friend" and said they were "committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership.""We will work together for the welfare of our people and towards global peace, prosperity, and security," Modi said.An Indian statement said the leaders discussed technology, trade, investment, energy and defense and "agreed to remain in touch and meet soon at an early mutually convenient date."The White House said Trump and Modi emphasized their commitment to the Quad grouping that brings together the United States and India with Australia and Japan, with India to host Quad leaders later this year.Tanvi Madan, an India expert at Washington’s Brookings Institution, said it appeared likely Modi would visit Washington soon, with Trump reciprocating by attending the Quad summit."Trade and immigration issues are clearly on the Trump administration’s agenda when it comes to India," she said. "Its impact will depend in part on India’s response to Trump’s asks, but also how the broader debate on those issues plays out in Washington."Madan said India would be hoping for a changed U.S. posture towards India’s close relations with Russia, but for the time being would have to contend with U.S. sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine war.‘DO WHAT’S RIGHT’Trump told reporters on Monday Modi "will do what’s right" when it comes to taking back Indian immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally.In a meeting with India’s foreign minister last week, Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized a desire to "address concerns related to irregular migration."Trump has pledged to crack down on illegal immigration and Bloomberg News reported last week that India and the U.S. have identified some 18,000 Indian migrants who are in the U.S. illegally.Trump has said he is open to legal migration of skilled workers and India is known for its massive pool of IT professionals, many of whom work across the world. They account for the bulk of the skilled worker H-1B visas issued by the United States.The U.S. readouts this week and last made no mention of Washington’s accusations of Indian involvement in a foiled murder plot on U.S. soil against a Sikh separatist that were an awkward factor in relations in the latter part of the administration of former President Joe Biden. Donald Trump pushes India to buy more US weapons in trade rebalancing (Financial Times)
Financial Times [1/28/2025 2:46 AM, Andres Schipani and Krishn Kaushik, 14.8M, Neutral]
US President Donald Trump has pushed India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to buy more American-made weapons, as he called for the countries to rebalance their trade relationship in a call late on Monday.
Trump emphasised that India should be increasing its “procurement of American-made security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship”, according to a White House statement issued after the call between the leaders, which the US called “productive”.
Trump and Modi cultivated a close relationship during the US president’s first term, and New Delhi has been a strategic partner in Washington’s efforts to counter an increasingly assertive Beijing.
But Trump also called India a “very big abuser” on trade during his re-election campaign last year, and analysts pointed to areas of friction between the countries, such as their trade deficit, Indian imports of Russian oil and the flow of Indian immigrants to the US.“The bilateral relationship is very likely to remain a strong one under Trump 2.0, yet transactional, in which President Trump will also require some concessions from India,” said Rani Mullen, a senior visiting fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi.
The US is India’s second-largest trading partner, narrowly trailing China, and New Delhi recorded a $35bn trade surplus with Washington between January and November 2024, according to the latest data from India’s commerce ministry. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Brics countries, a grouping of major emerging economies that includes India.
In a social media post late on Monday, Modi called Trump a “dear friend” and said they were “committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership” in several areas, including security.
Trump later told reporters that Modi would visit the White House “probably in February”, which would make the Indian leader among the first foreign dignitaries to visit since the US president’s inauguration.
Trump’s requests came as India, long the world’s largest arms importer, has been seeking to diversify its weapons suppliers beyond Russia. It has leaned on the US, along with other countries such as France, to close a gap in military technology and preparedness with regional rival China.
Modi has also pushed India’s military to support domestic arms manufacturers, part of his ambition for the defence and aviation industries to help make the country a global manufacturing power. Modi has set a target of $35bn for domestic defence production by the end of the decade, up from nearly $20bn last year.
New Delhi needs to upgrade its military capabilities if it is to match those of nuclear-armed neighbour China, according to analysts, including in fighter jets, submarines, tanks, helicopters and even assault rifles. While some domestic arms makers have such capabilities, India lacks critical knowhow for technologies such as military jet engines.
Trump and Modi also discussed expanding security co-operation in the Indo-Pacific region and reiterated their commitment to the Quad — a strategic grouping that also includes Japan and Australia — according to the White House. India is set to host the group’s leaders this year.
The call coincided with a visit by India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri to Beijing on Tuesday, during which the countries agreed in principle to resume direct passenger flights for the first time in five years. The routes were initially suspended during the Covid pandemic, and remained so after deadly border clashes in 2020 soured relations.
Trump said he and Modi also discussed immigration, a priority for the new US administration, adding that the Indian prime minister would “do what’s right” in terms of accepting the return of illegal Indian nationals from the US.
Indians made up the third-largest group of unauthorised immigrants in the US in 2022 after Mexico and El Salvador, according to the Pew Research Center. India and China Agree to Resume Direct Flights After Nearly Five Years (New York Times)
New York Times [1/28/2025 2:16 AM, Mujib Mashal, 831K, Positive]
India and China have agreed to resume direct flights between the two countries after nearly five years, the latest thaw between the two Asian giants that until recently were on war-footing over a deadly border dispute.
The rapprochement also included agreements on improving access to journalists from both sides and facilitating pilgrimages to a Hindu shrine in Tibet. They were announced by both sides on Monday, after India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, visited Beijing.
The two nations have made substantial progress in recent months to restore some normalcy in ties. Their relationship had plunged to its worst in decades following an incursion by Chinese soldiers into the Indian side of a disputed border in 2020. The skirmishes left soldiers dead on both sides.
In October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India met with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of a summit in Russia. It was the first time the two leaders had sat down for proper talks in five years. That conversation was made possible by more than two dozen rounds of negotiations between military leaders and diplomats over disengaging their forces along the border high in the Himalayas.
Mr. Misri’s trip to Beijing was to follow up over a series of “people-centric steps to stabilize and rebuild ties,” India’s foreign ministry said in a statement after the visit.
The ministry added that officials from the two sides would meet to discuss the technical details of resuming flights, which have remained suspended since the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. Flights to Hong Kong resumed after the pandemic lockdowns eased, but those to mainland China did not because of the tension between the two countries.In his meeting with Mr. Misri, Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, called on both sides to “seize the opportunity, meet each other halfway” in the hopes of ending “mutual suspicion, mutual alienation and mutual attrition,” according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry. China, India Agree to Resume Direct Flights, Ease Visas (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [1/27/2025 2:00 PM, Sudhi Ranjan Sen, 21617K, Positive]
China and India have agreed to resume direct flights, facilitate visas and restart sharing data of trans-border rivers as the nuclear-armed neighbors try to rebuild diplomatic ties that remained frosty for more than four years.The decisions were the outcome of a two-day meeting between India’s top diplomat Vikram Misri and China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong in Beijing, New Delhi said in a statement on Monday.“They agreed in principle to resume direct air services between the two countries,” India’s foreign ministry statement said, adding the technical authorities will negotiate an updated framework for this purpose at an early date.The two sides agreed to take appropriate measures to facilitate people-to-people exchanges and also restart sharing data on rivers that flow through both countries as concern over a dam on a river in the Tibet Autonomous Region mounts.India and China have taken several measures to manage their differences after a meeting between Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi in Kazan in October that raised expectations that ties would normalize. Deadly border clashes in June 2020 led to a ban on hundreds of Chinese apps in India, approvals for Chinese investments and visas slowed and direct flights between the two countries were cut.The two sides agreed to “hold an early meeting of the India-China Expert Level Mechanism to discuss resumption of provision of hydrological data and other cooperation pertaining to trans-border rivers,” India’s statement on Monday said.China is pressing ahead with plans to construct a mega dam on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo river near its contested border with India. The mega dam could generate three times as much power as the Three Gorges Dam and is a source of tension between the two countries as the Yarlung Tsangpo feeds into one of India’s major rivers. Chinese and Indian diplomats call for warmer relations but make no public mention of border dispute (AP)
AP [1/27/2025 9:53 AM, Staff, 456K, Neutral]
The top diplomats of China and India called for their nations to provide further mutual support, but avoided publicly mentioning a long-standing border dispute in the Himalayas when they met Monday in Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told top Indian foreign affairs official Vikram Misri that the sides “should seize the opportunity, meet each other halfway, explore more substantive measures, and strive to understand, support and achieve each other, rather than be suspicious of, alienate and consume each other,” China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.
