SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO: | SCA & Staff |
DATE: | Wednesday, May 21, 2025 6:30 AM ET |
Afghanistan
Hegseth Orders a New Review of U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan (New York Times)
New York Times [5/20/2025 4:32 PM, Greg Jaffe, 47007K]
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that he had directed his chief spokesman to convene a panel to review the U.S. military’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan and to ensure that senior military officials were held accountable.In a memo to senior Pentagon leaders, Mr. Hegseth said that the department had been reviewing the operation that led to the deaths of 13 U.S. troops and 170 civilians at Kabul International Airport. He suggested that the effort led by Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, would be more comprehensive than previous reviews.Mr. Hegseth’s selection of his chief spokesman to conduct such an inquiry was highly unusual and appeared to reflect a skepticism that uniformed military leaders would hold each other accountable.Mr. Parnell served in Afghanistan for 16 months in 2006 and 2007 as a platoon leader in Paktika Province, near Pakistan’s border, where he was wounded in combat. A news release announcing the review noted that he “lost countless friends to the war on terror.”He will be joined in the review by former Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who in October 2021 pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty, contempt toward officials and willfully disobeying a superior officer, after he excoriated senior military officials in the days after a suicide bombing killed the 13 U.S. troops at Kabul’s airport.“I want to say this very strongly,” Colonel Scheller said in a video he recorded only hours after the deaths. “I have been fighting for 17 years. I am willing to throw it all away to say to my senior leaders: I demand accountability.”He was reprimanded by a military judge and ordered to forfeit $5,000 in pay.In his video, Colonel Scheller criticized the military’s senior leaders for closing Bagram Air Base, a large, secure facility about 25 miles from Kabul, and for relying entirely on a more vulnerable, civilian airport for the high-stakes evacuation.“Did any of you throw your rank on the table and say, ‘Hey, it’s a bad idea to evacuate Bagram airfield’?” he asked.Mr. Hegseth largely blamed the Biden administration for the poorly executed end to the war, and seemed to suggest, much as Colonel Scheller did in his video, that uniformed military leaders should have resigned in protest rather than carry out the flawed withdrawal plan.“This team will ensure ACCOUNTABILITY to the American people and the warfighters of our great Nation,” Mr. Hegseth wrote in announcing the effort.But the review’s narrow scope likely will not include the decisions that led up to the withdrawal, such as the deal President Trump and his first administration made with the Taliban in February 2020. That agreement set a hard deadline for America’s retreat from Afghanistan after nearly two decades of war.Nor does it seem likely that the review will look into the sudden collapse of the Afghan military after tens of billions of dollars in support from the Pentagon. Civilian and military leaders spanning four presidencies touted the growing strength and progress of the Afghan forces only to see them collapse in a matter of weeks as the U.S. military was leaving. Hegseth orders new review of Afghanistan withdrawal and suicide bombing at Kabul airport (AP)
AP [5/20/2025 5:43 PM, Lolita C. Baldor, 877K]
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered another review of the U.S. military’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, and of the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed American troops and Afghans.
President Donald Trump and Hegseth have repeatedly blasted the Biden administration for the withdrawal, which Hegseth said Tuesday was "disastrous and embarrassing." He said the new review will interview witnesses, analyze the decision-making and "get the truth.".
There have already been multiple reviews of the withdrawal by the Pentagon, U.S. Central Command, the State Department and Congress, which have involved hundreds of interviews and studies of videos, photographs and other footage and data. It’s unclear what specific new information the new review is seeking.
The Abbey Gate bombing during the final days of the Afghanistan withdrawal killed 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghans, and wounded scores more. It triggered widespread debate and congressional criticism, fueled by searing photographs of desperate Afghans trying to crowd into the airport to get out of Kabul, with some clinging to U.S. military aircraft as they were taking off.A detailed U.S. military review was ordered in 2023 to expand the number of people interviewed, after a Marine injured in the blast said snipers believed they saw the possible bomber but couldn’t get approval to take him out.
The findings, released in 2024, refuted those assertions and concluded that the bombing was not preventable. A congressional review was highly critical of the withdrawal, saying the Biden administration did not adequately prepare for it or for all the contingencies and put personnel in danger.
Others, however, have faulted the State Department for not moving quickly enough to decide on an evacuation, resulting in a rush to get out as the Taliban took control of the country. Critics have also blamed Trump for making a deal with the Taliban in 2020 when he was president to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which decreased the number of forces on the ground as the pullout went on.
Both Trump and then-President Joe Biden wanted an end to the war and U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.
The new review will be led by Sean Parnell, the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs. He will convene a panel that will provide updates "at appropriate times," but there is no time frame or deadline for any report, which is very unusual. Pentagon chief orders ‘comprehensive review’ into 2021 US Afghanistan withdrawal (Reuters)
Reuters [5/20/2025 3:52 PM, Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart, 51390K]
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a "comprehensive review" on Tuesday of the United States’ chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, an evacuation operation in which 13 U.S. service members and 150 Afghans were killed at Kabul’s airport in an Islamic State bombing.
It was unclear how Hegseth’s review would differ from the many previous reviews that were carried out - including by the U.S. military, State Department and even President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans in the House of Representatives.
Hegseth could be accused of politicizing the matter. The Biden administration, which oversaw the 2021 pullout, mostly blamed the resulting chaos on a lack of planning and reductions in troops by the first Trump administration following a 2020 deal with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. forces.
On the campaign trail, Trump frequently criticized Biden and his administration for the withdrawal.
In a memo, Hegseth said that after three months of reviewing the withdrawal, a comprehensive review was needed to ensure accountability for this event.
"This remains an important step toward regaining faith and trust with the American people and all those who wear the uniform and is prudent based on the number of casualties and equipment lost during the execution of this withdrawal operation," Hegseth wrote.
In a statement accompanying the memo, he said Pentagon spokesperson and senior adviser Sean Parnell would lead the review. Other individuals who served in Afghanistan, such as Stuart Scheller, who was publicly critical of the withdrawal while he was in the Marine Corps, would be a part of the review panel.
Senior U.S. military officials, including then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and then-top U.S. general Mark Milley, have already appeared before lawmakers.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, has also carried out an investigation into the Islamic State attack that killed the 13 U.S. troops and dozens of Afghans during the last few days of the withdrawal. Hegseth orders Pentagon to launch comprehensive review into ‘catastrophic’ 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal (FOX News)
FOX News [5/20/2025 4:32 PM, Diana Stancy, 46878K]
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is instructing the Pentagon to launch a comprehensive review into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
In 2021, then-President Joe Biden removed U.S. troops from Afghanistan, following up on existing plans from the first Trump administration in 2020 with Taliban leaders to end the war in the region. Biden faced scrutiny after the withdrawal as the Taliban quickly took over Afghanistan again and more than a dozen U.S. service members died supporting evacuation efforts.
Thirteen U.S. service members were killed during the withdrawal process due to a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate, outside the then-Hamid Karzai International Airport, as the Taliban quickly seized control of Kabul.
"The Department of Defense has an obligation, both to the American people and to the warfighters who sacrificed their youth in Afghanistan, to get to the facts," Hegseth said in a Tuesday memo. "This remains an important step toward regaining faith and trust with the American people and all those who wear the uniform and is prudent based on the number of casualties and equipment lost during the execution of this withdrawal operation.".
Hegseth said the Pentagon has already completed a review into the "catastrophic" withdrawal and concluded that a full investigation is necessary to provide a complete picture of the event and to hold those responsible accountable.
As a result, Hegseth is directing Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell to spearhead a special review panel to evaluate previous investigations and to "analyze the decision-making that led to one of America’s darkest and deadliest international moments.".
"This team will ensure ACCOUNTABILITY to the American people and the warfighters of our great Nation," Hegseth wrote in the memo.
On Aug. 26, 2021, an ISIS-K suicide bomber who the Taliban released earlier that month detonated his body-worn improvised explosive device at Abbey Gate outside Kabul’s airport, according to a U.S. Army Central Command investigation released in 2024. In addition to the 13 U.S. service members who were killed, approximately 170 Afghan civilians also died.
The Biden administration’s White House released a report in 2023 evaluating the Afghanistan withdrawal, which stated that top intelligence officials did not accurately assess how quickly the Taliban would retake control of Kabul.
Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee conducted their own investigation into the withdrawal, and the U.S. military produced at least two reports on the matter.
The Biden administration "prioritized the optics of the withdrawal over the security of U.S. personnel on the ground," according to the House Foreign Affairs Committee report.
"For that reason, they failed to plan for all contingencies, including a noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO) and refused to order a NEO until after the Taliban had already entered Kabul," the report said.
Additionally, the report said the "failure" to adequately establish evacuation plans led to an unsafe environment at the airport and put the lives of service members and State Department officials at risk.
In February, Trump told reporters that he wouldn’t instruct Hegseth on what actions the Pentagon should take when asked if he was considering firing military leaders who oversaw the withdrawal. But Trump said he would "fire every single one of them.".
The commander of U.S. Central Command in 2021, retired Marine Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., in 2024 took full ownership of the loss of U.S. troops that day.
"I was the overall commander, and I and I alone bear full military responsibility for what happened at Abbey Gate," McKenzie told the House Foreign Affairs Committee in March 2024.
Now-retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers at the same hearing that he believed the evacuation should have occurred sooner and that multiple factors contributed to failures in the withdrawal. Both McKenzie and Milley told lawmakers they advised Biden to keep some U.S. troops in Afghanistan after pulling out most U.S. forces.
"The outcome in Afghanistan was the result of many decisions from many years of war," Milley told lawmakers. "Like any complex phenomena, there was no single causal factor that determined the outcome.". Hegseth Says He’ll Review Afghanistan Withdrawal After Reviewing Withdrawal (Newsweek)
Newsweek [5/20/2025 3:02 PM, Sonam Sheth, 54790K]
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a memo Tuesday that the Pentagon will conduct a "comprehensive review" of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 that resulted in the deaths of 13 American service members and nearly 200 civilians.Hegseth added that the new review comes after a separate, 3-month investigation by the Department of Defense "of this catastrophic event in our military’s history.".
