SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO: | SCA & Staff |
DATE: | Monday, May 19, 2025 6:30 AM ET |
Afghanistan
Afghan Refugees Await Their Fate as Afrikaners Jump the Line: ‘Betrayal’ (Newsweek)
Newsweek [5/17/2025 8:00 AM, Dan Gooding, 3805K]
On Monday, dozens of white South African refugees arrived in the United States on a plane chartered by the Trump administration, fast-tracked through the normal refugee resettlement process that typically takes months or longer.
That same day, Ali — an Afghan man who asked Newsweek not to use his full name over fears of being targeted if he’s sent home — found out the legal status protecting him and his family from deportation will be terminated by the same administration. The 39-year-old fled his home country with his wife and their six children during the unrest that followed the chaotic U.S. withdrawal in 2021.
"When Afghanistan collapsed, everyone was trying to escape, everyone trying to save their lives," Ali told Newsweek.
A Family’s Long Asylum Journey
After taking what they could and destroying documents and phones that could cause them problems with the Taliban authorities they feared, the family first fled to Iran, where they gained a visa for Brazil. It was one of the few countries offering a clear pathway for Afghans at the time.
After several months in Brazil, Ali said unrest broke out near where they were staying and they no longer felt safe. So, they headed north.
"Then we had chosen to come to U.S., as we heard that the U.S. is a really good country, with good people and lots of opportunities, and lots of immigrants," he said. "So, OK let’s go to a better place, at least. We left everything behind in Afghanistan, in my country, so at least we could go to a better place.".
After making the perilous journey through the Darien Gap – a stretch of jungle hundreds of thousands of migrants have traversed seeking refuge in Mexico and the U.S. – the family eventually reached the southwest border and sought asylum in America.
Like many immigrants who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border during the Biden administration, the family was released into the country in April 2023 while their asylum cases were pending.
In May 2022, months after the fall of Kabul, former Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas had designated Afghans eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which grants those in the U.S. without legal status protections from deportation and offers work authorization so they can earn a living.
Ali said that TPS gave his whole family peace of mind, allowing them to start building a community in New York, and for his children — ages 4 through 20 — to go to school.
"I was a civil engineer back Afghanistan," he said. "I did some retraining program in the engineering area, then I have studied some other courses... now I am just at the time of applying to find my professional job.".
Thousands of Afghans Fled to US
Ali and his family are part of a broader tapestry of refugees from Afghanistan, a country turned into a 20-year war zone after the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001.
Some 8,200 Afghans have benefited from TPS, per the National Immigration Forum’s estimates. Many had worked with U.S. troops during their two-decade presence in Afghanistan, as interpreters, fixers and in other support capacities, and therefore faced persecution from the Taliban once it took back control in the summer of 2021.
Nasirullah "John" Safi worked as one of those interpreters for the U.S. military for a decade, starting when he was 15. He was able to get to the U.S. in 2016 under the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program designed for those who supported American troops and now works with refugees and TPS holders in Oregon.
Safi told Newsweek that many Afghans had to seek asylum and TPS status because their SIV applications were still being processed when the abrupt troop withdrawal took place four years ago.
"Some hadn’t applied for it, but they had supported American soldiers and they never wanted to leave the country, so this was the only option for them back in 2021, because otherwise you could get killed," Safi said.
When Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that TPS would be terminated for Afghanistan on Monday, she said that Homeland Security had reviewed the current conditions in Afghanistan with the help of interagency partners, and determined the situation had improved enough to revoke the temporary protections.
The United Nations and multiple humanitarian organizations still report that the situation in Afghanistan is volatile, and that Afghans who fled could likely be targeted upon their return. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans remain scattered in other countries where they are also seeking asylum.
"The war has never been ended for these incredible men and women who supported Americans there," Safi told Newsweek. "It continues, and if they get deported, and if you send them back to the country that’s run by a bunch of lunatics, by the Taliban, no doubt that those people would get killed.
"Not only killed, they will get kidnapped, they will be tortured in ways that no one can describe it, they will be put in prison, tortured, and at some point, they will lose their lives.".
Trump Admin Decision a ‘Textbook Betrayal’.
The Trump administration claims this is exactly what is happening for white South Africans. The president has suggested Afrikaners are facing a genocide and racist persecution by their own government. South African leaders deny as much, though some Afrikaners have reported being denied jobs or targeted with violence because of their race.
Newsweek asked DHS why it had made the dual refugee decisions on Afghanistan and South Africa, when the former remains under a State Department Level 4 travel advisory, meaning people should not travel to the country because of fears of civil unrest, terrorism and other factors that usually determine eligibility for TPS.
By contrast, South Africa is at a Level 2, meaning travelers should "exercise increased caution." DHS told Newsweek it had worked with the State Department in making its TPS decision, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin offering some alternatives for Afghans like Ali and Safi.
"Although TPS was terminated as required by law, any Afghan who fears persecution is able to request asylum," she said in a statement to Newsweek. "All aliens who have had their TPS or parole terminated or are otherwise in the country unlawfully should take advantage of the CBP Home self-deportation process to receive a free one-way plane ticket and $1,000 financial assistance to help them resettled elsewhere.".
The reasoning from the Trump administration did not sit right with Safi, who had to flee his home country after being shot by, and losing family members to, the Taliban while he helped the U.S. military, just like many of the TPS holders he now works with.
"They supported Trump and this administration, and they said: ‘This is the one who loves veterans and he’ll watch people who supported our veterans or our military overseas’, and now after this news that came out a few days ago I mean, there’s no word instead of just to call it a textbook betrayal," Safi said, accusing the U.S. of abandoning those who supported it for more than 20 years.
Fearful For Their FutureThe looming loss of legal status for Afghans is leaving many families in the U.S. with an uncertain future. For Ali, he feels he has to try to reassure his children who still have vivid memories of the dire situation they left behind and now fear for their safety in the U.S.
"One of my older daughters, she said: ‘I don’t want to wear the hijab, as a Muslim, because [if] I go to school and maybe ICE stops me or something, or ask me for some documents’," he said. "Then she forced to not wear the hijab, so such things shows that my children also have real stress and my wife also. They don’t want to see the Taliban again. They don’t want to see the weapons again.
"I have very little children, four years old, and when we arrived here, and he asked me: ‘Is there any Taliban here?’ I said: ‘Oh no. No, no, no there is no Taliban here. You will not see any more Taliban here’.".
Meanwhile, Safi said he was trying to ease worries like those shared by Ali’s children, telling Newsweek he wants to believe that the U.S. will not go through with its plan to pull his legal status . But as time goes by, he said he is faced with the possibility that the U.S. is turning its back on its allies.
"What message will this have for our allies around the world? What do we expect in future conflicts? Do you think anyone is going to support us, if they know what we did to Afghans or what we have been doing to our allies?" he said.
"What we did to them in 2021, we let the whole country get handed over to the Taliban and now we’re abandoning our allies. I don’t think it’s a good message for people around the world.".
For now, Ali awaits official communication from U.S. immigration authorities on his and his family’s status. As Newsweekreported last week, a lawsuit was filed against the administration’s move to revoke TPS status for Afghanistan and Cameroon, with updates expected in the case next week. Afghan Christian pastor pleads with Trump, warns of Taliban revenge after admin revokes refugee protections (FOX News)
FOX News [5/18/2025 9:29 PM, Jasmine Baehr, 46878K]
As the Trump administration has moved to end protections for thousands of Afghan nationals, faith leaders and advocates are sounding the alarm over the potential deportation of Christian converts, who, they say, face severe persecution under Taliban rule.
Pastor Behnam Rasooli, known as Pastor Ben, leads the Oklahoma Khorasan Church in Oklahoma City, a congregation primarily composed of Afghan Christian refugees. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he shared harrowing accounts of the dangers he says his Christian community faces.
"If any of these Afghan Christians are deported back to Afghanistan, the first thing that will happen is the husbands will be killed, the wives will be taken as sex slaves," Pastor Ben stated. "If they don’t kill them, they’ll put them in prison and beat them every single night.".
The Department of Homeland Security officially ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals, potentially forcing more than 9,000 individuals to return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Department of Homeland (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem cited an "improved security situation" and a stabilizing economy as justification.
"This administration is returning TPS to its original, temporary intent," Noem said. "We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation.".
Afghans’ protected status is set to expire on May 20, with the program formally ending on July 12.
Noem added that terminating the designation aligns with the administration’s broader goal of rooting out fraud and national security threats in the immigration system.
TPS allows foreign nationals from countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters or other emergencies to live and work legally in the U.S. Then-President Joe Biden had originally designated Afghanistan for TPS following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
Among those at risk are members of Pastor Ben’s congregation, many of whom he says undertook perilous journeys to reach the U.S. legally. He recounted the story of a group that he claimed traveled from Brazil to Mexico, including a 76-year-old woman and a 7-month-old girl, waiting ten months in a Mexican church sanctuary for approval to cross the border legally via the CBP One app.
"They didn’t have food for weeks, they didn’t have water for weeks, but they were willing to wait, face all those difficulties, to come to the United States with legal status," he said. "Now, with the new administration, we heard that those parolees are being revoked. They’re not even giving work permits.".
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House about the pastor’s concerns and received the following response:
"In tandem with its failed Afghanistan withdrawal, the Biden administration illegally paroled tens of thousands of Afghans into the U.S., plus hundreds of thousands of other aliens. Parole, a temporary benefit, is granted case by case for urgent humanitarian reasons or public benefit—it is not a pathway to permanent residence or citizenship. Afghans lacking legal grounds to stay and fearing persecution on protected grounds may apply for asylum and have the courts adjudicate their cases," said White House spokesman Kush Desai to Fox News Digital.
Advocacy groups, including Help The Persecuted, have petitioned Noem to recognize Afghanistan as a Country of Particular Concern, and to allow Afghan Christians and minorities who have documented persecution due to religion or belief to have TPS while their asylum claims are properly vetted and processed.
The petition stresses the Taliban’s active persecution of Christians, including arrests at border crossings, torture in detention and the enforcement of laws that make any practice of Christianity illegal.
Pastor Ben urges fellow Christians to stand in solidarity with their persecuted brothers and sisters.
"They need us today to be their voice," he said. "We have the freedom; they do not. We have all the comfort; they do not. But all they want is the church to be part of it.".
He also addressed President Trump directly: "Mr. President, I fully support your deportation plan because we do not want criminals to live in the United States, but we have to be aware that among those people that you want to deport, some are not criminals. Some are people that are at the risk of being killed, being imprisoned, losing their wives, losing their kids.".
"Please, let’s not let this happen to them," said Pastor Ben. "Let’s keep the American Dream alive.". Rights under constant attack in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan (Deutsche Welle)
Deutsche Welle [5/18/2025 7:00 AM, Shabnam von Heim and Ahmad Waheed Ahmad, 14.5M]
Amid many other global crises, the human rights situation in Afghanistan has been overshadowed in the international media. Millions of people continue to suffer from systemic rights violations under the Taliban-run government, a UN report has found.
Tasked with assisting the people of Afghanistan, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) monitors the human rights situation in the country, issuing regular reports. In its latest update on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, UNAMA not only documented cases of gender-based violence and public floggings but also the growing persecution of the Ismaili community.
Ismailism is a branch of Shia Islam, while Sunni Islam is the dominant religion in Afghanistan. Most members of the Ismaili community live in the country’s northern provinces, such as Badakhshan or Baghlan. In the former, there have been at least 50 cases of members of the Ismaili community being forced to convert to the Sunni faith. Those who refused to do so were subjected to physical assaults, coercion and death threats.
"They are only accepted as Muslims if they profess the Sunni faith by force," Yaqub Yasna, a professor and member of the Afghan Ismaili community, told DW. Yasna himself was accused of blasphemy after the Taliban takeover of 2021 because he advocated enlightenment and tolerance in society. He was forced to step down from his position at his university and went into exile for fear of reprisals.‘Breeding ground for violence’
Yasna said that even before the Taliban’s return to power, tolerance toward the Ismaili minority in Afghanistan was limited but that the political system had at least protected their civil rights.
He said that under the Taliban, tolerance had continued to decline steadily. "When their rights are violated today, they don’t know who they can turn to. Their children are forced to profess the Sunni faith," he explained. "Under Taliban rule, only one faith is considered legitimate. Anything that deviates from their interpretation of Islam is rejected and thus creates a breeding ground for violence against religious minorities."
Afghan human rights activist Abdullah Ahmadi confirmed there was increasing pressure on one of the last remaining religious minorities in Afghanistan. "We have received several reports showing that children from the Ismaili community are being forced to attend Sunni-run religious schools. If they refuse to do so, or do not attend classes regularly, their families have to pay heavy fines," he said.
Ahmadi complained that the international community had responded only hesitantly to the human rights violations in his country. He called for targeted sanctions against Taliban officials, saying they "must be held accountable."
Nowruz holiday declared ‘un-Islamic’
Historically, the country was a significant center of religious diversity, but there are very few members of non-Muslim communities left in Afghanistan today.
The last members of the Jewish community left the country in September 2021. Those Christians who still live there tend to practice their faith in secret. And the Hazaras, another ethnic minority in Afghanistan who are predominantly Shiite, continue to be persecuted.
The Taliban only accept one interpretation of religion and have banned certain rituals and festivals, including Nowruz, which marks the beginning of spring and a new year. They declared the holiday "un-Islamic" and said that nobody in Afghanistan should observe the celebration.
Women’s rights in decline
The situation of all women is also getting worse, which means that half of society is subject to systematic oppression. According to the UNAMA report, girls continue to be "barred from participating in education beyond grade six" and there has been "no announcement made by the de facto authorities regarding the reopening of high schools and universities to girls and women."
In the western city of Herat, the Taliban has confiscated several rickshaws and warned drivers not to transport women who were unaccompanied by a "mahram," a close male relative.
Afghans deported from Pakistan, Iran
Despite this disastrous situation, Afghans who fled to neighboring countries are being expelled en masse. According to the United Nations, around 110,000 people, including women and children, were forced to return from Pakistan in April. Large numbers of people are also being deported from Iran.
"We live in fear of being deported to Afghanistan every day," Afghan journalist Marzia Rahimi told DW. "What am I supposed to do with my children there?"
Rahimi said that only misery and terror awaited her in Afghanistan if she returned, explaining that she had left because she was unable to continue working as a journalist under Taliban rule and would not have been able to provide her daughter with an education.
Most independent media outlets have been banned or placed under the control of the state. Journalists who criticize the regime risk being arrested and tortured.
Under the Taliban, the country has also been plunged into an even more catastrophic socioeconomic crisis. Some 64% of the population of 41.5 million lives in poverty, according to the UN, with 50% dependent on humanitarian aid for survival and 14% suffering from acute hunger. Afghan War Crimes Victims Still Awaiting Justice (Human Rights Watch)
Human Rights Watch [5/19/2025 12:00 AM, Patricia Gossman, 1.4M]
Family members of Afghans unlawfully killed by foreign military forces during the 20-year war in Afghanistan have been waiting a long time for justice. Last week revealed two quite different approaches by countries that should provide it.
Australia, which has gone the furthest in investigating alleged war crimes by its forces in Afghanistan, has established a website for family members to file complaints. The site, managed by Australia’s Defense Ministry, includes an online form in the Dari and Pashto languages to request compensation.
While this progress is commendable, it comes five years after a governmental inquiry first disclosed the extent of probable crimes, including summary executions of captured combatants and civilians. Only one soldier has been charged in connection with the allegations.