It cited Misri as saying the nuclear-armed Asian giants have “properly managed and resolved differences, and promoted the restart of practical cooperation in various fields.”
India’s foreign ministry in a statement said the two sides also agreed to resume trips by Indian pilgrims to Tibet’s Mount Kailash, which is considered as one of the holiest sites in Hinduism and Buddhism. The pilgrimage was stopped in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ties have been stable since the leaders of the two countries met last year on the sidelines of a multinational summit in Russia. Days before that meeting, India announced the two sides had agreed to a pact on military patrols along their disputed border in the Himalayas after a spike in tensions that began with a deadly clash in 2020. That turned into a long-running standoff in the rugged mountainous area, where each side has stationed tens of thousands of military personnel backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi have since limited their joint public comments to pleasantries without openly discussing the border. India said the 2024 agreement would lead to the “disengagement” of troops at the Line of Actual Control, the long shared border in the Himalayas, although it’s unclear whether that meant the withdrawal of the tens of thousands of additional troops stationed along their disputed border in the Ladakh region.
The Line of Actual Control separates Chinese and Indian-held territories from Ladakh in the west to India’s eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims in its entirety. India and China fought a deadly war over the border in 1962.
Both India and China have withdrawn troops from face-off sites on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra and Galwan Valley, but they maintain extra troops at Demchok and Depsang Plains.
The army standoff damaged business ties between the two nations with halted investments from Chinese firms and major projects banned. India also banned Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok, which is operated by Chinese internet firm Bytedance. It cited privacy concerns that it said threatened India’s sovereignty and security.
Chinese products are ubiquitous in India, from toys to smartphones to made-in-China Hindu idols. According to Indian government data, two-way trade has grown by the tens of billions in the past two decades, with the balance strongly favoring China, while China has drawn many Indian specialists and students, particularly in the medical field. India’s BJP-ruled Uttarakhand implements ‘totally biased’ common civil code (Al Jazeera)
Al Jazeera [1/27/2025 7:18 AM, Staff, 19588K, Negative]
The northern Indian state of Uttarakhand has started implementing a common civil code to replace religious laws, a move that will likely trigger unease among India’s Muslim minority.Addressing a news conference on Monday announcing the enactment of the so-called Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said it would bring about “equality”.“This code is not against any sect or religion. Through this, a way has been found to get rid of evil practices in the society,” added Dhami, who belongs to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).The introduction of UCC to replace India’s patchwork of laws on marriage, divorce and inheritance has been a longstanding goal of the BJP.In February last year, Uttarakhand lawmakers passed the common civil code law, to bring about a uniform set of rules for civil relationships – including marriage, divorce and inheritance – across all religions and making the registration of live-in relationships mandatory.Uttarakhand is the second Indian state to implement such a law. Goa is the only other state of the country that already had a common civil code, introduced when it used to be a Portuguese colony.Although criminal laws are the same for all, different communities – the majority Hindus, the over 200 million Muslims, Christians (about 26 million) and tribal communities – follow their own civil laws, influenced by religious texts and cultural mores.‘Totally biased against Muslims’Supporters say the UCC gives Muslim women the same rights as others by ending polygamy, setting equal property inheritance rights for sons and daughters, and requiring divorce processes to take place before a civil court.However, experts say the law does not challenge patriarchal provisions in Hindu civil law, for instance, on the guardianship of a minor boy or unmarried girl going to the father, and only after him, to the mother.Namrata Mukherjee, senior resident fellow at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, told Al Jazeera last year – after the Uttarakhand law was passed – that it “disproportionately impacts Muslim personal law practices”.“While technically a uniform civil code should have standardised provisions of marriage, divorce and succession for all, irrespective of their religious identity, it has selectively outlawed and criminalised personal laws and customary practices of religious minorities, especially Muslims,” she had said.Muslim leaders, therefore, accuse the BJP of trying to push through an agenda to impose what they say is effectively a “Hindu code” disguised as a UCC on other religious groups, who are currently allowed their own rules on marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance.Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, India’s largest socio-religious Muslim organisation, said the implementation of the law in Uttarakhand was an “assault on citizens’ religious freedom”.“This law is … based entirely on discrimination and bias,” Jamiat said in a statement, adding that the move will be challenged in both the state High Court and the Supreme Court of India.Asma Zehra, president of the All India Muslim Women Association, told the AFP news agency the law was “an attack on our identity”.This move would create “huge challenges” for Muslim women because it would lead to a conflict between state laws and those of their faith, she said.“This law is totally biased against Muslims and is a manifestation of Islamophobia,” she added.The law also makes it mandatory for couples to register live-in heterosexual relationships – or else face a three-month jail term or a fine.“It is absolutely contrary to the right to privacy and personal autonomy,” senior lawyer Geeta Luthra told AFP, adding that the state should not “enter into the realm of what citizens do consensually”. Indian state suspects first death from Guillain-Barre syndrome amid rising cases (Reuters)
Reuters [1/27/2025 12:43 PM, Sudipto Ganguly, 1286K, Negative]
One person is believed to have died in India’s Maharashtra state in an outbreak of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) -- a neurological disease that causes numbness, weakness and pain -- and the number of cases is rising, health officials said on Monday.
A total of 101 cases of GBS have so far been reported in the state, most of them in and around Pune city, which lies about 180 km (110 miles) from the state capital and India’s financial hub Mumbai.The state’s public health department said in a statement that one person had died in the city of Solapur and 16 patients were currently on ventilators.A rapid response team visited the affected areas, it said."Citizens should not panic – the state’s health department is prepared to implement preventive and control measures," the statement said.A federal health ministry spokesperson said the government has sent a seven-member team to Pune to assess the situation following the outbreak.The condition, in which the body’s immune system attacks nerves, can cause paralysis and even death.Most symptoms occur within days or weeks of a viral or bacterial infection and typically last a few weeks, according to the World Health Organization.Most people recover fully from even the most severe cases of GBS, although some continue to experience weakness, the global health agency says."The exact cause is not known behind the sudden rise in GBS cases," said Avinash Bhondwe, the former president of the Indian Medical Association, Maharashtra, adding that GBS was a post-infective auto-immune disease."Auto-immune diseases are not communicable, it cannot spread from one patient to another. But the causative infection usually spreads."Drainage water gets mixed with potable water in some affected areas in Pune where water lines and drainage lines run side by side, leading to contamination and caused the spike in GBS cases among other possible reasons, Bhondwe said.In their guidance, health authorities asked citizens to boil drinking water, among other measures. NSB
Trains canceled across Bangladesh as rail union goes on strike (AP)
AP [1/28/2025 2:55 AM, Julhas Alam, 456K, Neutral]
Trains were canceled across Bangladesh on Tuesday as railway staff went on strike for higher pensions and other benefits, affecting tens of thousands of passengers and freight transport.
Saidur Rahman, acting president of the Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Workers Union, said the strike was called after a meeting with the interim government headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus failed to reach a deal late Monday.
Rahman said the strike would continue indefinitely if the government does not accept their demands.
The state-run railway system carries some 65 million passengers per year in the densely populated nation of 170 million people. It employs about 25,000 people and operates a network of over 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles).
The main Kamlapur Railway Station in the capital, Dhaka, was mobbed by hundreds of disappointed passengers who were not aware of the strike. Many waited for hours before going home.
As the country’s railway adviser visited, passengers shouted complaints.
Fouzul Kabir Khan, the country’s railway affairs adviser, told reporters that such a nationwide strike was “regrettable” and he urged the protesters to end the strike.