When reached by Newsweek for comment, the Pentagon said it had nothing to add outside the memo and statement.
The Context
The Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is widely seen as the most disastrous foreign policy decision of Joe Biden’s presidency.
Biden’s approval ratings sank to new lows following the withdrawal, and he drew sharp criticism from Democrats and Republicans over the withdrawal, with Republicans calling on him to resign from office.
The investigation Hegseth announced on Tuesday is the latest in a number of reviews into the Afghanistan withdrawal that were conducted by members of Congress, the State Department and the Pentagon.
What To Know
Hegseth said on Tuesday that Pentagon spokesperson and Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell will oversee the review of the withdrawal.
It’s not typical for a department spokesperson to spearhead internal investigations into specific military operations, though Parnell previously served in Afghanistan.
Stuart Scheller, a former lieutenant colonel who was fired for disobeying his chain of command but was tapped by Trump to serve at the Pentagon, will also help lead the investigation.
Parnell will convene a "Special Review Panel" that will "thoroughly review previous investigations, to include but not limited to, findings of fact, sources, witnesses, and analyze the decision making that led to one of America’s darkest and deadliest international moments," Hegseth said in a statement.
The Biden White House, meanwhile, laid most of the blame for the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal on the first Trump administration, saying in a 2023 report that Biden was "severely constrained" by Trump’s decisions during his first term.
The document was drafted by the National Security Council in 2023—with input from Biden himself—as opposed to an independent entity or review panel.
The 12-page summary detailed a "hotwash" of U.S. policies surrounding the deadly withdrawal, and while it acknowledged that the U.S. should have started evacuating Americans and allies from Afghanistan sooner, it largely blamed delays on the Afghan government and on U.S. military and intelligence assessments.
"President Biden’s choices for how to execute a withdrawal from Afghanistan were severely constrained by conditions created by his predecessor," the summary said, adding that when Biden came into office, "the Taliban were in the strongest military position that they had been in since 2001, controlling or contesting nearly half of the country.".
Trump hit back at the report’s findings, writing on Truth Social at the time that the Biden administration was playing a "new disinformation game" to distract the public from "their grossly incompetent SURRENDER in Afghanistan.".
"Biden is responsible, no one else!" Trump added.
What People Are Saying
Tommy Vietor, a former National Security Council staffer during the Obama administration and co-host of the "Pod Save America" podcast, wrote on X: "The fact that Hegseth asked his press team to conduct a review of the Afghanistan withdrawal tells you everything you need to know about their actual goal. They also love to omit the fact that Trump actually negotiated a faster withdrawal timeline with the Taliban.".
Scheller posted on X Monday: "Ironic that I will be investigating who should be held accountable for Afghanistan. Thank you Pete Hegseth for your leadership.".
What Happens Next
It’s not clear from Tuesday’s memo what the timeline of the new investigation is or what actions may result from it. China’s foreign minister meets acting Afghan counterpart (Reuters)
Reuters [5/21/2025 3:37 AM, Xiuhao Chen, Ethan Wang, and Liz Lee, 5.2M]
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Beijing on Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Separately, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters at regular press briefing that Wang, Muttaqi and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had an informal meeting in Beijing.
Last month, the Taliban’s Muttaqi expressed concern over the deportation of tens of thousands of Afghans from Pakistan in a rare meeting with Dar that marked a possible thaw in relations between their countries.
Pakistan has expelled more than 80,000 Afghan nationals since the end of March as part of a renewed surge in a repatriation drive that began in 2023. Afghan Refugees Should Not Fear Repatriation (The National Interest – opinion)
The National Interest [5/20/2025 10:04 AM, Cheryl Benard, 923K]
Kristi Noem, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has announced that the "Temporary Protected Status" (TPS) designation for Afghan refugees in the United States—which expires on May 20—will not be renewed, and that the approximately 8,000 persons affected should prepare to return home. This was based on the determination of her department, in consultation with the U.S. Department of State, that "Afghanistan has an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevents them from returning to their home country.".
The decision was criticized, immediately and at times histrionically, by the affected Afghans and by the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that take care of them. It is only natural that the refugees would prefer to remain in the United States and continue receiving American taxpayer support for their housing, education, and living costs. It is also predictable that the NGOs are partisan on behalf of their clients, with a mix of wanting to keep their own funding going but also, no doubt, sincere concern for their well-being. Shawn VanDiver of AfghanEvac called the decision "insane" and sarcastically challenged Noem to go to Afghanistan if she thinks it’s so safe. I don’t know how many of these distraught dissenters have been to Afghanistan recently; I have, and I would like to issue a message of reassurance. I would also encourage Noem to take VanDiver up on his suggestion. I confidently guarantee her a warm welcome, frank conversations, and interesting insights: just as I experienced last month in Kabul.
I can claim to know Afghanistan well, having been a regular visitor since 2003 and a student of its ups and downs since the Soviet invasion. No one would describe it as—to use President Donald Trump’s measure of merit—the Riviera. Not now, but also not during our twenty-year tenure, when violence was high and continuous, corruption was massive, and social improvements were limited to the urban elites. Currently, there is no public schooling for girls above grade 6, and that is a travesty, no question. (Private schools are permitted to operate at any level, and that is likely to be an option for the returnees.) In regard to security and economic stability, though, DHS and State Department assessments of current conditions in Afghanistan are largely justified. It is not true, as the Feminist Majority website claims, that women are excluded from economic activity and that, therefore, the economy is in a downturn. Just walking around Kabul at random, I saw saleswomen in the malls, including the young proprietor of her own perfume shop; female wait staff in restaurants; and most surprisingly to me, women operating their own pushcarts on the streets, selling household goods and seasonal fruit as they navigated the traffic. In rural areas, women always worked in farming, and they still do. According to the Western press, women are obliged to be fully veiled and accompanied by a male guardian when in public; this is manifestly not the case, as I saw many women walking alone, or with female friends, most of them with only a headscarf, no face covering.
What about the "stabilizing economy" claimed by DHS and vigorously contested by the NGOs? I think we can take the World Bank as an objective source, and its assessment leans more toward the Noem perspective. According to the World Bank, the challenges facing the Afghan economy and with it, the population, are primarily due to deliberate fiscal and policy punishments imposed on the country by the West. They were ousted from the international banking system. Their foreign exchange reserves, held in U.S. and European banks, remain frozen. Within the space of a few frantic days at the airport, most of the trained and skilled professionals fled the country, leaving it with an enormous capacity gap. Yet in spite of all of this, the World Bank notes, Afghanistan’s gross national product managed to grow 2.5% in 2024, "marking the second consecutive year of economic expansion. The recovery is primarily driven by agriculture, mining, construction and commerce.".
Frankly, it’s something of a miracle that they have managed to stay afloat at all. Most countries enjoy a "peace dividend" after a lengthy conflict, but not if the world declares you a pariah state. At the behest of the United States and Western Europe, Afghanistan’s government has been shunned. The main bone of contention is the Taliban’s ruling that girls cannot attend public school beyond grade 6. That is, of course, an outrageous policy, with no foundation in religion, as multiple delegations of Islamic scholars have attempted to convey to their retrograde brethren. The elderly leaders in Kandahar, however, have remained inordinately stubborn on this point, and those who disagree have so far gone along in the name of unity.
It’s gratifying to me as a feminist to see the world take such a strong stance on behalf of women’s rights—except that it seems oddly selective in this instance. Is it reasonable to zero in on just Afghanistan? There are governments complicit in far worse offenses against women’s human rights who remain respected members of the international community. My candidate for international disapproval would probably be India. That country’s government has failed, decade after decade, to take serious action against the 8,000 reported annual "dowry deaths," in which young brides are murdered, usually by being covered with kerosene and set on fire, because the dowry provided by their parents was less than expected. India also regularly features horrific instances of often lethal gang rape, alongside one of the world’s lowest conviction rates for the offenders. Contempt for female life is so pervasive that sex-selective abortion, which observers had hoped would decline with modernity, instead has become "commonplace." Afghanistan is de facto an impoverished medieval society trying to scrabble its way out of forty-five years of conflict, yet its treatment of women isn’t remotely as savage as high-tech, global leader India’s.
Also, it’s not fair to misrepresent the facts. In the Western telling of the story, happy school children, including girls, were a hallmark of our intervention. The figure of 11.5 million children in school was waved triumphantly as a key indicator of the success of the Afghan modernization project. Sadly, these numbers were not just slightly inflated, they were a deliberate fabrication. In 2016, newly appointed Education Minister Asadullah Hanif Balkhi angrily revealed that, upon conducting his own impartial review, he had found that the number of children in school was closer to 6 million. His predecessor, he said, had fudged the numbers to make himself look good and to get more donor funding. This shocking claim was promptly investigated and confirmed by Afghan Analyst Network, the U.S. government’s Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, and other serious entities, leading to the discovery of "ghost schools" which "existed only on paper, with teachers’ salaries and running costs pocketed by corrupt officials." The reality is that on our watch, entire regions of the country never had anything beyond the Taliban’s current cutting-off point for girls, many had no schools for girls at all, and some had no schools whatsoever for anybody. Things were not all swell for girls and women until the Taliban came and ruined it.
As for security, Noem is correct; perhaps paradoxically, it is the best it has been in recent memory. During the last four or five years of what is now known as the "Republic"—the U.S.-backed Afghan government—violence was pervasive. In August 2019, the BBC reported that seventy-eight men, women, and children were killed every day in "security incidents"—these were numbers they were able to confirm, they warned that the real numbers could be higher, and that month included a purported ceasefire. There is simply no denying that the security situation is now vastly improved. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees highlights that 1.4 million internally displaced persons have been able, with the end of fighting, to return to their towns, villages, and farms. During the massive U.S. presence, the road from the airport to the city was so unsafe and our ability to secure it so nonexistent that the staff of the U.S. Embassy and visitors such as U.S. Agency for International Development personnel had to be flown that short stretch by helicopter. Today, roads that were no-go zones are once again used for trade and cross-country travel. International business owners note with relief the reduction of corruption, which had strangled the previous economy. As DHS has determined, it is possible to live and work with a reasonable expectation of safety and sustenance.
