SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS

epubdos : Afghanistan

Prepared for the U.S. Department of State

Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs

By TechMIS
www.TechMIS.com

Mobile User Copy

TO:	SCA & Staff
DATE:	Monday, March 3, 2025 6:30 AM ET

Afghanistan

Taliban refute Trump’s claim of Chinese control over Afghan base as ‘emotional’ (VOA)

VOA [3/2/2025 12:32 PM, Ayaz Gul, 2913K]
Taliban officials have denied President Donald Trump’s recent assertions that China holds control over a crucial former U.S.-operated military base in Afghanistan.

The sprawling Bagram Air Base in question, situated about 44 kilometers north of the national capital of Kabul, served as the central command for the 20-year U.S.-led military campaign in the country until all U.S. and NATO troops withdrew in August 2021 and Taliban insurgents reclaimed power.

"They should refrain from making emotional statements based on unsubstantiated information," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told their official broadcaster when asked for a response to Trump’s claims that China currently controls the air base.

"Bagram is controlled by the Islamic Emirate [Taliban regime], not China. Chinese troops are not present here, nor do we have any such pact with any country," Mujahid said in the interview broadcast on Saturday night. "We request that Trump’s team [of advisors] explain to him and correct his information about Afghanistan.".

Trump negotiated the troop withdrawal deal with the Taliban insurgency in February 2020 during his previous term in office, but it was executed under President Joe Biden.

Trump claimed during his election campaign speeches that Bagram was under the control of China’s People’s Liberation Army, and he reiterated it before his first Cabinet meeting last Wednesday, saying Biden should have kept control of the former U.S. base.

Beijing has increased cooperation with Taliban-run Afghanistan since the U.S. troop exit but vehemently denied any military presence in the country.

"We were going to get out, but we were going to keep Bagram, not because of Afghanistan but because of China, because it’s exactly one hour away from where China makes its nuclear missiles," Trump stated in his Wednesday remarks. "And you know who’s occupying it right now? China. Biden gave it up," he said.

The U.S. president criticized the previous administration for what he described as the "badly handled" military withdrawal, saying the departing troops left behind billions of dollars’ worth of equipment.

Trump stated that the Taliban were selling U.S.-made gear, making Afghanistan "one of the biggest" sellers of military equipment in the world.

"Can you believe it? They’re selling 777,000 rifles, 70,000 armor-plated …trucks and vehicles — 70,000 … This is 70,000 vehicles we had there, and we left it for them. I think we should get it back," the president said.

Trump pledged to reclaim U.S. military equipment from the Taliban if Washington were to allocate "billions of dollars" in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

"And if we’re doing that, I think they should give our equipment back. And I told Pete to study that," the president said, pointing to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sitting beside him.

Mujahid responded to Trump’s claims on Saturday, stating that the military equipment had been provided to the U.S.-backed former government in Kabul and now belongs to the Taliban as "spoils of war.".

Mujahid added that the Taliban use the weapons to defend Afghanistan and will be utilized to counter any intervention aimed at taking them back. Mujahid stated that if the United States insists on reclaiming military equipment, Kabul will rightfully expect substantial war reparations for the consequences Afghans have endured over the past two decades of conflict.

A U.S. Department of Defense report found that Washington provided $18.6 billion of equipment to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces from 2005 to 2021. About $7 billion worth of hardware remained in Afghanistan during the troop exit, including aircraft, air-to-ground munitions, military vehicles, weapons, communications equipment, and other materials.

John Sopko, the former U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, dismissed the idea of retrieving American military equipment as "pointless.".

He spoke at a security dialogue regarding the ongoing Afghan political and social crisis, stating that a significant amount of U.S. weaponry had been provided to former Afghan national defense forces, but much of it has either been destroyed or is now in disrepair.

"The cost of retrieving this equipment would exceed its actual value," Sopko told the two-day event, organized by the independent Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies in Spain.

Stoning, shooting and pushing a WALL onto criminals: Horrific methods of execution the Taliban has introduced to Afghanistan since implementing sharia law (Daily Mail)

Daily Mail [3/1/2025 4:15 AM, James Reynolds, 62527K]
The Taliban entered Kabul on August 15, 2021 with little resistance. As Western militaries hurriedly withdrew from the country, fundamentalists returned to power in Afghanistan for the first time in two decades.

While Britain promised it would use ‘every diplomatic and humanitarian lever’ to support ‘stability’, within days the Taliban had reimplemented a strict interpretation of Sharia Law and started carrying out brutal executions.

In a deliberate spectacle, the Taliban began executing people in public, a cruel fact of 21st century Afghanistan that lingers into the present. As recently as last November, a man convicted of murder was shot dead in a sports stadium in Gardez.

The man was shot by a member of the victim’s family under a practice embraced by the Taliban called ‘qisas’ - an idea of ‘eye for an eye’ retributive justice usually applied in cases of murder and physical harm.

Newly sanctioned punishments under the regime including stoning, flogging and burying criminals under a wall. People have faced the cruel penalty of having a wall toppled on them for ‘moral’ crimes, in accordance with the government’s unique reading of ethics.

Two people accused of adultery were stoned to death in Badakhshan province in February 2023. Worryingly, the UN’s Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) warns of a lack of due process in many cases. Many, as a result, may not even be guilty of the ‘crimes’ they are alleged to have committed.

The Taliban emerged in the void left by a series of devastating civil wars in Afghanistan towards the end of the last century.

As warlords capitalised on the chaos and wrestled for power, it was the Taliban who quickly became the strongest faction, largely made up of those returning from refugee camps in Pakistan.

They brought with them a mixture of strict interpretations of Islam that had no real bearing on pre-war Afghanistan.

In a bid to stamp order on the country, the Taliban introduced many harsh punishments for criminals - and alleged criminals - who still stood in the way of the new order.

Liberal notions of progress for women were repealed, and minority groups faced brutal persecution under the Taliban.

‘Sodomy’ and same-sex relationships are still punishable with long prison terms, while stoning became a commonplace punishment for ‘moral crimes’ like adultery.

At the time, some were willing to turn a blind eye to the Taliban’s excesses, hoping they might bring stable rule to the country.

Many in Afghanistan believed rights for women would be restored once institutions were rebuilt. Girls under 12 can go to school, but the number being deliberately denied an education has massively increased in recent years, per UNESCO.

But behind the scenes, horrifying punishments and executions continued behind closed doors.

Although stoning is illegal under the Afghan constitution, it is seen as a legitimate punishment under the Taliban’s extreme laws.

In 2010, a couple was stoned to death by male villagers after they had tried to elope to avoid her arranged marriage.

In June 2010, an Afghan official told AP that the Taliban had hanged a 7-year-old for ‘spying’ for the Afghan government.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai reportedly denounced it as a ‘crime against humanity’. David Cameron commented: ‘If true, I think it says more about the Taliban than any book, than any article, than any speech could ever say.’

But it was mostly just whispers that reached the West. A New York Times article from 2010 notes that ‘in recent years, Taliban officials have sought to play down their bloody punishments of the past, as they concentrated on building up popular support’.

It did exist, but there was less interest in bragging about it, or putting on a public show.

Soon enough the Taliban gave up trying to play down their brutality.

By 2010, the New York Times was warning that mainstream religious authorities were starting to voice support for stoning as punishment for an illegal sexual relationship.

Six years later, video circulated of a woman being shot to death with an assault rifle after a Taliban court found her guilty of killing her husband.

The woman was led to sit on the ground in the middle of a gathering crowd in northern Afghanistan’s Khanaqa district.

Harrowing video served as a warning, showing the crowd spreading out as a masked executioner stepped forward with the rifle and took aim.

In an instant, the woman was dead, falling to the floor before the crowd dispersed.

But the punishment was not just reserved for murderers. In December of that year, the BBC quoted officials as having reported that the Taliban executed a woman who divorced her husband and then remarried.

The woman, thought to be just 25-years-old was said to have been shot dead in north-western Badghis province, bordering Herat. The Taliban denied the killing.

Local media reported that the first husband had authorised a relative to divorce the woman, named as Aziza, but later denied divorcing her when she remarried.

The Taliban told the BBC that she was executed over a family feud, however.

In 2020, horrifying footage showed again filmed in public and shared showed an Afghan woman being stoned to death by an angry mob as she cowered and screamed in a hole.

In the video, the woman can be heard crying and screaming while the crowd shouts ‘Allahu Akbar’ and ‘hit her’.

The victim, named only as Rokhshana, was accused of adultery because she was engaged to a man she did not want to marry, Afghan authorities said at the time.

The Afghan president blamed the Taliban, who claimed the footage was from 2015. Activists were unconvinced.

‘The intensity of their violence and what they can do against women in the absence of law and order is clearly visible,’ said prominent activist Laila Haidari at the time.

Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule, the Taliban began carrying out severe punishments in public again soon after Western forces left.

Just before the allied decision to leave Afghanistan to the Taliban, a judge gave a rare glimpse into the life and death under the group.

A decade had made a world of difference. It was a stark contrast to officials playing down the brutality of their killings. Now the Taliban was firmly in control and did not need to court popular support.

Judge Gul Rahim spoke about cutting off the hands and legs of thieves, issuing permits for women to leave their homes, and toppling walls on gay men to be crushed in the rubble as a form of execution.

Asked what punishments the Taliban considers for gay men, he replied that there are only two options.

‘Either stoning or he has to stand behind a wall that falls on him. The wall must be 8ft to 10ft high,’ he said.

He also gave examples of punishments he had ordered. One man, he said, was found to have stolen a ring from a house.

‘I asked the owner of the ring if he would also ask that the thief’s leg be hacked off because he not only stole the ring but broke in, which means that he had committed two crimes,’ he added.

‘But the owner of the house agreed that only the hand would be chopped off.’

In another judgement, he ordered that a gang caught kidnapping and smuggling people should be hanged.

‘Depending on the crime, we can start with fingertips or fingers. For worse offenses, we cut the wrist, elbow, or upper arm. Death by stoning or hanging is the only option for the greatest crimes’, he said.

The withdrawal of allied forces in 2021 did not bring order to Afghanistan, nor see the Taliban loosen their grip.

Harrowing video shared in September 2021 showed an unarmed man, allegedly a civilian, being walked to the side of the road and gunned down by what appeared to be Taliban fighters.

Multiple gunshots rang out before the man slumped to the floor. The gunmen climbed into American-made Humvees and drove away.

It was not clear why he was targeted. Panjshir, where the video was filmed, was a hub of anti-Taliban resistance.

Since returning to power, the Taliban’s provisions for the death penalty have only expanded.

In 2022, Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered judges to fully implement all aspects of the Taliban government’s interpretation of Islamic law.

This included the ‘eye for an eye’ punishments known as ‘qisas’, allowing for the use of the death penalty in retribution murder.

Still the Taliban shows no signs of scaling back its brutal imposition of the death penalty.

Last February, a man convicted of murder in northern Afghanistan was publicly executed before thousands of spectators in a sports stadium.

The execution took place in heavy snowfall in the city of Shibirghan, the capital of northern Jawzjan province, where the brother of the murdered man shot the convict five times with a rifle, according to a witness.

Just days before, the Taliban had executed two men convicted of stabbing their victims to death.

Again, relatives of the victims fired guns at the two men, also at a sports stadium, as thousands of people watched in the southeastern Ghazni province.

The two executed men were identified as Syed Jamal and Gul Khan, who were allegedly responsible for the stabbing to death of two people in separate attacks.

Amnesty International condemned the double execution as a ‘gross affront to human dignity’ and a violation of international laws and standards.

‘Carrying out executions in public adds to the inherent cruelty of the death penalty and can only have a dehumanising effect on the victim and a brutalising effect on those who witness the executions,’ Amnesty judged.

‘The protection of the right to a fair trial under the Taliban`s de facto authority remains seriously concerning.’

Many Afghans recognise that the Taliban has brought relative stability to their country after decades, or centuries, of conflict.

But it is increasingly difficult to ignore how the group has held its rule through gross human rights violations, draconian restrictions for women, and horrifying punishments for alleged criminals under a justice system dubious at best.

The Taliban emerged among warlords, forged in civil war, but never relinquished its barbarity as Afghanistan returned to peace.

Despite promises to moderate following the American withdrawal, the group continues to flog, shoot, bury and stone the criminals it finds deserving.

Afghanistan, at a crossroads between Iran, India and historic territories of Russia, has long suffered hardship and instability.

Legend has it that when the Mongols reached Herat, Genghis Khan’s army executed the Afghan people en masse and left 40 people alive of a population of 160,000.

When the English found it many centuries later, the hardy population had rebuilt. They were in awe of the region’s natural beauty, comparing it to the Home Counties.

But the bohemian centre of culture in Afghanistan, once known for its wine, was again eclipsed by the harsh rule of the Taliban as they hardened their grip in the 1990s.

Centuries of culture and prestige were washed away along with the protections afforded to women and minority groups. Executions made a return.

Women, who had held jobs and were sent to schools in 1993, were now confined at home. Girls’ schools were closed. Women were among the first to rebel, but were beaten by the Taliban. A rebellion was conclusively crushed in 1999.

Since the Taliban were handed control of Afghanistan with the U.S. withdrawal in 2021, such measures have only been strengthened.

Some still hope that one day, the Taliban will ease its grip, allowing women to return to school and work, and scaling back the graphic, violent means of punishment in its arsenal.

To date, there is still nothing to suggest that will happen anytime soon.