He said that “doors for discussion” were open to resolve the standoff.
Shahadat Hossain, a station manager in Dhaka, said at least 10 trains were scheduled to leave the station on Tuesday morning. Authorities arranged buses as an alternative, but they were not enough to meet demand.
Mohammed Nadim was stranded at the Kamlapur Railway Station as he travelled hundreds of kilometers overnight to reach Dhaka for his vacation to the southern coastal district of Cox’s Bazar.“I came here in at 5:30 a.m. from outside Dhaka. But after one hour or so, I came to know that my train will not run. Now I have been stranded here for hours without any hope. The station officials told me my ticket money will be reimbursed, but I don’t know when,” he told The Associated Press at the scene.
He refused to travel to his destination by a bus as arranged by the authorities as an alternative.“It’s too far. I have come here to travel by train. I don’t want to travel this far by an air-conditioned bus even. Now they are offering me this bus that has no air-condition,” he said.
Dhaka-based Jamuna TV station reported that railway workers protested in Chattogram, the country’s second largest city. The southeastern city has the country’s largest seaport, and the massive garment industry relies on trains to bring goods to it for export. The industry earns about $38 billion a year from exports, mainly to the United States and the European Union.
In the northwestern region of Rajshahi, angry passengers smashed furniture of a station and attacked a staff, according to Jamuna TV.
The Yunus-led interim government has been running the country since August, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India amid a student-led uprising and ended her 15-year rule. The interim administration is struggling to restore order amid reports by the global lending agencies such as the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank of slower economic growth. Bangladesh: Reforms Needed to Restore Democracy (Human Rights Watch)
Human Rights Watch [1/27/2025 8:00 PM, Staff, 1.7M, Neutral]
An interim government has embarked upon much-needed institutional change and accountability in Bangladesh, but recent cases of arbitrary arrests and reprisal violence underscore the need for long-term systemic reforms, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
The 50-page report, “After the Monsoon Revolution: A Roadmap to Lasting Security Sector Reform in Bangladesh,” offers recommendations for systemic reform after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic administration was ousted in August 2024. The report urges the interim government to establish legal detention practices and repeal laws used to target critics. Reforms should be centered on separation of powers and ensuring political neutrality across institutions, including the civil service, police, military, and the judiciary. The government should seek technical assistance, monitoring, and reporting by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other UN rights experts to ensure lasting reforms.“Nearly 1,000 Bangladeshis lost their lives fighting for democracy, ushering in a landmark opportunity to build a rights-respecting future in Bangladesh,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “This hard-won progress could all be lost if the interim government does not create swift and structural reforms that can withstand any repression by future governments.”
The recommendations are based on over 20 years of Human Rights Watch research and documentation in Bangladesh as well as recent interviews with human rights activists, members of the interim government, and current and former law enforcement and military officials.Over the last 15 years, Hasina’s Awami League government deployed security forces to repress critics and opposition members through enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, surveillance, and torture. As Hasina consolidated power, her government also weakened the institutions that would keep its powers in check and maintain oversight and accountability over security forces, including the judiciary and the national human rights commission. One policeman told Human Rights Watch that loyalty to the Awami League was “often prioritized over merit for lucrative postings,” leading police to “become increasingly biased, acting more like party cadres over the years.”
Muhammad Yunus, whom student activists appointed as head of the interim government days after Hasina’s departure, has made important commitments to implementing reforms before holding free and fair elections. His government has dropped many politically motivated cases filed by the previous administration, including against Yunus himself, and demanded an end to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. In February, a commission headed by Yunus is set to begin implementing reforms based on recommendations made by six commissions established to recommend reforms to the electoral system, justice system, public administration, the police, the anti-corruption office, and the constitution.
The interim government should introduce a UN Human Rights Council resolution at the council’s March 2025 session to ensure lasting reforms beyond the interim government’s limited tenure, Human Rights Watch said. Donor governments should invest in police training and other security sector reform in Bangladesh, but not without these core structural reforms.
Human Rights Watch has found that a disturbing pattern of security force abuses has reemerged after Hasina’s ouster, this time targeting former Awami League supporters, including journalists. The police are again arbitrarily detaining people and filing mass criminal complaints against unnamed people, which allows the police to intimidate and threaten virtually anyone with arrest.
In the first two months since the interim government took office, over 1,000 police cases were filed against tens of thousands of people, mainly Awami League members, accusing them of murder, corruption, or other crimes. Over 400 Awami League ministers and leaders are facing investigations.
Those with command responsibility for abuses under the previous government should be held to account. However, mass complaints without adequate evidence only undermine justice, Human Rights Watch said. Family members of two people who died in the uprising against Sheikh Hasina told Human Rights Watch that local political leaders opposed to the Awami League pressured them to sign the police reports, though they were not sure against whom, if they wanted the state to recognize their relative’s murder, including with financial compensation and other reparations.
The interim government should urgently prohibit filing cases against unnamed accused and mass arrest warrants, and revise laws that allow for vague and overly broad charges to target critics, Human Rights Watch said. Courts should act speedily to ensure that anyone detained is safely and swiftly produced before a judge. All detention centers should be made public and open to independent inspection.
There are repeated allegations of violent attacks against Hindus and other minorities and that the police have failed to ensure protection. A recent ordinance to replace the abusive Cyber Security Act used to crush freedom of speech, unfortunately replicates many of the same harmful provisions.
Yunus has insisted on his administration’s respect for free speech. However, authorities under the interim government have clamped down on journalists who were perceived to have been sympathetic to the former government. As of November, authorities had filed murder charges against at least 140 journalists in relation to their reporting on the Monsoon Revolution and scrapped more than 150 press accreditations required to attend official events. Police also filed sedition charges against 19 people for desecrating the national flag.
The national commission investigating enforced disappearance issued its first report on December 14, estimating that over 3,500 enforced disappearances had been carried out under the Sheikh Hasina government. The report finds that Hasina, as well as top officials Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique and Major General Ziaul Ahsan, and senior police officers, were involved in overseeing the disappearances. Officers involved in enforced disappearances also told Human Rights Watch that Sheikh Hasina and senior members of her government had knowledge of incommunicado detentions.
Shortly after Hasina fled the country, three men were released from secret detention centers. In all three cases, authorities had for years denied having them in custody. Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem, a lawyer, described the facility where he was held as having been “meticulously designed to give the detainees a worse than death experience.” The report issued by the national disappearances inquiry found that torture “was not only systematic but also institutionalized.”
The government should act on the recommendation of the national commission of inquiry to disband the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a counterterrorism unit of seconded police and military personnel that has been responsible for numerous extrajudicial killings, torture, and enforced disappearances. In response to the report’s findings, the RAB chief AKM Shahidur Rahman acknowledged the unit’s secret detention centers and stated that RAB would accept the decision if the interim government sought to disband the unit.
In an important step, the interim government has acceded to the UN Convention on Enforced Disappearances. It should ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and urgently invite the subcommittee on Prevention to visit Bangladesh and make recommendations.
Bangladesh has a long history of divisive politics, which can seep into law enforcement. The interim government should establish independent civilian oversight over law enforcement, including through the national human rights commission, with authority to carry out unannounced inspections of all places of detention. It should also enforce international standards on use of force, making clear that any member of the security forces breaching them will be held accountable.
Member countries should work with the interim government to put in place Human Rights Council mandated monitoring of Bangladesh’s human rights situation by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and establish regular reporting back to the council.“Bangladesh’s interim government has the monumental task of undoing 15 years of increasingly entrenched autocracy,” Pearson said. “The interim government should enlist UN support to cement structural reforms so that the abuses of the past do not become a blueprint for Bangladesh’s future.”
Selected Accounts
When violence broke out on July 15, security forces responded with excessive force, firing live ammunition indiscriminately at unarmed students, and in some cases shooting people in the back as they fled. A police officer later told Human Rights Watch, “I witnessed officers firing at vital organs…. In many cases, I witnessed live ammunition being fired even when officers’ lives were not in danger.”