There is an additional point to consider. Change requires agents of change, and as America’s twenty-year failed Afghan Improvement Project demonstrates, you can’t do it for others—especially not when those others aren’t even sufficiently committed to their own liberation to try and hold their ground before stampeding to the airport. What remained behind was the majority that had never deviated from its traditional lifestyle and village values—the rural folk and the urban poor. Present-day Afghanistan, and the Taliban’s policies, reflect that. It’s possible that the return of relatively better-educated and more worldly individuals will start to shift the balance towards more liberal values.
Supporters of the affected TPS community have called the repatriation plan "dangerous," "devastating," "reckless," and the equivalent of a "suicide mission." In my considered judgment, these fears are unwarranted. The Taliban are desperate for diplomatic recognition. They want their assets unfrozen and the travel ban on their leaders lifted. They want foreign investment. They want the United States to reopen its embassy in Kabul, which they have carefully cleaned of graffiti and kept untouched, as they proudly show to American visitors. They want to be allowed to staff and reopen their own embassies and consulates in other countries. Harming the returnees would spell the end of those hopes, and the Taliban, whatever they may be, are not stupid. Besides, we have Exhibits A and B for reassurance: the Taliban’s two main opponents, both closely associated with the United States—former President Hamid Karzai and former Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah—are living safely and comfortably in Kabul. They could easily have "disappeared" in the turmoil of the first days or been jailed as collaborators. Instead, they are able to travel abroad and return, to meet with journalists and foreign dignitaries, and to criticize Taliban policies freely—Karzai has made no secret of his disdain for the limitations on girls’ education.
It is worth noting, too, that the Trump administration is not alone in its new policy toward Afghan refugees. Several European countries, including some with liberal governments, have also announced repatriation plans. For the sake of the Afghan population, including the soon-to-be returnees, lifting the sanctions and letting the country experience a less handcuffed economic upswing would be the right thing to do. At a minimum, the Taliban should be allowed to reopen and staff their consulates, to issue travel documents and otherwise facilitate the process for their returning citizens.
And Secretary Noem, I have a great restaurant recommendation in Kabul, should you decide to visit. You will be served by a charming group of young women wielding menus on iPads. Pakistan
Pakistan Promotes Army Chief After Conflict With India (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [5/20/2025 11:48 AM, Sudhi Ranjan Sen and Khalid Qayum, 19320K]
Pakistan promoted its army chief to field marshal, citing the country’s “success” in the most serious military confrontation with India in half a century this month.The cabinet of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided to promote General Asim Munir for defending the country against strikes by its neighbor, according to a statement. While the promotion is largely symbolic and doesn’t change Munir’s responsibilities, it is a sign of his growing power in a country where the army wields significant influence.The conflict between the two countries was sparked by a deadly attack on tourists by gunmen that killed 26 people in Indian Kashmir on April 22. New Delhi called the massacre an act of terrorism orchestrated by Pakistan. Leaders in Islamabad have denied involvement.This led to the two nations coming close to an all-out war, trading air, drone and missile strikes, as well as artillery and small arms fire along their shared border.The crisis highlighted the long-standing distrust between India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, which is claimed by both countries and partially governed by both. Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir promoted to field marshal after recent skirmishes with India (AP)
AP [5/20/2025 9:54 AM, Staff, 58908K]
Pakistan´s powerful army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, has been promoted to the rank of field marshal days after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between nuclear-armed rivals Pakistan and India following one of their most serious military confrontations in decades.
In a statement, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also approved the extension of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu´s tenure in recognition of his service.
Sharif has praised Munir and other military leaders for what he described as a "befitting response" to an Indian airstrike on Pakistani air bases in the early hours of May 7.
Munir becomes only the second military officer in Pakistan´s history to hold the title of field marshal. The first was Gen. Ayub Khan, who led the country during the 1965 war with India.
"I am deeply thankful to Allah Almighty for this honour," Munir said in a statement.
The ceasefire was aimed at ending weeks of escalating clashes, including missile and drone strikes, triggered by the mass shooting of tourists last month that India blamed on Pakistan, which denies the charge.
Nearly 7,500 people from Pakistan and India have since signed a petition calling for dialogue between the two sides. The online appeal, titled "India, Pakistan: Stop the Hostilities," was launched on May 7 by the South Asia Peace Action Network, a coalition of peace advocates, journalists and citizens. Pakistan army chief General Asim Munir promoted to field marshal (Reuters)
Reuters [5/20/2025 10:59 AM, Asif Shahzad, 58908K]
Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir will be promoted to the rank of field marshal, the prime minister’s office said in a statement on Tuesday, the first time in almost 60 years that a general has been elevated to the role.His promotion, which was approved by the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, comes days after the country’s worst military conflict with India in nearly three decades.It came "in recognition of the strategic brilliance and courageous leadership that ensured national security and decisively defeated the enemy," Sharif said in a statement from his office.A security official said field marshal was a ceremonial five-star rank that usually signifies extraordinary leadership and wartime achievement.The promotion is the first since Pakistani dictator General Ayub Khan made himself a field marshal in 1965, he said.With the new ceremonial rank, he said, Munir will remain the army chief.The cabinet also decided to extend the service of Pakistan Air Force chief Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu after his service term expires, the PM’s office said.It did not say for how long Sidhu’s job would be extended, nor did it say whether Munir’s promotion to the rank of field marshal will mean that he has no retirement date.Munir started his job as army chief in November 2022.A parliamentary legal amendment extended Munir’s term to five years in November 2023, from the usual three years for the role of army chief."It is not individual, but an honour for the armed forced of Pakistan and the whole nation," Munir said in a statement issued by the army public relations wing. In Pakistani-administered Kashmir, security fears grow after Indian attack (Washington Post)
Washington Post [5/21/2025 2:00 AM, Rick Noack and Haq Nawaz Khan, 6.9M]
More than a week after a ceasefire between Pakistan and India brought calm to this disputed borderland, the dead have been buried and much of the rubble cleared in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. But the subtler ways in which the fighting has changed the regional status quo are still emerging.
Some locals took to the streets to celebrate the truce with India as a victory for Islamabad — a rare public expression of Pakistani nationalism in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir, a semiautonomous region where many see themselves as Kashmiris first.
Even pro-independence activists here have shifted their tone. Pakistan’s response “during this limited war was widely appreciated,” said Muhammad Rafiq Dar, a spokesman for the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, which has long called for the withdrawal of Pakistani soldiers from Kashmir and for a referendum on independence.
Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India administer different parts of Kashmir and have both claimed the region in its entirety since the bloody partition of British India in 1947.
Pakistan sent tribal militias into Kashmir shortly after partition to prevent the region’s Hindu ruler from joining India. When the fighting stopped in 1948, Pakistan controlled roughly a third of the territory and India the rest. India and Pakistan have fought two more wars over Kashmir in the intervening decades; even periods of relative calm have been marked by occasional shelling and persistent mistrust.
As in Indian-administered Kashmir, locals here have often chafed at being ruled from afar. Large-scale protests in Azad Kashmir in May 2024 paralyzed the region for nearly a week. Outraged over the rising price of food staples and electricity, demonstrators blocked roads, marched on the regional capital and demanded relief from Islamabad.“Young people feel that they don’t have a future,” said Ershad Mahmud, a Kashmiri scholar based in Canada who wrote a recent book on the region’s politics and identity. Many residents rely on remittances from relatives abroad, he said, and complain that they are subject to frequent power cuts, even as Pakistan leverages Kashmir’s abundant water supply for hydropower projects.
Civil activism is curbed by restrictions — all elected officials need to pledge loyalty to Pakistan, which limits the role of pro-independence groups and has deepened frustrations.
But in interviews over the past week, residents and politicians said the latest fighting has directed their focus to what they now see as a more existential threat.“We fear another Indian attack,” said Sardar Usman Attique, a senior member of an influential pro-Pakistan party in Kashmir, the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference. “Like an injured animal, Modi will come back to bite again,” he added, referring to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At least 31 people in Pakistani-administered Kashmir died in Indian shelling or strikes over four days of conflict, and almost 300 houses were damaged, according to Pakistani authorities. New Delhi said at least 27 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir over the same period.
India portrayed the strikes — which were accompanied by an escalation of shelling along both sides of the Line of Control — as retaliation for a deadly rampage by militants last month in a popular tourist area near Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir. Islamabad has denied any involvement in the attack.
Zafar Iqbal Ghazi, 63, who introduced himself as a social worker in Kotli district, near the border with Indian-administered Kashmir, said the damage in his village and across the region has largely silenced anti-Pakistan sentiments among his friends and neighbors: “95 percent have changed their minds,” he said.
Ghazi spoke to journalists during a press trip organized by Pakistani security officials Saturday. It was unclear how extensively locals were prepared for the visit, or how freely they could speak their minds. Interviews were conducted independently by The Washington Post, and many of the sentiments voiced on the ground were echoed in more than half a dozen additional phone interviews with residents in the area.
Pakistani authorities showed reporters damaged residential buildings and a school. Through a hole in the roof, which officials said was blown open by artillery fire, a poster was visible in an abandoned classroom. “Don’t fight,” it advised students. At times, bystanders saluted the passing convoy of military vehicles.
Sardar Adnan, a 30-year-old mathematics student in Kotli, said he was woken up by loud blasts in his residential part of the city on May 7, the first day of cross-border strikes. “It felt like my house might be next,” he said.
Two teenagers were killed near a mosque that appeared to have been the target, Pakistani officials said. India said its strikes that night targeted militant sites.
Many advocates for independence here said that while they view Pakistan as a necessary counterweight against India, their ultimate goal remains succession from both countries.
The movement is closely watching President Donald Trump, who, in announcing the ceasefire over a week ago, also raised the prospect of U.S.-mediated talks over the status of Kashmir. “I will work with [India and Pakistan] both to see if ... a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir,” he wrote in a post on social media.
Trump’s statement brought new hopes for “Kashmiri people who are struggling for the liberation of their motherland,” said Dar, the spokesman for the pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front.