Pakistan

New York migrant shelter targeted by Trump officials to shut in blow to Pakistan (Financial Times)

Financial Times [2/28/2025 8:00 PM, Humza Jilani and Zehra Munir]
Pakistan’s cash-strapped government has suffered a blow after New York moved to scrap a $220mn contract with a hotel it owns that became a focus of criticism from supporters of US President Donald Trump.

State-owned Pakistan International Airlines acquired the century-old Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan more than two decades ago. Since 2023 the hotel has been used to host or process more than 100,000 immigrants bussed in from across the US.

But this week New York mayor Eric Adams said the city would close the shelter, saying the number of immigrants entering New York had dropped to 350 per week from 4,000 per week two years ago.

Adams said more than 232,000 migrants had come to New York in the last three years. "The Roosevelt Hotel was where we processed 75% of those who came into our care, and it was critical to our effective operations," he posted on X.

The early end of the three-year contract is a setback for Pakistan as it tries to privatise its flag carrier, which has been a major drag on state finances. A first round of bidding for the airline fizzled out last year over investor worries about issues including taxes on new aircraft and staff retention.

"We were cognisant of the risk with this new government [the Trump administration] settling in," said one senior government official in Pakistan. The contract could be cancelled after May, the official said.

A city spokesperson said the centre would close in the "coming months", saving taxpayers "millions of dollars".

Adams’ decision to close the shelter came two weeks after the US Department of Justice dropped corruption charges against him, a move critics say was part of a quid pro quo with the Trump administration to intensify a crackdown against illegal immigrants. Adams has denied the claims.

The once-luxurious Roosevelt, which has more than 1,000 rooms and was a storied New York venue for decades, was leased to PIA in 1979. The airline later bought it outright, making it a favoured haunt of wealthy Pakistanis who used the airline’s now-defunct service from Karachi to make shopping trips.

But the hotel gradually fell out of favour and pandemic-related losses finally forced its closure in 2020.

The proceeds from the migrant shelter agreement were helping to pay down the more than Rs600bn ($2.14bn) in debt taken on by PIA’s holding company when it was created last year, a move aimed at smoothing the privatisation of assets that include the core airline and a Paris hotel.

An intense backlash over New York’s use of the Roosevelt had grown among Trump administration officials and supporters.

Vivek Ramaswamy, who formerly headed the cost-cutting so-called Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk, said on social media site X in December that it was "nuts" that "NYC taxpayers are effectively paying a foreign government to house illegals in our own country".

Trump himself complained in February about the city using large sums on a hotel he said was "not luxury".

In a post on X, his homeland security secretary Kristi Noem justified a decision to freeze $80mn in migration-related funds for New York by saying the hotel was the "base of operations" for a Venezuelan gang. Noem offered no evidence for the claim.

The early end of the contract might force Islamabad to speed up efforts to sell the property or to knock it down and build a mixed-use skyscraper with a development partner, officials and analysts in Pakistan said.

At the hotel, near Grand Central station in midtown Manhattan, residents filter in and out of the building, exchanging greetings and fist bumps with security personnel behind metal barriers.

Children living in the hotel play on the pavement outside, steps away from upmarket eateries and clothing stores.

Inside, the hotel’s lobby still has its ornate chandeliers and a portrait of Guy Lombardo, renowned leader of the Roosevelt’s house band in the 1930s.

The planned closure of the hotel-turned-shelter has sparked concerns among some of its more than 2,800 residents.

"The truth is they haven’t told us anything," said Hecdimar Rivas, a 26-year old mother of three who arrived from Venezuela earlier this year. "We found out from the press.".

Pakistan accuses Taliban of building outpost on its territory (Amu TV)

Amu TV [3/3/2025 4:30 AM, Habib Mohammadi]
Pakistan has accused the Taliban of attempting to construct a border outpost on its territory near the Torkham border crossing, an issue that has further strained relations between the two neighbors.

Shafqat Ali Khan, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, said Friday that the Taliban were unilaterally trying to establish the outpost and that Pakistan had urged them to address such disputes through formal diplomatic channels, including the Joint Coordination Committee.

“There are customs, immigration, security, and multiple government departments involved in managing the border,” Ali Khan told reporters. “Occasionally, misunderstandings arise—such as issues with documentation—but that does not mean there is a breakdown in commercial interactions between the two countries.”

The Torkham border, a key trade and transit route, has been closed for more than a week, leaving thousands of people and commercial trucks stranded on both sides.

Ali Khan also claimed that weapons left behind by U.S. forces in Afghanistan have fallen into the hands of militants carrying out attacks in Pakistan. “We have raised this issue with the international community and Afghan authorities,” he said, adding that Pakistan considers militant sanctuaries inside Afghanistan a major obstacle to progress in security cooperation.

The dispute over Torkham is the latest in a series of tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban, which have clashed over border management, cross-border militancy, and trade policies.

Suicide Blast at Taliban Religious School in Pakistan Kills Six (Agence France-Presse)

Agence France-Presse [3/1/2025 4:19 AM, Staff, 360K]
A suicide attack at an Islamic religious school in Pakistan known as the "University of Jihad" — where key Taliban leaders have studied — killed six people on Friday, police said.

Among those who died was Hamid ul Haq Haqqani, the head of the Dar-ul-Uloom Haqqania school, in Akora Khattak, about 60 kilometers (35 miles) east of Peshawar.

"Initial reports suggest the blast occurred after Friday prayers as people were gathering to greet Hamid ul Haq. It appears to be a suicide attack," Abdul Rasheed, the district police chief, told AFP.

The explosion left six dead including the suicide bomber and 16 injured, three of whom are in a critical condition, Rasheed said, adding that an Afghan national is among the dead.

Rasheed said that Haqqani, the head of a local rightwing Islamist party, appeared to be the target of the bomber.

He was the son of Sami ul Haq Haqqani, who was assassinated in 2018 and known as the "father of the Taliban" for teaching the insurgent group’s founder Mullah Omar at the same religious school.

The explosion happened as people gathered for weekly Friday prayers, the most important day of the week.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and interior minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the incident as a "terrorist" act.

The sprawling campus in Pakistan’s Akora Khattak is home to roughly 4,000 students who are fed, clothed, and educated for free.

It became known as the "University of Jihad" for its fiery ideology and the number of Taliban fighters it has produced.

Omar, who led an insurgency against the United States and NATO troops in Afghanistan before his death in 2013, graduated from the school along with Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the feared Haqqani network which took its name from the school.

The Haqqani network is responsible for some of the worst attacks in Afghanistan.

Jalaluddin Haqqani was the father of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current interior minister for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, himself also a graduate of the school.

Abdul Mateen Qani, the spokesman for the interior ministry in Kabul, said the government "strongly condemn the attack" and blamed it on the jihadist Islamic State group.

IS, a rival of the Taliban movement but with which it shares a similar hardline Islamic ideology, has been responsible for several attacks against the Taliban government since it retook power in 2021.

No group has yet claimed the bombing.

Incubators for militancy

The school has sat at the crossroads of regional militant violence for years, educating many Pakistanis and Afghan refugees — some of whom returned home to wage war against the Russians and Americans or preach jihad.

For decades, Pakistani ‘madrassas’ have served as incubators for militancy, indoctrinating tens of thousands of refugees who have few other options for education than the fiery lectures from hardline clerics.

Rather than crack down on the institutions, successive governments in Islamabad — which rely on the support of Islamist parties in coalition governments — have largely given the schools a free hand.

The Taliban surged back to power in Kabul in August 2021 after foreign forces withdrew and the former government collapsed.

Militancy has since rebounded in the border regions with Afghanistan.

Last year was the deadliest in a decade for Pakistan, with a surge in attacks that killed more than 1,600 people, according to Islamabad-based analysis group the Center for Research and Security Studies.

Islamabad accuses Kabul’s rulers of failing to root out militants sheltering on Afghan soil as they prepare to stage assaults on Pakistan, a charge the Taliban government denies.

Thousands of mourners attend funeral of Taliban-linked cleric killed in Pakistan suicide blast (AP)

AP [3/1/2025 10:11 AM, Riaz Khan, 51661K]
Thousands of mourners attended a funeral on Saturday for a Taliban-linked cleric slain in a suicide bomb attack on a seminary in Pakistan’s northwest.

Hamidul Haq, the head of Jamia Haqqania seminary, was one of seven people killed in a suicide bombing on Friday at a mosque inside the compound. Police said Haq was the target of the attack.

Haq was the son of the late Maulana Samiul Haq, who is considered a founding figure for the Afghan and Pakistani branches of the Taliban. Many Afghan Taliban have studied at Jamia Haqqania in the past few decades.

Mourners packed into the main hall of the seminary for the funeral, with more praying on the street. The prayers passed without incident due to a heavy police deployment and seminary students guarding the venue.

Muslim Jan, a cleric at the funeral, called the suicide bombing a tragedy and described the victims as “our teachers and brothers.”

“What happened was a disaster, it was unbearable,” he said.

No one has so far claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack, which came just before the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

Authorities issued a photo of the alleged suicide bomber and have offered a reward of 500,000 rupees ($1,787) for information about his identity, parentage and place of residence.

The bombing at the seminary was one of four attacks in Pakistan on Friday, two of them at mosques.

Afghans hiding in Pakistan live in fear of forced deportation (BBC)

BBC [3/2/2025 7:34 PM, Azadeh Moshiri and Usman Zahid, 52868K]
"I’m scared," sobs Nabila.

The 10-year-old’s life is limited to her one-bedroom home in Islamabad and the dirt road outside it. Since December she hasn’t been to her local school, when it decided it would no longer accept Afghans without a valid Pakistani birth certificate. But even if she could go to classes, Nabila says she wouldn’t.

"I was off sick one day, and I heard police came looking for Afghan children," she cries, as she tells us her friend’s family were sent back to Afghanistan.

Nabila’s not her real name - all the names of Afghans quoted in this article have been changed for their safety.

Pakistan’s capital and the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi are witnessing a surge in deportations, arrests and detentions of Afghans, the UN says. It estimates that more than half of the three million Afghans in the country are undocumented.

Afghans describe a life of constant fear and near daily police raids on their homes.

Some told the BBC they feared being killed if they went back to Afghanistan. These include families on a US resettlement programme, that has been suspended by the Trump administration.

Pakistan is frustrated at how long relocation programmes are taking, says Philippa Candler, the UN Refugee Agency’s representative in Islamabad. The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) says 930 people were sent back to Afghanistan in the first half of February, double the figure two weeks earlier. At least 20% of those deported from Islamabad and Rawalpindi had documentation from the UN Refugee Agency, meaning they were recognised as people in need of international protection.

But Pakistan is not a party to the Refugee Convention and has previously said it does not recognise Afghans living in the country as refugees. The government has said its policies are aimed at all illegal foreign nationals and a deadline for them to leave is looming. That date has fluctuated but is now set to 31 March for those without valid visas, and 30 June for those with resettlement letters.

Many Afghans are terrified amid the confusion. They also say the visa process can be difficult to navigate. Nabila’s family believes they have only one option: to hide. Her father Hamid served in the Afghan military, before the Taliban takeover in 2021. He broke down in tears describing his sleepless nights.

"I have served my country and now I’m useless. That job has doomed me," he said.

His family are without visas, and are not on a resettlement list. They tell us their phone calls to the UN’s refugee agency go unanswered.

The BBC has reached out to the agency for comment.

The Taliban government has previously told the BBC all Afghans should return because they could "live in the country without any fear". It claims these refugees are "economic migrants".

But a UN report in 2023 cast doubt on assurances from the Taliban government. It found hundreds of former government officials and armed forces members were allegedly killed despite a general amnesty.

The Taliban government’s guarantees are of little reassurance to Nabila’s family so they choose to run when authorities are nearby. Neighbours offer each other shelter, as they all try to avoid retuning to Afghanistan.

The UN counted 1,245 Afghans being arrested or detained in January across Pakistan, more than double the same period last year.

Nabila says Afghans shouldn’t be forced out. "Don’t kick Afghans out of their homes - we’re not here by choice, we are forced to be here.".

There is a feeling of sadness and loneliness in their home. "I had a friend who was here and then was deported to Afghanistan," Nabila’s mother Maryam says.

"She was like a sister, a mother. The day we were separated was a difficult day.".

I ask Nabila what she wants to do when she’s older. "Modelling," she says, giving me a serious look. Everyone in the room smiles. The tension thaws.

Her mother whispers to her there are plenty of other things she could be, an engineer or a lawyer. Nabila’s dream of modelling is one she could never pursue under the Taliban government. With their restrictions on girls’ education, her mother’s suggestions would also prove impossible.

A new phase

Pakistan has a long record of taking in Afghan refugees. But cross-border attacks have surged and stoked tension between the two neighbours. Pakistan blames them on militants based in Afghanistan, which the Taliban government denies. Since September 2023, the year Pakistan launched its "Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan," 836,238 individuals have now been returned to Afghanistan.

Amidst this current phase of deportations, some Afghans are being held in the Haji camp in Islamabad. Ahmad was in the final stages of the United States’ resettlement programme. He tells us when President Donald Trump suspended it for review, he extinguished Ahmad’s "last hope". The BBC has seen what appears to be his employment letter by a Western, Christian non-profit group in Afghanistan.

A few weeks ago, when he was out shopping, he received a call. His three-year-old daughter was on the line. "My baby called, come baba police is here, police come to our door," he says. His wife’s visa extension was still pending, and she was busy pleading with the police.

Ahmad ran home. "I couldn’t leave them behind." He says he sat in a van and waited hours as police continued their raids. The wives and children of his neighbours continued trickling into the vehicle. Ahmad began receiving calls from their husbands, begging him to take care of them. They had already escaped into the woods.