Amir Hussain, 18, said he was caught in a crowd as police attacked protesters on July 19. Videos of him attempting to save his life circulated widely on social media. He said:
As the police were running after me, I tried to escape by climbing an under-construction building. When I reached the fourth floor, the police ordered me to jump down, but I didn’t because I knew I would die if I did. I tried to hang on the rod on the fourth floor of the building. One officer fired six rounds at me from third floor as I was hanging, and all of them hit my leg. Then they left. Later, when it was causing me severe pain, I jumped to the third floor which caused my leg to break further. I still don’t know why they chased and shot me.
Iman Hossain Tayem, a college student and the son of a police officer, was with two friends at a teashop on July 20 when security forces started shooting. When one of them was hit by a rubber bullet, they decided to hide inside, rolling down the shutters. One of the friends, Mohammad Rahat Husain, said that 10-15 policemen entered the shop:
We were completely shocked when the police lifted the shutters, and 10-15 officers pointed their guns at us. They started physically assaulting us with the butts of their guns. Some officers were saying they should shoot us, while others suggested shooting us in the legs. As Tayem and I stood together, the police, using abusive language, told us to run away.
Tayem had already taken two or three steps ahead, thinking I would follow, but I didn’t move. As he ran, he was shot from behind by two bullets…. I rushed to him, holding him as he was about to collapse. I tried to drag him away, but the police kept firing, and a rubber bullet hit my leg.
Attacks on bystanders by security forces appeared to be part of a broader pattern. One police officer later told Human Rights Watch, “The police also shot at onlookers observing the scene from their homes, intending to create fear and send a message that people should not watch what was happening around them.” Police officers described receiving both explicit and implicit orders throughout the protests to use lethal force. One officer explained:
Senior officers ordered us to be strict and not to spare any criminals spreading anarchy. They didn’t explicitly use the word “fire,” but their instructions were clear: Apply the highest force, do whatever you think is necessary to control the situation, take a hardline approach.Accounts from Survivors of Enforced Disappearance
Shortly after Hasina fled the country, three victims of enforced disappearances – Michael Chakma, Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem (Armaan), and Abdullahil Amaan Azmi – were released. In all three cases, authorities had for years denied having them in custody. All of them told journalists that they were held in solitary confinement but could hear others who were held in the same detention centers.
Humam Quader Chowdhury was detained in August 2016, around the same time as Azmi and Armaan. All three are sons of opposition leaders who had been tried and convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal, as collaborators of the Pakistan military during Bangladesh’s war for independence. Humam Chowdhury was released in March 2017 on the condition that he keep quiet about his unlawful detention. He only agreed to meet Human Rights Watch after the fall of the Hasina government. “I know that there were other cells in that building, and I know that those cells were full. There were other people there,” he said. Comparing the length of his disappearance to that of Azmi and Armaan, he said “Seven months, I thought was a lifetime. Eight years. I cannot fathom how anybody would survive that.”
Armaan was picked up from his home in the presence of his wife, sister, and children on August 9, 2016, by seven or eight officers. As a lawyer, he demanded a warrant for his arrest, but the officers refused and dragged him out of the house, put him in a van, and blindfolded him. When he protested, he said, an officer responded, “Please don’t make us be brutal with you.”
He was kept blindfolded and handcuffed 24/7, except to use the washroom or eat. He said that he could sometimes hear other detainees being tortured in the cells nearby. “I would hear screams and sounds of interrogation. Grown men screaming like little children. It’s really difficult to take,” he said. At one point he said he asked the officers detaining him to “either kill me or release me. Do something. I just can’t take this anymore.” He said they told him it was out of their hands: “‘They just give us a name, location, intelligence on the target to pick them, bring them here, and keep them. The orders come in; we follow. We don’t choose or we don’t have the jurisdiction to decide. It comes from the highest place.’ That’s what they told me,” he said.
Michael Chakma, an Indigenous rights activist, disappeared on April 9, 2019. He said he was picked up at a tea stall by four or five men who said they were from law enforcement. They pulled him into a microbus, blindfolded him, drove him to a detention site, and placed him in a cell. They interrogated him about a protest by Indigenous activists from the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
During his detention, especially in the early weeks, Chakma said he was tortured. He said that while he was blindfolded, the officers would tie him to a chair with his hands behind his back, making him believe he was being held in an electric chair and threatening to electrocute and kill him if he did not provide them with information. One officer told him, “We can keep you here for 30 years and nobody will ever find you.” Nepal resumes rescue helicopter flights to Mount Everest (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [1/28/2025 2:29 AM, Staff, 1.4M, Neutral]
Nepali airlines have resumed rescue helicopter flights to the Everest region, an aviation industry official announced Tuesday, following weeks of suspension prompted by protests from locals citing environmental impact and loss of income from trekkers.
Helicopters are a key means of transport and crucial for emergency rescue in many remote regions around mountainous Nepal, vast stretches of which are often inaccessible by road.
But they have also been used to give mountaineering teams and tourists a shortcut over challenging terrain in the Sagarmatha National Park, home to Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.
For those who can afford the $1,000 price tag, helicopters reduce the two-week long trek to Everest base camp to just a day -- depriving Nepalis along the overland route of a key source of revenue.
In early January, the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal grounded all flights, blaming the halt on local youths who had blocked landing sites with flags.
The association also said the protesters had warned pilots who landed that they would be forced to walk back on foot.
On Tuesday, association official Pratap Jung Pandey told AFP that rescue flights were reopened Saturday "on humanitarian grounds".
But commercial flights to the region were still suspended, as negotiations with locals for their resumption were ongoing.
"It is going in a positive direction and it should reopen soon. But I cannot say exactly when," Pandey told AFP.
Over 50,000 tourists visit the Everest region every year.
According to the association, the Everest region sees about 15 helicopter flights per day in the winter and up to 60 per day during peak tourist season.
"Rescue flights are crucial in mountaineering to save lives of climbers if anything happens," said Mingma Gyalje Sherpa who runs Imagine Nepal, a mountaineering expedition company.
Earlier this month, German mountaineer Jost Kobusch -- who has made several Himalayan ascents -- cited the lack of helicopter rescues as one of the reasons for ending his solo winter climb up Everest.
"I have never been rescued due to an emergency in my career but right now there are protests going on... making helicopter rescues impossible," he said in a January 11 post on Instagram.
Kobusch also cited other factors, like aftershocks from an earthquake causing riskier conditions. Sri Lanka says talks on with Adani Group to lower wind power purchase cost (Reuters)
Reuters [1/28/2025 3:31 AM, Uditha Jayasinghe, 5.2M, Neutral]
The Sri Lankan government has started talks with India’s Adani Group to lower the cost of power from two wind power projects the group will build in the island nation’s northern province, the cabinet spokesman said on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka has been reviewing the group’s local projects after U.S. authorities in November accused billionaire founder Gautam Adani and other executives of being part of a scheme to pay bribes to secure Indian power supply contracts.
Adani has denied the allegations.
"The Sri Lankan government is of the stance that we want a lower price and discussions with Adani have already started," cabinet spokesman and Health and Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said.
The government thinks it is possible to bring prices to about $0.06 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) or lower, below the earlier proposed price of $0.08, he said.
Adani did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Last week, Adani said that its power purchase deal with the Sri Lankan government was intact after the AFP news agency reported it had been revoked.
Adani said the Sri Lankan cabinet’s decision earlier this month to re-evaluate the tariff approved in May was a "standard review process" with a new government and that the group remains committed to investing $1 billion in Sri Lanka’s green energy sector.
Under the deal with Sri Lanka, Adani Green Energy (ADNA.NS) would build two wind power stations with a total investment of $442 million.
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka, which has suffered from power blackouts and fuel shortages, has been trying to speed up green power generation to hedge against surges in imported fuel costs.