The long delays led United Nations special mandate holders in August 2024 to raise concerns about Australia’s approach to compensation “as a form of charity at the discretion of its military, not as a legal right of victims under international law,” and the lack of clarity concerning consultation with victims and their families.
Those concerns remain. Afghan human rights activists are hosting online panels to draw attention to the website. The Australian government needs to ensure Afghans know about the website and how to file a complaint.
The United Kingdom, meanwhile, which also has an obligation to provide justice for war crimes, has made much slower progress.
Last week, BBC Panorama presented new evidence of war crimes by British special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, including interviews with former soldiers about summary executions of wounded detainees and civilians, including children. “They handcuffed a young boy and shot him,” said a former soldier who had served in Afghanistan. “He was clearly a child, not even close to fighting age.”
The UK government has tried its best to prevent such crimes from ever being prosecuted, with successive governments alleged to have covered up crimes and shut down criminal inquiries. While the government established an independent inquiry into the Afghanistan allegations in December 2022, it has taken years to get going and is limited in scope to the three years 2010-2013.
Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said the new allegations highlighted “the need for comprehensive accountability.” That is the only way victims and their families will find justice. Pakistan
Pakistan Says It Expects Truce to Hold as Hotline to India Stays Open (New York Times)
New York Times [5/18/2025 4:14 PM, Salman Masood, 831K]
Pakistan’s military said on Sunday that it expected a fragile calm along the border with India to hold, as senior officers from both countries continue to talk on a direct line after the region was jolted by four days of missile attacks and airstrikes.
Top military officers from both sides “are in contact, a mechanism is in place,” Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the spokesman for Pakistan’s armed forces, told The New York Times. He spoke during an interview on Sunday afternoon at the military’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, the garrison city next to the capital, Islamabad.
India began military strikes on Pakistan on May 7 in retaliation for a terrorist attack two weeks before that it linked to Pakistan, which denied any involvement.
The conflict escalated over the following days, with attacks targeting military bases in the two nuclear-armed countries, until the United States mediated a cease-fire on May 10.
India has reported the loss of five soldiers, and Pakistan the loss of 11, in addition to civilian deaths from shelling along the line that divides the disputed Kashmir region between the two countries.
The two adversaries have spent the week since the end of the military confrontation making the case that they emerged victorious.
General Chaudhry acknowledged that India struck the Nur Khan air base near Islamabad and several other sites with cruise missiles on May 10. Satellite images reviewed by The Times confirmed damage at Nur Khan and other Pakistani military sites. But Pakistani officials say that the strikes caused only minor damage to runway strips and that operational capacity remained intact.
Military officials in Pakistan say they targeted 26 military sites in India on the same day as the Indian strikes, but they have not provided satellite imagery to corroborate their assertions.
General Chaudhry claimed that Pakistan’s air force had shot down six Indian warplanes, including three French-made Rafale jets. India has not admitted to losing planes, though evidence indicates it did lose some aircraft. General Chaudhry accused New Delhi of withholding information about its losses.“We have been very transparent — about the attacks on our bases, our loss of lives,” he said. “Has India done the same?” Pakistan FM to visit China on heels of conflict with India over Kashmir (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [5/18/2025 9:39 AM, Staff, 3077K]
Pakistan’s foreign minister will make a three-day official visit to China, his office said on Sunday, a little over a week after Islamabad reached a ceasefire with India to end their most serious conflict in decades.
Ishaq Dar, who also holds the portfolio of deputy prime minister, will start his visit on Monday in Beijing where he will hold "in-depth discussions" with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi "on the evolving regional situation in South Asia and its implications for peace and stability", his office said in a statement.
"The two sides will also review the entire spectrum of Pakistan-China bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest," it said.
Dar’s visit to Beijing comes on the heels of a tumultuous couple of weeks, following an April attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 people were killed.
New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing the militants it claimed were behind the attack — the deadliest on civilians in Muslim-majority Kashmir in decades. Pakistan denies the charge.
The territory is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, which have fought several wars over Kashmir since their 1947 independence from British rule.
On May 7, India launched strikes against what it said were "terrorist camps" in Pakistan, kicking off four days of intense tit-for-tat drone, missile and artillery exchanges with Islamabad.
The conflict left more than 70 people, including dozens of civilians, dead on both sides.
Fearing further escalation, global leaders had urged restraint from both sides early on in the conflict, including China which promised to play a "constructive role" — though experts say Beijing had clearly picked a side.
China has been one of Pakistan’s most reliable foreign partners, readily providing financial assistance to bail out its often struggling neighbour.
Dar told parliament on May 7, hours after aerial combat between the two sides, that Islamabad used Chinese jets against India, with Beijing’s ambassador called to his office over the deployment.
"At 4 am in the morning, the whole Chinese team, led by their ambassador, was present at the foreign office," Dar told the parliament.
"We apprised them about all the developments taken place until that time, and they were very happy," he said.
US President Donald Trump announced a surprise truce on May 10, which appears to be holding over a week later.
While Islamabad stated earlier in the week that the ceasefire would last until Sunday, the Indian army said there was no expiry date to the agreement. Car bomb explodes near a market in restive southwestern Pakistan, killing 4 and wounding 20 (AP)
AP [5/19/2025 2:06 AM, Staff, 456K]
A car bomb exploded near a market in Pakistan’s restive southwest, killing four people and wounding 20 others, a government official said Monday, as violence intensifies in the region.
The attack occurred Sunday night in Qillah Abdullah, a city in Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan, said Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Riaz.
The blast also damaged several shops and the outer wall of a nearby building housing paramilitary forces, he said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.
However, suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists, who frequently target security forces and civilians in Balochistan and other parts of the country.
Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, condemned the bombing and said an investigation is underway.
Balochistan has been the scene of a long-running insurgency in Pakistan, with an array of separatist groups staging attacks, including the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army, which was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States in 2019.
Pakistan often accuses its rival India of supporting the BLA and the Pakistani Taliban, two groups that have intensified attacks in Pakistan in recent months. In one of the deadliest such attacks in March, BLA insurgents killed 33 people, mostly soldiers, during an assault on a train carrying hundreds of passengers in Balochistan.
In a rare move earlier this month, the BLA sought Indian support against Pakistan.
The BLA’s appeal in a May 11 statement came amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, following Pakistan’s strikes on Indian military installations in retaliation for Indian missile and drone attacks, raising fears of a broader conflict.
The BLA denied Islamabad’s allegations that it operates as an Indian proxy, saying: “If we receive political, diplomatic and defense support from the world — especially from India — the Baloch nation can eliminate this terrorist state and lay the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and independent Balochistan.”
It assured New Delhi that its fighters, if backed, would open another front against Pakistan’s military near Afghanistan, where the Pakistani Taliban has strongholds.
So far, India has not officially responded to the BLA’s overture. Pakistani police search for the suspect in the killing of an Ahmadi minority doctor (AP)
AP [5/19/2025 3:03 AM, Staff, 456K]
Pakistani police stepped up their search Monday for the suspect in the killing of a doctor from the country’s tiny Ahmadi minority, the latest in a string of deadly attacks targeting the community.
The physician was gunned down at a private hospital where he worked in the eastern city of Sargodha on Friday; the gunman fled the scene.
The Ahmadi religion is an offshoot of Islam but Pakistan declared Ahmadis non-Muslims in 1974. There are about 500,000 Ahmadis in Pakistan, a nation of 250 million.
No one claimed responsibility for Friday’s killing but supporters of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, a radical Islamist party, have carried out many of the attacks on Ahmadis, accusing them of blasphemy.
Blasphemy carries the death penalty in Pakistan and even just rumors or allegations of insulting Islam can incite mobs to deadly violence.
Sargodha police official, Sikandar Ali, said the motive behind the killing of Dr. Sheikh Mahmood remains unclear. An investigation is ongoing, he said.
Mahmood’s killing was the third attack on Ahmadis in Pakistan in since April, said Amir Mahmood, a spokesman for the Ahmadi community. He urged the government to protect Ahmadis, whose places of worship and even graveyards are also often desecrated by extremist Sunni groups. India
Trump Says India Offered to Cut US Tariffs But He’s in No Rush (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [5/16/2025 6:54 PM, Skylar Woodhouse and Josh Wingrove, 88K]
President Donald Trump said that India has offered to cut all its tariffs on US goods but downplayed any sense of urgency to reach a trade agreement with the world’s fourth-largest economy.
Trump cited India as an example of a country where he’s seeking to slash barriers to US exports during an interview on Fox News’s Special Report with Bret Baier that aired Friday.
"They make it almost impossible to do business. Do you know that they’re willing to cut 100% of their tariffs for the United States?" Trump said.But the president also sent mixed signals on how close a deal could be, saying “that’ll come soon. I’m in no rush. Look, everybody wants to make a deal with us.”He added that he’s not planning to “make deals with everybody.”The remarks are the latest signal from Trump that he while he plans to strike trade deals with some countries before a pause on higher import duties expires in July, that many nations will just see the US make unilateral decisions about the rates they will face.Earlier Friday, Trump said he is planning to set new import duty rates for trading partners over the “over the next two to three weeks.”The Trump administration is prioritizing trade talks with several nations, including India, but a lack of manpower and capacity makes it impossible to hold concurrent negotiations with all the countries caught up in the president’s so-called reciprocal tariffs plan.Trump said he also dangled the prospect of expanded trade with India’s rival Pakistan. He previously has said that was a factor in the US effort to broker a between the two countries earlier this month.“I’m using trade to settle scores and make peace,” Trump said.The US has also sought to deescalate a trade fight with China, a move Trump framed as an act of generosity to the world’s second-largest economy. After recent talks, the US slashed its rate on China to 30% from 145% and Beijing lowered its own tariff levels from 125% to 10%, with the countries looking toward further discussions.“If I didn’t do that deal with China, I think China would have broken apart,” Trump said. India Is Accused of Inhumanely Deporting Rohingya Refugees (New York Times)
New York Times [5/17/2025 4:14 PM, Suhasini Raj, 831K]
The United Nations has called for an investigation into “credible reports” that Indian authorities rounded up Rohingya refugees and expelled them, in some cases by putting them into the Andaman Sea off the shore of the same country they had escaped from, fearing persecution and death.
The episode appeared to be part of a broader recent crackdown, as officials of India’s government used a moment of conflict with its neighbor Pakistan to expand a campaign of oppression against minority Muslims.“The idea that Rohingya refugees have been cast into the sea from naval vessels is nothing short of outrageous,” said Tom Andrews, the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. “I am seeking further information and testimony regarding these developments and implore the Indian government to provide a full accounting of what happened.”
He urged the Indian government to refrain from “inhumane and life-threatening treatment of Rohingya refugees, including their repatriation into perilous conditions in Myanmar.”
The Indian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
As tensions escalated with Pakistan after India accused it of having a supporting hand in a terror attack that killed over two dozen Indians last month, the Indian authorities announced punitive measures, including expelling Pakistani citizens.
Officials of right-wing governments across several Indian states rounded up thousands of Muslims, purportedly Rohingya or Bangladeshi people living illegally in India. Such labels, along with “Pakistani,” are often used to target Muslim migrants from other parts of India. The most sweeping actions were in Gujarat, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, and in Rajasthan.
While a majority of those detained turned out to be Indian citizens and were later released, those who were identified as Rohingya and Bangladeshi have been deported in large numbers, including some with refugee documents that were supposed to give them protection.
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties, an India-based human rights group, criticized the move. “At the very least, the Rohingyas are entitled to due process under existing law which requires that the detainee get notice, opportunity of hearing and representation,” the group said in a statement.
Authorities in neighboring Bangladesh said India had pushed hundreds of people into its country at unpopulated border areas. Nearly a hundred were expelled into the Sundarbans, a mangrove forest between the two countries, and had to be rescued by Bangladesh’s coast guard.“If someone is proven to be a citizen of our country, we will accept them,” Khalilur Rahman, the Bangladesh government’s national security adviser, told reporters. “But this must be done through formal channels.”
The deported Rohingya appear to have mostly been in Assam, in the country’s northeast, where India has built a large detention facility, and New Delhi, the capital.
Rohingya refugees in Delhi said Indian authorities had rounded up dozens of them last week. They were taken to a police station, and never returned.
Sadeq Shalom, a Rohingya Christian refugee in New Delhi who works as an education consultant, said his older brother and several other family members were picked up and were part of a group of 40 people who were put into the sea. He said 15 of the 40 were Christians, and their pleas that they faced double persecution — as Rohingya from the state, and then as a Christian minority from the Muslim majority in their area — were in vain.
Another refugee in New Delhi, David Nazir, said his elderly parents were picked up and were also among the 40 people put to sea. He learned what had happened to them only after Mr. Shalom got a call from his brother, who borrowed a fisherman’s phone upon reaching Myanmar’s shore.“He told me that the Indian authorities had forced them off a navy vessel in the Andaman Sea and made them swim into Myanmar territory with nothing but life jackets,” Mr. Shalom said in an interview.
Their biggest fear, Mr. Nazir said, was that the Myanmar army, which they had fled, was waiting for them. But in his phone call, Mr. Shalom’s brother said that all 40 were safe with the National Unity Government of Myanmar, which began operating in resistance after the country’s 2021 military coup.Colin Gonsalves, a lawyer representing the Rohingya in India’s supreme court, said there are about 1,000 who have sought refuge in Delhi and about 20,000 all over India.
On social media, the Indian government’s actions drew comparisons to how India’s own immigrants were recently deported from the United States by the Trump administration, sent home by plane in shackles — a move that spurred widespread outrage.
Mr. Gonsalves said that his appeal at the country’s supreme court to put a pause on the deportations was rejected.“We expect a little more compassion,” Mr. Gonsalves said. “Throwing refugees into the sea and then they land up in a war zone is one of the most barbaric practices a nation can indulge in.” UN agency, Rohingya refugees allege Indian authorities cast dozens of them into the sea near Myanmar (AP)
AP [5/16/2025 9:03 PM, Sheikh Saaliq and Piyush Nagpal, 456K]
Indian authorities allegedly forced dozens of Rohingya refugees off a naval vessel into the sea near Myanmar last week after providing them with life jackets, a United Nations agency, family members of the refugees and their lawyer said.
The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement on Thursday, said at least 40 Rohingya refugees were detained in New Delhi and cast into the sea by the Indian navy near the maritime border with Myanmar. The refugees — including children, women and older people — swam ashore, but their whereabouts in Myanmar remain unknown, the agency said.
Five Rohingya refugees on Friday confirmed to the Associated Press that their family members were part of the group that were detained by Indian authorities on May 6. The group, including 15 Christians, were flown in an aircraft and later cast into the sea by Indian navy authorities on May 8, they said.
Dilawar Hussain, a lawyer representing the refugees, said the families have filed a petition in India’s top court, urging the Indian government to bring them back to New Delhi.
India’s navy and foreign ministry declined to comment.
In its statement Thursday, the rights office said it had appointed a U.N. expert to probe into what it called were “unconscionable, unacceptable acts.” The U.N. agency urged the Indian government to refrain from “inhumane and life-threatening treatment of Rohingya refugees, including their repatriation into perilous conditions in Myanmar.”
Tom Andrews, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, called the incident “blatant disregard for the lives and safety of those who require international protection” and “nothing short of outrageous.”“Such cruel actions would be an affront to human decency and represent a serious violation of the principle of non-refoulment, a fundamental tenet of international law that prohibits states from returning individuals to a territory where they face threats to their lives or freedom,” Andrews said in the statement.