So far, however, there is no sign of such talks. While Pakistan has signaled openness to the possibility, India has historically been averse to the involvement of third parties in Kashmir negotiations. Both New Delhi and Islamabad have framed their negotiations over the past week as low-level, technical and focused on upholding the ceasefire.“The reality is that Kashmir is at the heart of a nuclear-armed triangle of countries: China, Pakistan and India,” said Mozzammil Aslam, a Kashmiri activist who supports Pakistan. “So how could Kashmir ever become a free, independent state?” Pakistan military warns India is ‘playing with fire’ in Kashmir conflict (Financial Times)
Financial Times [5/21/2025 3:56 AM, Humza Jilani, 16.3M]
Pakistan’s military has called on the international community to restrain India from renewed hostilities, warning that further attacks would prompt Islamabad to “hit even harder” after they exchanged fire this month.“Pakistan and India are two nuclear powers. If the Indians want to have a military conflict, they are playing with fire,” Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, a spokesperson for the country’s armed forces, told the Financial Times at the army’s general headquarters in Rawalpindi.“We will hit even harder if they try to violate the ceasefire,” Chaudhry added.
Chaudhry’s warning will raise concerns about a resumption of violence after a brief but fierce cross-border conflict this month. Both countries launched waves of missile and drone attacks deep into each others’ territories, killing civilians on both sides and bringing the nuclear rivals to the brink of all-out war.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi boasted days after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on May 10 that strikes against military targets deep inside Pakistan represented a “new normal” in which India would retaliate over terror attacks not only against the perpetrators but also their sponsors.“The international community should tell them that this is not the way nation states behave,” Chaudhry said.
New Delhi launched the initial barrage in response to a terror attack that killed 26 people in April in Indian-administered Kashmir, which it alleges Islamabad was behind. Pakistan denies any connection and has called for an independent investigation.
Chaudhry denied that Pakistan had any involvement in supporting terrorism, a long-standing Indian accusation, and said New Delhi had launched its attack “under false pretences”.
Chaudhry also hailed Trump as a “statesman”, saying the US played an “important role” in ending the hostilities.
He said Pakistan’s military welcomed Trump’s offer to mediate talks over Kashmir, which both countries claim and control parts of, but said a “comprehensive dialogue” should include cross-border terrorism and extrajudicial assassinations.
New Delhi has denied that Washington played a role in brokering the ceasefire, which it said was agreed bilaterally, and has insisted that talks over Kashmir not include external partners.
Pakistan has also accused India of backing a surge in militant violence in its volatile western provinces, as well as pursuing what Chaudhry called “transnational killings”.
On Wednesday, a bombing on a school bus in Balochistan province killed at least three children. Pakistan’s military blamed the attack on “Indian terror proxies” without providing evidence.
India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the attack on Wednesday, but New Delhi has in the past denied any involvement in terrorism in Pakistan.
The Canadian government has also accused India of orchestrating the assassination of a Sikh separatist in 2023, and the US charged an Indian official last year over an foiled assassination plot in New York. New Delhi has strongly denied involvement in either plot.
Pakistan’s military, which has taken a more direct role in the economy and policymaking in recent years, has enjoyed a surge of domestic support following the conflict, particularly after it announced it had downed six Indian fighter jets, including French-made Dassault Rafales. India has not confirmed the downed jets.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday promoted army chief Asim Munir to field marshal, a rank last held by Ayub Khan, Pakistan’s first military dictator who ruled from 1958 to 1969.
While the promotion is symbolic, it signalled Munir’s rising influence in a country where the military has already captured most of the levers of power.
Sharif praised Munir’s “exemplary leadership”, which he said had “crushed [the] enemy’s nefarious designs and brought great honour”, in a post on social media platform X. A suicide car bomber strikes a school bus in southwestern Pakistan, killing 5 people (AP)
AP [5/21/2025 3:18 AM, Abdul Sattar and Munir Ahmed, 456K]
A suicide car bomber struck a school bus in southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing five people — including at least three children — and wounding 38 others, officials said, the latest attack in tense Balochistan province.
The province has been the scene of a long-running insurgency, with an array of separatist groups staging attacks, including the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army, or BLA, designated a terror group by the United States in 2019.
A local deputy commissioner, Yasir Iqbal, said the attack took place on the outskirts of the city of Khuduzar as the bus was transporting children to their military-run school there.
Troops quickly arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area while ambulances transported the victims to hospitals in the city. Local television stations aired footage of the badly damaged bus and scattered debris.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists, who frequently target security forces and civilians in the region.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack and expressed deep sorrow over the children’s deaths. He called the perpetrators “beasts” who deserve no leniency, saying the enemy had committed an act of “sheer barbarism by targeting innocent children.”
Officials, who initially reported that four children were killed but later revised the death toll to say two adults were also among the dead, said they fear the toll may rise further as several children were listed in critical condition.
Blaming India
The military also issued a statement, saying the bombing was “yet another cowardly and ghastly attack” — allegedly planned by neighboring India and carried out by “its proxies in Balochistan.”
There was no immediate comment from New Delhi.
Most of the attacks in the province are claimed by the BLA, which Pakistan claims has India’s backing. India has denied such claims.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences and also blamed India, without providing any evidence to support the claim.“The attack on a school bus by terrorists backed by India is clear proof of their hostility toward education in Balochistan,” Sharif said, vowing that the government would bring the perpetrators to justice.
Pakistan regularly accuses India, its archrival, for violence at home. These accusations have intensified in the wake of heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations amid a cross-border escalation since last month over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, divided between the two but sought in its entirety by each.
That escalation raised fears of a broader war, and during this period the BLA appealed to India for support. India has not commented on the appeal.
A vicious insurgency
Though Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan is its least populated. It’s also a hub for the country’s ethnic Baloch minority, whose members say they face discrimination by the government.
In one of its deadliest recent attacks, BLA insurgents killed 33 people, mostly soldiers, during an assault on a train carrying hundreds of passengers in Balochistan in March.
And earlier this week, the BLA vowed more attacks on the “Pakistani army and its collaborators” and says its goal is to “lay the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and independent Balochistan.”
Militant groups are also active in the Balochistan and though it is unusual for separatists to target school children in the province, such attacks have been carried out in the restive northwest and elsewhere in the country in recent years.
Most schools and colleges in Pakistan are operated by the government or the private sector, though the military also runs a significant number of institutions for children of both civilians and of serving or retired army personnel.
In 2014, the Pakistani Taliban carried out the country’s deadliest school attack on an army-run institution in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 154 people, most of them children. Thousands protest after a suspected drone strike kills 4 children in northwest Pakistan (AP)
AP [5/20/2025 5:30 AM, Riaz Khan, 456K]
A suspected drone strike killed four children and wounded five others in northwest Pakistan, prompting thousands of residents to stage a protest by placing the children’s bodies on a main road to demand justice, local elders said on Tuesday.
It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind Monday’s attack in Mir Ali, which has been a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, and there was no comment from the army.“We are not blaming anyone, but we want justice, and the government should tell us who killed our children,” local tribal elder Mufti Baitullah said.
He warned that the protest, currently staged at one regional roadblock, could expand if authorities fail to answer.“We will not bury the bodies until we are told who is responsible for killing our innocent children,” he said, as people chanted “we want justice.”
There have been civilian casualties in military strikes in some parts of the country in recent years. In March, 11 people, including women and children, were killed when a drone attack targeted a house in the northwestern city of Mardan.
A statement by the provincial government at the time had only said that there was “collateral damage” in an operation that was conducted to target militants in a remote village. Residents in March also rallied until the government agreed to compensate the victims’ families.
Abdullah Khan, the managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies think tank, said Tuesday that militants also have been using quadcopters to target troops, but it still was unclear who was responsible for the drone attack in Mir Ali.
The latest civilian casualties came amid ongoing military operations against the Pakistani Taliban, which have a strong presence in Mir Ali, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are a separate insurgent group from the Afghan Taliban, and they often target troops in the region.
Nayak Muhammad Dawar, a provincial minister, condemned the attack in a statement Tuesday. He said that investigations were ongoing.
Mir Ali and nearby districts located near Afghanistan were long a base for the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. The TTTP have stepped up attacks in the region in recent months. Afghan Female Athletes Flee Taliban Only To Face New Hurdles In Pakistan (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [5/21/2025 4:14 PM, Kian Sharifi, 235K]
Afghan female athletes who fled to Pakistan to escape Taliban restrictions are facing a slew of problems, including poverty, a lack of training facilities, and uncertainty about their immigration status.
After the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, women and girls were banned from sports and taking part in competitions, leading many athletes to leave the country.
Many fled to neighboring Pakistan, hoping for better opportunities and the ability to practice their sport, but all they’ve found are more problems.
Jujitsu athlete Roya Abassi, who arrived in Pakistan with her family three years ago, says economic hardships and a dearth of training facilities have made life difficult.
And her status as an immigrant only makes things worse.
"It has been three years since I registered my migration application in Pakistan, and there is no news about my case," she told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.
She said she submitted her application with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to travel to a Western country.
Shakila Muzafari, a former member of Afghanistan’s wheelchair basketball team, has been living alone and away from her family in Islamabad for the past three years. She described the difficult circumstances she faces as a refugee and disabled athlete in Pakistan.
"Someone who has no income and no support -- how can they renew their visa when it costs between 20,000 and 25,000 rupees [$75 - $94] each month?" she told Radio Azadi.
She also highlighted the financial burdens beyond just visa costs, such as rent, and emphasized how the situation for Afghan refugees whand aco are athletes with disabilities is especially challenging.
"For Afghan refugees in Pakistan -- especially those of us who are disabled athletes -- it’s extremely difficult. We don’t have the financial means to work anywhere."
Abdul Hussain Hesari, former head of Afghanistan’s Paralympic Committee, confirmed the difficulties faced by female Paralympic athletes and criticized how their cases have been handled by the UN refugee agency.
Speaking to Radio Azadi, Hesari charged that the UNHCR has not taken the athletes’ disability status into consideration and said their documents had not been properly processed.
Qaiser Afridi, the UNHCR spokesman in Pakistan, did not respond to Radio Azadi’s request for comment.
The Taliban’s ban on women’s sports is one of many severe restrictions imposed by the hard-line Islamist regime, which systematically denies Afghan women and girls access to education, employment, and freedom of movement, and prevents them from holding prominent roles in government or society.