His family was held for three days in "unimaginable conditions", says Ahmad, who claims they were only given one blanket per family, and one piece of bread per day, and that their phones were confiscated. The Pakistani government says it ensures "no one is mistreated or harassed during the repatriation process".

We attempt to visit inside Haji camp to verify Ahmad’s account but are denied entry by authorities. The BBC approached the Pakistani government and the police for an interview or statement, but no one was made available.

Scared of being detained or deported, some families have chosen to leave Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Others tell us they simply can’t afford to.

One woman claims she was in the final stages of the US resettlement scheme and decided to move with her two daughters to Attock, 80km (50 miles) west of Islamabad. "I can barely afford bread," she says.

The BBC has seen a document confirming she had an interview with the IOM in early January. She claims her family is still witnessing almost daily raids in her neighbourhood.

A spokesman for the US embassy in Islamabad has said it is in "close communication" with Pakistan’s government "on the status of Afghan nationals in the US resettlement pathways".

Outside Haji camp’s gates, a woman is waiting. She tells us she has a valid visa but her sister’s has expired. Her sister is now being held inside the camp, along with her children. The officers would not let her visit her family, and she is terrified they will be deported. She begins weeping, "If my country was safe, why would I come here to Pakistan? And even here we cannot live peacefully.".

She points to her own daughter who is sitting in their car. She was a singer in Afghanistan, where a law states women cannot be heard speaking outside their home, let alone singing. I turn to her daughter and ask if she still sings. She stares. "No.".

Bodies of 12 Pakistani migrants who died in boat sinking have been repatriated (AP)

AP [2/28/2025 2:15 PM, Staff, 51661K]
The bodies of 12 out of at least 16 Pakistanis who died this month when a boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants sank off Libya’s coast have been repatriated to Pakistan, officials said Friday.

Most of the victims who died in the capsizing were from Kurram, a district in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The boat was carrying more than 60 Pakistani nationals — 37 of them were rescued, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Ten people remain unaccounted for.

Ashfaq Ahmed, a government administrator, said that nine of the 12 bodies were sent to Kurram on Thursday and Friday. He said that the bodies of the other four victims will be repatriated soon.

People unloaded coffins from helicopters. Families held portraits of the deceased at funerals.

Relatives of the victims said that their loved ones left behind their homes and families to make the long and dangerous journey to Europe because of unemployment and insecurity. One of the men who died was 20 and had two daughters.

Two of Sabir Hussain’s cousins died in the capsizing.

“The situation in Parachinar is terrible,” Hussain said, referring to a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. “People prefer death instead of living in Parachinar. They try to go anywhere, to go somewhere they can find some work and live a peaceful life. But, unfortunately, we are receiving bodies.”

Libya, which shares borders with six nations and has a long coastline along the Mediterranean, is a main transit point for migrants escaping war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East to seek better lives in Europe.

Every year, hundreds of Pakistanis die while attempting to reach Europe via perilous land and sea routes, often facilitated by human smugglers.

In January, authorities said dozens of Pakistanis died when a boat capsized off West Africa.

Imran Khan Writes From Prison: Why the World Must Pay Attention To Pakistan (TIME – opinion)

TIME [2/28/2025 7:00 AM, Imran Khan, 11M]
As we settle into 2025, I reflect on what has been one of the most tumultuous and testing periods in Pakistan’s history. From my confinement in a solitary cell, I witness the heartbreaking reality of a nation gripped by authoritarian rule. Yet, despite everything, I remain steadfast in my belief in the resilience of the Pakistani people and their unwavering commitment to justice.

The politically motivated charges against me are nothing more than an attempt to silence my fight for democracy. But this struggle is not about me alone. The erosion of democracy in Pakistan has far-reaching consequences. A destabilized Pakistan threatens regional security, disrupts trade, and weakens global democratic values. The world must recognize the urgency of this crisis—not just for Pakistan’s future, but for the stability of South Asia and beyond.

The suppression of democratic voices in a country as pivotal to regional and indeed global security as Pakistan sets a dangerous precedent, one that should concern all who believe in free and fair governance.

This past year has brought unprecedented oppression. The brutal crackdown on my political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and its supporters has shocked the world. International rights groups and the U.N. have documented arbitrary detentions, and politically driven trials in military courts. To date, 103 PTI workers and office bearers have been convicted in these courts—a blatant violation of Pakistan’s commitments under international human rights conventions, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or ICCPR. The international community, including the EU, U.K., and U.S., has voiced concerns over these trials.

These issues affect ordinary Pakistanis. Pakistan risks losing its preferential trade status with the EU, a move that would devastate our economy, particularly the textile sector. Yet, those in power in Pakistan continue down their reckless path, jeopardising Pakistan’s standing with fabricated narratives and baseless propaganda about me and my fellow PTI party workers.

The world must also pay attention because, as democracy is eroded internally in Pakistan, terrorism has surged in regions such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. This has not happened by accident, nor is it simply chance.

Rather than addressing these critical security threats, the Pakistani military’s resources have been diverted to a campaign of vengeance against political opponents such as PTI. The judiciary, instead of being a bulwark for justice, has been reduced to what I view as a tool of political persecution. Anti-terrorism courts are now filled with PTI supporters facing absurd charges.

Homes have been raided, families have been terrorised, and even women and children have not been spared from this brutal repression. Our social media volunteers, supporters in the diaspora, and activists have had their families harassed and abducted, all in an effort to silence dissent. My party has documented 12 supporters killed by security services during anti-government protests in Islamabad in late November.

Despite my concerns about the country’s leadership, including about the allegations of fraud in the election that brought it to power, I authorised PTI’s leadership to engage in talks with the current government to prevent further violence and human rights abuses.

Our agenda was clear: a judicial commission to investigate attacks on PTI party workers and unarmed protesters. We also demanded the release of all political prisoners.

In response, I was offered house arrest in exchange for ambiguous “political space” for PTI, but I rejected this outright.

Meanwhile, Parliament has been reduced to what me and my party views as a rubber stamp for authoritarian policies. Legislation aimed at curbing judicial independence, suppressing free speech, and criminalising dissent has been pushed through without debate. Political disagreement is now labelled as “anti-state” activity, punishable by forced disappearances and draconian anti-terror laws. The last vestiges of democracy in Pakistan have been all but erased.

Beyond Parliament, it is also imperative that Pakistan’s Army Chief Syed Asim Munir acknowledges and respects the constitutional boundaries of the military. Only by doing so can Pakistan thrive under a true democratic system—one that is chosen by the people, for the people. History has shown that dictatorships in Pakistan are fleeting, but the damage they inflict lingers for generations, outlasting all those who impose them. The future of our nation depends on upholding democracy, not suppressing it.

Yet, despite these dark times, the people of Pakistan have never been more awake or aware. They see through the lies, and their determination gives me hope. The fight for justice and dignity is not an easy one, but it is one worth waging. I firmly believe that truth will prevail. Together, we will rebuild a Pakistan where citizens’ rights are protected and democracy is restored.

Outside Pakistan, the world is also at a crossroads. As global challenges—from conflict to economic instability—intensify, the need for strong and principled leadership has never been greater. It is in this context that I extend my heartfelt congratulations to President Donald J. Trump on his historic inauguration in January. His remarkable political comeback is a testament to resilience and the will of the people.

During his first tenure, the United States and Pakistan enjoyed a strong working relationship built on mutual respect. As he settles into office again, we look forward to his administration reaffirming its commitment to democratic principles, human rights, and the rule of law—particularly in regions where authoritarianism threatens to undermine these values. A democratic and stable Pakistan is in the interest of the international community, and we will continue to push for that balance to be restored.

Additionally, I encourage his administration to strengthen economic partnerships that create opportunities for nations like Pakistan to build self-sustaining economies. Fair trade policies, investment in critical sectors, and a commitment to regional stability will foster prosperity and help prevent the conditions that lead to conflict and extremism. I remain hopeful that this new chapter in U.S. leadership will bring meaningful engagement in these critical areas and contribute to fostering significant peace and progress.

As we move forward, I remain resolute in my vision for Pakistan—a nation built on justice, opportunity, and equality. The road ahead will be difficult, but I have no doubt that the people of Pakistan, united in their resolve, will overcome these challenges. Together, we will build a brighter future for generations to come.

India

India’s trade minister heads to US for talks as Trump tariffs loom, officials say (Reuters)

Reuters [3/3/2025 1:04 AM, Manoj Kumar and Shivangi Acharya, 5.2M]
India’s trade minister Piyush Goyal started on a trip to the United States on Monday to pursue trade talks, two government officials said, with weeks to go for President Donald Trump’s planned reciprocal tariffs.

Goyal’s visit was sudden, as he departed after cancelling previously scheduled meetings until March 8, the officials said. He is also the minister for industry.

India’s trade ministry did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. last month, both nations agreed to work on the first segment of a trade deal by the fall of 2025, aiming for bilateral trade worth $500 billion by 2030.

Trump’s proposal to impose reciprocal tariffs from early April on trading partners including India is worrying Indian exporters in sectors ranging autos to agriculture, with Citi Research analysts estimating potential losses at about $7 billion a year.

During the visit, Goyal will seek clarity on US reciprocal tariffs to assess their impact on India, one of the government sources said, and may also discuss potential Indian concessions and a trade deal to reduce tariffs and boost bilateral trade.

India is open to discuss tariff cuts on industrial products, including automobiles and chemicals, but is resisting pressure to lower tariffs on agricultural products, arguing it would impact millions of poor farmers, sources said.

To ease trade tension, India has already cut tariffs on several items, for example to 30% on high-end motorcycles from 50% and 100% on bourbon whiskey from 150%, while promising to review other tariffs, stepping up energy imports and buying more defence equipment.

India’s merchandise trade with the United States, its largest trading partner, has increased by about 8% year-on-year to more than $106 billion in the ten months through January, with India maintaining a trade surplus.

Analysts say chemicals, metal products, and jewellery - followed by automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and food products - are the most vulnerable sectors to potential U.S. reciprocal tariffs.

If the United States expands such reciprocal tariffs to a broader range of farm products, India’s agricultural and food exports, including shrimp and dairy - where tariff differentials reach nearly 40% - would be among the hardest hit, said a report by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a Delhi-based think tank.

Adani revives US investment plans as Trump moves fuel hopes (Financial Times)

Financial Times [3/1/2025 12:41 PM, Chris Kay, Krishn Kaushik, John Reed, and Alex Rogers, 48775K]
Adani, one of India’s most powerful tycoons, first pledged to invest $10bn in the US, creating up to 15,000 jobs, following the election last year of Donald Trump as president.

Those plans were widely thought to have been kicked into the long grass just weeks later when Adani and seven others were indicted by US authorities on charges related to an alleged $265mn Indian solar energy bribery scheme.

But one of the people close to Adani said there had been “big relief” within the conglomerate when Trump earlier in February ordered a halt to enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a move they said heightened expectations the cases against him would eventually collapse.

Adani as a non-US citizen was not charged under the act, but it underpins the indictments against others allegedly involved in the scheme. Adani Group has called the accusations “baseless”.

“Once Trump came in, we have reactivated some plans,” said another of the people, but added that a “Damocles sword” still hung over the tycoon and there were worries about the “indefinite nature of the investigation”.

Another person close to Adani said: “We know what we want to do, but we will wait until this [case] resolves.”

Adani Group had previously been in talks with US companies on potential partnerships and had looked at petrochemical investments in Texas, the people said. The group does not currently have any major investments or projects in the US.

The US charges have presented an unprecedented threat to Adani, who has long-standing ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and whose conglomerate is deeply embedded in India’s drive to develop its infrastructure drive and boost its international influence.

“If the charges are dropped, Adani would likely look to follow through with his investment plans in America,” said Michael Kugelman, director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute in Washington. “The prospect of Adani — with his vast riches and close relationship to the Modi government, a key US strategic partner — buying America would be warmly welcomed by Trump.”

Adani Group did not respond to a request for comment.

The group, which has sprawling interests across green energy, coal mining, ports, airports and news media, weathered corporate fraud and share price manipulation allegations levelled against it in early 2023 by the now-disbanded New York-based short seller Hindenburg Research. The conglomerate and its chair have repeatedly and vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

In the wake of the Hindenburg report the group established a US lobbying presence and has spent at least $130,000 since mid-2023 on those efforts.

Since the charges against Adani were announced in November, law firms Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Kirkland & Ellis and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan have all taken on Adani Group companies as clients, according to US lobbying disclosures.

In February, six Republican congressmen wrote to US attorney-general Pam Bondi criticising the Department of Justice’s pursuit of Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who was also charged.

In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Financial Times, the lawmakers called the case a “misguided crusade” that would harm India-US relations.

“Needless pursuits against those who have contributed tens of billions and created thousands of jobs deter and discourage investors from contributing to our economy,” they wrote.

The congressmen also asked Bondi to investigate the DoJ’s conduct under former president Joe Biden and said they “would appreciate you sharing with us all records pertaining to this case, for a co-ordinated effort in uncovering the truth”.

There has been little public movement on the two cases brought by the DoJ and Securities and Exchange Commission, though the markets regulator told a New York court in February it had requested assistance from India’s government to serve its complaint against the two Adanis.

During Modi’s recent visit to Washington, which was widely seen as focused largely on staving off potentially damaging Trump trade tariffs, the Indian prime minister said the two leaders had not discussed the Adani cases.

The billionaire’s perceived close relationship with Modi remains a politically charged issue in New Delhi and a focal point for criticism by opposition politicians who allege Adani has benefited from government favouritism — an accusation he denies.