India does not have a national policy or a law to deal with refugees. It is also not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. But hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya refugees have fled persecution in Myanmar after suffering oppression in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where officials have been accused of genocide.
According to Refugees International, of the estimated 40,000 Rohingya refugees living in India at least 22,500 are registered with the UNHCR. Many of them live in squalid camps in various Indian states.
One of those refugees, who has not been identified by AP due to safety concerns, said his brother was among those returned. He said he received a call from his brother on May 8 after he managed to borrow a phone from a local fisherman after making landfall on an island in Myanmar.
He told him Indian authorities removed their restraints and blindfolds, gave them life jackets and told them swim to an island in Myanmar territory.“My parents were taken from me and thrown into the waters,” said the man, whose two brothers, parents and a sister-in-law were part of the group, according to his brother. “It would be enough if I am reunited with my parents. I just want my parents, nothing else.”
Thet Swe, a spokesman for Myanmar’s military-led government, did not immediately respond to an email asking for comment.
The refugee in India said most of those returned were registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in India and were detained by Indian authorities under the pretext of collecting their biometric data. He also shared with the AP pictures of his brother while he was detained by Indian authorities and taken in a police vehicle.
AP also reviewed a recording of another phone call made by a refugee to his brother in New Delhi. The man who made the call is heard saying some people from the group were beaten by Indian navy authorities.
It was not possible to independently verify these claims.
In recent years, Rohingya refugees have faced persecution and attacks from India’s Hindu nationalist groups, who have demanded their expulsion from India. Many of them have also been held in various detention centers across India and are viewed as illegal immigrants. Some have been deported to neighboring Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government implemented a controversial citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslim migrants, including Rohingyas. How the Indian Media Amplified Falsehoods in the Drumbeat of War (New York Times)
New York Times [5/17/2025 4:14 PM, Anupreeta Das and Pragati K.B., 831K]
The news reports chronicled India’s overwhelming successes: Indian attacks had struck a Pakistani nuclear base, downed two Pakistani fighter jets and blasted part of Pakistan’s Karachi port, the country’s oil and trade lifeline.
Each piece of information was highly specific, but none of it was true.
Disinformation on social media in the days during and since India and Pakistan’s intense military confrontation last week has been overwhelming. Sifting fact from fiction has been nearly impossible on both sides of the border because of the sheer volume of falsehoods, half-truths, memes, misleading video footage and speeches manipulated by artificial intelligence.
But some of that flood also made its way into the mainstream media, a development that alarmed analysts monitoring the evolution of outlets in India once trusted for their independence. The race to break news and a jingoistic approach to reporting reached a fever pitch during the four-day conflict, as anchors and commentators became cheerleaders for war between two nuclear-armed states. Some well-known TV networks aired unverified information or even fabricated stories amid the burst of nationalistic fervor.
And news outlets reported on a supposed strike on a Pakistani nuclear base that was rumored to have caused radiation leaks. They shared detailed maps that purported to show where the strikes had been. But there was no evidence to uphold these claims. The story of the Indian Navy attacking Karachi was also widely circulated. It has since been discredited.“When we think of misinformation, we think of anonymous people, of bots online, where you never know what the source of the thing is,” said Sumitra Badrinathan, an assistant professor of political science at American University who studies misinformation in South Asia. Social media platforms were also rife with misinformation during India’s 2019 conflict with Pakistan, but what was notable this time, Dr. Badrinathan said, was that “previously credible journalists and major media news outlets ran straight-up fabricated stories.”“When previously trusted sources become disinformation outlets, it’s a really large problem,” she said.
The misinformation shared on mainstream media platforms about the conflict between India and Pakistan is the latest blow to what was once a vibrant journalism scene in India.
Warring sides have spread lies and propaganda for as long as there has been armed conflict. And mainstream news outlets have not been immune from presenting their countries’ battlefield efforts in a favorable light or from, at times, rushing to publish information that later turns out to be incorrect.
But social media has exponentially increased the potential for misinformation. And in India, there has been a steady erosion of free speech since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. Many news outlets have been pressured into suppressing news damaging to the government’s reputation. Others, including many big television networks, have come to promote the government’s policies. (Some small independent online news publications have pursued more accountable journalism, but their reach is limited.)
One of India’s most prominent journalists and an anchor at the India Today television channel, Rajdeep Sardesai, apologized on air to viewers last week for running reports about Pakistani jets being shot down, news that had not been “proven at the moment,” he said.
On his YouTube video blog on Saturday, he again apologized, saying that some of the falsehoods were part of a deliberate campaign by the “right-wing disinformation machine under the guise of national interest,” and that 24-hour news channels can sometimes fall into the trap.
Disinformation — information spread with malicious intent — is “designed to incite, sometimes to conceal as well, but predominantly to escalate emotions in content that’s very engagement friendly,” said Daniel Silverman, an assistant professor of political science at Carnegie Mellon University who has studied the subject. In the context of India and Pakistan, audiences are already primed to embrace and spread any falsehoods, given the two countries’ historical enmity, Dr. Silverman said.
In India, an independent fact-checking website called Alt News that is dedicated to weeding out misinformation on social media and mainstream media has provided evidence of numerous fabrications aired by TV outlets, including prominent national channels like Aaj Tak and News18.“The information ecosystem is broken,” said Pratik Sinha, a founder of Alt News. Fact-checking can combat misinformation, Mr. Sinha said, but it has a cost: Alt News is fighting a defamation suit filed by another media outlet. Its reporters have also been harassed.
More than 200 million Indian households own a television set, and around 450 private TV stations are dedicated to news, according to Reporters Without Borders, making television a major source of information in India.
Last week, several well-known TV stations ran with the story of the Indian Navy attacking Karachi. The reports spread quickly. The terms “Karachi” and “Karachi Port” began trending on X, and images appeared on social media of dark clouds over the city caused by explosions.
Fact-checkers eventually found that those visuals had been from Gaza. In their briefing after the conflict ended, the Indian Navy said that it had been prepared to attack Karachi but had not done so. India to send all party delegations abroad to push ‘zero tolerance’ on terrorism after Pakistan tensions (The Independent)
The Independent [5/17/2025 7:08 AM, Shweta Sharma, 121822K]
India will send seven delegations comprising members of all opposition parties to key global capitals to brief them on the country’s military strike inside Pakistan, which led to the deadliest fighting in decades between the two neighbours.The government said on Saturday that the all-party delegations will visit key partner countries to project India’s “national consensus and resolute approach” to combating terrorism, in the context of its military operation in Pakistan.The diplomatic outreach follows the first direct military conflict between India and Pakistan in decades, sparked by the killing of 26 civilians by terrorists in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025.India attributed the deadliest attack on tourists in the region to Pakistan-based militants and launched what it called “Operation Sindoor” on 7 May, targeting terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The two nations engaged in missile and drone warfare for three days, until the United States announced it had brokered a ceasefire on 10 May.The delegations are set to begin their international tours later this month, visiting countries including the US, UK, Japan and others.“The All-Party delegations will project India’s national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations. They would carry forth to the world the country’s strong message of zero-tolerance against terrorism,” the government said in a statement.Each delegation will comprise five to six members of parliament (MPs) from both the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and opposition parties, including the INDIA bloc, to reflect political unity.Veteran leaders and diplomats leading the delegations will include Congress Party MP Shashi Tharoor, BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijayant Panda from the ruling coalition, and Supriya Sule from the opposition NCP, among others.“I am honoured by the invitation of the government of India to lead an all-party delegation to five key capitals, to present our nation’s point of view on recent events. When national interest is involved, and my services are required, I will not be found wanting,” Mr Tharoor, who was a former diplomat and author, said on X.Opposition MP Asaduddin Owaisi said he was part of one of the delegations and would do his best to fulfil the responsibility entrusted to him. “This is not about any party affiliation... We will have a more detailed meeting before leaving... This is an important task. I will try my best to fulfil this responsibility well,” he told ANI news agency.The development comes as British foreign secretary David Lammy arrived in Pakistan on his maiden visit, with a trip to India expected in the coming days.Mr Lammy vowed that the UK would play its part in turning the “fragile ceasefire” between Pakistan and India into lasting peace. He welcomed the ceasefire during meetings with Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and other senior officials — marking the first visit by a UK foreign secretary to Pakistan since 2021. The foreign secretary spoke with his Indian counterpart on Thursday and plans to travel to New Delhi soon.
“We will continue to work with the United States to ensure that we get an enduring ceasefire, to ensure that dialogue is happening and to work through with Pakistan and India on how we can get to confidence and confidence-building measures between the two sides,” Mr Lammy said from Islamabad during his two-day visit.“These are two neighbours with a long history but they are two neighbours that have barely been able to speak to one other over this past period, and we want to ensure that we do not see further escalation and that the ceasefire endures,” Mr Lammy added.On Friday evening, Mr Sharif said the lesson from the hostilities is to sit down as “peaceful neighbours and settle all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir”.“Without resolution of our issues, we cannot have peace in this part of the world,” Mr Sharif said, addressing an event in Islamabad.
“If peace comes, we can also cooperate in counterterrorism,” the prime minister said, adding Pakistan has written a “golden chapter” in the country’s military history with its response to India.His comments came shortly after the Indian defence minister warned of “strictest punishment” to Pakistan if it failed to change its conduct. “When the right time comes, we will show the full picture to the world. We have kept Pakistan on probation. If its behaviour improves, then okay, otherwise, it will be given the strictest punishment,” Rajnath Singh said. Indian professor arrested over social media post on military operation (Al Jazeera)
Al Jazeera [5/18/2025 7:20 AM, Staff, 47007K]
A professor from an elite, private liberal-arts university in India has been arrested for a social media post about news briefings on the military operation against Pakistan more than a week after the two nuclear-armed neighbours agreed to a ceasefire, according to local media reports.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor with the Department of Political Science at Ashoka University, was arrested on Sunday under sections of the criminal code pertaining to acts prejudicial to maintaining communal harmony, incitement of armed rebellion or subversive activities, and insults of religious beliefs.
A police official told the Indian Express newspaper that Mahmudabad, 42, was arrested in the capital, New Delhi, 60km (37 miles) south of the university, located in Sonepat in Haryana state.
A report by the online publication Scroll.in on Sunday quoted Mahmudabad’s lawyer as saying the case against him was filed on Saturday based on a complaint by Yogesh Jatheri, general secretary of the youth wing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Haryana.
The arrest was made days after the Haryana State Commission for Women summoned Mahmudabad for his comments on the daily briefings on India’s military operation in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh from the Indian armed forces held media briefings on Operation Sindoor, launched on May 6.
In a Facebook post on May 8, Mahmudabad had said: "I am very happy to see so many right wing commentators applauding Colonel Sophia Qureishi but perhaps they could also equally loudly demand that the victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing and others who are victims of the BJP’s hate mongering be protected as Indian citizens.
"The optics of two women soldiers presenting their findings is importantly but optics must translate to reality on the ground otherwise it’s just hypocrisy.".
The post referred to Qureishi, a Muslim officer in the Indian army, and attacks against Muslims, including lynchings and destruction of their houses without due process.
According to local media reports, the Haryana Women’s Commission on Monday said the professor’s statement "disparaged women officers in the Indian Armed Forces and promoted communal disharmony" and summoned him.
Mahmudabad has defended his comments and said on X that they had been misunderstood.
"If anything, my entire comments were about safeguarding the lives of both citizens and soldiers. Furthermore, there is nothing remotely misogynistic about my comments that could be construed as anti-women," he said.
In February last year, the human rights group Amnesty International urged the government to stop "unjust targeted demolition of Muslim properties".
"The unlawful demolition of Muslim properties by the Indian authorities, peddled as ‘bulldozer justice’ by political leaders and media, is cruel and appalling. Such displacement and dispossession is deeply unjust, unlawful and discriminatory. They are destroying families – and must stop immediately," said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary-general.
"The authorities have repeatedly undermined the rule of law, destroying homes, businesses or places of worship, through targeted campaigns of hate, harassment, violence and the weaponization of JCB bulldozers. These human rights abuses must be urgently addressed," she said in a statement.
India’s Supreme Court has ordered a halt to so-called bulldozer justice, but that has not stopped authorities from disregarding due process.
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the BJP has also been accused of allowing far-right Hindu vigilante groups to act with impunity. They have lynched Muslims and tried to police interfaith relations. Modi has spoken against cow vigilante killings, but his government has done little to stop the activities of vigilante groups.
Professors and activists across the country have shown their support for Mahmudabad.
An open letter with about 1,200 signatories released on Friday said: "It is clear that Prof Khan praised the strategic restraint of the armed forces, analysed how any distinction between the terrorists or non-state actors and the Pakistani military has now collapsed, and said that the optics of the women officers chosen for media debriefs was ‘important’ as proof that the secular vision of the founders of our Republic is still alive.".
The truce between India and Pakistan, announced on May 10, halted several days of missile and drone attacks across their shared border. Pakistan said at least 31 people were killed in India’s strikes while India said at least 15 people were killed in Pakistan’s counterattacks. India Restricts Some Imports From Bangladesh Through Land Ports (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [5/18/2025 7:00 AM, Staff, 931K]
India’s commerce ministry announced restrictions on some imports from Bangladesh via its land borders, prompting fears for the South Asian country’s export-reliant economy.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated after former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina -- a long-term New Delhi ally -- was ousted last year, and fled to India where she is currently living in self-imposed exile.
New Delhi announced late Saturday that ready-made garments from Bangladesh cannot be imported through land borders, while some other goods -- including cotton, processed foods and wooden furniture -- have been barred from at least six entry points in northeast India.
The announcement came after Bangladesh banned yarn and rice imports from India through the same land routes last month.
An Indian government source described the new restriction on garment imports as a "reciprocal measure", adding that the move will "restore equal market access for both countries".
The government in Dhaka told AFP it had not been officially informed of the latest restrictions.
"We haven’t received any official copy of notification. Once we get the documents and then we can come up with our decision after going through it," said Ministry of Commerce advisor Sheikh Bashir Uddin.
The latest move is a "big threat", Bangladeshi conglomerate Pran-RFL Group, which exports around $60 million of goods annually to India, told AFP.
"India is the largest market for Pran-RFL Group’s processed foods, plastic products, furniture, and PVC-finished goods," director Kamruzzaman Kamal said.
"With the latest restrictions, almost every category of our products are getting affected. This is a big threat for the company and the country as well," Kamal said, urging a bilateral solution with India.
The textile industry would be temporarily affected by the move, said Rakibul Alam Chowdhury of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Mohammad Hatem also denounced the tit-for-tat move by New Delhi, adding that border trade would "face a blow".
However, he believed that garment exporters "will be able to cover up the impact".At the start of April, India cancelled a 2020 transshipment deal that allowed Bangladesh to export cargo to third countries via Indian land borders. Building fire kills 17, injures others in southern India (AP)
AP [5/18/2025 5:25 AM, Staff, 21433K]
At least 17 people were killed and several injured in a fire that broke out at a building near the historic Charminar monument in southern Hyderabad city, officials said Sunday.Several people were found unconscious and rushed to various hospitals, according to local media. They said the building housed a jewelry store at ground level and residential space above.“The accident happened due to a short circuit and many people have died,” federal minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader G Kishan Reddy told reporters at the site of the accident.Director general of Telangana fire services Y Nagi Reddy told reporters that 21 people were in the three-story building when the fire started on the ground floor early on Sunday.“17 people, who were shifted to the hospital in an unconscious state, could not survive. The staircase was very narrow, which made escape difficult. There was only one exit, and the fire had blocked it,” he said.The fire was brought under control.Prime minister Narendra Modi announced financial compensation for the victims’ families and said in a post on X that he was “deeply anguished by the loss of lives.”Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents. India’s caste system is controversial and discriminatory. So why is it being included in the next census? (CNN)
CNN [5/16/2025 7:53 PM, Jessie Yeung, 47007K]
For millions across India, a rigid caste system thousands of years old still dictates much of daily life – from social circles to dating pools to job opportunities and schooling.