Under Taliban rule, women are prohibited from traveling without a male guardian and are banned from taking part in athletic competitions or exercising in public gyms.
The UN has condemned the Taliban’s treatment of Afghan women as "gender apartheid," highlighting their systematic erasure from public life and severe punishments for resistance.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has been criticized by the UN and rights groups for its expulsion of Afghan refugees, which has seen hundreds of thousands deported across the border. Many had lived in Pakistan for decades, and now face uncertainty, poverty, and danger back in Afghanistan.Rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have condemned Pakistan’s "opaque" repatriation plan, calling it arbitrary and cruel. They argue that the forced removals show little respect for international law and scapegoat a vulnerable community fleeing persecution. India
Tammy Bruce: State Dept. Restricts Visas for Indian Travel Agents Accused of Aiding Illegal Migration (Breitbart)
Breitbart [5/20/2025 4:35 PM, John Hayward, 3077K]
The State Department said on Monday it would place visa restrictions on the "owners, executives, and senior officials" of Indian travel agencies accused of "knowingly facilitating illegal immigration to the united States.".
"Our immigration policy aims not only to inform foreign nationals about the dangers of illegal immigration to the United States but also to hold accountable individuals who violate our laws, including facilitators of illegal immigration," said State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
Bruce did not name the individuals or agencies in India that would be affected by the visa ban. She said the decision was made based on information gathered by the U.S. diplomatic mission to India, which has diligently warned Indian nationals they could face deportation if they overstay their visas — even if they are currently part of the Visa Waiver Program, which has a 90-day limit on the duration of visitors remaining in the U.S. without a tourist visa.
The Times of India (TOI) noted that two deportation cases involving Indian nationals made headlines recently:
Ranjani Srinivasan, a Ph.D. student at Columbia University, fled to Canada after her visa was revoked for allegedly participating in a pro-Palestine protest, though she did not participate in the protest. Ranjani was made an example by the Department of Homeland Security as to how people should deport themselves out of the U.S. to avoid arrest.
Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri was arrested for his alleged link with Hamas — his wife is the daughter of Ahmed Yousef, a former aide of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. He has been released by a court order that said the Trump administration could not prove what national security risk Khan Suri posed.
TOI dramatically edited the Srinivasan story, although it is true that no less than DHS Secretary Kristi Noem highlighted her as a laudable example of self-deportation:
Srinivasan was specifically in trouble for failing to disclose her summons on charges of participating in an illegal pro-Hamas protest on the Columbia campus last year. Her lawyers argue the charges were unwarranted, and they were eventually dropped, but she was still required to disclose the summons on her visa renewal form. She characterized her failure to do so as a "mistake." Her supporters characterized it as the sort of mistake that would have been allowed to slide before the second Trump administration.Srinivasan also made deliberate attempts to evade the authorities before taking her "self-deportation" flight out of LaGuardia, which is not a good look for anyone who seeks to earn the hospitality of the U.S. government.
Badar Khan Suri was indeed released last week from the Texas detention center where he has been held since March after he was arrested in Arlington. He accused immigration officials of treating him like a "sub-human" and holding him without charges.
As with Srinivasan, Suri’s story is a little more complicated than being arbitrarily arrested because he was married to a relative of a Hamas official. Two days after the savage Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, he wrote a Facebook post defending the massacre as a legitimate effort by Palestinians to "fight back against the settler colonialism of Israel." A few days later, he wrote another Facebook post questioning whether the October 7 attacks happened at all.
In any event, neither of those cases is likely the reason for the State Department’s aggressive action against Indian travel agencies.
The Hindustan Times noted on Tuesday that the first time U.S. military aircraft were employed in a deportation flight, it was to remove over 300 Indian nationals who paid Indian travel agents to smuggle them into the United States using elaborate "donkey routes.".
"Donkey routes," or "dunki routes" as they are known in Punjabi, are elaborate — and often dangerous — migration schemes that send Indian travelers to Latin American countries with loose visa requirements. From there, the migrants travel through jungles and deserts, on foot or loaded into freight trucks, until they get across the Mexican border.
These routes were created decades ago, and they worked like a charm — raking in thousands of dollars per illegal migrant for the Indian travel agents who organized them — until two things happened: a 2023 documentary by an Indian filmmaker exposed the scheme, and then Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025. The first group of "dunkis" was caught at the border within weeks of Trump’s second inauguration.
One reason donkey routes are so popular is that the travel agents who arrange them are not committing any crimes under Indian law. The illegal activity does not begin until the migrants have bounced through several Latin American countries that are perfectly legal for Indian citizens to visit.
Indian travel agents who do not participate in donkey-route schemes strongly supported the State Department’s visa ban.
"As a firm that facilitates genuine student admissions abroad, we fully support measures that maintain the integrity of the process," Ritesh Desai, owner of an agency called Ryna Overseas, told the Hindustan Times.
Desai pointed out that illegal immigration schemes make it harder for legitimate travelers, businesspeople, and students to obtain the travel documents they need.Kuljit Singh Hayer, president of the Punj-Aab Travel Agent’s Association, also welcomed the State Department’s action, but suggested it could be difficult to enforce.
"First and foremost, how will they detect or bring on record the travel agencies involved in facilitating illegal immigration to the U.S.? The travel agents involved in such illegal activities operated under dummy names," he noted.
Curiously, almost no U.S. media outlets mentioned the donkey routes when reporting on the State Department’s visa ban — making the action seem random and inexplicable, rather than a serious attempt to deal with a long-standing border issue. Bail for Indian professor arrested for comments on India-Pakistan conflict (BBC)
BBC [5/21/2025 3:08 AM, Nikita Yadav, 65.5M]
India’s top court has granted interim bail to an Indian professor who was arrested over his remarks about the recent military hostilities between India and Pakistan.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor at Ashoka University, was arrested from his home in Delhi on Sunday.
He has been accused of endangering national sovereignty and promoting enmity between groups, based on a complaint filed by a youth member of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He denies the allegations.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ordered Mr Mahmudabad’s release but refused to put a hold on the investigation against him.
"Having regard to the two online posts that have led to the FIR [complaint], we are satisfied that no case of staying the investigation is made out," the court said, adding that a three-member special investigation team will further look into the case.
The judges have also barred Mr Mahmudabad from writing any online article or making speeches online related to the posts that are being investigated.
Shortly after the verdict, Ashoka University released a statement saying it was "heartened" by the court’s decision to grant Mr Mahmudabad bail.
"It has provided great comfort to his family and all of us at Ashoka University," it said.
Mr Mahmudabad’s arrest had sparked criticism from academics and rights groups, who called the allegations "baseless" and the arrest a form of "censorship".
The case stems from two public social media posts written by Mr Mahmudabad, in which he talked about India’s military action against Pakistan.
Earlier this month, tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours reached an unprecedented high after India launched air strikes against Pakistan in response to a deadly attack in the tourist town of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people. Delhi accused Islamabad of supporting militant groups involved in the killings, a charge Pakistan denied. This was followed by four days of military escalations, which ended with a ceasefire brokered by the US.
"There are those who are mindlessly advocating for war," the 42-year-old professor wrote in one post on 8 May, "but they have never seen one, let alone lived in or visited a conflict zone".
In the same post, he expressed support for India’s response while warning of the brutality inherent in any war. He also highlighted the significance of two women officers - one of whom is Muslim - presenting the operation’s details during daily media briefings.
"I am very happy to see so many right wing commentators applauding Colonel Sofiya Qureshi," he wrote, but "they should also demand that the victims of mob lynching, arbitrary demolitions [of houses], others who are victims of the BJP’s hate mongering be protected as Indian citizens". Several rights groups have pointed out that there has been a rise in violence and hate speech against Muslims in India in the past decade.
Two police complaints have been filed against the professor based on the interpretation of his online remarks.
The first complaint was filed by a BJP youth activist Yogesh (he uses only one name), on Saturday, on the basis of which Mr Mahmudabad was arrested, his lawyer Mohammad Nizam Pasha said.
While the second complaint was filed by Renu Bhatia, the head of Haryana’s State Commission for Women on Sunday.
The women’s commission first issued a notice to the professor on 12 May, alleging that Mr Mahmudabad’s social media posts had "disparaged" the two women defence officers and "undermined their role" in the armed forces.
In response, Mr Mahmudabad sent a written reply to the commission’s notice and his lawyers also appeared before the commission on 14 May, but it refused to hear the lawyers, Mr Pasha said.
In his written response, which he shared on social media, the academic said that his remarks had been "misunderstood" and that, contrary to the allegations, his post had actually praised the decision to have two women officers lead the military briefings.
"There is nothing remotely misogynistic about my comments that could be construed as anti-women," he said.
Several academics, activists, opposition politicians and civil society members have spoken against Mr Mahmudabad’s arrest.
Mr Mahmudabad is a teacher of political science and his known for his works on religion, with a focus on Indian Muslim history.
He comes from an aristocratic family from Uttar Pradesh state and is a member of the regional Samajwadi Party.
After his arrest, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav posted a couplet on X, which included an indirect reference to the professor being arrested for telling the truth.
President of the main opposition Congress party, Mallikarjun Kharge, said the arrest of the professor shows how the BJP is "fearful" of any opinion disliked by them. Families Wait For Word Of Rohingya Said To Have Been Abandoned At Sea By India (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [5/20/2025 8:42 AM, Aishwarya Kumar, 931K]
It has been more than a week since Akbar, a Rohingya refugee in India, has heard his niece’s voice, the longest they have not spoken to each other.
She is among more than 40 Rohingya alleged by the United Nations, family and lawyers to have been forced off an Indian navy ship this month near the shores of war-torn Myanmar with only a life jacket.
"I got her out of the lion’s mouth when we escaped Myanmar almost eight years ago. And now this has happened," Akbar, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, said of his niece, who is around 20 years old.
Myanmar’s Ba Htoo forces -- opposition fighters battling the junta that took power in a 2021 coup -- say the group landed on May 9 on a beach in Launglon Township near southern Dawei city, a region that regularly witnesses gun battles and air strikes.
"We are helping them as human beings and we will let them go where they want if it is safe," a spokesman for the group said.