But Kugelman said there was “good reason” to believe there had been high-level political deliberations between the US and India since Trump took office, given the importance of the Adani case to both, and that the tycoon’s personal story might help his cause.

“He’s a highly successful businessman who has praised Trump and pledged to invest in the US and create new jobs. That could gain him the president’s sympathy,” Kugelman said.

But he added that the Trump administration might “look to play hardball and try to leverage the Adani case” to advance US policy goals.

India’s first transgender clinics close after USAID freeze (Reuters)

Reuters [2/28/2025 10:16 AM, Krishna N. Das, 5.2M]
India’s first three clinics for the transgender community closed last month following a stop-work order from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that funded them, disrupting services for nearly 5,000 people, two sources said on Friday.

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause on all foreign aid in January pending a review to ensure all projects funded with U.S. taxpayer money are aligned with his "America First" policy.

Trump has repeatedly criticised what he called USAID spending $21 million on "voter turnout" in India. The Indian government said last week it was investigating.

Among the main losers following the fund freeze have been three Mitr (friend) Clinics in India that are run mostly by doctors, counsellors and other workers from the transgender community and that serve up to 5,000 people, said the sources. Both declined to be named, citing the sensitivity of the matter.

Trump ally Elon Musk and Republican Senator John Kennedy have both criticised the transgender funding.

"That’s what American tax dollars were funding," Musk said on X on Friday in response to a post about the closure of the first of the Mitr clinics, launched in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad in 2021.

The other clinics are located in the western cities of Kalyan and Pune.

All provided services including guidance and medication on hormone therapy, counselling on mental health as well as on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and legal aid, in addition to general medical care, a website for the three clinics said.

Each of them needed up to 3 million rupees ($34,338) a year to run and employed about eight people, said one of the sources, adding that they were looking for alternate sources of funding, public or private.

Organisers of the clinics, however, have got a waiver from USAID to keep running certain life-saving activities, including providing antiretroviral medication to HIV-infected people, the sources said.

Up to 10% of all clinic clients are infected by HIV, one of the sources said.

"We did some really good work at Mitr Clinics," said one of the sources, a doctor. "I am proud of what we achieved there."

Avalanche Buries Road Workers’ Camp in India, Killing 8 (New York Times)

New York Times [3/2/2025 5:00 PM, Pragati K.B., 16228K]
Eight road construction workers died after becoming trapped under an avalanche in northern India, the Indian Army said on Sunday. Rescuers operating in several feet of snow evacuated 46 other workers.

The workers were buried by the snow early on Friday in the village of Mana, in the state of Uttarakhand, as the avalanche hit their camp site.

Disaster response teams coordinated the rescue efforts under extreme weather conditions, and the work was halted several times because of incessant snowfall and rain. GPS, sniffer dogs and thermal imaging cameras were used to find the workers.

India’s Meteorological Department warned of the possibility of further avalanches in the area, which is known as a gateway for Himalayan mountain trekking.

The rescued workers, many in critical condition, were taken by helicopters to hospitals in neighboring Joshimath. The workers belong to the Border Roads Organization, a division of the Indian armed forces that develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas.

Mana sits at an altitude of 3,200 meters, or more than 10,000 feet, and is about 15 miles from the Tibetan border. During the winter months, the village’s entire population migrates to lower elevations to escape the snowfall.

Uttarakhand is prone to avalanches and floods. One of the country’s worst natural disasters took place there in 2013, when flooding killed more than 1,000 people. In 2021, 11 people died when an avalanche hit a Border Roads Organization camp in the district that includes Mana.

As the Uttarakhand rescue efforts were completed, an operation to reach eight workers trapped in a tunnel in southern India were still underway, more than a week after the tunnel’s ceiling collapsed. Officials have said that the workers’ chances of survival are very remote.

At least 4 construction workers are killed in an avalanche in northern India (AP)

AP [3/1/2025 10:05 AM, Biswajeet Banerjee, 51661K]
At least four workers have died after an avalanche swept away a large construction crew working on a highway near India’s mountainous border with Tibet, Indian army said Saturday.

The incident took place near the Mana Pass in northern Uttarakhand state on Friday, and 55 construction workers were initially trapped under snow. Rescuers pulled out 50 workers, of whom four later died, the Indian army said in a statement.

It said the search for the five remaining missing workers was continuing, with multiple teams of rescuers and military helicopters scanning the incident site. The statement did not specify the number of injured but said they were "being prioritized for evacuation.".

Chandrashekhar Vashistha, a senior administrative official, said some of the workers had sustained serious injures and were hospitalized.

Many of the trapped workers were migrant laborers who were working on a highway widening and blacktopping project along a 50-kilometer (31-mile) stretch from Mana, the last village on Indian side, to the Mana Pass bordering Tibet.

"Rescue operations were slow due to heavy snowfall, and the area remained inaccessible," said Kamlesh Kamal, a spokesperson for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. He said the rescuers had to work through several feet of snow, snowstorms and poor visibility.

The ecologically sensitive Himalayan region, which has been severely affected by global warming, is prone to avalanches and flash floods.

In 2022, 27 trainee mountaineers were killed in an avalanche in the northern Uttarakhand region. A year earlier, a glacier burst in the state resulted in a flash flood that left more than 200 people dead.

Dozens found alive in metal containers after India avalanche (BBC)

BBC [3/3/2025 1:51 AM, Nikita Yadav, 69.9M]
Dozens of construction workers have been pulled out alive from metal containers after they were buried by an avalanche in the Himalayas in India’s Uttarakhand state.

They survived as the containers, which the workers were living in, had enough oxygen to sustain them until rescuers could dig them out, Indian media reported quoting officials.

On Friday, 54 workers were buried when the avalanche hit a construction camp near Mana village. Eight were killed.

The other 46 were rescued in an operation that lasted almost 60 hours in sub-zero temperatures and concluded on Sunday.

Most of the labourers, who were working on a highway expansion project, were able to "withstand the wrecking avalanche" because of the containers, rescuers told The Indian Express newspaper.

"These metal shelters saved most of them. They had just enough oxygen to hold on until we got them out," a senior rescue official told The Times of India.

The newspaper reported that the force of the avalanche had hurled eight metal containers and a shed down the mountain.

Uttarakhand state Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has thanked rescue teams for their efforts in challenging conditions.

Members of the Indian army, national and state disaster response forces and local administration had worked to free the workers, using helicopters and drones for the operation.

Many of the rescued workers are receiving treatment at hospitals in the state’s Joshimath town and Rishikesh city.

Satyaprakash Yadav, a migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh who was among those rescued, said the "avalanche hit our container like a landslide", according to a video released by the army.

He added that the container he was in broke apart when the snow hit and it ended up near a river.

"We managed to get out on our own and reached a nearby army guest house, where we stayed overnight," he added.

Rajnish Kumar, a worker from Uttarkhand’s Pithoragarh town, said most of them were sleeping when the avalanche struck.

"When the snow hit the container, it sank about 50 to 60 metres down [the mountain]. The Army arrived quickly and rescued us," he said, according to the army video.

Gaurav Kunwar, a former village council member of Mana, told the BBC on Friday the area where the avalanche hit was a "migratory area" and that it had no permanent residents.

"Only labourers working on border roads stay there in the winter," he said, adding that it had rained for two days prior to the avalanche.

The India Meteorological Department has warned of rainfall and snow in the northern states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, as well as Jammu and Kashmir until Tuesday.

Avalanches and landslides are common in the higher regions of the Himalayas, especially during winter.

Experts say that climate change has made extreme weather more severe and less predictable. There has also been a rapid rise in deforestation and construction in Uttarakhand’s hilly areas in recent years.

In 2021, near 100 people died in Uttarakhand after a piece of a Himalayan glacier fell into the river, triggering flash floods.

India’s economy is leaving a generation of women behind on the farm (Washington Post)

Washington Post [3/2/2025 1:00 AM, Karishma Mehrotra and Anant Gupta, 126906K]
This country’s rapid rise was supposed to uplift the rural poor. Instead, economic stagnation is pulling men and women in opposite directions.

On paper, the Indian economy shines, but opportunities are shrinking for families on the margins. Increasingly, men are leaving their homes in rural areas, chasing meager wages in distant cities, while their wives are left behind to farm — a quietly profound transformation that economists say is straining households and contributing to a lost decade for millions of people.

"There is a new level of alienation, loneliness and desperation," said Jayati Ghosh, an economist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Nearly half of India’s population works in agriculture. The figure declined steadily starting in the mid-1990s but crept up again during the pandemic — and has held steady in the years since as, more and more, farm work becomes women’s work.

Geetanjali Devi, 27, holds a bachelor’s degree in history but now spends her days managing crop diseases and fertilizers on her family’s farm in the state of Bihar, in a remote hamlet near the border with Nepal. Her husband, like the majority of men in her village, spends most of the year working construction in the southern state of Kerala, earning $8 a day more than 1,000 miles away.

"We figure out some way to do it without the men," Geetanjali said.

Beside her, her sister-in-law Karishma Devi nodded. Their husbands are brothers. "We have to try to not think about missing them," Karishma said. "If we don’t let them leave, how will we earn?".

This growing cleavage between couples underscores India’s deeper challenge.

"We need a policy so that people can exit agriculture into good jobs," said Amrita Datta, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology in Hyderabad. Unfortunately, she added, "we are stuck.".

‘Wasting our time’

The roads leading to Parsauni are newly paved, part of a massive government effort to improve rural infrastructure. But beyond the smoke curling from small brick kilns, there were no signs of industry for miles on end.

Economists say microenterprises like jam processing or cloth manufacturing — once the backbone of rural employment — are vanishing, leaving few options but subsistence agriculture.

"We will grow so old just stuck on this farm," Geetanjali lamented, as she walked with Karishma in the sugar cane fields behind their home. "We are just waiting here, wasting our time.".

Karishma said she barely ate after her husband first left for Kerala in 2022, and her two sons cried and cried. When she fell ill, she recalled, she had to track down a male neighbor with a motorcycle to get her medicine.

"We have to find some man to do everything," she said.

Daily phone calls bring little solace. Karishma had spoken briefly with her husband that morning, but with several other men living in his hostel room, the conversation felt impersonal.

"If we were together, we would share everything," she said.

Karishma and Geetanjali looked on as several other women rhythmically peeled brown and green leaves off the stalks of sugar cane. They wore the collared shirts of their husbands — who were also in Kerala — over their saris.

"We gain courage watching others," Karishma said.

After peeling the crop, the women will hire men to load the sugar cane onto trucks and take it to the mills — work their husbands used to do.

Jobless growth

For decades, the share of India’s workforce employed in agriculture had been shrinking — falling from nearly 65 percent in 1994 to 44 percent in 2018. The trend began to reverse in 2019 and accelerated as the coronavirus pandemic shut down urban factories and construction sites, and millions of migrant workers returned to their home villages.

Though India’s economy has bounced back since the pandemic, employment has not kept pace. Economists call it "jobless growth." As a result, the share of Indians working in agriculture is still above pre-pandemic levels, and the gender gap is widening.

Two-thirds of women working in India labor on farms, compared to just one-third of men, according to the latest government figures. Many of them, like Geetanjali, were the first in their family to go to college, part of what economist Santosh Mehrotra called a "revolution of rising expectations.".

They "want to work but there are no jobs," Mehrotra said. "They are in agriculture because they are at home.".

Their husbands who migrate to cities are often unable to find salaried jobs, researchers say, and are instead trapped in the informal sector, working as construction workers or street vendors. They earn more than they did in the fields at home, but not enough to give up their farms and bring their families with them.

Manufacturing, long seen as a key pathway to economic mobility, shrank for the first time in independent India’s history in 2017, Mehrotra said, and has never fully rebounded.

The consequences are stark: Indians are now poorer than Hondurans on a per capita basis. More than half of those of working age are unable to find a place in the formal economy.

The government’s primary response so far has been cash handouts and other welfare initiatives, which experts say do little to address the structural problems.

Beyond the village

In Parsauni, the electricity was out again. The family sat in the dark around a crackling fire. Geetanjali’s husband, Rambali Kumar, had returned after a year of being away, bearing chocolates and conch bangles.

His 4-year-old son, Ashish, clung to him, eyes fixed on YouTube videos.

Karishma sighed. "Meena has it the best," she said, referring to their third sister-in-law, who moved with her husband to Delhi and now works as a cook and a cleaner in middle-class homes. Meena sends photos of famous landmarks, like Red Fort and India Gate, offering glimpses of life beyond the village.

"She says we don’t realize how difficult it is in the city," said Geetanjali, but "at least they are together. They can share their happiness and sorrows.".

The next day, Rambali loaded bundles of sugar cane onto trucks, earning $3 for each load. He smiled as he worked, recalling the strange English phrase his wife now uses at the end of phone calls.

"She says ‘I love you’ to me on the phone," he said, casting his eyes downward. "I’ve started saying it back. I was always the shy one.".

Even as he joked, his mind was elsewhere — on Kerala, where he would soon have to return for better pay. Today’s wages would cover their food, nothing more, but it was still their most stable source of income.

His construction jobs pay by the week. When the work runs out, he wrestles with whether to stick it out, or return to help his family on the farm.

Rambali never finished high school and is now trying to save up for his son’s education. "It’s expensive, but I will keep working," he said. "I just don’t want him to be a farmer.".

Back at their home, Karishma and Geetanjali were in higher spirits. Their children played with sugar cane and old tires, weaving between the banana trees that flanked their brick house.

"Our husbands aren’t good-looking," Geetanjali joked, "but their heart is pure. They never drink, never fight.".