The Indian government has long insisted that the social hierarchy has no place in the world’s most populous nation, which banned caste discrimination in 1950.
So, it came as a surprise when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration announced that caste would be counted in the upcoming national census for the first time since 1931 – when India was still a British colony.
Counting caste will "ensure that our social fabric does not come under political pressure," the government said in its April press release. "This will ensure that society becomes stronger economically and socially, and the country’s progress continues without hindrance.".
The release didn’t include any detail on how the caste data would be collected, or even when the census will take place (it has been repeatedly delayed from its original 2021 date). But the announcement has revived a longstanding debate about whether counting caste will uplift disadvantaged groups – or further entrench divisions.
The proposal is so controversial because a caste census "forces the state to confront structural inequalities that are often politically and socially inconvenient," said Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India.
The lack of caste data over the past century means "we are effectively flying blind, designing policies in the dark while claiming to pursue social justice," she added. "So, the next census is going to be a historical census.".
What is caste?
India’s caste system has roots in Hindu scriptures, and historically sorted the population into a hierarchy that defined people’s occupations, where they can live and who they can marry based on the family they’re born into. Today, many non-Hindus in India, including Muslims, Christians, Jains and Buddhists, also identify with certain castes.
There are several main castes, and thousands of sub-castes – from the Brahmins at the top, who were traditionally priests or scholars, to the Dalits, formerly known as the "untouchables," who were made to work as cleaners and waste pickers.
For centuries, castes on the bottom rung – Dalits and marginalized indigenous Indians – were considered "impure." In some cases they were even barred from entering the homes or temples of the upper castes, and forced to eat and drink from separate utensils in shared spaces.
India tried to wipe the slate clean after it won independence from Britain in 1947, introducing a flurry of changes in its new constitution. It set up specific categories of castes, used to establish affirmative action quotas and other benefits – eventually setting aside 50% of jobs in government and places at educational institutions for marginalized castes. It also abolished the concept of "untouchability" and banned caste discrimination.
The decision to stop counting caste in the census was another part of this mission.
"After independence, the Indian state consciously moved away from enumerating caste … in the census," said Muttreja. "They thought they should not highlight caste, and that in a democracy, it will automatically even out.".
But that hasn’t happened. Although the hard lines of caste division have softened over time, especially in urban areas, there are still major gaps in wealth, health and educational attainment between different castes, according to various studies. The most disadvantaged castes today have higher rates of illiteracy and malnutrition, and receive fewer social services such as maternal care and reproductive health, Muttreja added.
Social segregation is also widespread; only 5% of marriages in India are inter-caste, according to the India Human Development Survey. Similar divides linger in friend groups, workplaces, and other social spaces.These persistent gaps have fueled rising demand for a caste census, with many arguing that data could be used to secure greater federal government aid and reallocate resources to the needy.
In some states – such as Bihar, one of India’s poorest states – local authorities have conducted their own surveys, prompting calls for Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to follow suit.
Now, it appears, they will.
Why now?
Modi has long pushed back on attempts to define the population along traditional caste lines, previously declaring that the four "biggest castes" were the poor, youth, women and farmers – and that uplifting them would aid the entire country’s development.
But rising discontent among underprivileged castes boosted opposition parties during the 2024 national election, which delivered a shock result: although Modi won a third term, the BJP failed to win a majority in parliament, diminishing their power.
Modi’s U-turn on the caste census, his rivals claim, is a political maneuver to shore up support in upcoming state elections, particularly in Bihar – a battleground state where the issue has been particularly sensitive.
"The timing is no coincidence," wrote M. K. Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state and a longtime Modi critic, in a post on X. "This sudden move reeks of political expediency.".
Bihar’s own caste survey in 2023 found there were far more people in marginalized castes than previously thought, sparking an ongoing legal battle to raise the affirmative action quotas.
Several other states took their own surveys, which the federal government said in its statement were "varied in transparency and intent, with some conducted purely from a political angle, creating doubts in society.".
The main opposition Congress party celebrated the government’s announcement, claiming Modi had bowed to their pressure. BJP leaders, meanwhile, say the opposition neglected to conduct any caste census during their years in power, and had now politicized the issue for their own gain.
The previous Congress-led government did conduct a national caste survey in 2011, but the full results were never made public, and critics alleged the partial findings showed data anomalies and methodology issues. It was also separate from the national census conducted that same year, meaning the two sets of data can’t be analyzed against each other.
Though authorities haven’t said when the new census will take place, they have enough time to refine the methodology and make sure key information is collected, said Sonalde Desai, demographer and Professor Emerita of Sociology at the University of Maryland College Park.
After the census is complete, the next battle will begin: how to use that data to shape policy.
A controversial proposal
Not all are in favor of the caste census.
Opponents argue that the nation should be trying to move away from these labels instead of formalizing them. Some believe that instead of focusing on caste, government policies like affirmative action should be based on other criteria like socioeconomic class, said Desai, also a professor of applied economic research at the National Council of Applied Economic Research in New Delhi.
She supports the caste census, but said opponents might view such a survey as regressive, instead of helping to create "a society in which (Indians) transcend that destiny" defined by caste.
There’s another factor, too: if the census reveals that marginalized castes are bigger than previously thought, as was the case in Bihar, the government could increase how much affirmative action they receive, angering some traditionally privileged castes who already dislike the quota system.
Over the years, anti-affirmative action protests have broken out, some turning deadly – with these groups accusing the government of reverse discrimination, echoing similar controversies in the United States about race-conscious college admissions and job hiring. These same groups are likely to decry the caste census, Muttreja said.
Already, some opposition leaders are calling to remove the 50% cap on affirmative action quotas, and to implement affirmative action in other institutions like private companies and the judiciary – controversial proposals that have prompted online firestorms.
But supporters of the caste census say it’s long overdue. Both Muttreja and Desai told CNN they didn’t believe such a survey would deepen divisions, saying caste discrimination is already such an evident, inescapable fact of life that simply asking the question won’t cause harm.
It might also show how the balance of power and privilege has shifted over the past century, said Desai. Since the 1931 census, some previously disadvantaged castes may have been buoyed by affirmative action and other measures – while other castes that once sat higher on the ladder may no longer be considered as privileged.
This is why, she argues, India’s government should use the data to perform a "re-ranking" – reorganizing which castes belong in which of the specific categories used to allocate resources and benefits.
The census could clearly illustrate who needs what kind of help and how to best deliver it, instead of relying on outdated data, said Muttreja. It can reveal intersectional gaps; for instance, a woman in rural India may struggle far more than a man of the same caste, or a peer in an urban area. And it could show whether any castes have ballooned in size, demanding more funding than currently allocated.
"It can shape school funding, for instance, health outreach, employment schemes and more," she said. It "helps ensure that quotas reflect real disadvantage, not just historical precedent.".
Once that data is out there, Muttreja believes, the government will be forced to act – it can’t afford not to. And for those who still deny that caste discrimination remains rampant, or who argue that affirmative action is no longer necessary: "This data will stare at people’s faces.". Modi Could Get Cornered on Trade by the White House (Bloomberg – opinion)
Bloomberg [5/18/2025 3:00 PM, Andy Mukherjee, 19320K]
Donald Trump has left his friend Narendra Modi with two headaches.The more severe migraine relates to foreign policy. By rushing to announce that India and Pakistan had agreed to an immediate ceasefire mediated by the US, the American president exposed the Indian prime minister to criticism at home. Trump has effectively inserted Washington into the Kashmir dispute, something that New Delhi has in the past insisted on discussing only bilaterally with Islamabad.India’s foreign ministry has responded by saying that there has been no change in its policy, though that can only be tested in future conflicts between the nuclear-armed neighbors. To henceforth have the US treat India and Pakistan as two sides of one big nuclear problem will annul years of diplomatic efforts by New Delhi to carve out an individual space of its own in American foreign-policy imagination.Modi’s second discomfort concerns politics and economics. Trump has given India’s opposition politicians yet more ammunition by claiming that among all the reasons New Delhi and Islamabad stepped back from the brink of an all-out war, trade was a “big one.” Even before the 26% reciprocal tariffs (currently suspended), Modi’s opponents were asking why the White House was seeking to punish a country that previous US administrations had been cultivating as a bulwark against China’s rise. Now they want to know why the prime minister is allowing Trump to put economic gains above national-security priorities. Indian officials have denied the suggestion that commerce with the US had anything to do with the truce, though that hasn’t stopped the US president from repeating the claim. On a trip to Saudi Arabia, he added further color on how he brokered the ceasefire: “I used trade to a large extent. I said, ‘fellas c’mon, let’s make a deal. Let’s not trade nuclear missiles, let’s trade the things you make so beautifully.’”Trump is wading into what is delicate economic territory for New Delhi. Washington and Beijing have put their trade war on pause; the US administration has also negotiated a tariff deal with the UK. But when it comes to India, which shipped more goods to the US last year than Britain, there is no sign of an accord yet.Time is of the essence. Apple Inc. plans to import most of the iPhones it sells in the US from India by the end of 2026, though Trump seems unwilling to offer even that concession. "I don’t want you building in India,” he told Apple boss Tim Cook in Qatar last week. Still, less-prominent firms in the electronics supply chain may want to lower their dependence on China, provided they have tariff certainty.Once the moratorium on reciprocal import duties ends July 9, most Indian merchandise may face a 26% levy in the US, while those from China will be taxed at a 30% rate. The gap is too small for India to promote itself as a global manufacturing hub. While the country of 1.4 billion people no doubt has the world’s deepest pool of cheap labor, it’s also notorious for being a hard place to do business.Indian negotiators are in the US to discuss a bilateral accord. Modi’s need for a quick deal — while protecting vulnerable farmers from US produce — is understood well on the other side.To give a signal that it won’t be a walkover, New Delhi has told the Word Trade Organization that India reserves the right to respond to the March 12 US tariffs on steel and aluminum. But ending $2 billion of concessions doesn’t change the Modi government’s policy of not starting a tit-for-tat against Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. The advantage in talks remains with Washington, especially after Trump linked trade to the truce and said that India has proposed to drop all tariffs on US goods. Indian officials have denied making any such offer.“Terror and trade cannot go together,” Modi said in a televised address after the ceasefire. Since India-Pakistan business is minuscule and declining, the intended recipient of the message must be the prime minister’s right-wing supporters and jingoistic anchors on Indian television: They shouldn’t feel too let down even if the Americans appear to be putting India and Pakistan on an equal footing by dangling the carrot of commerce in front of both. But if the comment was also a hint to the White House to stop injecting itself into South Asia’s long-running feud, then the suggestion has fallen on deaf ears. Trump quipped in Riyadh that Modi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif might as well “go out and have a nice dinner together.” This creates problems for India. As its foreign minister said, bilateral talks with Pakistan can only be about terrorism.Does the US president not know that his bluster is making the Modi administration look weak? Or is that the goal — to put New Delhi in a corner and force it to wrap up a trade deal advantageous to Washington? Trump just undermined America’s strategic partnership with India (The Hill – opinion)
The Hill [5/17/2025 11:00 AM, Brahma Chellaney, 47007K]
On May 7, India launched a calibrated military campaign against Pakistan in response to a brutal terrorist attack that had killed 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. Islamist gunmen had deliberately targeted Hindu tourists, exemplifying the persistent cross-border terrorism that India has long endured.
Yet few anticipated that the decisive external actor to intervene, President Trump, would seek not to de-escalate tensions impartially, but to tilt the scales in favor of the state sponsor of terror.
Pakistan’s military has enabled terrorist groups to operate from its soil for decades. Its terrorist proxies have carried out attacks in India with the support — tacit or overt — of Pakistan’s army, which has ruled the country directly or indirectly since its founding in 1947.
But this time, when India hit back with precision and restraint, it wasn’t Pakistan that reversed the tide of battle. It was Washington.The Trump administration stepped in at a pivotal moment, using coercive leverage to compel India to cease its operation prematurely. In doing so, Trump not only spared Pakistan the consequences of its actions but also damaged the foundation of U.S.-India strategic trust.
Trump has publicly boasted about his role. From Riyadh to Doha during his Middle East tour, he declared he had "brokered a historic ceasefire" between India and Pakistan. But behind that triumphant spin lies a less savory truth: The U.S. intervention was not about peace — it was about shielding a longtime "major non-NATO ally" from the fallout of its proxy warfare.
The Indian campaign lasted just three days, one of the shortest modern military operations, yet it achieved notable success. Indian forces degraded Pakistan’s air defenses and struck key air bases. In a display of technological prowess, both nations relied heavily on drones and precision missiles. But while Pakistan launched more projectiles, it failed to inflict meaningful damage on any Indian military installation.
India’s turning point came on the morning of May 10, when its military hit major Pakistani air bases, including Nur Khan — located near the army headquarters, the prime minister’s office and Pakistan’s nuclear command. At this point, India had seized the battlefield initiative.
Yet, just hours later, a ceasefire was accepted — under direct U.S. pressure, with Trump announcing it even before India or Pakistan. The ceasefire took effect at 17:00 Indian Standard Time that same day.
Trump later revealed that he had threatened trade sanctions to halt India’s advance. "If you don’t stop, we are not going to do any trade," he said during a White House press conference. He reiterated in Saudi Arabia, "I used trade to a large extent to do it.".
If true, the U.S. leveraged economic blackmail — not diplomacy — to protect a state that exports terrorism. That raises a chilling question: If Washington can use trade threats to dictate India’s conduct in a military crisis, what’s to stop it from weaponizing defense supply chains during the next one?
India has steadily increased purchases of U.S. military hardware. But this episode confirmed India’s greatest fear: in a real conflict, these systems could become liabilities if Washington turns off the tap. No country’s national security should hinge on platforms dependent on another power’s political whims.
Two days into India’s military campaign, the International Monetary Fund — under strong American influence — approved a $2.4 billion bailout for Pakistan, offering a financial lifeline to a country teetering on the brink of default. The timing of the bailout was telling, rewarding the most persistent terror sponsor in South Asia even as its proxies triggered a military crisis.
The bailout signaled to the world that you can export jihadist terror and still enjoy Western protection — if you’re geopolitically useful enough.
In fact, Trump has shown an unsettling willingness to engage with actors whom most nations deem beyond the pale. On May 14, he met with Syria’s self-declared president Ahmad al-Sharaa — better known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, a U.S.- and U.N.-designated terrorist and a former leader of Syria’s al Qaeda affiliate.
Meanwhile, Trump has turned his sights toward Kashmir as a geopolitical bargaining chip. While remaining conspicuously silent on Pakistan’s role in exporting terrorism, he has proposed to mediate the Kashmir dispute, saying that both India and Pakistan are "great nations" that need help resolving it.
Such false equivalence — between the target of terror and its perpetrator — has justifiably infuriated both the Indian government and public. New Delhi has firmly rejected Trump’s mediation offers, underscoring that there can be no talks under the shadow of terror.
Kashmir is one of the world’s most complex territorial disputes. India controls 45 percent of the former princely state, Pakistan 35 percent and China the remaining 20 percent. Yet Trump, despite failing to resolve conflicts in Ukraine or Gaza, believes he can now "work to see if a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir.".