The U.S. allegations raised concerns among some partners and investors of the group, with at least one Indian state reviewing its power deal with Adani and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) halting further investments in the conglomerate.
The Adani Group is also involved in building a $700 million terminal project at Sri Lanka’s largest port in Colombo. Japan and China Vie for Influence in Sri Lanka Via Soft Power Strategies (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [1/27/2025 7:13 AM, Rathindra Kuruwita, 857K, Positive]
China is drawing inspiration and ideas from Japan’s highly successful soft power strategy in Sri Lanka.
Historically, Japan has played a pivotal role as an economic and trade partner for Sri Lanka. By the 1980s, Japan had become Sri Lanka’s largest aid donor, maintaining this position until 2007. During this period, Japanese aid accounted for more than 25 percent of Sri Lanka’s total aid receipts.However, in the past two decades, Sri Lanka’s economic and strategic engagements have shifted toward China and India. Between 2006 and 2019, China invested approximately $12 billion in Sri Lanka, including landmark projects like the Hambantota Port. Earlier this month, Sinopec agreed to build a $3.7 billion oil refinery on the island. India, too, has strengthened its partnership, emerging as a top trade partner and providing $4 billion in financial assistance during Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic crisis.
In comparison, Japan’s contributions during the economic crisis, such as emergency grant aid of $3.5 million in 2022 and total grant assistance of approximately $13.8 million, seem modest. Japanese private-sector investments, amounting to about $350 million across 60 enterprises, also pale in comparison. Yet, despite these figures, Japan continues to be viewed more favorably by most Sri Lankans than China or India.
This enduring goodwill is the result of Japan’s strategic use of soft power, cultural diplomacy, and historical ties, which have fostered a strong perception of Japan as a trusted partner and a country to be admired.
Japan’s enduring popularity in Sri Lanka is rooted in historical, cultural, and strategic factors. Two milestones stand out. One was Anagarika Dharmapala’s advocacy in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist visited Japan four times, portraying the country as the leader of Buddhist Asia. His admiration for Japan laid the foundation for people-to-people ties and influenced Sri Lankans to see Japan as a spiritual ally. The second milestone was J.R. Jayawardene’s speech at the 1951 San Francisco Peace Conference, when as finance minister he called for clemency toward Japan for its role in World War II, invoking Buddhist teachings of forgiveness. This gesture solidified goodwill between the two nations.
These historical connections, combined with Japan’s reputation for efficient governance, technological advancement, and work ethic, have cemented its image as a post-war development success story. This image resonates deeply with Sri Lankans, given the country’s own aspirations for economic recovery and governance reform. Japan’s soft power initiatives have further reinforced its favorable image in Sri Lanka. Numerous Sri Lankan academics and politicians have trained or worked in Japan, fostering bilateral ties. Prominent figures like former Central Bank Governor W.D. Lakshman and business leader Sunil Wijesinha have received the prestigious "Order of the Rising Sun" award for promoting Japanese culture and practices. Japanese management techniques like Kaizen and 5S are widely adopted by Sri Lankan businesses, particularly in the garment industry, creating a perception of Japanese systems as superior and influencing both senior executives and workers.
Japan’s cultural initiatives, such as the Japanese Cultural Fund and the introduction of Japanese language programs at Sri Lankan universities, have deepened people-to-people ties. Over 56,000 Sri Lankans reside in Japan, forming the fourth-largest South Asian community there and serving as a cultural bridge. Events like the Bon Odori Festival and Japanese musical concerts further promote cultural understanding.
Japan’s aid programs focus on high-impact areas like infrastructure, disaster resilience, education, and health. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been instrumental in funding projects such as demining in former war-torn regions and providing vocational training for vulnerable communities. Japan’s alignment with grassroots human security and infrastructure development indicates a dual focus on immediate humanitarian needs and long-term capacity building.
During Sri Lanka’s civil war, Japan became a neutral mediator, appointing Yasushi Akashi as its Special Representative for Peacebuilding. Its non-colonial history and reputation for impartiality made Japan a trusted actor in sensitive negotiations. Recent aid initiatives include demining projects in the Northern Province, healthcare improvements, and educational infrastructure development.
In recent years, China has begun to learn from Japan’s soft power approach. Amid growing Indian and U.S. investments in Sri Lanka, China has adopted a distinct and cost-effective strategy that resonates well with the Sri Lankan people. This shift is evident in initiatives like the Faxian Charity Project and the China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD)’s Smiling Children Food Package Project. These efforts distribute food aid, school supplies, and other essential resources directly to local communities, targeting vulnerable populations. For example, in the fall of 2024, China provided emergency humanitarian aid valued at 400 million Sri Lankan rupees (about $1.35 million) to assist over 100,000 affected individuals. The Chinese government also donated fabric for school uniforms, covering 100 percent of the requirement for public school students this year.
During President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent visit to China, the Chinese leaders agreed to continue this practice for 2026. These initiatives, though smaller in scale compared to the financial investments by the U.S. and India, have a direct and immediate impact on the lives of ordinary Sri Lankans still suffering from economic distress.
China has also awarded up to 1,000 scholarships annually to Sri Lankan students and provided rice donations covering half a year’s lunch needs for 1.1 million students across 7,900 schools. These efforts showcase China’s evolving diplomatic strategies and its quest to establish a more benevolent global image.
The past decade has been a steep learning curve for China. Recognizing criticism of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and other projects, China has shifted its focus to promoting itself through a more benevolent lens. Initiatives like the Faxian Charity Project highlight China’s commitment to addressing immediate humanitarian needs while softening its image. This strategy aligns with President Xi Jinping’s directive to "tell China’s story well" and raise the country’s soft power. Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong has played a key role in orchestrating these efforts, emphasizing people-to-people collaborations to promote China’s goals in the region. The direct impact of these aid efforts on the lives of Sri Lankans has been significant, serving as a lifeline for those facing dire circumstances.
As China refines its soft power strategies, it poses a significant challenge to Japan’s long-held influence in Sri Lanka. China aims to reshape its image and strengthen its foothold in the region by adopting a more benevolent and community-focused approach. The competition between Japan and China in leveraging soft power will likely influence Sri Lanka’s future strategic alignments and development trajectory. For Sri Lanka, this presents an opportunity to benefit from the best of both worlds while navigating a complex web of international relations. Central Asia
Trump 2.0 and Central Asia: Optimism After Rubio’s Comments (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [1/27/2025 8:06 AM, Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, 857K, Positive]
During his nomination hearing to become the next U.S. secretary of state, then-Senator Marco Rubio noted that the U.S. government should engage Central Asia and called for the Jackson-Vanik Amendment to be annulled. These statements caused optimism in Central Asia, particularly by the Kazakhstani and Uzbekistani media, that the region will not be overlooked again during the second Trump administration.
The comments came following a question from Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), who explained how "in the last 12 months, I visited all five of the Central Asian countries." He added that a goal of a caucus created with Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) "is to repeal the Jackson-Vanik label on the region and extend permanent normal trade relations with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.".
Daines asked Rubio if he would work with the caucus to obtain this objective and further engage Central Asia. Rubio answered, "Yeah, and I believe the permanent removal will require legislative action… Look, I think this is a relic of an era that’s past." Rubio added, "I think it’s Kazakhstan, who the Department of Commerce has already said is a market economy. In fact, I think they hosted the WTO ministerial just a couple of years ago. So they’ve met the conditions [to repeal Jackson-Vanik].".
Daines also briefly mentioned the C5+1 format and the possibility of "maybe hosting some kind of a summit there [in Central Asia]… After the withdrawal from Afghanistan, we need more friends in Central Asia, and I look forward to working on that.".
The Jackson-Vanik Amendment of 1974 rendered certain countries ineligible for permanent normal trade relations due to restrictions on emigration, specifically that of Soviet Jews seeking to leave the Soviet Union. The amendment remained in place over a wide swath of countries after the Soviet collapse. It was repealed in regard to Kyrgyzstan in 1998 and Russia in 2012, but most Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan — remain technically subject to its provisions. These countries, however, are typically granted normal trade relations status on an annual basis.