Still, their lives together — and the prolonged separations — are never easy. Geetanjali smirked while pushing the hand pump for water, teasing her sister-in-law. "You should see Karishma when her husband comes home. As soon as he steps on the train from Kerala, she becomes the happiest in the village.".

"And what about you? You and your kids start screaming with joy!" Karishma shot back as she swept the courtyard.

"Below our laughs, we are still sad," said Geetanjali, wiping her hands. "We are neither here nor there.".

India’s Economy Picks Up Speed (Wall Street Journal)

Wall Street Journal [2/28/2025 6:37 AM, Kimberley Kao, 810K]
India’s economy picked up in the most recent quarter as manufacturing and government spending regained momentum.

The world’s fifth-largest economy grew 6.2% from a year earlier in the October-December quarter, according to provisional figures issued by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation on Friday.

The print was higher than the previous quarter’s revised figure of a 5.6% expansion and slightly missed the median estimate for 6.3% growth compiled in a Wall Street Journal poll of economists.

Economists had largely expected the data to show that the economy had gained some speed in the latest quarter, mainly due to an increase in manufacturing and investment activity, as well as higher government spending.

“Despite recent moderation, India’s economic growth has remained robust,” the International Monetary Fund said in a report on Wednesday.

The sharp slowdown for the July-September quarter was likely a one-off occurrence, Barclays economists said in a note.

Friday’s data showed that manufacturing activity strengthened in the October-December period from the previous quarter, with growth rising to 3.5% from 2.1%. The construction sector’s momentum slowed, while the mining and quarrying sector swung back to expansion.

Agriculture remained a bright spot, expanding more rapidly in the October-December quarter.

Meanwhile, growth in private consumption rose to 6.9% from 5.9%, while government spending grew 8.3% during the quarter, compared to 3.8% in the July-September period.

India’s real GDP is estimated to grow by 6.5% in the current fiscal year ending March 2025, the ministry said, up from its first advance estimate of 6.4%.

The economy is “slowly emerging” from a soft patch, Capital Economics’ Harry Chambers said in a note.

Growth remains lower than normal standards, Chambers said, noting that with the central bank shifting its focus to support the economy, growth should continue to pick up further.

“This week’s reversal of the tighter bank lending restrictions introduced in late 2023, as well as the further monetary policy loosening from the central bank that we expect, will boost household consumption and investment in particular,” he added.

India market regulator to challenge Mumbai court order against senior officials (Reuters)

Reuters [3/2/2025 10:01 AM, Swati Bhat and Arpan Chaturvedi, 5.2M]
India’s market regulator and the Bombay Stock Exchange will take appropriate legal action to challenge a Mumbai court order against their officials in relation to an alleged stock market fraud and regulatory violations, they said in separate statements on Sunday.

On Saturday, a special anti-corruption court in Mumbai ordered an investigation into senior officials of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Bombay Stock Exchange in response to a petition filed by a journalist.

The petition alleges the market regulator allowed a fraudulent company to list on the stock exchange without meeting prescribed norms and hurt investors.

"SEBI would be initiating appropriate legal steps to challenge this order and remains committed to ensuring due regulatory compliance in all matters," the regulator said in a statement on Sunday
.
The respondents in the petition filed in the court include former SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch, other existing senior SEBI officials and senior BSE officials.

Buch could not immediately be reached for comment.

When asked for comment, the SEBI officials referred to the SEBI statement and did not comment further. The BSE officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

SEBI’s statement said the court allowed the application without issuing any notice or granting any opportunity to SEBI to place the facts on record.

The BSE also said the court had gone ahead without giving any notice or giving the exchange an opportunity to set out the facts.

"The officials named in the application were not in their respective positions at the time of listing and were not connected with the company at all," BSE said.

"The application is frivolous and vexatious in nature."

The court directed the Anti-Corruption Bureau to submit a status report within 30 days.

Indian man shot dead in Jordan trying to illegally cross Israel border (The Independent)

The Independent [3/3/2025 1:19 AM, Namita Singh, 44.8M]
Jordanian security forces shot dead an Indian man trying to cross illegally into Israel, a letter sent to his family by the country’s embassy in Amman said.

Thomas Gabriel Perera, 47, from Thumba in the southern Indian state of Kerala, was in a group of four people who had travelled to Jordan on tourist visas on 5 February.

Perera and his companion Edison, 43, also from Thumba, were autorickshaw drivers. They had allegedly been promised jobs in Israel with a monthly salary of Rs350,000 (£3,180) by a fellow Indian working in Jordan.

Mr Edison said they paid that person Rs 210,000 (£1,908) upfront and were supposed to pay Rs 50,000 (£454) every month upon securing work.

“Thomas and another person were trying to cross the Jordan border at Karkak district illegally” on the night 10 February, The Indian Express quoted the embassy’s letter as stating. “The security forces tried to stop them, but they did not listen to the warning. The guards opened fire on them. One bullet hit Thomas in his head and he died on the spot. Later, his body was sent to a local hospital,” the report said.

Mr Edison, who sustained injuries and regained consciousness days later in a Jordanian medical facility, subsequently faced legal proceedings, and was deported to India on 28 February.

The embassy said on Sunday it had learnt of the "sad demise of an Indian national in unfortunate circumstances".

His wife told the news agency ANI that the last time Perera called her, he only spoke for two minutes. “He just asked me to pray for him,” she said.

In March last year, an Indian man named Nibin Maxwell was killed during the Israel-Gaza war. He had moved to Israel in late 2023 in search of work and was among hundreds of Indian men taking up jobs in dangerous places, such as the Russian frontline in Ukraine, driven by what an economist described as “extreme desperation” due to the lack of well-paid employment at home.

The Narendra Modi government faced domestic criticism after it signed an agreement with Israel to allow 40,000 Indians to work in construction and nursing in the Middle Eastern country, making up for the loss of Palestinian workers amid the war on Gaza. Critics demanded better and safer job opportunities closer home.

At the time the scheme was announced, the government said India was committed to making sure its migrant workers were protected. “Through this agreement, we want to ensure that there’s regulated migration and the rights of the people who go there are protected,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the foreign ministry.

Israel is not the only dangerous destination for Indians searching for work. Several Indian men were allegedly unwittingly recruited to work for the Russian army in Ukraine after leaving the country in response to job adverts seeking “army helpers”.

In January, the foreign ministry said at least 126 Indian nationals had joined the Russian military. Ninety six had since returned home, 12 had been killed and 16 were believed to be “missing”.

A Friendless EU Suddenly Wants India’s Approval (Bloomberg – opinion)

Bloomberg [3/2/2025 5:00 PM, Mihir Sharma, 16228K]
The president of the European Commission and all her fellow commissioners turned up in India last week, in a hastily put-together visit meant to re-energize relations. The bonhomie on display in New Delhi sent out the message that Europe still had some friends — and contrasted starkly with what was unfolding simultaneously in Washington.

Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi together announced a set of promises meant to drive India and the EU closer together. They would conclude a free trade agreement by the end of the year, they said. Von der Leyen also told the media that Europe intended to create a “defense and security partnership” similar to recent agreements it has signed with Japan and South Korea.

All this positive energy didn’t just feel different from the state of the transatlantic relationship. It also represented a major shift from three years ago, when India failed, in European eyes, to offer a strident enough condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It isn’t India that has changed its tune since, however. European politicians appear to have concluded that the continent’s strategic autonomy requires them to woo even an imperfectly committed New Delhi.

The continent’s dilemma is that nobody on the world stage can even begin to replace the US as a security ally or China as an economic partner. Compared to what it is giving up, what it is seeking out will always appear small.

The Commission managed to push a free trade agreement with the Latin American trade bloc Mercosur over the line, for example. It was willing to expend valuable political capital on that effort, even though the grouping of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Argentina has an even smaller share of world trade than India.

Europe’s leaders have correctly decided that they now need as many friends — Japan, the South Americans, India, the Gulf kingdoms — as they can possibly cobble together. They may be right. Certainly, European states’ trade and security partnerships with many of these countries has underperformed or been routed through the US.

In the fractious decade to come, expanding ties with India might prove very useful to European security as much as to its trade. India’s may not be world’s most advanced or competitive economy, but it is one of the few countries with an industrial base useful for a continent determined to re-arm.

Indian companies can scale up basic manufacturing — of artillery shells, for example — very quickly. Just last week one such company, Bharat Forge Ltd., announced that it had exported more than 100 155-mm artillery systems in 2024; the auto component maker famously managed to produce more than 100,000 shells in a month during the last, brief war with Pakistan 25 years ago.

The commission president was careful to note India’s “interest in joining defense industrial projects under the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation” program. Indian domestic production has been growing, though nowhere near as quickly as South Korea’s. Perhaps Europe’s ballooning defense budgets will give local companies the incentive they need to increase capacity.

Europe may feel somewhat friendless at the moment. It had barely begun to accept that China was a systemic rival before it discovered that the US thought of itself as a competitor, as well.

But there is little chance that India will be able to fill China’s role in European supply chains, for example. China and the EU both conduct more than 15% of the world’s trade; India’s share has long been stuck around 2%. Most years, India trades more with the EU than with anyone else, but it itself does not occupy as prominent a position in the European economy, and is only the bloc’s ninth-largest partner.

If nothing else, Von der Leyen and her peers will have recognized they need to keep countries like India invested in the rules-based world order that has kept Europe prosperous. It is too easy to follow America’s lead and drift away from multilateralism; even as the EU commissioners were landing in New Delhi, India’s finance minister said that multilateralism was “sort of out.”

Brussels’ technocrats may not have planned to give off a faint air of desperation as they lined up for photographs with Modi in New Delhi. But, given the situation that their region is in, desperation is better than the alternative. Indians, meanwhile, accept they can’t solve all the EU’s problems. But they also know that the EU needs to build and repair as many relationships as it can, as soon as it can.

Otherwise, as we all saw in the Oval Office, Europe is on its own.

NSB

After a Revolution, a Move Toward Politics as Usual in Bangladesh (New York Times)

New York Times [2/28/2025 5:00 PM, Saif Hasnat, 16228K]
Some of the students whose protests kick-started a revolution in Bangladesh last year and prompted the ouster of the troubled country’s authoritarian leader, Sheikh Hasina, are now taking a more conventional route to pursue their vision for the country: They have started a political party.

At a rally in Dhaka, the capital, on Friday, some of the former student leaders announced the creation of the National Citizens Party, which they said would pursue a “centrist” political ideology. Although membership is open to all, the party will target students, thousands of whom joined the 2024 protests but many of whom have since returned to their normal lives.

Leading the new party will be Nahid Islam, a 27-year-old university graduate who helped lead the call for Ms. Hasina’s resignation after a 15-year rule during which democratic freedoms eroded amid allegations of corruption and rigged elections.

After Ms. Hasina’s ouster, Mr. Islam joined the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which seeks to restore order in Bangladesh and pave the way for free and fair elections. The country has not set a date, but Mr. Yunus has said a vote could happen by December. Mr. Islam resigned from his role in the government this week to set up the new party.

The transition for the country of more than 170 million people has been chaotic. The interim authorities have struggled to control lawlessness, including revenge attacks on political opponents, robbery and intimidation of religious minorities.

Bangladesh’s police force has been in disarray, after it became a target of the uprising for having carried out the toppled leader’s crackdown. In the chaos immediately after Ms. Hasina’s departure, dozens of police officers were killed by angry mobs, and others abandoned their duties. While the army stepped in to help maintain order, rebuilding the law enforcement has been a difficult task.

Last week, Bangladesh’s army chief raised concerns about the continuing chaos.

“I am warning you now, so later you can’t say that I didn’t,” General Waker-Uz-Zaman said in a speech. “If you cannot set aside your differences and work together, if you keep blaming and fighting each other, the independence and sovereignty of this country will be at risk.”

The hope is that taking a political route will allow student voices to be heard as Bangladesh tries to build a robust democracy. An umbrella group called Students Against Discrimination, which represented most of the protesters, will continue as a nonpolitical entity.

Earlier discussions about a student political party had drawn criticism from a rival. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which became the country’s largest political group after the effective disappearance of Ms. Hasina’s Awami League, complained the new party had an unfair advantage since its leader had been part of the interim government.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the BNP leader, said he welcomed the formation of a student party, “but that does not mean you can stay in the government, enjoy all government benefits, and form your party at the same time.”

Two other student leaders who had joined the interim government, Mahfuj Alam and Asif Mahmud, have said they will remain in their posts and not join the National Citizens Party. Mr. Mahmud recently said that they couldn’t be affiliated with any political party since they were helping oversee the democratic transition.

Bangladeshi students who led uprising that ousted ex-premier Sheikh Hasina form new political party (AP)

AP [2/28/2025 12:06 PM, Julhas Alam, 51661K]
Students in Bangladesh who led a mass uprising to topple former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last summer are now diving into politics by forming the new National Citizen Party.

The aim is to create new political space in a fiercely divisive dynastic political landscape. For decades, the country’s politics have been dominated by two former prime ministers and archrivals — Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia.

The announcement came Friday at a rally in front of Parliament in Dhaka, during which political reforms were promised for a country born in 1971 through a bloody war against Pakistan.

Thousands of people, mainly youths, gathered to witness the moment. Critics of Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, who heads the interim government, say the new party is nothing but a “King’s Party” blessed by him. But political analysts say the new platform might be able to break the decades-long traditional political power structure in the South Asian nation.

Who are they?

The new party has been named the Jatiya Nagarik Party, or National Citizen Party.