In reality, Trump is playing into the hands of Pakistan, which has long weaponized the Kashmir issue to justify its "war of a thousand cuts" through terrorist proxies against India.
Even after bailing out Pakistan, Trump doubled down. On May 15, he rebuked Apple CEO Tim Cook for manufacturing iPhones in India, telling him, "I don’t want you building in India." According to Trump, a chastened Cook promised to increase production in the U.S.
This pattern of behavior highlights the jarring truth that Trump’s America is not a reliable strategic partner for India. Paradoxically, India should be thankful for this wake-up call.
The U.S. likes to portray itself as India’s natural partner in the Indo-Pacific, a region that will determine the next world order. But trust in any partnership is forged during a crisis.
Trump may have forced India to pause its military campaign — but, in doing so, he accelerated the unraveling of trust between the world’s two largest democracies. That rupture, unless healed quickly, will not be easy to mend. NSB
A study finds stacking bricks differently could help this country fight air pollution (NPR)
NPR [5/18/2025 5:00 AM, Jonathan Lambert, 38M]
During the dry winter months in Bangladesh, thousands of workers shovel millions of tons of coal into kilns across the country. As columns of hand-packed bricks bake and harden, dark plumes of smoke pour out of more than 8,000 smokestacks that mark the skyline of both rural and urban areas.
"It’s a lot of black smoke, impacting the workers and nearby villagers, but also the overall air quality of the region," said Sameer Maithel, an engineer with Greentech Knowledge Solutions, a consulting firm in Delhi, India.
Bangladesh’s air consistently ranks among the most polluted on Earth. Brick kilns contribute anywhere from 10 to 40% of the tiny particles that make up that pollution. Those particles can enter our lungs and even our bloodstream, causing health problems, including respiratory diseases, stroke and even cognitive problems.
But something as simple as stacking the bricks a different way could put a significant dent in that pollution, according to a new study of over 275 kilns published in Science by Maithel and his colleagues.
"This is wonderful evidence of how simple low cost interventions can have a big impact on energy use," said William Checkley, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University who wasn’t involved in the study. "If we can implement these, we could have a significant impact in energy use and emissions, improving air quality throughout southeast Asia."
The necessity of brick
Bricks are the main building block for Bangladesh. The densely populated and rapidly urbanizing country produces nearly 30 million bricks a year – more than 90% from loosely regulated, coal-burning kilns.
"It’s quite simple and inexpensive to set up traditional-style brick kilns, so they’ve just proliferated," said Nina Brooks, a global health researcher at Boston University.
The process goes something like this: First, dun-colored clay bricks are molded with a wooden box and stacked in the sun to dry. Next, hundreds of thousands of bricks are stacked in the firing chamber and covered with ash. Then, workers shovel lots and lots of coal as the bricks fire, firming them up.
"The combustion efficiency of these brick kilns is really low," said Brooks, meaning they end up burning a lot more coal than they need to, "Which is why they’re so heavily polluting here."
Each kiln can employ up to 200 workers. They’re the most directly impacted by the smoke, with one study finding nearly 80% report some kind of respiratory problems. But they’re not the only ones. Kilns are often close to densely populated areas, adding to the smog that comes from city life.
While there are regulations on where kilns can and can’t operate, they’re not always followed, said Brooks. "We found that 77% of brick kilns are illegally located too close to a school."
Modern, high-tech kilns produce substantially less pollution, but they’re up to 25 times more expensive to build and operate. "They’ve not really taken off," said Brooks.
Instead, the team looked for solutions that would be easier and cheaper for the average brick producer to adopt.
Simple interventions
In his decades of working with brick kiln owners in India as a consulting engineer, Maithel has noticed questionable practices.
Many kiln operators pack too many bricks in the kiln too tightly, he said. That tight spacing chokes out oxygen flow, which is needed for efficient burning. It also means hot coals get stuck at the top of the stack instead of falling to the bottom, leading some bricks to be overbaked and others not fired enough.
He’s also noticed that workers often shovel coal in bouts, working hard in teams of two or three, and then all taking breaks together. That results in uneven fueling, which can stymie efficiency too.
As an energy systems engineer, Maithel knew that a few simple changes could really help. Simply stacking the bricks in a zig-zag pattern that increases airflow and ensuring coal gets delivered more consistently should help the kilns operate more efficiently, he said."The better you are able to provide fuel and air mixing, the probability of black smoke will be less."
To see if such simple interventions could help reduce air pollution and boost profits, the team planned a massive experiment across 276 kilns. One group of kiln owners and workers were taught how to implement these interventions. Another group got the same training plus info on how the changes would save money. The control group got no training.
Then, during firing season in the winter, the researchers measured various aspects of kiln performance, including fuel use.
So, did it work?
The results were promising.
Kilns that adopted these measures saw significant benefits. On average, fuel use dropped by about 23 percent, the study found. The researchers estimate that would reduce the carbon dioxide and particulate matter coming out of the kilns by about 20%.
"We showed that simple, low-cost interventions can really reduce pollution," said Mahbubur Rahman, an environmental health researcher at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh.
And the changes improved both worker conditions and the bottom lines for kiln owners. Over the season, they had saved close to $40,000 each because of reduced fuel use, said Brooks. Brick quality went up as well.
In fact, kiln owners were so impressed that a year later, those that had adopted the new practices were still practicing them.
But to really make a dent in Bangladesh’s air pollution, many more kilns need to sign on. The research team, which includes scientists from the U.S., India and Bangladesh, are now working with the Bangladeshi government to expand this training.
"It’s a hopeful story," Brooks says, "of a place where solutions are quite feasible." Foreign office supporting British woman after reports of drug-smuggling arrest in Sri Lanka (The Guardian)
The Guardian [5/18/2025 8:03 AM, Jamie Grierson, 913K]
UK officials have said they are supporting a British woman arrested in Sri Lanka amid reports a former cabin crew member has been accused of smuggling cannabis into the South Asian country.
MailOnline and the Sun reported that Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, was detained at the main airport in the country’s capital, Colombo, on Monday after arriving on a flight from Bangkok.
She has reportedly been accused by Sri Lankan authorities of attempting to bring two suitcases containing 46kg (101lbs) of the cannabis strain kush into the country.
A statement from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "We are supporting a British woman who has been arrested in Sri Lanka and are in contact with her family and the local authorities."
Kush is a synthetic mixture of cannabis, fentanyl, tramadol and formaldehyde. It has been blamed for wreaking havoc in west Africa, where some reports suggest it is estimated to kill around a dozen people each week and hospitalise thousands in Sierra Leone alone.
Lee is reportedly a former cabin crew member for TUI and has since been working as a beautician.
The case has echoes of that of 18-year-old Bella Culley, who it emerged this week is being held in prison in Georgia on suspicion of drug offences.
Culley was believed to have gone missing in Thailand before she was detained 3,700 miles (6,000km) away in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, on 10 May. She appeared in court in Tbilisi on Tuesday accused of illegally buying, possessing and importing large quantities of narcotics, including marijuana.
Georgian police said officers had seized up to 12kg (26lbs) of marijuana and just over 2kg (4.4lbs) of hashish in a travel bag at Tbilisi international airport.
Culley’s family believed she had gone missing in Thailand before Georgian authorities announced her arrest this week. It is thought she flew to the Philippines just after Easter and had been travelling with a friend around the islands before flying to Thailand on around 3 May.
Culley is the great-granddaughter of Frank Cook, a Labour MP who represented Stockton North for 27 years, rising to become a deputy speaker of the Commons. Cook died in January 2012, aged 76, after suffering from lung cancer. Central Asia
Central Asia’s Strategic Insecurity in a Turbulent World (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [5/16/2025 4:14 PM, Sardor Allayarov]
Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency in 2025 sparked an intense debate on American foreign policy toward Central Asia, a region that has once again become a geopolitical crossroad. During Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s nomination hearing in January, he endorsed removing the Jackson-Vanik amendment on Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, to normalize relations with the Central Asian region.These positive remarks, echoing long-running diplomatic complaints from Astana and Tashkent, kicked off optimistic analyses from regional analysts and foreign policy gurus who championed a recalibration of Central Asia’s role in relation to the United States amid the current tumultuous geopolitical era. Hopes rose that not only would Washington pay closer attention to Central Asia, but that trade could be used to build a bridge.However, this optimism was short-lived. In April, the Trump administration unveiled its "reciprocal tariffs," slapping a universal 10 percent tariff on almost every country with which the U.S. trades, including those in Central Asia, and a 27 percent tariff on Kazakhstan. In subsequent days, the tariffs were dialed back to 10 percent amid a 90-day review – a warning signal that economic coercion, not partnership, might define Washington’s new foreign and trade policy strategy, including toward Central Asia.In a December 2024 analysis published by Daryo, I argued that trade and security would remain the main pillars of cooperation between Central Asia and the U.S. under Trump 2.0. In a more recent analysis, I warned that growing Central Asian trade relations with China, paired with Beijing’s gradual expansion into security cooperation, would be anathema to policymakers in Washington.Both pundits and policymakers must avoid wishful thinking about a U.S. "return" to Central Asia. There are three structural reasons why U.S. policy under Trump will likely remain transactional, competitive, and limited in scope.The U.S. foreign policy establishment has experienced a profound shift, starting with Trump’s first term in 2017. Trump’s worldview, which is rooted in Machiavellian philosophy and transactionalism, casts China as a revisionist power whose goal is to reshape the international order.From his first term onward, Trump portrayed China-U.S. relations as a zero-sum game, where economic growth in Beijing translates into military power that would potentially threaten U.S. interests. Building on this view, China’s growing economic presence in Central Asia through trade, infrastructure, and investment might be interpreted not as development assistance but as strategic encroachment.China’s exports to all five Central Asian countries have increased sharply, especially after 2020, amounting to a total growth of 136 percent over the 2020-2023 period. Kazakhstan remained the largest importer in the region of goods from China, while Kyrgyzstan recorded the fastest growth. The remaining countries of the region also saw their imports from China more than double. This rapid expansion in trade can be explained by the growth of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure and trade networks and reflects China’s deepening interdependence with the region.China’s relationships with Central Asia have long been dominated by economic concerns, but these relationships have begun to expand into the security domain, too. China has conducted military exercises with the Central Asian states, increased arms sales, and invested heavily in digital surveillance infrastructure. For instance, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have begun acquiring drones, air defense systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Beijing, with the purchase of JF-17 fighter jets also under consideration.For policymakers in Washington, these developments are judged as clear evidence of Beijing’s strategic ambition to supersede Western influence in the region both economically and militarily.This evolution poses a direct challenge to the United States, which lacks both the appetite and infrastructure to compete on equal terms with China in Central Asia. Thus, the Trump administration, rather than countering with deeper engagement or military commitments, is more likely to respond through economic pressure designed to raise the costs of aligning with China.Another potential risk would be the region’s resources. Central Asia holds significant reserves of rare earth elements, lithium, cobalt, and other critical minerals essential for high-tech industries and green technologies. China has already secured long-term agreements with several regional states to mine and process these materials; Chinese companies have committed over $63 billion in investments across Central Asia, primarily targeting the mining and infrastructure sectors. China Mining Energy Group and Liamomaoli Metal Company are already involved in mining and processing projects across the region. Last but not least, in 2024, Kazakhstan and China signed a landmark agreement to build advanced copper smelting facilities, scheduled for completion by 2028.The U.S., meanwhile, shares similar resource needs but lacks a comparable footprint in the region. As a result, competition over access to these resources will likely intensify.Under Trump’s zero-sum approach, any significant expansion of Chinese control over strategic materials in Central Asia could prompt punitive economic measures from Washington, not with the aim of gaining influence, but rather to deny it to China. Due to the ongoing China-U.S. trade war, Beijing imposed export restrictions on key resources such as gallium, germanium, and graphite; currently, about 60 percent of critical raw materials is imported from China to the U.S.To explore opportunities for increasing Central Asia’s involvement in global critical minerals supply chains, the U.S. Department of State launched the C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue (CMD) in 2024 under the Biden administration. Similarly, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) recommended in 2024 expanding global partnerships in critical minerals and rare earth elements to reduce dependency on China. In this regard, Central Asia stands out as a promising venue for establishing partnerships in the critical minerals sector; however, logistical difficulties might hinder such development.Whereas the Biden administration leaned heavily on hopes for partnership, Trump’s style trends toward coercion. Neutrality, or a stance of equidistance, is likely to be viewed with skepticism by the Trump administration. Closer ties between China and Central Asia are not just economic relationships; they are strategic choices. The imposition of tariffs should therefore be read as a coercive signal: trading more with China will be interpreted as aligning with the United States’ geopolitical rival.Countries in the region should prepare for a U.S. strategy that employs unilateral economic tools in the form of sanctions, tariffs, and trade restrictions designed to disrupt Chinese initiatives, even at the cost of economic instability in the region. This is unlikely to be accompanied by substantial U.S. investment or security guarantees, given the limits of American engagement and Russia’s long-standing role in the region.One approach Central Asia could take is to double down on efforts toward regional integration and intra-regional trade. Additionally, increasing government expenditures on infrastructure projects have the potential to stimulate domestic industries and make national economics less vulnerable to shifting geopolitical dynamics. Finally, the leaders of Central Asia should act in concert to present the region as a platform for global cooperation, not a stage for great power competition. This can be done through using proactive diplomacy to shape the narrative, rather than waiting for others to impose their own.The long-standing strategy of balancing relations between great powers, Central Asia’s so-called multi-vector diplomacy, has served the region quite well so far. But in the context of intensifying China-U.S. rivalry, this policy may be harder to sustain. Trump’s worldview does not leave much room for neutrality; it demands alignment or requires punishment.Thus, the question remains: can Central Asian states continue their multi-vector diplomacy, or will they be forced to choose sides in this deepening geopolitical contest? If Kazakhstan Joins the Abraham Accords, the U.S. Wins (Town Hall – opinion)
Town Hall [5/18/2025 12:01 AM, Wes Martin, 1357K]
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump successfully completed his first major international trip to the Middle East. His first stop was in Saudi Arabia on May 13, after which he traveled to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The President met the ruler of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa. The Trump team says it has attracted over a trillion dollars in Gulf investment to the U.S., is attempting to bring an end to the Gaza war, stop Iran from becoming a nuclear weapons state, and avoid a clash between Turkey and Israel in Syria. Washington also appears committed to persuading the Saudi kingdom to normalize relations with Israel and join the Abraham Accords.
Countries outside of the Middle East are joining the Abraham Accords as well: Trump’s peace envoy Stephen Witkoff announced that Armenia and Azerbaijan may be next. Across the Caspian, in Central Asia, resource-rich Kazakhstan has long sought to break out of its landlocked position in the region through its multi-vector foreign policy approach, championed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The Kazakhs are the world’s largest supplier of uranium, with significant reserves of the rare earths and strategic minerals for specialty high-tech manufacture that the Trump Administration is working diligently to free the U.S. from dependence on Chinese supply. Astana also has good working relationships with Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other key players in the Greater Middle East.
As Trump and his team seek to transform the world order and shift some of the weight off America’s shoulders, it is essential to involve partners who will reliably step up to further peace, maintain order, and foster prosperity. Kazakhstan’s potential contributions should make it such a key partner. The U.S.’s latest moves to stabilize Southwest Asia could greatly benefit from bringing this secular Muslim-majority state into the Abraham Accords.
Solving the World’s Turmoil Through Diplomacy
U.S. efforts to achieve a detente with Russia, along with its complex dealings with Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, represent key opportunities for Kazakhstan to diversify its international engagements further.
Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine has been a setback for Kazakhstan’s multi-vector foreign policy, which seeks to forge relations with all major players in the world. The largest Central Asian nation finds itself uncomfortably sandwiched between its former liege, Russia, the rising power of China, and the West. Given its close trade relations with Moscow, Astana has suffered economically from the sanctions regime on the Kremlin, receiving little in return from the Biden Administration. In addition, Russia’s weakening in the wake of the Ukraine conflict has given China a disproportionate amount of space to expand its influence in Central Asia.
Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel triggered another war, which quickly escalated into a major regional conflict stretching from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Arabian Sea in the south and the Caspian Sea in the north. While Kazakhstan has no direct border with the Middle East, the country is not immune to the increased volatility in the Arab-majority region. As a Muslim-majority nation and a key member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Astana has a stake in making sure that the growing instability in the Middle East is capped.
Kazakhstan’s Ascendancy as a Middle Power
A secular Muslim state, which successfully transitioned from being a former Soviet republic and within three decades developed into a "middle power", Kazakhstan cannot remain passive while its strategic southwestern flank descends into turmoil. The country played a critical role in efforts to end the Syrian civil war. Known as the Astana Process, Kazakhstan facilitated nearly two dozen rounds of trilateral talks between Russia, Turkey, and Iran, the principal stakeholders in the conflict, from 2017 to 2024. Similarly, as a success story of post-USSR denuclearization, Kazakhstan held several rounds of the P-5+1 talks focused on Iran’s controversial nuclear program in early 2013 in Almaty, contributing to the interim agreement later that year.
In the past dozen years, Kazakhstan’s strategic environment has become increasingly challenging. Kazakhstan’s President Tokayev assumed office in March 2019, less than a year after the U.S. withdrew from the JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran. In August 2021, the internationally backed government in Afghanistan fell on Biden’s watch. The Taliban’s return to power forced Central Asian states to engage with the revived emirate, hoping to prevent Islamist radicalism from radiating northwards into the region.
At a critical time when Kazakhstan is engaged in an arduous process of political and economic reforms, it can ill afford to see instability rock its southern flank. While the Trump Administration, through its deal-making efforts, is trying to calm things down in the Middle East, Astana realizes that the region’s fragility is increasing.
Iran is in the throes of systemic change as it tries to salvage its regional position through talks with the United States. Meanwhile, Turkey and Israel find themselves increasingly at odds in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.
Washington is also seeking an unprecedented reset in its relations with Moscow, which would be a positive development for Astana. Kazakhstan is not only trying to secure its interests; its role aligns with the desired American approach, thereby avoiding the need for heavy lifting. Indeed, Astana has credibility with each of the four major Middle Eastern players. Turkey is a close ally with whom Kazakhstan is a member of the Organization of Turkic States. Kazakhstan is one of the rare cases of a significant Muslim nation that has maintained friendly relations with Israel for over three decades.
A Trusted Partner
Just last month, the Speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana, visited Astana to discuss economic cooperation, investment opportunities, and joint projects. A month earlier, Israeli President Herzog spoke with President Tokayev, and they agreed that Herzog would visit Kazakhstan later this year. The two countries maintain a robust, multi-dimensional partnership spanning a wide range of sectors, including trade, investment, and technological collaboration. With over 25% of its oil imports coming from Kazakhstan, the Central Asian nation plays a crucial role in Israel’s energy security.
Kazakhstan is a trusted security partner in the UN peacekeeping force on the Golan, as it was a part of the US-led coalition of the willing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Astana hosts a global congress of world and traditional religions, including participation from the Pope, Muslim ulema leaders, and Israeli chief rabbis. It has also excelled in deprogramming and mainstreaming radical Islamists who fought in Syria, along with their families, who were repatriated to Kazakhstan—an experience that may be vital for post-war Gaza.
Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia have maintained close ties as oil-exporting nations. Even Iran, despite doctrinal differences, has upheld strong bilateral relations with Kazakhstan through trade, as both countries are littoral states of the Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan can leverage these relationships with Middle Eastern nations to help the United States mitigate regional conflicts.
Integrating Astana into the framework of the Abraham Accords would be another geopolitical win for the Trump Administration, helping Washington mitigate risks along various Middle Eastern fault lines and promoting security and prosperity in Southwest Asia. Indo-Pacific
Lammy says UK, US working to ensure enduring India-Pakistan ceasefire, dialogue (Reuters)
Reuters [5/17/2025 8:35 PM, Charlotte Greenfield, 5.2M]
Britain is working with the U.S. to ensure a ceasefire between India and Pakistan endures and that "confidence-building measures" and dialogue take place, foreign minister David Lammy said on Saturday.
Pakistan has said Britain and other countries, in addition to the United States, played a major role in de-escalating the worst fighting in decades between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals, which erupted last week. A rapid diplomatic effort to broker the ceasefire succeeded on May 10, but diplomats and analysts say it remains fragile.
"We will continue to work with the United States to ensure that we get an enduring ceasefire, to ensure that dialogue is happening and to work through with Pakistan and India how we can get to confidence and confidence-building measures between the two sides," Lammy told Reuters in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad at the end of a two-day visit.
Pakistan and India fired missiles onto each other’s territory during weeks of tensions after a deadly attack on tourists in the contested region of Kashmir that New Delhi blames on Islamabad. Pakistan denies involvement.
U.S. President Donald Trump said after the ceasefire was struck that talks should take place in a third-country venue but no dates or location for the talks have been announced.
"These are two neighbours with a long history but they are two neighbours that have barely been able to speak to one other over this past period, and we want to ensure that we do not see further escalation and that the ceasefire endures," Lammy said.
Asked about India’s suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, potentially squeezing Pakistan’s water supply, Lammy said: "We would urge all sides to meet their treaty obligations."
Delhi said last month it had "put in abeyance" its participation in the 1960 pact, which governs use of the Indus river system, a move Pakistan says it would consider an act of war if it disrupted access to water in the agriculturally dependent nation.
Lammy said Britain would also continue to work with Pakistan on countering "terrorism", saying that it is "a terrible blight on this country and its people, and of course on the region."‘OBFUSCATION’ BY RUSSIA ON UKRAINE
Lammy accused Moscow of obfuscating after talks between Ukraine and Russia on a possible ceasefire ended in less than two hours and Trump said "nothing could happen" until he had met directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Yet again we are seeing obfuscation on the Russian side and unwillingness to get serious about the enduring peace that is now required in Ukraine," Lammy said. "Once again Russia is not serious."
"At what point do we say to Putin enough is enough?" he said. Why There’s No Battlefield Solution to India’s Perpetual Pakistan Problem (New York Times)
New York Times [5/18/2025 6:26 AM, Mujib Mashal and Alex Travelli, 656K]
Militarily, India fought Pakistan to little more than a draw this month during their most expansive combat in half a century.Indian forces managed to punch holes in hangars at sensitive Pakistani air bases and leave craters on runways, although only after losing aircraft in aerial face-offs with its longtime adversary.But strategically, the battlefield tossup was a clear setback for India. An aspiring diplomatic and economic power, it now finds itself equated with Pakistan, a smaller, weaker country that Indian officials call a rogue sponsor of terrorism.The four-day clash reminded the world of India’s powerlessness to resolve 78 years of conflict with the troubled nation next door. Any act of confrontation plays into the hands of Pakistan, where friction with India has long been a lifeblood. Outright military victory is nearly impossible, given the threat from both countries’ nuclear arsenals.“It’s unfortunate that we in India have to waste so much of our time and effort on what is actually a strategic distraction: terror from Pakistan,” said Shivshankar Menon, a former national security adviser in India. “But it’s a fact of life and we might as well manage the problem.”Just how to do that has perplexed Indian leaders ever since Pakistan and India were cleaved apart in 1947.Interviews with more than a dozen diplomats, analysts and officials paint a stark picture of India’s perpetual dilemma. After multiple wars and several failed attempts at solving their disputes, the problem has only grown in complexity.India struck Pakistan this month after blaming it for a deadly terrorist attack. The risk of rapid escalation has increased as both sides deploy drones and other cutting-edge weapons on a large scale for the first time. And superpower politics have entered the equation in new ways, as the United States offers growing diplomatic and military support to India, and China does so for Pakistan.At the same time, the leadership in each country has embraced religious nationalism, and each has hardened its views of the other, making any conciliatory gesture all but impossible.The Pakistan Army, which has long warped the country’s politics, has taken this ideological turn as it has extended its de facto rule. In India, the shift to strongman, Hindu-nationalist rule has left it boxed in whenever tensions rise, as the right-wing base of Prime Minister Narendra Modi often calls for blood.That makes it harder for India to show the kind of restraint that it displayed in 2008, when terrorists killed more than 160 people in Mumbai. Then, awareness of how war could set back India’s ascent took precedence over domestic pressure to retaliate.The Indian government, with Mr. Menon then as its highest-ranking diplomat, decided against striking Pakistan after the Mumbai attack. It wanted to keep the global focus on the terrorist attack and to isolate Pakistan for supporting terrorism, rather than elevate it as a battlefield equal.Seventeen years later, terrorists again attacked innocent people, killing more than two dozen Hindu tourists on April 22 in a scenic Kashmir meadow. This time, India responded by striking Pakistan militarily, and the two sides stepped to the brink of all-out war.Indian officials say that they had to send a message that there is a cost to Pakistan’s policy of proxy warfare, and that the strikes were part of a larger strategy to squeeze their adversary, including by threatening to disrupt the flow of crucial cross-border rivers.Even critics like Mr. Menon say they can see why India had little other choice.An Unshakable NeighborFor years, India and Pakistan have been on vastly different trajectories.As India has grown to become the world’s fourth-largest economy, it has been courted by the United States and its allies as a geopolitical partner in counterbalancing China and as an investment destination. American and Indian leaders prefer to talk about an enlarged “Indo-Pacific” region, including the advanced economies of East Asia, rather than old “Indo-Pakistan” problems.Today, in India’s hierarchy of concerns, “China looks much larger than Pakistan does,” Jon Finer, a former deputy national security adviser at the White House, said on a panel recently.With Chinese incursions along the countries’ Himalayan border and increased competition for regional dominance, the last thing India wants “is to be bogged down in a conflict with Pakistan while they are figuring things out with China,” he said.But Pakistan — from its birth dominated by its army, which defined India as the forever enemy to justify its size and influence — always looms in the background.In 1998, years after the Indian economy started pulling ahead of Pakistan’s, India made an earthshaking step toward joining the ranks of world powers by staging underground nuclear blasts.Barely two weeks later, Pakistan conducted its own nuclear tests. Suddenly, nuclear deterrence negated India’s military advantage.President Bill Clinton soon branded the region “the most dangerous place in the world.” It was hardly what India had set out to achieve. Instead of being clubbed with China, Russia and the Western powers, India was in a terrifying new quagmire.The nuclear stalemate did not bring peace. Pakistan used its experience of running American-funded jihadist militias against the Soviets in Afghanistan to expand its fight against India.A Tougher ApproachLike other Indian leaders before him, Mr. Modi, the country’s Hindu-nationalist prime minister, once tried his hand at peace.Still high on his sweeping election victory in 2014, he made a surprise visit to Pakistan the following year, the first by an Indian prime minister in a decade. He had vowed to turn India into a developed country and wanted to see whether he could find a solution on a front that was squandering resources.Nine months later, militants attacked an Indian military base. India blamed groups nurtured by Pakistan. Any talk of peace quickly ended.India’s response to that assault began an escalatory pattern of military retaliation that repeated after a similar attack on Indian forces in 2019 and last month’s terrorist ambush of civilians. India also entrenched a strategy of punishing Pakistan — freezing talks, isolating the country diplomatically, increasing border security and working covertly to aggravate its domestic vulnerabilities.Ajit Doval, the architect of Mr. Modi’s national security doctrine, has said that India’s previous governments grew too defensive under the threat of nuclear confrontation. In such a mode, he said, shortly before becoming national security adviser in 2014, “I can never win — because either I lose, or there is a stalemate.”He proposed a “defensive offense” approach, essentially mimicking Pakistan’s own asymmetric tactics.In recent years, according to analysts and officials, India has waged assassination campaigns to try to take out many of the militants focused on operations against India. The Indian government has also been accused of having a hand in insurgencies that have drained Pakistan’s military, particularly the separatist movement in Balochistan Province, bordering Iran and Afghanistan.“You do one Mumbai, you may lose Balochistan,” Mr. Doval said in 2014. “There is no nuclear war involved in that. There is no engagement of troops. If you know the tricks, we know the trick better than you.”After the latest hostilities, India has threatened more overt action, saying that any future terrorist attacks will be seen as an act of war — potentially setting up frequent military confrontation as the new norm.But with the specter of nuclear war, what India can achieve through military force is limited.“Deterrence is subjective and in the eye of the beholder, a mind-reading game,” said Mr. Menon, the former national security adviser. The more practical question, he said, is whether India can reset the incentives that drive the Pakistan Army.The four days of unpredictable escalation with Pakistan this month became the latest reminder of the gap between India’s aspirations and its constraints. It has built sufficient diplomatic power, and integrated itself enough into the global economy, to emerge without a major blow to its reputation, Western diplomats in New Delhi said.But “at some point, India’s leaders have to recognize that they can’t free themselves of their neighbor and move on and become a global power,” said Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to Washington. “You have to have some modus vivendi with each of your neighbors — whether they are your enemies, whether they’re your friends, whether they’re just there.” As India, Pakistan hail military feats, Kashmiris are left to grieve (Washington Post)
Washington Post [5/18/2025 1:00 AM, Niha Masih and Shams Irfan, 6.9M]
URI, Indian-administered Kashmir — The night of May 8 returns to Sanam Bashir as a jumble of disjointed images. Her family was packed into three cars. The road was so dark, she said, and the artillery fire deafening.“It felt like the night of judgment,” said Bashir, 20, who was huddled in the back seat with her little cousin, 4-year-old Muheeb, her aunt and her mother, Nargis Begum.
Bashir doesn’t remember the shrapnel striking the roof of the car, but she can’t forget her aunt’s sharp cry, or the hot blood that poured from her mother’s neck. Begum was dead by the time they reached the hospital.
At least 27 people were killed, including 11-year old twins, and more than 50 injured in the Indian-administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir over four days of fighting between India and Pakistan. The sudden violence was the worst to hit the contested region in decades and, as in previous rounds of conflict, civilians bore the heaviest cost.
Days into a fragile ceasefire, The Washington Post visited villages less than 10 miles from the Line of Control — the de facto border that snakes over mountains and across rivers, carving Kashmir in two.
Years of relative calm were shattered last month when militants gunned down 26 civilians near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi said the attack had links to Pakistan, which it has long accused of supporting violent separatists. Islamabad denied any involvement. The region held its breath.
India’s retaliation came on May 7, when it launched its deepest strikes inside Pakistan in more than half a century, killing at least 26 people. For the next three nights, the nuclear-armed neighbors edged ever closer to war — trading strikes on military sites and sending waves of drones into each other’s cities. After a U.S.-brokered truce on May 10, both countries trumpeted their military achievements and downplayed their losses.
Along the Line of Control, where families have long lived in the shadow of conflict, the Pakistani shelling was more intense and indiscriminate than anyone could remember. Reports were similar in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, where at least 16 people were killed by Indian fire.
More than 450 homes or shops were damaged in and around Uri, and at least a third of the population fled their homes. After the ceasefire, people were returning to sift through the wreckage of their lives.