The mostly Muslim Rohingya have been persecuted in Myanmar for decades, with many fleeing a 2017 military crackdown. More than a million escaped to Bangladesh, but others fled to India.
There are around 22,500 Rohingya in India registered with the United Nations refugee agency, according to the advocacy group Refugees International.
Two other Rohingya refugees told AFP their relatives were part of the group that was detained by Indian authorities.
Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, has called the repatriation an "unconscionable" act.
Andrews said he was "deeply concerned by what appears to be a blatant disregard for the lives and safety of those who require international protection".
New Delhi has not commented on the reports.
Family members say the group was summoned by authorities in New Delhi on May 6, allegedly to collect biometric data.
They were moved to a detention centre and then to an airport outside the Indian capital.
From there they were flown to India’s Andaman and Nicobar islands, an archipelago that lies a few hundred kilometres southwest of Myanmar.
Two days after being detained, the refugees called family members back in Delhi saying they had been dropped off in the seas off Myanmar.
The Ba Htoo spokesman said one member of the group was a cancer patient, adding that the "rest of them just feel tired from the long trip".
AFP could not independently verify the claims.
Dilwar Hussain, a New Delhi-based lawyer representing refugees from the community, said they were "concerned about the safety and well-being of these refugees".
A petition filed in India’s Supreme Court by two refugees whose family members are among the 43 people allegedly deported said it was carried out illegally.
India is not a signatory to the UN’s 1951 Refugee Convention, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they face harm.
However, New Delhi rights lawyer Colin Gonsalves, who has challenged the group’s detention and deportation, said India’s "constitutional laws cover protection" of the personal liberty and right to life of non-citizens.
This case is not the first to be reported.
Indian media reported this month that more than 100 Rohingya were "pushed back" across the northeastern border into Bangladesh.
India’s Hindu nationalist government has often described undocumented immigrants as "Muslim infiltrators", accusing them of posing a security threat.
Yap Lay Sheng, from the campaign group Fortify Rights, said the deportation of the Rohingya group was a "targeted attack against anyone perceived to be Muslim outsiders".
Ramon, another relative of one of the deported group, said his brother told him he had been verbally abused.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, Ramon said the group was "accused of being involved" in the April 22 attack targeting tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, in which gunmen killed 26 men. The attack sparked a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan.
"My brother asked me to leave India to avoid being in a situation like his," said Ramon, who has been in India for more than a decade.Their mother has been inconsolable since receiving news of her son’s deportation. Ramon struggles with sleepless nights over his brother’s safety.
"They should have deported all of us and thrown us into the sea", he said. "We would have been at peace knowing we are together". NSB
Nepal picks new central bank chief after long discord in ruling coalition (Reuters)
Reuters [5/21/2025 12:26 AM, Gopal Sharma, 5.2M]
Nepal has named economist Biswo Nath Poudel as its new central bank governor, a minister said on Wednesday, ending a long-running discord between allies of the Himalayan nation’s ruling coalition over the choice.
Nepal’s cabinet appointed the 49-year-old Poudel as the governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) late on Tuesday, Prithvi Subba Gurung, minister of communications and information technology, told Reuters.
Poudel, a former economic adviser at the International Labour Organization (ILO), replaces Maha Prasad Adhikari, who retired at the end of his five-year term on April 7.
The central bank chief’s position was vacant for over 40 days as allies in Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s ruling coalition failed to reach an agreement over a candidate.
Poudel is considered close to the centrist Nepali Congress party, the biggest constituent in the ruling coalition, which threatened to walk out of the government over the disagreement over the candidate, according to local media reports.
Poudel faces an immediate challenge of improving the health of the banking sector, analysts said.
"Quality of banking assets have substantially eroded which must be corrected immediately," said Rameshwar Khanal, a former finance secretary. "Borrowers have misused loans and commercial banks need to be supervised better," Khanal added.
Poudel also faces the challenge of taking the country out of the "grey list" of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global anti-money laundering watchdog. British ‘drugs mule,’ 21, speaks from behind bars in Sri Lanka prison to reveal HER side of the story (Daily Mail)
Daily Mail [5/20/2025 9:30 PM, Eirian Jane Prosser, 58908K]
A young British woman facing years locked in a grim Sri Lankan jail after being caught with £1.2 million worth of cannabis has told of her despair – and insisted she has been set up.
Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, was arrested in the capital Colombo last week after police discovered 46 kg of ‘Kush’ - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase.
Miss Lee, a former cabin crew worker, had just arrived in Sri Lanka on a flight from Bangkok when she was arrested at Bandaranaike Airport and taken to custody last Monday.
She is now being held in Negombo Prison, north of the capital, while she waits to hear her fate.
Speaking to MailOnline from behind bars in the woman’s ward of the notorious prison, Miss Lee said she had ‘no idea’ that there were drugs in her luggage when she set off for Sri Lanka.
She said: ‘I had never seen them before. I didn’t expect it all when they pulled me over at the airport. I thought it was going to be filled with all my stuff.‘I had been in Bangkok the night before and had already packed my clothes because my flight was really early.‘So I left my bags in the hotel room and headed for the night out. As they were already packed I didn’t check them again in the morning.‘They must have planted it then.’.
And she added: ‘I know who did it.’.
Miss Lee told us she had been working temporarily on a ‘booze cruise’ in Thailand but her 30-day visa was about to run out so she decided to take a trip to nearby Sri Lanka while she waited for her Thai visa to be renewed.
She decided to go to the country because it was relatively nearby - only a three-hour flight away - and she had never visited there before.‘I thought while I was waiting for the visa that I’d come to Sri Lanka.‘They [the people she believed planted the drugs] were supposed to meet me here. But now I’m here - stuck in this jail.’.
After her arrest, Miss Lee was initially held at the Police Narcotics Bureau for seven days.
She says she was forced to sleep on a sofa that had bed bugs with a security guard watching her the whole time.
She is now in Negombo Prison, stuck in her crowded cell for 22 hours a day.
Then on Sunday she was brought to Negombo Magistrates Court where she was given remanded in custody for a further 14 days while she awaits further hearings.
At this point she was transferred to Negombo Prison where she still remains, stuck in her crowded cell for 22 hours a day and only let out to eat and briefly stretch her legs.
And it was here that she spoke to MailOnline today to highlight the ‘awful’ conditions in the prison - revealing she has not eaten any food at all for two days because the prison meals have been making her ill.
She said: ‘I am trying my best to stay positive because what else can you do?‘But it is hard. I feel as though I have no human rights here. There are no beds, no blankets. And where you sleep is like a long corridor with lots of other women.‘I am sleeping on a concrete floor - literally. All I have is my jumper as a pillow.‘There is a ceiling fan but it doesn’t really work and there’s a TV but that also barely works. I only have this one pair of clothes, nothing else to change into and I’m not being allowed my medication for ADHD.‘The only thing they give are sleeping tablets that properly knock you out.‘The shower is not really a shower, it’s just a bucket that you pour over yourself but they don’t give you anything for that.‘They put you in an alleyway with a bunch of other women, that’s it.’.‘You are only allowed two or three hours outside in the sun a day, occasionally longer if there are a lot of women in court that day.‘I’ve not eaten in two days because the food is just too spicy for me.‘I have told my lawyers - I have three of them - that I need different food. They said they would sort that but they still haven’t. I don’t know why.‘Fortunately, some of the girls speak English and have shared biscuits and things like that with me, which is nice.‘All the other British people being held here are men, so I don’t get to see them.‘There is no communication. You are told nothing. I couldn’t arrange an e-visit with my family or even write a letter.’.
Negombo Prison is one of the largest in Sri Lanka with the majority of inmates being men - with a smaller side wing for women like Charlotte.
Miss Lee added: ‘Some people are nice, some people are not so nice.‘You can’t trust many people - even the lawyers. I was being held in the narcotics unit until Sunday and now I will be here until my next court case.‘They don’t care about you. I came in with nothing and have nothing but luckily other people have stuff here they can share with me.’.
The Londoner, who had been training to become an eyelash technician, attended Negombo Magistrates Court on Monday.
There she was accused of two charges, one of possessing illegal drugs and another of importing illegal drugs into Sri Lanka.
A legal source told MailOnline: ‘When Charlotte arrived in court she seemed completely lost.‘She was crying a lot and was all on her own. It looked like she didn’t have any idea about what was going on.‘It’s unclear what will happen to her now. She may well be sent to Welikada Prison in Colombo.’.
Welikada Prison in Colombo is the biggest, maximum security jail in Sri Lanka, accommodating both men and women.
The prison has been hit with a number of scandals including riots in 2012 which that left 27 dead.
The haul of drugs, which according to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) was the largest ever amount of illegal substances found in the airport, were intended for ‘high-end local buyers’.
Footage provided to MailOnline shows two large suitcases and what appears to be parcels of drugs alongside a group of narcotics detectives who uncovered the alleged smuggling.
In the background of the clip, a British woman’s voice can be heard laughing and saying ‘it’s not that, don’t worry’.
In another partially auditable clip she can be heard saying ‘it looks like drugs to me’ before later adding ‘and I told them I was 21’.
Pictures from the scene show six officers in the airport standing over two large suitcases and dozens of large vacuum packed bags of the drug.
Officials from the Customs Narcotics Control Unit in the airport said it is the largest amount of Kush ever to be detected since the international hub opened.
The ‘massive consignment’ is worth the equivalent of £1.2 million in Sri Lankan rupees.
Meanwhile the Foreign Office in the UK has confirmed that it is supporting a British woman who has been arrested in Sri Lanka and is in contact with her family, as well as local authorities.
According to Miss Lee’s friends she has been trying to post updates on her plight on Snapchat.
One woman, close to the cabin crew member turned lash technician, said that she was shocked when she heard the allegation - insisting Miss Lee was a ‘nice girl’ and not a criminal.
The friend, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: ‘I couldn’t believe it. Charlotte is a hard worker and a grafter not a drug smuggler.’.
Another friend said: ‘I am in total shock. ‘She is a really nice girl, there were no red flags or anything.‘We saw clips of the arrest and we could hear an English woman, who sounded very much like Charlotte in the background.’.