Nahid Islam, a 26-year-old prominent student leader, was named as the head of the party. Nine other officials — all of them student leaders who rose to prominence during the mass uprising in July and August — have been named to top positions, according to Bangladeshi media.

A 151-member committee of the party was announced during the launch.

Supporters say a party is needed to bring reforms to the country’s political culture of nepotism, and to tackle corruption and lack of democratic practices.

What is the party’s mission?

Islam announced that the party’s mission is to dismantle “constitutional autocracy and adopt a new democratic constitution.”

“We must eliminate all possibilities of restoring constitutional autocracy. Now is the time to dream anew, to march forward, and to build a new Bangladesh,” Islam said as he read out the declaration.

He said that the mass uprising wasn’t merely about ousting a government, but also about reshaping the entire political framework.

The party is committed to fostering a political culture where “unity prevails over division, justice replaces vengeance, and merit triumphs over dynastic politics,” Islam said.

Who was invited to the launch?

The organizers said that they invited Yunus, his interim government’s other advisers, heads of political parties, including Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party and others.

Hasina’s Awami League Party and its 13 other previous allies weren’t invited to the launching ceremony. Yunus or other advisers from his interim Cabinet didn’t attend the event. Foreign diplomats were also invited but diplomats from India and other major global powers weren’t spotted at the rally.

Islam and his colleagues have been campaigning for months for Hasina to be put on trial for hundreds of deaths during the July-August uprising. The student leaders involved in the new party have also talked fiercely against India, accusing the neighboring country of exhibiting hegemony over Bangladesh, drawing a sharp reaction from India.

On Friday, a giant stage was installed on a major thoroughfare just in front of the Parliament building in Dhaka. The organizers said they expected up to 300,000 people during the party’s launch. But witnesses said up to 50,000 attended the event.

Who is funding the new party?

After the installation of the interim government, Yunus repeatedly said that he was appointed by the students who led the anti-Hasina uprising.

It wasn’t clear if Yunus had any direct role behind forming the new party, but many critics of Yunus said, mainly on social media, that the formation of the party is an effort to unveil a “king’s party.”

But Bangladeshi analyst Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah told The Associated Press: “Most probably it’s more than that.

“They have an aspiration to connect young people who felt disconnected in a great way with the mainstream political forces like Hasina’s Awami League party and Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party,” he said. “And, of course this new party has blessings from Muhammad Yunus.”

Kalimullah said the new party “most probably” has “a future.”

What’s next?

The new party is expected to seek registration with the country’s Election Commission to participate in the next election, which is expected to be held either in December or by June 2026.

The party will try to form an alliance with other parties except Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which is hoping to form the next government. The new party’s relationship with the Jamaat-e-Islami party remains unclear.

Hasina’s Bangladesh Awami League party is under tremendous pressure after she fled to India and thousands of party leaders and activists have either left the country, gone into hiding or have been arrested. The student wing of Hasina’s party has already been banned by the Yunus-led government, which has been struggling to stabilize the country’s law and order situation since the ouster of Hasina.

Bangladesh students who deposed PM Hasina form party to fight elections (Al Jazeera)

Al Jazeera [2/28/2025 4:14 PM, Moudud Ahmmed Sujan, 18.2M]
Bangladeshi students who led last year’s mass protests to depose Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have launched a political party before parliamentary elections expected to be held within the next year.

Addressing a rally on Manik Mia Avenue adjacent to the parliament building in the capital on Friday, leaders of the new National Citizens Party (NCP) insisted that they would pursue the politics of national unity over division, transparency and good governance over corruption, and an independent foreign policy to build a “second republic.”

Lima Akter, sister of Ismail Hossain Rabby — who was among those killed by security forces during the July uprising against Hasina — announced that Nahid Islam would be the new party’s convenor.

Islam – the 26-year-old poster boy of the July uprising, which toppled Hasina, and later the acting head of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting – will lead the new party. Islam resigned on Tuesday from the interim government, headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, to assume the leadership of the new party, which will initially have a central committee of about 150 members.

Yunus, who has headed the interim government since Hasina’s exit in August, has said general elections will be held by December or in early 2026.

Shafiqul Islam, a third-year nursing student at Gazi Munibur Rahman Nursing College in the coastal district of Patuakhali who was at the launch event on Friday, said, “We had no freedom of expression under the previous regime. We don’t want violence in educational institutions in the name of politics. Corruption remains a major obstacle to our progress, and we want a permanent end to it. This new party is our hope.”

On Wednesday, former leaders of Students Against Discrimination (SAD), the student movement that toppled Hasina’s Awami League government, launched a new student organisation, Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, or the Democratic Student Council (DSC), at a news conference that saw a brief scuffle between two SAD factions.

According to DSC leaders, the SAD was formed to organise the July movement with the participation of students affiliated with various political party student wings who have since returned to their respective organisations. Additionally, many of its leaders have now joined the new political party.

“We have formed this new organisation to uphold the spirit of the July movement among students,” DSC convener Abu Baker Mazumdar said at the launch of the group.

He emphasised that the organisation will remain independent and will not affiliate with any political party, including the NCP.

However, analysts view it as an allied organisation of the new party, sharing the same spirit as the July movement.

New chapter in Bangladesh’s politics

Political analysts said the youth-led NCP aims to upend Bangladesh’s political landscape, dominated for decades by two woman-led family dynasties. Hasina’s family is descended from the country’s founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who also was the founder of the Awami League party. Then there’s former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s family. Zia’s late husband, former military ruler Ziaur Rahman, founded the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Hasina, Rahman’s 76-year-old daughter, sought exile in neighbouring India when the student-led movement forced her from power. Her 15-year government was marked by major economic gains for the country – and by widespread allegations of corruption, rights violations and authoritarianism.

The BNP, which hopes to dominate the next parliamentary elections, is headed by an ailing Zia, 79, and her son, Tarique Rahman. Zia was flown last month to London, where her son lives in exile, for treatment of liver and heart complications.

Besides the two main political groups, Islamist organisations such as Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI), and left-leaning groups, such as the Communist Party of Bangladesh, have so far maintained their role as influential pressure groups in Bangladesh’s politics.

Leaders of the newly formed party contended that Bangladesh’s politics has long been defined by what they consider “divisive faultlines” – secularism vs Islamic law or people’s allegiances towards Pakistan or their own homeland during the 1971 liberation movement.

These divisions, they argued, have pushed issues of livelihoods, health and education to the margins. The Jamaat, which has often allied with the BNP politically, opposed Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan.

“In the Bangladesh of tomorrow, we do not want these divisions to persist. We want to secure equal rights for everyone, whether a university professor or a person from the lower strata of society, whether a daily wage labourer or a garment worker, without any discrimination,” Akhtar Hossen, who has been named one of the member secretaries of the new party, told Al Jazeera.

The party’s founders said they gathered opinions from nearly 200,000 people, both online and offline, on the kind of politics they should pursue and which issues needed urgent attention. They said the responses reveal a strong desire to root out corruption, reform education and ensure universal access to healthcare.

Speaking from the stage on Friday, Islam said, “There will be no place for pro-India or pro-Pakistan politics in Bangladesh. We will rebuild the state with Bangladesh at the centre, keeping the interests of its people first.”

Akhter, speaking to Al Jazeera, said that the new party would steer clear of ideological divisions.

“Our politics will be about good governance, ensuring equality and securing civic benefits for all,” he said.

Akhter said the new party was inspired by similar parties abroad: the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in India, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Pakistan, and Turkiye’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Akhter said the conditions that fostered the creation of these political movements were also present in Bangladesh.

The AAP was born out of a popular anticorruption movement in 2012 and ruled over India’s national capital territory of Delhi for more than a decade until it was defeated by the Hindu majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) this month. The AAP still governs the northern Indian state of Punjab.

Khan’s PTI broke the stranglehold of Pakistan’s two main family-based parties – the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and the Pakistan People’s Party – to win the 2018 elections. It lost power in 2022 after Khan, then prime minister, was removed in a vote of no-confidence. He is now in jail over a slew of cases that he insists are politically motivated. Despite these setbacks, the party remains the most popular political force in Pakistan, as evidenced in last year’s national elections, in which the PTI’s candidates – who were forced to contest as independents after the party lost its symbol – won the single-largest chunk of seats in parliament.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party has been governing for nearly 25 years, although it is now seeing signs of significant challenges to its power.

Akhter said seeking inspiration from these movements “doesn’t mean we will replicate those parties”.

“Bangladesh has its own unique context, and we aim to set a distinct example,” he said.

An uphill road ahead

But analysts said the new party will face a series of challenges and overcoming internal rifts, presenting a unified front and presenting itself as distinct from existing political entities will be its main immediate struggles.

Shortly after joining the interim government, student leaders announced the formation of a National Citizens Committee (NCC), a platform aimed at uniting people from diverse political backgrounds as the country rebuilds itself after Hasina.

The idea was to offer a new political compact to the people of Bangladesh. However, since talks of floating a new political party began last month, disputes have emerged within the NCC as most factions agree on Islam as their leader but clash over other key positions.

On Wednesday, Ali Ahsan Zonaed and Rafe Salman Rifat – two former leaders of Bangladesh Islami Chhatrashibir, the student wing of the Jamaat, who were also part of SAD – announced on Facebook that they will not join the new party.

They and other student leaders from the Jamaat’s student body have alleged that they are being kept out of key positions in the new party because of their political affiliations. Zonaed said in his post that he wished the new party well. However, Ariful Islam, joint secretary of the new party, told Al Jazeera, that suggestions of a split were overblown and Jamaat-linked student leaders might be included in leadership positions later.

These tensions, which have played out in the open, are reflective of the challenges the new party will face, said political analyst Zahed Ur Rahman, who believes the new student-led force has already taken some missteps.

He pointed to how some student leaders, unlike Islam, remain in the interim government. It is unclear whether or when they might join the new party. “By joining the interim government, they share its successes and failures,” Rahman told Al Jazeera.

Rahman said the party has included figures from across the ideological spectrum, from leftists to conservatives, leading to fears of “internal ideological friction”. He added that it could prevent the party from becoming a “cohesive force”.

Rezaul Karim Rony, an analyst and editor of Joban magazine, however, argued that leadership struggles within a political party are natural and Islam remaining the movement’s central figure might help ease internal divisions.

Still, Rony cautioned that forming a party alone was not enough.”They must realise that broad-based support during the uprising [against Hasina] will not automatically transform into political support,” he said, stressing the need for a “vision connecting people that resonates beyond rhetoric”.

And how have Bangladesh’s existing political parties reacted to the arrival of a new rival?

In September, when the student leaders first announced their plans to form their own party, BNP deputy leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir questioned the interim government’s neutrality and warned that people would reject a “state-sponsored king’s party”.

The Jamaat echoed those sentiments at the time. Jamaat leader Shafiqur Rahman said, “Those who are currently part of the interim government as nonpartisan figures will no longer remain neutral if they enter politics or form a party.”

However, both the BNP and Jamaat have softened their stances since Islam resigned from the government this week. “We welcome the new party. Since the individual set to lead the new party has resigned from the government, we currently have no objections,” Alamgir told Al Jazeera.

Jamaat Secretary-General Mia Golam Parwar also welcomed the formation of the new party but with a note of caution.

“We have a bitter history of rulers forming state-sponsored political parties and imposing authoritarianism on the people. But we want to believe that this new political party will introduce a democratic, safe and inclusive approach to Bangladesh’s politics, benefitting the people,” he said.

For now, the new party has a narrow window of opportunity, analysts said.

“The July uprising has sparked a desire among Bangladeshi people for new politics. If the new party can meet this demand, it has the potential to become a dominant political force in Bangladesh,” Rony said. “Otherwise, it does not.”

IMF’s executive board approves third review of Sri Lanka’s $2.9 billion bailout (Reuters)

Reuters [2/28/2025 2:19 PM, Uditha Jayasinghe, 5.2M]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the third review of Sri Lanka’s $2.9 billion bailout on Friday, strengthening the South Asian economy’s rebound from a financial crisis.

In a statement, the global lender said it would release about $334 million to the crisis-hit nation, bringing total funding to around $1.3 billion.

The executive board’s decision comes after Sri Lanka’s new president Anura Kumara Dissanayake rolled out his first full-year budget, which included committing to a primary surplus target of 2.3% of GDP for 2025 set under the IMF program.

Sri Lanka also completed a $25 billion debt rework with bondholders and key bilateral creditors last year, which was another major IMF requirement.

"Program performance has been strong with all quantitative targets met, except for the indicative target on social spending. Most structural benchmarks due by end-January 2025 were either met or implemented with delay", Kenji Okamura, Deputy Managing Director of the IMF said in the statement.

The IMF bailout secured in March 2023 helped stabilise economic conditions after dollar-strapped Sri Lanka plunged into its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades in 2022.

The economic freefall sent inflation soaring to 70%, its currency to record lows and its economy contracting by 7.3% during the worst of the fallout and by 2.3% in 2023.

But the island nation is expected to grow by 5% this year, Dissanayake said in his budget speech to parliament while inflation has disappeared and the rupee’s depreciation had slowed to 1.3% against the dollar.

Central Asia

U.S. Arrest Of Tajik Suspect Highlights Mounting Islamic State Concerns (Radio Free Europe)

Radio Free Europe [2/28/2025 5:59 PM, Farangis Najibullah, 235K]
The arrest of a Tajik man in New York charged with sending money to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group adds to a growing list of citizens of the Central Asian nation accused of plotting or carrying out terrorist attacks in recent years.