The Jackson-Vanik Amendment can only be lifted by Congressional legislation, not the White House. Previous Democratic and Republican administrations have equally supported annulling it. However, despite bipartisan support for the initiative, a bill to annul the amendment has yet to make it out of committee in Congress.
This past November, the Kazakhstani embassy in the U.S. held a conference titled "Strengthening U.S.-Kazakhstan ties: High Time to Establish Permanent Normal Trade Relations," with presentations by Daines, Senator Christopher Murphy, and Representatives Jimmy Panetta and Tom Suozzi. The audience for the event, which occurred in the U.S. Capitol, included congressional staffers, such as personnel from the powerful Ways and Means Committee. The conference’s objective was to discuss bilateral relations and how trade and investment can grow if (or when) the amendment is annulled. Even with support from the State Department, assuming now-Secretary Rubio remains true to his word, it is unclear if Congress will vote to repeal Jackson-Vanik.
Another clarification that needs to be made concerns Daines’ mention of the C5+1 initiative. The Biden administration took Central Asia-U.S. engagement to the next level via a historic presidential C5+1 summit on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in 2023. New high-profile meetings followed: in February 2024, the Department of State hosted the inaugural C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue. A month later, in March, the first B5+1 Forum took place in Almaty to discuss economic and investment opportunities in Central Asia for U.S. businesses. Important bilateral meetings also occurred last year, including the U.S.-Kazakhstan Strategic Energy Dialogue and the U.S.-Uzbekistan Strategic Partnership Dialogue. In September, Washington and Tashkent also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen cooperation on critical minerals, a topic of growing importance for Washington.
After Trump’s election, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan and the then-U.S. president-elect had a telephone conversation in December to maintain the "intensive development" of strategic partnerships in areas like trade, investment, and nuclear non-proliferation.
With the Trump administration in the White House and Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, U.S. foreign policy could (and probably will) significantly change compared to the Biden administration. While global hotspots like Ukraine, the Middle East, and China will remain priorities, analysts hope for constructive and holistic engagements with other regions, such as Central Asia. The Caspian Policy Center (CPC) issued a report in mid-January with policy recommendations for the Trump administration to engage Central Asia and the Caucasus. These recommendations include the repeal of Jackson-Vanik; development of a Trans-Caspian Regional Security Strategy that integrates Central Asia and the Caucasus; appointing senior and experienced ambassadors and staff to the region; and promoting energy cooperation, with a specific focus on traditional and next-generation energy, including critical minerals and rare earths.
The report also provides more specific recommendations, such as appointing a Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia region, transferring Central Asia oversight from the State Department’s South and Central Asia Bureau to the Europe Bureau, and moving Central Asia from USAID’s Asia Bureau to the Europe and Eurasia Bureau.
The C5+1 framework continues to be regarded as the prime diplomatic tool to engage Central Asia. The CPC report suggests including Caucasus countries and hosting a Trans-Caspian summit or ministerial visit to Washington to discuss business and energy development. Like Daines, the report also recommends a high-level meeting in Central Asia, with a presence by a sitting U.S. president; if it occurs, this would be the first time a U.S. president travels to the region. (I have also proposed a Ministerial Green 5+1 to diversify engagement and dialogue while also focusing on environmental issues).
It is worth noting that while Central Asian integration is generally moving forward, broadly speaking, the foreign policies of the five countries differ. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are likely more interested in greater engagement with Washington. Astana, for example, wants to almost double its GDP from $321 billion in 2025 to $498 billion by 2029. U.S. trade and investment – in areas other than mining and energy – will be paramount for Astana to achieve this objective, not to mention the repeal of Jackson-Vanik. On the other hand, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are increasingly linked to Beijing. Finally, Turkmenistan continues to pursue its policy of "positive neutrality," though Ashgabat hosted the presidents of Iran and Russia this past October.
The exchange between Daines and Rubio at the latter’s nomination hearing has prompted expectations that Central Asia will not be an overlooked region during the second Trump administration. There are many reasons why Washington should continue to engage this region, given geopolitical and security considerations, issues related to mining and access to critical minerals, and investment opportunities, not to mention working together to improve good governance, respect for human rights, and address regional environmental issues. Countries like Kazakhstan want to increase their partnership with Washington, and it is now the Trump administration’s turn to move relations forward. Kazakhstan’s daily oil output at record high amid Chevron-led expansion (Reuters)
Reuters [1/27/2025 6:43 AM, Staff, 48128K, Neutral]
Oil production in Kazakhstan reached a daily record high of 278,499 metric tons on Sunday just after it embarked on an expansion of its largest oilfield, Chevron-led (CVX.N) Tengiz, according to official data.Kazakhstan - which relies on Tengiz and two other major fields, Karachaganak and Kashagan, for most of its production - is subject to output targets as a member of OPEC+, an alliance of OPEC and other top producers led by RussiaOPEC+ has named top 10 global oil producer Kazakhstan along with Iraq and Russia as countries that have repeatedly failed to comply with pledges to curb oil production.Sunday’s record high Kazakh output equates to around 2 million barrels per day (bpd) if a barrels per ton ratio of 7.5 is applied.According to the Situational and Analytical Center for the Fuel and Energy Complex, this was 10.5% more than on the same day of 2024.The expansion at Tengiz is expected to reach full capacity of 260,000 bpd by June, lifting overall production at the project to around 1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day.Tengiz is one of the world’s deepest and most complex fields due to high levels of sulphur and harsh weather conditions.Kazakhstan plans to boost its oil and gas condensate production this year to 96.2 million tons from 87.56 million tons in 2024. Tajikistan: Personnel reshuffle creates glide path for dynastic transition of power (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [1/27/2025 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K, Neutral]
Leo Tolstoy’s maxim ‘all happy families are alike, unhappy families are each unhappy in their own way’ is certainly applying to Tajik leader Emomali Rahmon’s extended clan these days. Familial discontent doubtless was stoked by Rahmon’s recent purge of relatives from top governmental positions, moves designed apparently to clear the way for his eldest and favored son, Rustam Emomali, to succeed him as Tajikistan’s paramount leader.
Rahmon’s press service announced the latest personnel changes January 23, focusing on the Defense Ministry. The reshuffle included the removal of the minister himself, Sherali Mirzo, who was transferred to lead the State Agency for the Protection of National Secrets. But other big names to get the sack were Beg Sabur, who headed the Communications Agency, and Yusuf Rahmon, who had held the post of prosecutor general. It just so happens that sons of both men are married to Rahmon’s daughters.
Earlier in January, Rahmon conducted a series of sweeping changes of regional and local officials. He also sent top officials from the National Security Council, the Supreme Court, the Foreign Ministry and the security services packing. The vast extent of the personnel moves has political tea-leaf readers in Dushanbe thinking that Rahmon is clearing the way for his son to assume the leadership of the country, removing potential opponents to the dynastic transition and installing more pliable figures in their place.
Rahmon is Central Asia’s longest tenured leader, having held the top spot in Tajikistan for over three decades. During that span he has assiduously consolidated power in his own hands, sidelining political rivals and invalidating a power-sharing arrangement that ended Tajikistan’s 1992-97 civil war. Still only in his early 70s, Rahmon reportedly has suffered from a variety of health issues.
Over the past few years, Rahmon has openly groomed his son, Rustam Emomali, as his successor, installing him as the mayor of the capital city Dushanbe, and naming him speaker of the Tajik senate, a post that makes him the constitutionally mandated successor to his father in the event of illness, incapacity or death.
As is often the case within the clans of the rich and powerful, not everyone within Rahmon’s extended family is reportedly on board with the succession plan. Some apparently view Rustam, 37, to be something of a hot head not fit for the top spot in the family. Reports that he has shot at least two individuals for displeasing him, including an uncle of his in 2008, have helped feed perceptions that he is unsuited to lead the country.