Another added: ‘She’s been told that if convicted, because of the size of the drugs haul, she is looking at between 20 and 25 years in jail. British Embassy staff warned her she’s going nowhere soon.’.
Miss Lee had previously worked as a cabin crew member for TUI, yet friends have said this was only a ‘summer contract’.
Her social media accounts show her appearing to have a great time working for the travel company, posing in her stewardess uniform and even in the cockpit of one of the planes.
Photos shared on her social media show her living a typical life of a young woman in London in her early twenties - out drinking at the pub with friends or dancing at nightclubs.
Miss Lee, according to friends, first flew out to Thailand in April to celebrate her 21st birthday with her older sister who was meeting her from Australia, where she now lives.
She mentioned around four weeks ago that ‘she had a job on a boat’ in the south-east Asian country but according to her friend did not mention any immediate plans of returning.
Yet last week, the young woman began posting pictures again of beautiful white sand beaches and selfies of her partying abroad.
And on Monday, the day of her arrest, she had posted a TikTok of herself on a plane, wearing a facemask, as she flew over a pretty island. She tagged the location of the video as Bangkok.
The incident comes just days after a British teenager was arrested in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi after allegedly arriving from Thailand carrying 14kg of cannabis in her luggage.
Bella May Culley, 18, is now facing life in prison in the former Soviet country after being accused of illegally buying, possessing and importing large quantities of narcotics.
The youngster from Billingham, Country Durham, was believed to have gone missing in Thailand before she was detained 3,700 miles away at Tbilisi International Airport on the charges.
Concerns had been raised that the two cases were related as both young women left Bangkok airport on the same day.
But Miss Lee told MailOnline she did not know Ms Culley, who has been remanded in custody until her next appearance on July 1.Miss Lee and Miss Culley, who both flew out of Bangkok on Monday, were arrested in the countries within hours of each other, meaning the cases could be related.
The FCDO said with regards to Miss Lee’s case: ‘We are supporting a British woman who has been arrested in Sri Lanka and are in contact with her family and the local authorities.’. Central Asia
Kazakhstan’s oil output rises 2% in May in defiance of OPEC+ (Reuters)
Reuters [5/20/2025 9:46 AM, Dmitry Zhdannikov, 4K]
Kazakhstan’s oil production has risen by 2% in May, an industry source said on Tuesday, an increase that defies pressure from OPEC+ on the Central Asian country to reduce its output.
Kazakhstan has repeatedly breached its OPEC+ production quotas, citing the difficulty of telling Western oil majors, such as Chevron and ExxonMobil, to curtail their plans.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, a group known as OPEC+, has decided to speed up output increases, in part to punish members not complying with curbs by adding to downward pressures on international oil prices, OPEC+ sources have said.
Kazakhstan’s oil production fell 3% in April, although it still exceeded its OPEC+ quota.
The country’s energy ministry did not respond to a request to comment on production figures for May.
It said separately in emailed comments that production from the country’s largest Tengiz field had reached its planned level, meaning the country’s production would not increase further this year.
"Kazakhstan is taking all measures to comply with OPEC+ obligations and compensate for excess production," the emailed comments said further.
According to the industry source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, Kazakhstan’s crude oil production, excluding gas condensate, averaged 1.86 million barrels per day on May 1-19, including 932,000 bpd at Tengiz.
This was up from 1.82 million bpd in April, when Kazakhstan reduced output from 1.88 million bpd in March.
Under the latest OPEC+ agreement, Kazakhstan’s OPEC+ quota for May rose to 1.486 million bpd from 1.473 million bpd in April.
The country’s energy ministry has repeatedly said it was committed to the OPEC+ agreement.
It has said it will compensate for overproduction by reducing its cumulative output by 1.3 million bpd by April 2026, while also saying it would prioritise national interests over those of OPEC+ when deciding on production levels.
Western oil majors, including Shell, TotalEnergies and Eni, as well as ExxonMobil and Chevron, are active in Kazakhstan oil projects.
"We expect Kazakhstan’s production to stabilise at around 1.8 million bpd. Officials have highlighted limited flexibility in lowering output, given the field is controlled by international firms," Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank said in a note. Uzbekistan: Hub for electric vehicles in Central Asia – report (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [5/20/2025 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K]
The International Energy Agency is spotlighting Uzbekistan for the country’s rapid embrace of electric vehicles.
An IEA report, titled Global EV Outlook 2025, notes that electric vehicle sales have skyrocketed in Uzbekistan, making the country the leading adopter in Central Asia. The report adds that the cost of imported electric vehicles has fallen “almost threefold” in recent years.
The Uzbek State Customs Committee reported earlier this year the number of imported electric and hybrid vehicles in 2024 exceeded that of gasoline-powered passenger cars. Figures published by the committee showed an overall total of 74,525 passenger cars were imported last year, with EVs accounting for 24,095 and hybrids an additional 17,480, a roughly 55 percent combined share.
The Uzbek government offers a variety of incentives to promote electric vehicle sales. Most imports, for example, are exempt from excise duties, customs fees and vehicle taxes. The government has also launched initiatives to boost domestic manufacturing capacity and expand the number of charging stations.
More broadly, the IEA report shows that China is tightening its grip on the global EV market. More than 17 million electric cars were sold worldwide in 2024, a roughly 25 percent increase over the previous year’s sales total. China’s domestic market alone accounted for 11 million vehicles sold, almost two-thirds of the 2024 global sales total.
In Uzbekistan, roughly 85 percent of EVs purchased in 2024 were Chinese models. Chinese-made EVs also enjoy large market shares in other Asian and Latin American markets. In Brazil, the largest auto market in South America, year-on-year EV sales doubled in 2024, reaching 125,000.“Policy support and relatively affordable electric car imports from China played a central role in increasing sales in some emerging electric vehicle (EV) markets,” the report states. Uzbekistan’s People’s Democratic Party Declares Itself an Opposition Force (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [5/20/2025 8:29 AM, Madina Amin, 555K]
The People’s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (PDPU), which positions itself as a left-wing political force, announced its decision to adopt an opposition role during the Legislative Chamber meeting on May 13.This follows the recent formation on May 5 of a new parliamentary majority – the Progressive Bloc – an alliance between the Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party (O’zLiDeP) and the Uzbekistan "National Revival" Democratic Party (Milliy Tiklanish), which now commands the majority of seats. O’zLiDeP, the party with which President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is associated, holds 64 out of the Legislative Chamber’s 150 seats; Milliy Tiklanish holds 29.
"While we do not object to the creation of this bloc, we cannot agree with its priorities, as well as with some areas of the government’s program and activities," noted the PDPU’s leader, Ulughbek Inoyatov.
Inoyatov pointed out several issues that, in his view, ran counter to the interests of the party’s electorate, such as low government involvement in the economy, the proposed shift to a market-driven pension system, the lack of a clear long-term strategy to support vulnerable people with utility payments, the failure to implement a progressive tax system including a luxury tax, and weak government regulation in the pharmaceutical sector, such as missing price caps and no ban on drug advertising.
Incidentally, the decision to become an opposite faction came days after the parliament reviewed a law that serves to expand the rights of the opposition in parliament. However, even these amendments can be tracked back to Mirziyoyev’s wishes. During the first post-election session of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, following the parliamentary elections held in October 2024, Mirziyoyev emphasized the need to "revive" the opposition. He proposed to increase the rights granted to an opposition party, to include the guaranteed appointment of one committee chairperson and two deputy chairpersons.
Meanwhile, the PDPU’s official statement made sure to subtly note that their opposition is not a complete break with the government, since current law defines opposition as parties that disagree with some or all of the government’s policies.
"Opposition status gives the party new powers, such as critical review of draft laws, introduction of alternative proposals, and increased parliamentary oversight of government activities," the party said in a statement.
Uzbekistan currently has five registered political parties, and none of them has ever genuinely challenged the government. This is not the first time the PDPU has taken on an opposition role. Similarly, in 2009, just before the parliamentary elections, the party declared itself an opposition minority after the three other official parties in parliament had formed a coalition. Such displays of performative opposition to the government occur periodically to mimic a democratic process. Although individual freedom has significantly improved under the current regime compared to the Islam Karimov era (1991-2016), the political arena remains constrained, characterized by a lack of genuine political competition. The five officially registered political parties are widely perceived as components of a single ruling structure, merely rotating roles between election cycles.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan’s genuine opposition parties remain marginalized and unrecognized. The Birlik ("Unity") People’s Movement was established in 1989, and the Erk ("Freedom") Democratic Party was registered days after independence in 1991. However, only the latter was allowed to participate in the first presidential elections in 1991, when it nominated its leader and founder, poet Muhammad Salih. He reportedly gained from 12 to 40 percent of the votes in the election, which was rigged in favor of Karimov. Salih had to flee the country in 1993. The party has not been able to reregister to participate in any elections since then, even after the government change in 2016.
Over the years, other attempts to establish independent opposition political parties have failed – often on procedural or technical grounds – unless the party explicitly supports the ruling government. For example, the Ozod Dehqonlar (Free Peasants) party was founded by Nigora Hidoyatova in 2003 and declared its opposition position the same year in December, ahead of the parliamentary polls. The party joined Birlik and Erk in seeking to contest the December 2004 parliamentary elections. All three failed to achieve registration with the Ministry of Justice and did not participate in the election, although independent candidates were permitted, nominated by citizen groups. Erk and Birlik again attempted to participate in the 2019 parliamentary elections, albeit with no success.
Although not a political party, the Sunshine Uzbekistan coalition emerged in 2005 as an opposition group led by Dr. Sanjar Umarov, an Uzbek oligarch who pushed for socio-economic and democratic reform. Following the 2005 mass protest in Andijan and the ensuing bloody crackdown that claimed over 1,000 lives, Sunshine Uzbekistan was vocal in demanding independent investigation and justice for the victims. This ultimately led to Umarov’s arrest. He was sentenced to 14.5 years in prison on charges of embezzlement, tax evasion, and money laundering in a closed court; he denied all the charges. Umarov was reportedly subjected to torture and drugged during two years of solitary confinement before being released in 2009 under an "unconditional amnesty," officially granted on the grounds of his deteriorating health although the role of international pressure was enormous. Another senior member of the coalition, Nodira Khidayatova, faced similar charges and was also allegedly drugged during detention. Her husband was killed in Kazakhstan the same month of her arrest in what she called a "political murder." Her trial, although formally open, did not allow journalists in due to a "lack of seats.".