The Tajik Interior Ministry told RFE/RL on February 28 that it was aware of the arrest of 33-Mansuri Manuchekhri, who was ordered into custody during his appearance in a federal court in New York this week.

There have been no other public comments by Tajik authorities about Manuchekhri’s arrest since U.S. federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal complaint in his case on February 26, but the Tajik Interior Ministry told RFE/RL it was investigating the matter.

His arrest comes just months after U.S. authorities deported eight Tajik citizens with alleged IS ties, and amid ongoing efforts by the Tajik government to tackle what it calls the mounting threats of religious extremism and terrorism.

“We ask parents to speak to their children who live abroad, but I don’t think it yields results. Their children are adults, they have their own lives,” a district official involved in a door-to-door anti-extremism campaign in Tajikistan’s southern Khatlon region told RFE/RL.

The criminal complaint and affidavit unsealed by U.S. prosecutors this week alleges that between December 2021 and April 2023, Manuchekhri funneled $70,000 to IS members and relatives of the extremist group’s slain fighters in Turkey and Syria.

“The defendant allegedly supported [Islamic State] and sent thousands of dollars overseas to individuals connected to [Islamic State],” Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel said.

Among those purported to have received money from Manuchekhri was an individual later arrested in Turkey for alleged involvement in a January 2024 terrorist attack on an Istanbul church that Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), an IS branch, claimed responsibility for.

Manuchekhri expressed support for the terrorist group by “by praising past [IS] attacks in the United States and by collecting jihadi propaganda videos promoting violence and martyrdom,” the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

Tajiks Linked To Terrorist Attacks Abroad

Manuchekhri’s case comes amid a rising number of Tajik nationals accused in connection with terrorist plots and attacks on behalf of IS in recent years.

As many as 30 Tajiks have been implicated in IS-related terrorist attacks and plots beyond Muslim-majority Tajikistan’s borders since January 2024, including in the United States and Russia.

In the most high-profile case, four Tajik men were arrested in Russia for allegedly carrying out an assault on a concert venue outside Moscow in March 2024, killing 145 people.

Russian authorities arrested up to 20 people, most of them Tajik nationals, suspected of aiding the assailants.

In Iran, two Tajik citizens reportedly carried out a double suicide bombing that killed 91 people in the city of Kerman on January 3, 2024.

That same day, two assailants targeted a Roman Catholic church in Istanbul. Turkish authorities said one of the attackers was from Tajikistan.

German police, meanwhile, said in January 2024 that a Tajik migrant had been arrested on suspicion of planning attacks on cathedrals in Germany and Austria.

IS-K Attacks, Plots Inside Tajikistan

On February 14, Tajik Prosecutor General Habibulloh Vohidzoda announced that authorities “recorded 1,494 terrorism- and extremism-related crimes” in 2024, an 18-percent uptick compared to the previous year.

The Prosecutor General’s Office said 30 people were jailed over an IS-K plot to carry out a massacre during the 2024 Navruz celebrations by “poisoning food” prepared for public parties and gatherings to mark the Persian new year.

Those convicted in the purported foiled attack were handed prison sentences ranging from eight to 20 years, prosecutors said, adding that 10 other suspects remained at large.

In January, nine people, including a woman, were jailed in connection with a bombing that killed the local chief of the ruling People’s Democratic Party in the southern city of Kulob last year that was claimed by IS-K.

Disenchanted Youth

With chronic unemployment, rampant corruption, and authoritarian governance, Tajikistan features ingredients to make disenchanted youth susceptible to IS propaganda.

Tajikistan, which strongman President Emomali Rahmon has ruled for more than three decades, is the poorest country in Central Asia, with a GDP per capita of $1,280.

The government has maintained tight control over how Islam is practiced in the country, shutting down all religious schools and many mosques, appointing pro-government imams, and banning the Islamic hijab in schools and offices. The country also has an unofficial ban on bushy beards.

Critics say the crackdown has alienated many Tajiks.

Door-to-Door Campaign Against Extremism

The Tajik government frequently urges its citizens, especially young people, to remain vigilant against online propaganda by religious extremist and terrorist groups.

A government-backed study in 2024 concluded that some 85 percent of Tajik nationals who fought for IS in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan were recruited while working in Russia.

The authors of the study by the Academy of the Tajik Interior Ministry warned about "Internet imams" who use social media to reach out to migrant workers.

In a bid to stop young people from joining terrorist groups, Tajik authorities have launched a campaign called Door-To-Door that has mobilized thousands of state workers to visit households across the country to speak to people about the dangers of IS-K propaganda.

Several residents of the Khatlon province told RFE/RL that the teams conduct informal talks about online groups that radicalize young people.

Officials also conduct frequent meetings at schools and mosques.

“We cannot control Tajiks who live in Russia or America. If they are influenced by terrorist propaganda, there is not much the parents, or the Tajik government, can do about it. But we try,” the district official in the province who spoke to RFE/RL said.

Tajik experts and opposition politicians have said the government would be better off focusing on creating jobs and economic opportunities, as well as respecting civil liberties.

Tajik Groom Sues Bride For ‘Not Being A Virgin,’ Casting Spotlight On Local Customs (Radio Free Europe)

Radio Free Europe [3/1/2025 8:05 AM, Zarangez Navruzshoh, Shahlo Abdulloeva and Nargiz Hamrabaeva, 968K]
Suhrob spent years working on construction sites in Russia to save money for his dream wedding back in Tajikistan.

But just weeks after a lavish ceremony in his home village on the outskirts of Dushanbe, Suhrob, 30, took his 22-year-old bride to court, claiming she wasn’t a virgin when they married and demanding that she reimburse the 50,000 somoni ($5,000) he spent for the wedding and dowry.

The bride and her family denied the accusation and countersued Suhrob for defamation, winning $1,000 in compensation for moral damages, according to documents obtained by RFE/RL from the Rudaki district court.

Suhrob has appealed the ruling.

"I didn’t work in the freezing cold in Russia to save money to marry someone who isn’t a virgin," says Suhrob, who asked that his full name not be published to protect his privacy. "I told her that I would have married someone else had I known this situation.".

Premarital sex is deemed unacceptable in conservative, Muslim-majority Tajikistan, where women face a lifetime of shame if they are accused of not being a virgin on their wedding night.

There have been many scandals and court cases in the Central Asian country in recent years, involving young brides who were thrown out of their marital homes over virginity disputes.

In a high-profile case that shook the nation in 2017, an 18-year-old bride, Rajabbi Khurshed, took her own life after her 24-year-old new husband cast her out on their wedding night claiming that she wasn’t a virgin.

Khurshed had been subjected to several invasive hymen examinations that -- according to doctors -- proved she hadn’t had sexual intercourse, but the groom, Zafar Pirov, was adamant that the bride had bribed the medics.

Khurshed ended her life drinking what police said was a fatal dose of vinegar. Pirov was subsequently sentenced to seven years in prison for driving her to suicide.

Like many young couples from rural Tajikistan, Khurshed and Pirov -- both natives of the southern province of Khatlon -- hadn’t met before their wedding, a common practice in a country where most marriages are arranged by families.

‘Purity Tests’

Many young women in Tajikistan take a virginity test before their wedding to prove their chastity.

A virginity test is an optional part of a broader, mandatory medical examination in Tajikistan that all prospective brides and grooms must take before applying for a marriage license.

The government says the pre-wedding health checks, which were introduced in 2015, are aimed at preventing HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted infections and diseases.

Some prospective brides opt for the so-called purity test at their groom’s request, while others take it voluntarily to prevent a scandal over virginity on their wedding night.

However, in a country where corruption is widespread, some men don’t trust their bride’s virginity certificate if she doesn’t bleed on their wedding night.

The shame associated with not being a virgin has prompted some women to secretly undergo hymenoplasty, a surgical procedure to reconstruct the hymen.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a doctor at a private clinic in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe told RFE/RL that her clients pay up to $300 for the procedure in a desperate bid to protect their reputations.

Forced Virginity Tests

Rights activists have condemned the culture that demands virginity from women preparing for marriage as discriminatory.

"If a man demands his bride be a virgin, then he should have to prove his own purity too," says Larisa Aleksandrova, an expert at the Human Rights Center in Dushanbe. "If we expect [someone to adhere to local customs], we should all have to keep to the same standards.".

While a purity test is optional in Tajikistan, authorities in the Central Asian country of Turkmenistan often force female teenagers to take virginity tests without asking the girls and their parents or guardians for consent.

The United Nations in 2018 called for virginity tests to be banned worldwide, saying they violate women’s rights.

Not only that but many doctors argue that virginity tests don’t even work. They are unreliable in determining if a person has had sexual intercourse or not, as different women have different anatomies and some women are born without a hymen.

Turkmenistan: Shortage of conscripts hampers military modernization (EurasiaNet)

EurasiaNet [3/2/2025 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K]
A growing shortage of conscripts is threatening to disrupt the Turkmen government’s efforts to modernize the country’s armed forces.

RFE/RL reports that Turkmen officials are considering raising the maximum draft age to 30 in order to fill the ranks. Currently, Turkmen young men aged 18-27 are eligible to be drafted.

During a meeting of the State Security Council in early February, the top Turkmen military officials reportedly told President Serdar Berdymukhamedov “that the number of draft-age men is decreasing with each conscription season and has currently reached a catastrophic level,” RFE/RL quoted an “informed source” as saying. Participants at the meeting also discussed eliminating many medical exemptions for the draft.

Berdymukhamedov has made military modernization as a top governmental goal for 2025. “Among the priority tasks were identified the provision of the Armed Forces with advanced military equipment and means, [and] training in accordance with the realities of the time of officers and qualified specialists in the military sphere,” read a statement issued in the president’s name in January following an earlier State Security Council meeting.

Berdymukhamedov has also issued instructions to improve living and service conditions for conscripts and officers alike. In its most recent country report on Turkmenistan, watchdog group Freedom House noted that “physical abuse and hazing in the military have reportedly led to several deaths among conscripts in recent years.”

Meeting draft quotas is not a new challenge for Turkmen officials. In 2022, Ashgabat ordered university students studying abroad to return home to undertake military service, even though university students were technically exempt from being conscripted.

Concurrent with efforts to bolster military capacity, Ashgabat has moved to address a major security challenge by improving diplomatic relations with the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan, which shares a roughly 800-kilometer-long frontier with Turkmenistan. On February 28, Turkmen and Afghan officials signed three agreements worth $7 million to improve cross-border rail connections.

Twitter

Afghanistan

Shawn VanDiver
@shawnjvandiver
[3/1/2025 1:56 PM, 31.7K followers, 74 retweets, 211 likes]
Over the last several hours, @StateDept has been kicking Afghan allies out of USG funded housing in Kabul. This is premature, if in fact this pause is just temporary. It’s shameful no matter what. These folks were told that they would be moving on to new lives in the U.S.

Shawn VanDiver
@shawnjvandiver
[3/1/2025 1:57 PM, 31.7K followers, 6 retweets, 36 likes]
These aren’t random Afghans. Some are security vetted allies awaiting travel to attend their interviews. The @StateDept told them they would be moving on to new lives. They sold their things and said their goodbyes. Now they’re being evicted, before permanent decisions.

Shawn VanDiver
@shawnjvandiver
[3/1/2025 1:57 PM, 31.7K followers, 4 retweets, 41 likes]
And they’re only being given 15 days to find new housing, which is near impossible. That timing was a CARE decision and pre-dates Trump Administration policies. I know because our team fought them on it. It’s monstrous behavior from the USG.

Shawn VanDiver
@shawnjvandiver
[3/1/2025 1:57 PM, 31.7K followers, 7 retweets, 50 likes]
And make no mistake about it, many of these folks face certain death. @michaelgwaltz, @marcorubio, @PeteHegseth, @KristiNoem — are you aware this is happening? I think you’re not. I think CARE is taking action prematurely because of a lack of direction. Can you clarify?

Habib Khan
@HabibKhanT
[3/2/2025 1:07 PM, 247.7K followers, 267 retweets, 551 likes]
While Taliban leaders live in luxury, Afghan burqa-clad women beg for a piece of bread during Ramadan in Khost city, the heartland of the Haqqanis. Women can’t work because it’s “un-Islamic” but begging on the streets is somehow Islamic and acceptable.

Habib Khan
@HabibKhanT
[3/1/2025 11:02 AM, 247.7K followers, 49 retweets, 233 likes]
In Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, American porn star Whitney Wright can roam freely in Bamyan National Park, no Mahram needed. But for Afghan women, stepping into that same park alone is a crime.

Habib Khan
@HabibKhanT
[2/28/2025 9:35 PM, 247.7K followers, 25 retweets, 141 likes]
Watch our conversation on what really went down in Afghanistan & why we can’t let the world forget. Thanks to @mysteriouskat for having me. https://x.com/i/status/1895664126825021583

Lina Rozbih
@LinaRozbih
[3/2/2025 6:09 AM, 426.6K followers, 2 retweets, 30 likes]
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Taliban government, responded again to remarks made by the US president regarding the use of American military vehicles and equipment in Afghanistan. He stated that the US government provided these arms to the former regime in Afghanistan and the Taliban had acquired these weapons as booty. He added that the Taliban use those weapons to defend their country, and they will not return that military equipments back to the US.