It is unclear how much support Rustam has among his siblings: one brother and seven sisters. One sister, Ozoda, has led the presidential administration and is generally considered the most capable of Rahmon’s children.
Rahmon’s January purge suggests that opposition within the family to Rustam’s elevation may be more widespread than previously believed. The heir apparent has perhaps made things more difficult than necessary by not including close family members in his inner circle.
Rahmon’s evident desire for a father-to-son dynastic transfer is far from an anomaly in the region. Similar transitions of power have occurred in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, although Serdar Berdymukhamedov in Ashgabat has yet to have his training wheels removed by his father, Gurbanguly. Rumors also occasionally circulate in Uzbekistan that incumbent President Shavkat Mirziyoyev would not mind seeing his daughter eventually succeed him. Twitter
Afghanistan
Habib Khan@HabibKhanT
[1/27/2025 6:53 AM, 247.4K followers, 8 retweets, 27 likes]
The rift within the Taliban is deepening. After the deputy minister Abas Stanikzai publicly criticized the Taliban’s supreme leader, the leader responded, warning that public criticism breeds mistrust. Meanwhile, the deputy minister has fled to the UAE.
Habib Khan@HabibKhanT
[1/27/2025 10:56 AM, 247.4K followers, 484 retweets, 2K likes]
A lone woman from Afghanistan protested outside the ICC in The Hague, demanding justice against Taliban leaders. https://x.com/i/status/1883906823646048720
Jahanzeb Wesa@Jahanzeb_Wesa
[1/28/2025 1:10 AM, 5.5K followers, 4 retweets, 9 likes]
Human rights activist Ezatullah Bakhshi responds to Taliban’s Mohammad Nabi Omari, who threatened lives for just 500 rupees: This is serious threat to human rights defenders & Taliban opponents. International community must take serious action to protect activists & journalists.
Jahanzeb Wesa@Jahanzeb_Wesa
[1/27/2025 4:22 PM, 5.5K followers, 5 retweets, 12 likes]
The Taliban’s recent decision to exclude Uzbek and Turkmen language graduates from state exams is a discriminatory act that denies equal educational opportunities and deepens ethnic divisions. The United Nations must take serious action on this issue.
Anas Mallick@AnasMallick
[1/28/2025 1:39 AM, 75.5K followers, 5 retweets, 27 likes]
Over 150 families of banned Terror group TTP have been relocated by the Afghan Taliban govt from Af-Pak border areas, in a setup made with the help of the UAE, This was shared recently during a meeting of Sirajuddin Haqqani with Top Pakistani officials in a third country, per sources
Bilal Sarwary@bsarwary[1/27/2025 7:32 PM, 254K followers, 5 retweets, 18 likes]
The Biden administration allocated $15 million for contraceptives and condoms in Taliban’s controlled Afghanistan, claiming it is intended for reproductive health and gender equality. However, we must ask, how does this assistance genuinely help Afghan women who are unable to work, study, or even leave their homes freely? Meanwhile, Taliban leaders are marrying two or three wives each, making this aid seem less like support for ordinary Afghans and more like a way to enable the oppressive system they face. Afghan women need education, rights, and opportunities and not just condoms. This approach is not effective policy, it is a tragic miscalculation.
Bilal Sarwary@bsarwary[1/27/2025 6:23 PM, 254K followers, 11 retweets, 16 likes]
Forced disappearances of former ANDSF members and government officials along with the unlawful detention of journalists, civil society members, women’s rights activists, and education activists are not only alarming but have systematically increased across the country, especially in Kabul region. Taliban appears to paint a rosy picture of their rule while they avoid genuine accountability to the Afghan people and the international community. Taliban’s notorious intelligence service the GDI must be held accountable. Pakistan
Government of Pakistan@GovtofPakistan[1/28/2025 12:07 AM, 3.1M followers, 7 retweets, 21 likes]
Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chairs a meeting on the matters related to Ministry of National Health Services.
Government of Pakistan@GovtofPakistan[1/27/2025 11:31 AM, 3.1M followers, 4 retweets, 24 likes]
State Bank of Pakistan has reduced its policy rate by 100 basis points to 12%, effective from January 28. This sixth consecutive rate cut since June 2024 demonstrates the Government of Pakistan’s commitment to fostering economic stability, growth, and a prosperous future.
Government of Pakistan@GovtofPakistan[1/27/2025 11:18 AM, 3.1M followers, 2 retweets, 6 likes]
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif inaugurates Movenpick, region’s first six-star hotel, setting the stage for a new chapter of luxury, growth, and prosperity. With visionary leadership, this landmark achievement not only elevates Pakistan’s tourism and hospitality but also signals a bright future of economic progress and global recognition.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan@ForeignOfficePk[1/28/2025 3:12 AM, 480.7K followers, 4 likes]
The Chinese Ambassador, Jiang Zaidong held meeting with Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50. They reaffirmed the Pak-China All-Weather Strategic Partnership, which is a cornerstone of bilateral relations between the two states. During the meeting, they reviewed the progress of CPEC 2.0, a significant project aimed at enhancing economic cooperation and regional connectivity. Both sides expressed their commitment to elevating bilateral ties to new heights, further solidifying their strategic partnership. On behalf of Chinese Foreign Minister H. E. Wang Yi, Ambassador Jiang extended an invitation to DPM/FM to attend the High-Level UN Security Council Event "Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance" , hosted by China under its Presidency of the UNSC, on 18 February 2025 in New York. The Deputy Prime Minister accepted the invitation, underscoring Pakistan’s commitment to multilateral cooperation. India
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[1/28/2025 1:32 AM, 104.9M followers, 1.2K retweets, 5.8K likes]
Addressing the Utkarsh Odisha Conclave in Bhubaneswar. The programme showcases the state’s immense potential as a thriving hub for investment and business opportunities. https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1djxXrVpWyoGZ
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[1/27/2025 9:18 AM, 104.9M followers, 6.8K retweets, 46K likes]
Delighted to speak with my dear friend President @realDonaldTrump @POTUS. Congratulated him on his historic second term. We are committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership. We will work together for the welfare of our people and towards global peace, prosperity, and security.
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[1/27/2025 6:58 AM, 104.9M followers, 4.3K retweets, 17K likes]
Addressing the NCC rally in Delhi. It is a great platform that empowers youth to realise their potential for national development.
Vice-President of India@VPIndia
[1/27/2025 5:08 AM, 1.6M followers, 317 retweets, 926 likes]
Millions of illegal migrants are living in our land. How can a nation suffer illegal migrants in millions? Is it not a challenge to our sovereignty? Such kind of people will never be wedded to our nationalism. They use our resources of health, education, and other facilities, and engage in jobs meant for our people. They are a threat to our democracy because they are trying to influence our electoral system. They are also a threat to our societal harmony and to our nation’s security. I expect everyone in the government to take a severe look at this. This problem and its resolution cannot be delayed even by a day. #RajyaSabha
Vice-President of India@VPIndia
[1/27/2025 5:01 AM, 1.6M followers, 84 retweets, 362 likes]
Some people, out of ignorance, are criticizing the Uniform Civil Code. How can we criticize something which is mandate of the Indian Constitution, an ordainment emanating from our founding fathers, something that has to bring about gender equality? How can anyone oppose promulgation of Uniform Civil Code? You must study the debates of the Constituent Assembly, study how many times the Supreme Court of the country has so indicated. #RajyaSabha
Derek J. Grossman@DerekJGrossman
[1/27/2025 7:34 PM, 96K followers, 4 retweets, 22 likes]
Trump invited Modi to White House. BUT, a sticking point for strategic partnership: "The President emphasized the importance of India increasing its procurement of American-made security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship."