Although the Indian army said last week that it had agreed with Pakistan to extend the ceasefire, residents remained on edge.
At Begum’s house in the hamlet of Rajarwani, her loved ones were still in shock. “If the government had built bunkers or told us in the morning to evacuate, she would have been with us today,” said her son, 27-year-old Saqib Bashir Khan.
The family of eight has always been poor. Begum earned $12 a month preparing meals at a school; her husband is a day laborer without steady work. Begum’s relatives received $7,000 in compensation from the local government for her death, but they said they can never be made whole.“The government ignores the poor when they are alive,” said Hafiza Begum, her sister-in-law. “But now that she is dead, they are giving money. What use is any wealth now?”
In the nearby village of Bandi, Mohammed Anwar Sheikh is waiting for help to come.“Firing used to happen, but it never rained down on our homes,” said Sheikh, 40, whose modest three-room house is near an Indian military camp. A shell tore through his main room, blasting the windows, splitting the television in two and leaving deep hollows on the brightly painted yellow wall. The notebook his son used for his English homework was in shreds.
Indian soldiers had visited three days earlier to collect shell fragments, he said, and assured him he would be reimbursed for the damage.
He sent his wife and six children to a relief camp an hour and a half away when the fighting began. Each night, he huddled with his few remaining neighbors in a makeshift bunker that afforded them only partial protection.
In the predawn hours on May 9, he recalled, the firing intensified. When the projectile hit his house, “it felt like an earthquake,” Sheikh said. “I just prayed to God.” Among the family’s losses were a flock of pigeons and some chickens they had lovingly raised together.
Police and civil personnel have been deployed across the area to assess damage and compensate civilians. But locals said they were struggling to meet their basic needs and couldn’t understand why they had been left so vulnerable.
A local government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of unwanted scrutiny, said that building bunkers should be a priority now but admitted that the bureaucratic process is slow. And nobody here knows how long the peace will hold.
Further on from Sheikh’s home, tucked in the lush foothills beside a narrow stream, is the village of Lagama.
The walnut and pear trees are still standing on the property of Mohammed Shafi Pathan, 63, but his family’s home is now unlivable. The retired soldier fled with his wife, son and three grandchildren on the night of May 9 as explosions thundered through the valley. Early the next morning, the police called to tell him his house had been hit.
He returned to a scene of devastation: Shrapnel had pierced through a tin roof, landing on the staircase and gouging out a large chunk of concrete. Plastic drums of rice were covered in gray ash. The stench of explosives was still sharp.“Not a single item can be salvaged,” Pathan said, stepping over a scatter of blankets, toys, clothes, spoons.
Life along the border is never easy. Poverty is widespread and the specter of conflict is always near. Civilians contend daily with a heavy Indian military presence and frequent checkpoints. Armed convoys regularly roll through.
The latest fighting has established again that “Kashmir is a flash point and has potential to force all of South Asia into a big war,” said Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a political analyst based in Srinagar, the seat of power in the Indian-administered part of the territory.
Kashmiris, trapped in a situation beyond their control, suffer the most, Hussain said. “Now it is the job of big global powers to help defuse tensions permanently,” he said.
There are new coffee shops and hotels in Srinagar, part of a years-long effort by New Delhi to revive the local tourist industry. But the unprecedented drone attacks by Pakistan have cast a pall over the city.
On a recent evening, boatmen at Dal Lake — framed by imposing mountain peaks — sat gossiping or fishing. There was no one to tempt with a ride; the tourists had disappeared after the attack in Pahalgam.
In the central square of Lal Chowk, 21-year-old Muskan, who goes by one name, was taking photos with her brother. The militant attack had pained Kashmiris, she said, but they were distressed too by the ensuing Indian security crackdown and reports of attacks on Kashmiri students in India.“There should be no fear,” she said. “Neither for us, nor for the tourists.”
In Uri, a ghost town until a few days earlier, vendors were back on the streets, selling eggs, scarves and plastic goods. A bunker is being built at a government office. But some locations remain off-limits. At a checkpoint, Indian soldiers blocked Post reporters from traveling to the village of Salamabad, which is said to have sustained heavy damage.“The latest conflict has changed everything,” said Pathan, the retired soldier. “We can neither live nor die in peace.” China’s warplane combat debut over Kashmir riles tense geopolitics (Washington Post)
Washington Post [5/17/2025 3:04 PM, Cate Cadell and Karishma Mehrotra, 32099K]
When Pakistani officials last week told Beijing’s diplomats that its Chinese-made jets and missiles had downed several Indian aircraft, including French warplanes, the response was quiet jubilation. After many years and billions spent in development, their arms were finally tested in battle — and delivered.But the focus quickly shifted from elation to escalation, according to two people familiar with official Chinese discussions.As cross-border fighting raged last week, a flurry of meetings were already underway in both Islamabad and Beijing, with Chinese diplomats scrambling to assess the potential fallout. Among their concerns was that any overt display of China’s battlefield success could shatter its fragile détente with India — just as Beijing is trying to present itself as a stabilizing force in Asia in contrast to Washington’s volatility.This week, Chinese officials and state media struck a careful tone, touting the success of Beijing’s military technology while urging restraint between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, who have held to a ceasefire since Sunday. But outside official channels, China’s tightly controlled social media has erupted with nationalist fervor over its apparently successful live combat test.New Delhi this week released new details drawing attention to the role of Chinese weaponry in the clash against Pakistani forces and pushed back against claims it bested Indian defenses. In a Wednesday statement, New Delhi claimed its forces had “bypassed and jammed Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied air defense systems” within just 23 minutes.The unease among Chinese officials — and the carefully calibrated messaging — underscores Beijing’s delicate role as a burgeoning proxy military power in South Asia, a region that could become the first true proving ground for its arsenal and its effectiveness against Western weaponry.“The situation is being managed very carefully in China. There is no doubt that [Beijing] wants to show … the strength of its military industry development, but it’s not the right time to be pulled into frivolous fights,” said one person in Beijing who was briefed on discussions between Chinese officials last week and who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.In Washington, President Donald Trump claimed a ceasefire — made before any official word from India or Pakistan — as a fleeting diplomatic win amid faltering efforts to broker peace in Ukraine and the Middle East. Washington has pushed back against Beijing’s expanding military ties with nuclear-armed Pakistan, raising concerns over regional stability and proliferation risks. Last September, the United States imposed sanctions on several Chinese firms that supply Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.China has deepened its economic and military ties with Pakistan in recent years, now supplying around 80 percent of its imported arms. The partnership serves to counterbalance India, which has had a long-standing border dispute with China. Chinese and Indian forces clashed in 2020 in the contested Galwan Valley, leading to deaths on both sides, and only last year did the two sides agree to a de-escalating joint patrolling agreement.Beijing remains cautious about pushing New Delhi too far. When relations soured following the Galwan Valley clashes, Washington moved quickly to draw India closer into the coalition of nations countering China’s growing influence in Asia. At a 2022 White House meeting, President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a deal to co-produce fighter jet engines in India, declaring the two nations “among the closest partners in the world.”Indian officials have pushed back on elements of Trump’s account of the Kashmir ceasefire. Still, analysts say New Delhi remains constrained by the need to finalize a trade deal within the 90-day negotiating window. On Thursday, Trump claimed India had offered a deal with “no tariffs” on American goods.“For China, India is a very important relationship, even though they’re competitors. It does not want to push India further into the U.S. orbit,” said Nishank Motwani, a senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.China has poured trillions of dollars into building a high-tech military it hopes will rival that of the United States in the coming decades — but has had few opportunities to battle-test those investments. The mounting evidence that Chinese jets may have downed modern French-made aircraft likely comes as a relief to Beijing.“If Pakistan’s equipment were to fail, that is egg in the face of the Chinese,” said Milan Vaishnav, senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.India last week launched a missile attack on Pakistani targets in retaliation for the April 22 killing of 26 mostly Hindu tourists in Kashmir, a border region claimed by both countries. India accused Pakistan of supporting the attackers, which Islamabad has denied.Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told Parliament following the skirmish that five Indian warplanes were shot down by Chinese J-10C jets and that Chinese diplomats were kept abreast of the unfolding situation. “Being a friendly nation, they expressed great happiness,” he said, in comments reported by Pakistani media. New Delhi has not confirmed that any of its aircraft were lost, but at a Monday news conference, officials showed images of what appeared to be debris from PL-15E Chinese air-to-air missiles.If confirmed, the clashes would mark the first real battlefield use of both the Chinese-made J-10C and the PL-15E missiles reportedly recovered by Indian forces.According to a Washington Post analysis, the Indian retaliatory strikes damaged runways and infrastructure at at least six military airfields — the most significant combat exchange in decades between the rival nations, which have fought two wars over the region since 1947.Trump announced last Saturday that the two sides had reached a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States following a “long night of talks.” On Monday he said the agreement was struck after his administration said it “wouldn’t do any trade” with the two sides if they didn’t stop fighting. Indian officials have since denied trade was discussed at all and disputed that Washington played a significant role in the ceasefire.In 2021, Pakistan became the first known foreign buyer of China’s J-10C fighter jets. Debuting at Pakistan’s National Day parade in 2022, the jets have featured in at least one cross-border mission over Iran last year but had never seen combat.Analysts say the skirmish likely offered Beijing more than a combat test of its jets and missiles — it also gave a window into India’s military readiness, including its use of drones and intelligence capabilities that enabled precision strikes inside Pakistan.“This is the first time also India’s been using offensive capability drones, for example … and then at the same time, what it is doing in terms of electronic warfare and jamming to down Pakistani assets,” Motwani said. “China will be learning a lot. For its own benefit vis-à-vis India, and at the same time when the dust has settled, Pakistan will be sharing that intel as well with China.”The showdown between Chinese and French-made jets also offers the United States and its allies a rare opportunity to assess the potential performance of Chinese fighters in the Indo-Pacific theater.The J-10 is common in the Chinese military’s sorties over Taiwan and the South China Sea, and has been deployed to intercept U.S. military aircraft. Last year, Australia raised protests with Chinese counterparts after a J-10C fighter jet launched flares in front of an Australian military helicopter that was accompanying an Australian destroyer in the Yellow Sea.Under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon has issued interim guidance that elevates a potential conflict over Taiwan above all other theaters, outlining plans to reorient the sprawling U.S. military apparatus toward the Indo-Pacific.Air superiority is likely to prove decisive in any conflict over the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea. Last month, the U.S. approved a $5.58 billion deal to sell 20 F-16s to the Philippines — a key ally in countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific — prompting Beijing to accuse Washington of “turning Asia into a powder keg.”This week, Chinese analysts and social media commentators wasted no time linking the reported prowess of the Chinese fighter jets to a potential showdown with Taiwan.“The conflict between India and Pakistan is likely to be a rehearsal for the imminent collapse of Taiwan’s imported equipment,” said Hu Xijin, former editor in chief of the hawkish Chinese state media newspaper Global Times. China Gave Pakistan Satellite Support, Indian Defense Group Says (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [5/18/2025 7:31 PM, Sudhi Ranjan Sen and Dan Strumpf, 5.5M]
China provided Pakistan with air defense and satellite support during its clash with India this month, according to a research group under India’s Ministry of Defence, suggesting that Beijing was more directly involved in the conflict than was previously disclosed.
China helped Pakistan reorganize its radar and air defense systems to more effectively detect India’s deployments of troops and weaponry, Ashok Kumar, director general at the New Delhi-based Centre For Joint Warfare Studies, said in an interview.
China also helped Pakistan adjust its satellite coverage over India during the 15-day interval between an April 22 massacre that killed 26 mostly Indian tourists and the start of hostilities between the two nations, he said.“It helped them to redeploy their air defense radar so that any actions which we do from the aerial route is known to them,” Kumar said at the group’s headquarters in New Delhi.
India’s government hasn’t publicly detailed China’s involvement in the conflict. While Pakistan has said it used Chinese-supplied weapons, Kumar’s assessment — if correct — indicates that China’s involvement went even further, offering logistical and intelligence support to Islamabad.
The Centre for Joint Warfare Studies describes itself as an autonomous think tank focused on integration and transformation of India’s armed forces. Its advisory board includes Defense Minister Rajnath Singh as well as India’s top military commander and the heads of the army, air force and navy.
China’s Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry didn’t respond to requests for comment placed over the weekend. Representatives for India’s Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Defence, armed forces and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry and Information Ministry also didn’t respond to emailed queries on Sunday.
The clash was the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbors in half a century, with both sides trading air, drone and missile strikes, as well as artillery and small arms fire along their shared border. It was triggered by the bloodshed on April 22, which India has called an act of terrorism orchestrated by Pakistan. Leaders in Islamabad have denied involvement.
The conflict drew in world powers, with President Donald Trump taking credit for helping to mediate a ceasefire that started May 10 — an assertion that generated anger in India, which said the truce was negotiated bilaterally. On Thursday, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister said the ceasefire would be extended to Sunday, while the Indian Army has said it would continue to work on confidence-building measures with Pakistan.
Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to visit China on Monday to hold in-depth discussions “on the evolving regional situation in South Asia and its implications for peace and stability,” according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad.
Kumar said China used the conflict as a testing ground for its weapons. The performance of the Chinese defense systems were below average and “failed miserably” in some instances, Kumar said, citing an Indian military assessment. He didn’t provide specifics.
India’s defense systems reacted well to Pakistan’s use of hundreds of drones in the conflict, Kumar said, adding that India’s integrated network of sensors gave it an edge. He didn’t comment on China’s J-10C fighter or Pakistan’s claims that it downed Indian warplanes.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said Pakistan shot down six Indian fighter jets, an assertion that hasn’t been independently verified. India’s government hasn’t commented on whether it lost aircraft in the fighting.
Chinese weapons like the J-10C fighter and the PL-15 air-to-air missile had never seen documented live fighting before, and their use has raised concerns among Beijing’s rivals across the region, including in Taiwan. China’s government hasn’t commented on the use of its equipment, and Pakistan hasn’t presented evidence to back up its claims.
Kumar said that India’s planning for conflicts with Pakistan now accounts for the probability that China will provide assistance to Islamabad. China may not intervene on behalf of Pakistan unless the situation is “critical,” but Pakistan will enter a conflict between India and China, Kumar said.‘Two-Front Situation’“India now factors in a two-front situation in almost all its calculations,” Kumar said. “Anything which is with China today can be deemed to be with Pakistan tomorrow.”
The longstanding strife between India and Pakistan centers on the disputed region of Kashmir, a mountainous swath of territory that both countries claim in whole but control in part.
China has long been a backer of Pakistan dating back to the Cold War, and more recently has invested billions of dollars into the country via its Belt and Road infrastructure program. In recent years, India has shifted more military resources to its disputed border with China, where a 2020 clash left 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops dead.
More recently, India and China had made strides toward normalizing ties. Twitter
Afghanistan
Hafiz Zia Ahmad@HafizZiaAhmad
[5/17/2025 2:18 AM, 112.6K followers, 28 retweets, 171 likes]
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, left for the Islamic Republic of Iran following an official invitation extended by Dr. Seyed Abbas Araghchi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad@HafizZiaAhmad
[5/17/2025 2:18 AM, 112.6K followers, 1 retweet, 8 likes]
The delegation includes Dr. Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy. During the visit, Minister Muttaqi is scheduled to participate in the Tehran Dialogue Forum and hold high-level meetings with his Iranian counterpart...
Hafiz Zia Ahmad@HafizZiaAhmad
[5/17/2025 2:18 AM, 112.6K followers, 1 retweet, 10 likes]
and other senior officials to engage in substantive discussions on strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing bilateral cooperation.