Pakistan

Shehbaz Sharif
@CMShehbaz
[3/2/2025 10:53 AM, 6.7M followers, 468 retweets, 2.3K likes]
As the blessed month of Ramadan begins, I extend my heartfelt greetings to Muslims in Pakistan and around the world. This sacred month is a time of reflection, self-discipline, and spiritual renewal, reminding us of the values of compassion, patience, and unity. Ramadan provides us with an opportunity to strengthen our faith, seek forgiveness, and show kindness to those in need. At its core, Ramadan calls us to look beyond mere rituals and engage in deep self-reflection. Fasting is not just about abstaining from food and drink—it is about humbling the ego and restraining greed. It is an act of submission, reminding us that while we are weak, Allah SWT is the Almighty. It is a month of immense blessings, reminding us to be grateful for Allah’s mercy and to embrace the true spirit of empathy and generosity, while recognizing our responsibility to care for the less fortunate. I pray to Almighty Allah to accept our fasts, prayers, and good deeds and to bless Pakistan with progress and prosperity. May this Ramadan be a source of immense blessings and guidance for us all. #RamadanMubarak

India

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/3/2025 1:12 AM, 105.6M followers, 2.5K retweets, 18K likes]
This morning, on #WorldWildlifeDay, I went on a Safari in Gir, which, as we all know, is home to the majestic Asiatic Lion. Coming to Gir also brings back many memories of the work we collectively did when I was serving as Gujarat CM. In the last many years, collective efforts have ensured that the population of Asiatic Lions is rising steadily. Equally commendable is the role of tribal communities and women from surrounding areas in preserving the habitat of the Asiatic Lion.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/2/2025 9:46 PM, 105.6M followers, 3.2K retweets, 15K likes]
Today, on #WorldWildlifeDay, let’s reiterate our commitment to protect and preserve the incredible biodiversity of our planet. Every species plays a vital role—let’s safeguard their future for generations to come! We also take pride in India’s contributions towards preserving and protecting wildlife.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/2/2025 9:37 AM, 105.6M followers, 11K retweets, 87K likes]
I had decided that after the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj, I would go to Somnath, which is the first among the 12 Jyotirlingas. Today, I felt blessed to have prayed at the Somnath Mandir. I prayed for the prosperity and good health of every Indian. This Temple manifests the timeless heritage and courage of our culture.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/1/2025 9:58 PM, 105.6M followers, 7.2K retweets, 66K likes]
As the blessed month of Ramzan begins, may it bring peace and harmony in our society. This sacred month epitomises reflection, gratitude and devotion, also reminding us of the values of compassion, kindness and service. Ramzan Mubarak!

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/1/2025 4:28 AM, 105.6M followers, 4.6K retweets, 34K likes]
Delighted to meet the distinguished astronaut, Mr. Mike Massimino. His passion towards space and also making it popular among the youth are widely known. It is also commendable how he is working to promote learning and innovation. @Astro_Mike

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/1/2025 3:49 AM, 105.6M followers, 4.8K retweets, 23K likes]
At the NXT Conclave, met my friend Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe. I have always looked forward to our interactions and have admired his perspective on various issues. @RW_SRILANKA

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[3/1/2025 12:30 AM, 105.6M followers, 3.1K retweets, 12K likes]
Addressing the NXT Conclave in Delhi. @nxt_conclave https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1ypJdZzPydVKW

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[3/1/2025 9:11 AM, 218.6K followers, 77 retweets, 389 likes]
Yesterday’s Oval Office incident may present a new diplomatic opportunity for India. Delhi (and Modi specifically) has signaled a willingness to help facilitate peace in Ukraine. India has a special relationship w/Russia, close ties w/the US and EU, and friendly ties w/Ukraine.

Michael Kugelman
@MichaelKugelman
[3/1/2025 9:17 AM, 218.6K followers, 12 retweets, 120 likes]
India would realistically position itself as an intermediary only if the belligerents and other key players are receptive to such an Indian role. But relatively few countries are in the advantageous diplomatic position that India is, should an opportunity arise at some point.

NSB

Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh
@ChiefAdviserGoB
[3/2/2025 8:13 AM, 119.1K followers, 34 retweets, 538 likes]
A delegation of development and renewable energy experts led by former Norwegian minister for development and environment, Erik Solheim, called on Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House in Dhaka on Sunday.

Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh
@ChiefAdviserGoB
[3/2/2025 8:10 AM, 119.1K followers, 56 retweets, 726 likes]
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday stressed documenting all atrocities committed during the regime of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, including the crackdown on protesters at Shapla Chattar.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
@anuradisanayake
[3/2/2025 9:39 AM, 146K followers, 20 retweets, 173 likes]
I am honored to announce that, at my request, a special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic will be held for the public from April 18th to 27th from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on April 18th and from 12:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the following days. Let’s come together to celebrate our rich cultural heritage!

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
@anuradisanayake
[2/28/2025 7:04 AM, 146K followers, 9 retweets, 69 likes]
Response speech on the debate regarding the Defense Ministry expenditure head https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1gqxvjwzOakxB

M U M Ali Sabry
@alisabrypc
[3/1/2025 4:55 AM, 8K followers, 36 retweets, 167 likes]
Why Sri Lanka Must Continue to Pursue a Non-Aligned, Yet Multi-Aligned Foreign Policy:
Lessons from the Ukrainian Debacle
In a world increasingly polarized by great-power rivalries, Sri Lanka must remain steadfast in its time tested foreign policy doctrine: non-alignment. Our strategic location in the Indian Ocean, economic aspirations, and long term stability demand that we engage with all global actors without becoming pawns in their geopolitical games. The ongoing crisis in Ukraine offers a stark reminder of what happens when small and mid sized nations get caught in the crossfire of major power struggles. For Sri Lanka, the lesson is clear: we must remain non-aligned yet multi-aligned, engaging with all, avoiding entanglements, and ensuring that our sovereignty is never compromised.

The Ukrainian Crisis: A Cautionary Tale for Small States
Ukraine’s tragedy is not just a distant war; it is a lesson in realpolitik for all small nations. Over the past two decades, Ukraine found itself on the fault line between NATO and Russia. By aligning too closely with one camp, it triggered existential fears in the other. When the crisis escalated, Ukraine was left to bear the full cost of war. its cities reduced to rubble, its economy in shambles, and millions of its people displaced. Despite strong international support, Ukraine has suffered devastating consequences. The military and financial aid it has received has come at a tremendous cost, both in human lives and economic ruin. No amount of Western backing has spared Ukraine from becoming the battlefield of a larger geopolitical contest. For Sri Lanka, the lesson is simple: never allow ourselves to become the battleground for someone else’s war. We must ensure that our sovereignty is non negotiable and that our foreign policy choices are dictated solely by our national interests, not by the strategic ambitions of global powers.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Policy: The Power of Equidistance
Sri Lanka has historically been a champion of non-alignment. From our role in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to our principled stand at the 1951 San Francisco Peace Conference, we have long understood that small states wield the greatest power when they remain independent in their decision making. Over the years, we have experienced the perils of veering too far in one direction. The late 1970s saw an excessive pro Western tilt, leading to strained relations with India and regional instability. More recently, an over reliance on China in the early 2010s resulted in economic vulnerabilities and strategic imbalances. The anti China rhetoric of 2015 cost us dearly, almost freezing Chinese investments and triggering a devastating economic slowdown that contributed to the financial crisis. Every time Sri Lanka has moved too close to one power bloc, it has paid a price, whether in economic pressure, diplomatic isolation, or security threats. This is why our best path forward is non-alignment in politics but multi-alignment in economic and diplomatic engagement.

What Does a Non-Aligned Yet Multi-Aligned Foreign Policy Look Like?
1. No Military Alignments, No Foreign Bases
Sri Lanka must firmly reject any attempt by external powers to establish military bases or exclusive defense arrangements on our soil. While we should engage in cooperative security dialogues, we must not allow ourselves to be drawn into power blocs that undermine our neutrality.

2. Economic Engagement with All, Dependency on None
We should welcome investments from all corners, India, China, the U.S., the EU, Japan, and others, while ensuring that no single actor dominates our economic landscape. A diversified economic strategy will safeguard us from economic coercion and financial vulnerabilities.

3. Diplomatic Balancing
Just as we engage with China on infrastructure, we must strengthen ties with India for regional security and trade, collaborate with the U.S. and Europe for technology and education, and maintain strong links with Japan and ASEAN for economic opportunities.

4. Leveraging Multilateralism
Sri Lanka must remain active in regional and global organizations like the UN, NAM, SAARC, and BIMSTEC, using these platforms to promote dialogue, trade, and security cooperation without taking sides in major power conflicts.

5. Resisting Coercion and Protecting Sovereignty
Major powers will always seek to exert influence over small nations, forcing to take sides , whether through economic pressure, diplomatic maneuvering, or security agreements. We must have the political will to resist undue pressure and assert our sovereign right to pursue an independent foreign policy.

A Realistic Assessment of Our Size, Strength, and Interests
Sri Lanka is not a superpower. We do not have the economic or military clout to take sides in great power conflicts. But we do have strategic importance, a vital geographic location, and a respected voice in international diplomacy. If we play our cards wisely, we can turn our neutrality into an advantage, positioning ourselves as a hub for global trade, an honest broker in international disputes, and a bridge between competing powers. We must recognize that aligning with any single power bloc, whether Western, Chinese, or otherwise, will only expose us to greater risks. Instead, a pragmatic, balanced approach will allow us to benefit from global partnerships while avoiding the pitfalls of dependency.

The Middle Path is the Best Path
Sri Lanka does not need to pick sides. We need to pick strategies that work best for our long term stability, security, and prosperity. The world today is as divided as it was during the Cold War, and the lessons from Ukraine prove that small nations that fail to remain neutral pay the heaviest price. Our path is clear: a foreign policy rooted in non-alignment, strengthened by multi-alignment, and guided by the unwavering principle that Sri Lanka’s future must be shaped by Sri Lankans not by external pressures. As we move forward, we must do so unapologetically and with confidence, embracing the world, engaging with all nations, and ensuring that Sri Lanka remains sovereign, secure, and successful in an increasingly uncertain global order.

Karu Jayasuriya
@KaruOnline
[3/1/2025 10:39 PM, 53.8K followers, 3 retweets, 8 likes]
The consensus among the government and the opposition to establish seven sectoral oversight committees in the parliament is welcome. These committees have proven to be highly efficient in providing a multi-stakeholder perspective and guidance to national policies.

Harsha de Silva
@HarshadeSilvaMP
[3/2/2025 5:45 AM, 360.7K followers, 61 likes]
Honored to deliver a guest lecture on ‘Policy Implementation & Political Realities’ at Bandaranaike Academy for Leadership & Public Policy. Explored econ policy evolution since ‘48 & enjoyed truly engaging discussion with bright students in the Executive Credential program! #lka

Namal Rajapaksa
@RajapaksaNamal
[3/3/2025 1:38 AM, 436.8K followers, 3 likes]
Had a discussion today at the Nelum Mawatha party office with former local councilors of the #SLPP. We discussed their contributions to the upcoming local council election and the urgent need to hold provincial council elections, which have been delayed for many years. #Democracy

Namal Rajapaksa
@RajapaksaNamal
[3/2/2025 10:07 AM, 436.8K followers, 4 likes]
The Lawyers’ Association of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna met today to discuss key legal reforms essential for a free and fair society. I appreciate their proactive efforts in shaping a just legal system. The current government’s move to reinstate outdated systems like the Office of the Prosecutor, which has been heavily politicized and no longer serves modern legal needs, is concerning. There is also a pressing need to expedite court automation to ensure more effective legal mechanisms. In Parliament, I reiterated our commitment to bringing this as a Private Member’s Bill or urging the government to take action. If neither happens, the Committee on Privileges must be empowered to address blatant and intentional defamation in Parliament, often shielded by privileges. At a minimum, provisions should allow for civil liability, though we also discussed the challenges of gaining majority approval for criminal defamation. Additionally, we discussed the way forward for the local council elections. #SLPP #LawyersAssociation

Central Asia

MFA Kazakhstan
@MFA_KZ
[3/3/2025 2:47 AM, 57K followers, 9 retweets, 6 likes]
Astana International Forum 2025 to Host Critical Dialogue on Global Issues and Priorities https://gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa/press/news/details/949466?lang=en

MFA Kazakhstan
@MFA_KZ
[3/2/2025 12:17 AM, 57K followers, 68 retweets, 94 likes]
Today marks a significant milestone as we celebrate Kazakhstan’s joining the United Nations on March 2, 1992. Together, let us continue to promote peace, cooperation, and progress on the global stage. Wishing @UN strength and unity!

MFA Kazakhstan
@MFA_KZ
[3/1/2025 7:25 AM, 57K followers, 2 retweets, 6 likes]
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Discussed Prospects of Cooperation with Moroccan Companies

MFA Kazakhstan
@MFA_KZ
[2/28/2025 10:33 AM, 57K followers, 1 retweet, 1 like]
Prospects of Cooperation with the Holy See Discussed at Kazakhstan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[2/28/2025 8:34 AM, 213.1K followers, 5 retweets, 15 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev met with Deputy Chairman of the #Russian Government Marat Khusnullin, who conveyed sincere greetings from President Vladimir #Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail #Mishustin. Discussions focused on expanding cooperation in construction and territorial development, including joint infrastructure projects, supply of materials and equipment, experience exchange in shared construction, design, digitalization and public procurement.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service
@president_uz
[2/28/2025 7:34 AM, 213.1K followers, 5 retweets, 27 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev reviewed proposals for PPP projects in #healthcare, #education, #culture, and #sports, involving international partners like @ADB_HQ, @IFC_org, @EBRD and others. Plans include developing modern clinics in major cities and privatizing non-medical services in regional polyclinics. Private sector involvement will extend to renovating swimming pools, expanding recreational sports services, managing cultural and sports facilities through a simplified transfer process.

{End of Report}

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