Derek J. Grossman@DerekJGrossman
[1/27/2025 11:33 AM, 96K followers, 1 retweet, 11 likes]
Finally! There really was no good reason to halt flights between India and China in the first place. https://www.reuters.com/world/india-china-agree-resume-direct-air-services-2025-01-27/ NSB
Jon Danilowicz@JonFDanilowicz[1/27/2025 10:22 PM, 12.8K followers, 7 retweets, 94 likes]
Bangladesh needs to carefully balance the understandable desire for speedy justice for the crimes committed during the dictatorship with the need to uphold the highest standards so that the process is seen ascredible at home and abroad. I am glad to see @tobycadman continuing to lend his expertise to this most important process. https://dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/372052/toby-cadman-ict-cases-are-complex-cannot-rush
Jon Danilowicz@JonFDanilowicz[1/27/2025 4:30 PM, 12.8K followers, 15 retweets, 184 likes]
It’s great to see Japan step up its engagement with Bangladesh’s interim government. Not only is Japan an important bilateral partner for Bangladesh but it is a key Quad member. Japan understands that Bangladesh’s success will make it a stronger partner in the Indo Pacific region. https://dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/foreign-affairs/372044/japan-reaffirms-strong-support-for-bangladesh-s
Sabria Chowdhury Balland@sabriaballand
[1/27/2025 5:34 PM, 7.8K followers, 2 retweets, 8 likes]
There are approximately 14 million undocumented immigrants, including 725,000 Indians, in the US. The US already sent back 1,500 Indians in 2024 under a lenient Biden admin. With the return of #DonaldTrump, thousands of illegal Indian immigrants in the US are on the edge.
Sabria Chowdhury Balland@sabriaballand
[1/27/2025 12:07 PM, 7.8K followers, 1 like]
#Bangladesh’s central bank has hired three "Big Four" accounting firms - EY, Deloitte and KPMG - to audit banks it says lost $17 billion to business people close to the regime of former leader Sheikh Hasina. https://reuters.com/markets/asia/bangladesh-cbank-hires-big-four-audit-firms-review-banks-it-says-lost-17-bln-ft-2025-01-26/
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[1/28/2025 2:36 AM, 111.8K followers, 20 retweets, 19 likes]
President Dr @MMuizzu attends the signing ceremony to establish @bankofmaldives ATM services on Muraidhoo Island, North Thiladhunmathi Atoll. This initiative highlights the President’s dedication to securing accessible banking services across all inhabited islands and improving financial connectivity for Maldivians.
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[1/27/2025 1:55 AM, 111.8K followers, 67 retweets, 59 likes]
President Dr @MMuizzu meets with the residents of Muraidhoo, North Thiladhunmathi Atoll. During the meeting, the President reassured the Administration’s commitment to developing services in the island to meet the needs of its residents.
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[1/28/2025 1:40 AM, 111.8K followers, 59 retweets, 62 likes]
President Dr @MMuizzu attends the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Council Secretariat building on North Thiladhunmathi Atoll Muraidhoo. New infrastructure is being developed to house Council Secretariats across the country, supporting decentralisation efforts.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake@anuradisanayake
[1/28/2025 1:13 AM, 144.8K followers, 1 retweet, 40 likes]
Yesterday (27), I joined the International Customs Day celebrations under the theme "Customs Delivering on its Commitment to Efficiency, Security, and Prosperity." I highlighted Sri Lanka Customs’ key role in stabilizing the economy, meeting revenue targets, and adapting to modern challenges through restructuring and digitization. This year’s Rs. 2,550B revenue target requires collective effort, legal reforms, and strengthened institutional frameworks. Together, we can ensure a prosperous future for Sri Lanka.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake@anuradisanayake
[1/27/2025 9:22 AM, 144.8K followers, 7 retweets, 112 likes]
I appointed Air Vice Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe as the 20th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force. His exemplary service and dedication will guide the SLAF to new heights. The appointment takes effect on Jan 29 as we bid farewell to Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake@anuradisanayake
[1/27/2025 9:16 AM, 144.8K followers, 27 retweets, 196 likes]
After 28 years, the Export Development Council of Ministers (EDCM) has been revived, marking a historic milestone for Sri Lanka! With a clear vision of achieving $36 billion in export revenue by 2030, we’re focusing on innovation, FDI attraction, industry revitalization, and creating a globally competitive, export-driven economy. Together, we’re paving the way for a thriving nation and a beautiful life. Central Asia
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz[1/27/2025 10:50 PM, 211K followers, 10 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev presided over a meeting to discuss the draft state program for implementing the “Year of Environmental Protection and Green Economy” within the framework of the “Uzbekistan – 2030” strategy. Following a month of public consultation, the program sets ambitious objectives, including increasing the share of green energy to 26% of total capacity, launching 3.5-gigawatt renewable energy projects, and achieving 6% economic growth through improved energy efficiency and cost optimization.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz[1/27/2025 8:53 AM, 211K followers, 10 retweets, 36 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev held talks with the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of #Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov. They reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing trade turnover, advancing joint projects and initiatives, further deepening cooperation in regional, cultural and humanitarian spheres.
Bakhtiyor Saidov@FM_Saidov[1/27/2025 9:56 AM, 12.9K followers, 4 retweets, 26 likes]
Together with my colleague, H.E. Rashid Meredov, we signed two important documents between #Uzbekistan and #Turkmenistan Foreign Ministries:- Joint Cooperation Program for 2025-2026;- Protocol on the Inventory and Enhancement of the Legal and Treaty Framework.Moreover, we exchanged the respective notes verbales on supporting each other’s candidacies in international organizations.
Bakhtiyor Saidov@FM_Saidov[1/27/2025 9:26 AM, 12.9K followers, 8 retweets, 24 likes]
A great pleasure to welcome H.E. Rashid Meredov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of #Turkmenistan, today @UzbekMFA. Further deepening the strategic partnership between our two brotherly nations is the top priority on our agenda. UZ-TM Leaders have laid a strong and enduring foundation for sustaining the positive trajectory of our bilateral relations. Today’s discussions covered all areas of cooperation both bilateral and multilateral, leaving no aspect untouched. The schedule for 2025 promises to be dynamic, with a series of intensive exchanges planned at all levels and spheres. Congratulate our friends with the beginning of the International Year of Peace and Trust, initiated by Turkmenistan.
Saida Mirziyoyeva@SMirziyoyeva[1/27/2025 3:51 AM, 21.4K followers, 1 retweet, 18 likes]
1/5 I would like to briefly share the current progress regarding Uzbekistan’s accession to the @wto In 2024, our country made significant strides in this direction. This was made possible thanks to the decisive economic reforms implemented under the leadership of @president_uz
Saida Mirziyoyeva@SMirziyoyeva[1/27/2025 3:52 AM, 21.4K followers, 1 retweet, 3 likes]
2/5 Specifically, two key meetings of the WTO Working Party were held last year. These allowed us to move forward with the preparation of the main membership document – the draft Working Party Report.
Saida Mirziyoyeva@SMirziyoyeva[1/27/2025 3:52 AM, 21.4K followers, 1 retweet, 9 likes]
3/5 Additionally, bilateral negotiations with 15 countries, including the United States, China, and Japan, were successfully concluded. As a result, Uzbekistan now has 23 signed agreements in its portfolio.
Saida Mirziyoyeva@SMirziyoyeva[1/27/2025 3:53 AM, 21.4K followers, 1 retweet, 6 likes]
4/5 Within a short period, 20 important laws were adopted to make business practices and competition more transparent. This year, we will continue at the same pace to become a full-fledged member of the @wto in the near future.Saida Mirziyoyeva@SMirziyoyeva[1/27/2025 3:54 AM, 21.4K followers, 1 retweet, 5 likes]
5/5 The ultimate goal of WTO accession and the President’s reform efforts is to improve the well-being of our people, create decent jobs, and transition to more effective economic management. #WTO #Uzbekistan{End of Report} To subscribe to the SCA Morning Press Clips, please email SCA-PressOfficers@state.gov. Please do not reply directly to this email.