Rep. Jason Crow@RepJasonCrow
[5/16/2025 1:30 PM, 151.3K followers, 1.3K retweets, 3.7K likes]
I served in Afghanistan. I might not be here today were it not for our Afghan partners who served alongside me during the war. Many Afghans now face deadly persecution by the Taliban. I’m fighting to honor our promises & give them safe harbor in America. https://crow.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-crow-leads-bipartisan-effort-to-honor-promises-to-america-s-afghan-allies
Shawn VanDiver@shawnjvandiver
[5/16/2025 6:22 PM, 33.4K followers, 17 retweets, 81 likes]
Did you know that the (now dead) One Big Beautiful Bill included a provision (requested by the White House) to kick Afghan refugees, parolees, & asylees off of SNAP? I’m officially done believing anyone at the @WhiteHouse wants to help Afghans. We need Congress to stand strong.
Shawn VanDiver@shawnjvandiver
[5/16/2025 2:50 PM, 33.4K followers, 63 retweets, 177 likes]
Friends, I don’t think @Sec_Noem checked with Chairman @BrianMastFL regarding whether or not Afghanistan is safe before ending #TPS. It’s not. I’m grateful for his having convened this roundtable last year. I hope to see him coming out swinging on this issue like he did then. Pakistan
Shehbaz Sharif@CMShehbaz
[5/17/2025 3:33 PM, 6.8M followers, 401 retweets, 2.1K likes]
Had a warm and cordial call with President Masoud Pezeshkian @drpezeshkian this evening. I thanked him for Iran’s sincere efforts to defuse tensions in South Asia and for standing with Pakistan during the recent crisis. I reaffirmed Pakistan’s firm resolve to defend its sovereignty and emphasized that peace in the region hinges on a just resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute in line with UN resolutions. We also agreed to deepen Pak-Iran ties in trade, connectivity, and regional security. I also gladly accepted his kind invitation to visit Tehran.
Zalmay Khalilzad@realZalmayMK
[5/18/2025 7:24 AM, 264.7K followers, 3.6K retweets, 9.7K likes]
Regarding the possible release of Imran Khan, there is another perspective, perhaps the dominant one: that the military feels strengthened by the recent attacks and counter-attacks with India and thus has concluded that there is no need for a positive gesture towards democracy or the PTI (Pakistan Movement for Justice) and thus has decided against the release. If true, this is short-sighted as this would be the moment for true national unity. Pakistan’s democracy-defcit and politica polarization will continue to undermine the country’s stability and economic well-being. #Pakistan @ImranKhanPTI
Zalmay Khalilzad@realZalmayMK
[5/18/2025 4:24 PM, 264.7K followers, 4.9K retweets, 15K likes]
There are reports that Imran Khan will be released soon. I hope these reports are true. Pakistan would benefit from his release both at home and abroad during this sensitive period. Besides, it would be the right thing to do. #Pakistan @ImranKhanPTI
Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office@amnestysasia
[5/16/2025 6:51 AM, 100.2K followers, 36 retweets, 65 likes]
PAKISTAN: Can you imagine living through a heatwave with no electricity, breeze or escape? This is the daily life in Karachi, where extreme heat and suffocating humidity are pushing people, especially older people, to the brink.
Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office@amnestysasia
[5/16/2025 6:51 AM, 100.2K followers, 3 retweets, 4 likes]
In summer 2024, Karachi sweltered under 46°C (114.8°F) heat. Power outages lasted hours. Fans and air conditioners sat still. Dozens of older people died - trapped in the heat. There was no relief.
Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office@amnestysasia
[5/16/2025 6:51 AM, 100.2K followers, 1 retweet, 3 likes]
Those most at risk: people over the age of 50, were often forced to keep working. Many rely on daily wages to survive.
Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office@amnestysasia
[5/16/2025 6:51 AM, 100.2K followers, 2 likes]
May 2025: another severe heatwave is sweeping across Pakistan.Experts warn temperatures may rise even higher — pushing the limits of human survival, especially with high humidity.
Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office@amnestysasia
[5/16/2025 6:51 AM, 100.2K followers, 4 retweets, 8 likes]
These are not isolated tragedies. Pakistan is paying the highest price for a climate crisis it did not cause. And those suffering most — older people, children, daily-wage workers — remain invisible in climate policies and disaster response.
Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office@amnestysasia
[5/16/2025 6:51 AM, 100.2K followers, 3 retweets, 10 likes]
.@amnesty’s new report ‘Uncounted: Invisible Deaths of Older People and Children During Climate Disasters’ exposes the hidden toll of climate disasters in Pakistan. It’s time to center their stories. To demand climate justice that leaves no one behind. Read the report Hear their voices Share their stories https://amnesty.org/en/documents/asa33/9007/2025/en/ #TraceTheErased #ClimateJustice #Pakistan #Heatwaves
Ashok Swain@ashoswai
[5/18/2025 2:04 PM, 624.9K followers, 187 retweets, 1.1K likes]
The chief military spokesperson of Pakistan warns India over its threat to stop water flowing from the Indus River system to Pakistan, saying such a move would trigger consequences lasting for generations. Has Pakistan’s threat moved from nuclear attack to attacking Indian dams? India
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[5/17/2025 11:21 PM, 108.7M followers, 7.4K retweets, 55K likes]
Greetings to our Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji on his birthday. He is blessed with tremendous knowledge of our Constitution, reflecting from his years of work as a leading lawyer. He has made commendable efforts to boost the productivity of the Rajya Sabha. His interest towards serving society is also immense. May he lead a long and healthy life. @VPIndia
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[5/17/2025 11:22 PM, 108.7M followers, 6K retweets, 53K likes]
Birthday wishes to our former Prime Minister, Shri HD Deve Gowda Ji. He is widely respected for his statesmanlike approach and passion towards public service. His wisdom and insights on several issues are a source of great strength. May he be blessed with a long and healthy life. @H_D_Devegowda
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[5/19/2025 12:40 PM, 225.7K followers, 120 retweets, 649 likes]
Lots of talk of who won, India or Pakistan. In reality, each side did enough to be able to reasonably claim victory to its respective publics, and with few political costs. That helps explain why they agreed to a ceasefire even amid soaring tensions and escalating hostilities.
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[5/19/2025 12:40 PM, 225.7K followers, 26 retweets, 117 likes]
The battle of narratives is one that each side aims to wage abroad as much as at home. This battle is now going global, w/senior figures visiting key capitals to make their case. India at a disadvantage-it had most of the world w/it at start of crisis but much less of it at end.
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[5/18/2025 4:44 PM, 225.7K followers, 29 retweets, 104 likes]
In my latest Q/A with @RediffNews I discuss possible reasons for Trump’s Kashmir comments; the Trump admin’s views of India; India’s approach to the ceasefire; impacts of the crisis for Pakistan’s army; and Asim Munir’s possible next move. https://www.rediff.com/news/interview/operation-sindoor-trump-doesnt-mean-any-harm-to-india/20250515.htmBrahma Chellaney@Chellaney
[5/18/2025 1:53 PM, 291.5K followers, 322 retweets, 1K likes]
Why doesn’t India align its rhetoric with action by formally designating Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism? Despite the recent expulsion of Pakistani military attachés, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi still maintains a staff strength larger than that of the Canadian High Commission. Notably, one of India’s foremost legal experts, @KapilSibal, has proposed amending the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) to empower the government to designate a country like Pakistan as a terrorist state.
Brahma Chellaney@Chellaney
[5/18/2025 2:52 AM, 291.5K followers, 416 retweets, 1.3K likes]
Trump’s assertions raise a chilling question: If the US can use trade threats to dictate India’s conduct in a military crisis, including compelling it to cease all strikes, what’s to stop Washington from weaponizing defense supply chains during a real war? https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5304742-trump-just-undermined-americas-strategic-partnership-with-india/
Brahma Chellaney@Chellaney
[5/17/2025 9:34 AM, 291.5K followers, 474 retweets, 1.4K likes]
Modi said in 2016, “Blood and water cannot flow together.” Almost nine years later, he recently repeated that line. But, as this article explains, India has built no hydrological infrastructure to disrupt or even reduce transboundary flows to Pakistan. https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/india-decision-to-suspend-the-indus-waters-treaty-is-justified-by-brahma-chellaney-2025-05? NSB
Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh@ChiefAdviserGoB
[5/17/2025 2:58 AM, 163.3K followers, 113 retweets, 1.2K likes]
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Saturday released a commemorative stamp at the State Guest House Jamuna marking International Telecommunication Day.
Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh@ChiefAdviserGoB
[5/17/2025 2:51 AM, 163.3K followers, 23 retweets, 466 likes]
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus speaks at the unveiling ceremony of the Microcredit Regulatory Authority building in the capital’s Agargaon on Saturday.
Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh@ChiefAdviserGoB
[5/17/2025 1:46 AM, 163.3K followers, 33 retweets, 743 likes]
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus inaugurates the Micro Credit Regulatory Authority building in the capital’s Agargaon on Saturday.
Tshering Tobgay@tsheringtobgay
[5/19/2025 3:13 AM, 102.5K followers, 1 retweet, 2 likes]
Honoured to welcome @bjerde_anna and @MartinRaiser of @WorldBank. I expressed my deep gratitude for the World Bank’s assistance and partnership over the decades which have played a pivotal role in Bhutan’s development journey.
Tshering Tobgay@tsheringtobgay[5/19/2025 3:13 AM, 102.5K followers, 1 like]
I look forward to deepening our partnership and achieving even greater outcomes together in the years ahead.
Namal Rajapaksa@RajapaksaNamal
[5/18/2025 1:56 PM, 435.1K followers, 1 retweet, 25 likes]
A special Seth Pirith chanting ceremony was held at the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple to mark the 16th anniversary of the end of the war against terrorism in Sri Lanka. The event, conducted under the patronage of the Chief Incumbent, Most Ven. Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thero, aimed to invoke blessings upon Hon. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose leadership in eradicating terrorism brought peace to the nation, to extend merits to the fallen war heroes, and to seek blessings for the disabled veterans.
Namal Rajapaksa@RajapaksaNamal
[5/18/2025 6:06 AM, 435.1K followers, 15 retweets, 146 likes]
Honored to join the special religious ceremony at Tissamaharama Rajamaha Viharaya, paying tribute to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa for ending terrorism and bringing peace to Sri Lanka. Today, we remember every life lost, from innocent children, families, and elders to brave war heroes, disabled veterans and the families who continue to bear the pain of their sacrifice. #RemembranceDay
Sajith Premadasa@sajithpremadasa
[5/17/2025 2:11 PM, 234.1K followers, 21 retweets, 147 likes]
Thusitha Halloluwa survived but luck is not a security policy. 43 shootings in barely five months and targets chosen with chilling precision. When critics keep dodging bullets,the worst threat is not the gunman it’s the security vacuum engineered at the top. Sri Lankans deserve better and they definitely deserve safety.
Sajith Premadasa@sajithpremadasa
[5/17/2025 6:11 AM, 234.1K followers, 15 retweets, 155 likes]
During the campaign Sri Lankans were promised a 33% CUT in electricity bills. Today the government raced to impose a 18.3% hike just to tick the IMF-review box. Debt can’t be cured with deceit. There was room to negotiate: We could have tabled a time-bound plan to plug CEB’s leakages saving billions before billing citizens but we know NPP’s system change only applies to political opponents not friends. Atleast the low-income families could have been spared from the shocks but for that you need a party with real empathy not anger and hatred. Finally we could have fast-tracked cheaper solar & wind projects to replace costly diesel, and preventing future tariffs from rising, instead we scared away our foreign investors. The IMF backs credible reforms not check lists, if there is political will and honesty a lot can be done to protect the vulnerable and chart a course for recovery. High time for the NPP team to get off the campaign trail and start governing.
Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office@amnestysasia [5/18/2025 6:54 AM, 100.2K followers, 64 retweets, 129 likes]
Sri Lanka: Thousands of Tamils gathered today at Mullivaikkal, in the Northern district of Mullaithivu to mark 16 years since the end of Sri Lanka’s internal armed conflict. Victims of the conflict are still pursuing justice and accountability for allegations of serious international law violations that occurred during the period, which include thousands of cases of enforced disappearances. Consecutive Sri Lankan governments have denied any wrongdoing and refused to carry out credible investigations. Will the new government undo the past failures of its predecessors and bring justice and accountability? The international community must support victims’ demands to find redress for alleged crimes. Central Asia
MFA Tajikistan@MOFA_Tajikistan
[5/18/2025 8:03 AM, 5.3K followers, 2 retweets, 7 likes]
Meeting with the President of Iran https://mfa.tj/en/main/view/17052/meeting-with-the-president-of-iran #Tajikistan #Iran #Diplomacy #Tajikistan2025 #BilateraRelations #culture #tourism
MFA Tajikistan@MOFA_Tajikistan
[5/18/2025 8:46 AM, 5.3K followers, 3 likes]
Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Tajikistan and Iran https://mfa.tj/en/main/view/17044/meeting-of-the-foreign-ministers-of-tajikistan-and-iran
MFA Tajikistan@MOFA_Tajikistan
[5/16/2025 8:24 AM, 5.3K followers, 2 likes]
Presentation of Letters of Credence by the Ambassador of Tajikistan to the Sri Lanka https://mfa.tj/en/main/view/17038/presentation-of-letters-of-credence-by-the-ambassador-of-tajikistan-to-the-sri-lanka #Tajikistan #SriLanka #ForeignAffairs #Diplomacy #Tajikistan2025 #GlobalRelations #TajikistanMinistryOfForeignAffairs #BilateralRelations
Saida Mirziyoyeva@SMirziyoyeva
[5/18/2025 12:52 PM, 22.2K followers, 2 retweets, 23 likes]
Uzbekistan at #EXPO2025 is more than presence — it’s a vision. We choose sustainability, innovation & education as our path forward. Culture must unite, not divide. A highlight: the world premiere of Celestial Dance by the Uzbekistan Symphony — a gift to Japan.
Saida Mirziyoyeva@SMirziyoyeva
[5/17/2025 4:51 AM, 22.2K followers, 4 retweets, 25 likes]
At Expo 2025 Osaka, the Uzbekistan Pavilion is a vibrant “Garden of Knowledge” where culture, technology & sustainability meet. Over 100,000 visitors have already explored this unique space. #Expo2025 #Uzbekistan #OsakaExpo
Saida Mirziyoyeva@SMirziyoyeva[5/16/2025 10:39 AM, 22.2K followers, 14 likes]
Today we met with a Utah Senate & business delegation to advance cooperation in education, tech, and women’s entrepreneurship. Strong interest in ties with Silicon Slopes & Utah universities. A promising step toward a lasting, mutually beneficial partnership.
Navbahor Imamova@Navbahor
[5/16/2025 9:29 AM, 24.3K followers, 1 retweet, 1 like]
Uzbekistan’s State Security Service opened a call center to handle inquiries related to terrorism, organized crime, illegal trafficking of weapons and drugs, as well as corruption and economic crimes. https://www.gazeta.uz/en/2025/05/15/sss-call-center/
Navbahor Imamova@Navbahor
[5/18/2025 9:27 AM, 24.3K followers, 3 retweets, 1 like]
Deported citizens of Uzbekistan to repay return costs for violating foreign laws https://www.gazeta.uz/en/2025/05/16/migrants/ {End of Report} To subscribe to the SCA Morning Press Clips, please email SCA-PressOfficers@state.gov. Please do not reply directly to this email.