Recently, in 2021, the Ministry of Justice rejected the registration of the Truth and Progress (in English also referred to as Truth and Development) party, citing an alleged failure to collect the required number of signatures. Similarly, the People’s Interest party (Xalq Manfaatlari) under the leadership of Mahmudjon Yoldoshev, scholar and a writer, was also denied registration.
Forming a political party in Uzbekistan remains a daunting task, even before a group can declare an oppositional stance. The organizing committee must have at least 50 members and beyond navigating extensive bureaucratic hurdles, they must collect 20,000 signatures in a month. To compare, neighboring Kazakhstan requires 10 members in the founding committee and 1,000 signatures – although opposition parties in Kazakhstan still struggle to achieve registration, too. In Uzbekistan, independent candidates are not allowed to run for president. Only registered political parties can nominate a candidate, which gives the government the ultimate decision as to who runs for the top office.
The PDPU’s decision to take up an opposition role in parliament does not in itself hold any value and ultimately may simply serve as political theater – an attempt to create the illusion of activity and pluralism within Uzbekistan’s political arena. In truth, genuine efforts toward political development continue to be suppressed at their nascent stages, often through repressive methods reminiscent of the country’s post-Soviet authoritarian legacy. Indo-Pacific
Pakistan, India Agree To Withdraw Troops By End May: Security Official (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [5/20/2025 5:59 AM, Staff, 931K]
Pakistan and India have agreed to withdraw troop reinforcements deployed during their recent conflict back to their peacetime positions by the end of May, a senior Pakistani security official told AFP on Tuesday.
More than 70 people were killed in the four-day conflict, which was sparked by an attack on tourists by gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing -- a charge it denies.
The military confrontation involving intense tit-for-tat drone, missile, aerial combat and artillery exchanges came to an abrupt end after US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire, which is still holding.
"Troops will be withdrawn to pre-conflict positions by the end of May," the senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The official said both countries agreed a phased withdrawal of the additional troops and weaponry deployed, mostly on the already heavily militarised de facto border in Kashmir, known as the Line of Control (LoC).
It comes after the Indian army last week said both sides agreed to take "immediate measures to ensure troop reduction from the borders and forward areas".
"All of these steps were initially planned to be completed within 10 days, but minor issues caused delays," the Pakistani official added.
Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, which have fought several wars over Muslim majority region since their 1947 independence from British rule.
The latest conflict began on May 7 when India launched strikes against what it said were "terrorist camps" in Pakistan, triggering an immediate response from Islamabad. China Backs Efforts by Pakistan, India to Achieve Lasting Ceasefire, Foreign Minister Says (Reuters)
Reuters [5/20/2025 9:32 AM, Staff, 24051K]
China welcomes and supports efforts by Pakistan and India to handle their differences through dialogue and to achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
Wang made the comments during a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in Beijing on Tuesday, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.
Pakistan and India halted their worst fighting in nearly three decades after agreeing to a ceasefire on May 10, following diplomacy and pressure from the United States. China Says It Backs Pakistan In Defending ‘Sovereignty’ (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [5/20/2025 9:41 AM, Staff, 931K]
China said on Tuesday it supports Pakistan in defending "national sovereignty and territorial integrity", after a ceasefire ended four days of fighting with India over a deadly attack in Kashmir.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said China welcomed the two countries "handling differences through dialogue" as he met his Pakistani counterpart Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing.
Dar’s visit comes after India and Pakistan exchanged tit-for-tat drone, missile and artillery fire following the April attack in Indian-administered Kashmir which killed 26 people.
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.
US President Donald Trump announced a surprise truce on May 10, which appears to be holding over more than a week later.
China is Pakistan’s largest arms supplier and Dar confirmed that Islamabad used Chinese jets against India.
Wang meanwhile called Pakistan an "ironclad friend" and vowed to deepen the "all-weather strategic cooperative partnership" between the two countries, a readout from China’s foreign ministry said. Twitter
Afghanistan
Shawn VanDiver@shawnjvandiver
[5/20/2025 4:15 PM, 33.5K followers, 6 retweets, 28 likes]
This guy made $4M for his shitty advice while so many veterans and advocates broke their banks and bodies to preserve our national honor. He sucks. He never wanted the President to talk about Afghanistan after the withdrawal and the president listened. https://www.axios.com/2025/05/20/biden-aide-mike-donilon-campaign-salary
Nick Schifrin@nickschifrin
[5/20/2025 10:47 AM, 69.2K followers, 25 retweets, 87 likes]
Asked by @SenatorShaheen whether Afghans who received permission to come to the US, but were blocked by @POTUS Executive Orders, will now be allowed to enter the US, @SecRubio says, "There’s been a review of the of the vetting process that’s been used. Frankly, there have been some errors found in the previous vetting process that we’re concerned about... That process is ongoing."
Nick Schifrin@nickschifrin
[5/20/2025 10:47 AM, 69.2K followers, 15 retweets, 50 likes]
Our background story on this issue, with @SoniaKopelev, featuring Afghans who served alongside US troops and fought for democracy, as well as @shawnjvandiver https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/afghans-who-helped-americans-fear-taliban-retribution-after-u-s-suspends-refugee-program
Jahanzeb Wesa@Jahanzeb_Wesa
[5/21/2025 2:14 AM, 5.8K followers, 6 retweets, 8 likes]
New restrictions on women in Afghanistan: Taliban have dismissed over 100 female staff from kindergartens in Kabul. Reports confirm that around 120 women teachers & employees have been removed from their jobs. There is no hope for anyone in Afghanistan—especially women & girls.
Beth W. Bailey@BWBailey85
[5/20/2025 9:50 AM, 8.5K followers, 4 retweets, 13 likes]
More than 430,000 Afghans have been deported to their homeland from neighboring countries since January. What does this mean for Afghanistan, and what does it mean for our national security? See my latest in the @dcexaminer https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/3415428/deportations-afghan-refugees-terrorist-recruitment/
Zalmay Khalilzad@realZalmayMK
[5/20/2025 2:31 PM, 264.8K followers, 29 retweets, 75 likes]
Should Afghan refugees fear repatriation? #Afghanistan @POTUS @DHSgov @SecNoem @SecState https://nationalinterest.org/feature/afghan-refugees-should-not-fear-repatriation
Lynne O’Donnell@lynnekodonnell
[5/20/2025 10:53 AM, 27.4K followers, 7 likes]
#Afghanistan’s combat helicopter pilots are grounded in the U.S. I went to Arizona to meet some of them. Read on: https://www.gcvfriends.com/p/from-black-hawks-to-uber-afghanistans?r=8ijf1&triedRedirect=true Pakistan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan@ForeignOfficePk
[5/21/2025 3:21 AM, 496.5K followers, 9 retweets, 21 likes]
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 met with Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi @FMMuttaqi, in Beijing today. The two recalled DPM/FM’s recent visit to Kabul and welcomed positive momentum in bilateral ties, including enhanced diplomatic engagement, trade, and transit facilitation. They agreed to work together to advance mutual interests, including in the domains of trade, transit, connectivity and security.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan@ForeignOfficePk
[5/21/2025 2:23 AM, 496.5K followers, 28 retweets, 73 likes]
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50, Member of the CPC Political Bureau & Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi, and Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Amir Khan Muttaqi, held an informal trilateral meeting in Beijing today. The three Foreign Ministers reaffirmed trilateral cooperation as a vital platform to promote regional security and economic connectivity. They discussed enhancing diplomatic engagement, strengthening communications, and taking practical steps to boost trade, infrastructure, and development as key drivers of shared prosperity. They agreed to deepen Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation and extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan. The Ministers underscored their shared commitment to countering terrorism and fostering stability and development in the region. It was agreed that the 6th Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will be held in Kabul at an early, mutually convenient date.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan@ForeignOfficePk
[5/20/2025 2:15 PM, 496.5K followers, 38 retweets, 142 likes]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted an interactive session with the high level delegations that will visit important capitals to highlight Pakistan’s perspective on the recent hostilities by India. Following the briefings by senior officials , a thorough discussion was held on the current state of Pakistan-India relations and future possibilities.
Shehbaz Sharif@CMShehbaz
[5/20/2025 11:02 AM, 6.8M followers, 3.1K retweets, 12K likes]
On behalf of the entire nation, I extend my heartfelt felicitations to General Syed Asim Munir, NI (M) on his well-deserved promotion to the rank of Field Marshal. His exemplary leadership during Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos crushed enemy’s nefarious designs and brought great honor to our Motherland. Under his command, our valiant Armed Forces staunchly defended Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity with unity, courage and the highest standards of military professionalism. Today, Pakistan salutes Field Marshal Asim Munir as well as our brave countrymen, soldiers, martyrs, and their families. Pakistan Hamesha Zindabad..!!
Imran Khan@ImranKhanPTI
[5/20/2025 10:26 AM, 21.1M followers, 12K retweets, 23K likes]
"He is being held in a death cell reserved for terrorists, under bleak and oppressive conditions" Illegally Incarcerated Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Sons https://x.com/i/status/1924834133211062292
Brahma Chellaney@Chellaney[5/20/2025 12:14 PM, 291.7K followers, 127 retweets, 254 likes]
Despite saying that it had merely paused the military operation against Pakistan, the Indian government has agreed to concrete de-escalation, including a mutual pullback by May 31 of recently deployed troop reinforcements from border and forward areas. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3311083/pakistan-india-agree-withdraw-troops-end-may-resume-iconic-border-ceremony
Mariam Solaimankhil@Mariamistan
[5/20/2025 2:18 PM, 101.2K followers, 3 retweets, 25 likes]
Even the most patriotic Pakistani’s are angry- Asim Munir being made Field Marshal is like awarding a failing general for destroying his own army, dividing his country, and selling out to foreign powers. He earned it by dismantling Pakistan. India
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[5/20/2025 4:09 AM, 108.7M followers, 5.8K retweets, 34K likes]
The passing of Dr. Jayant Narlikar is a monumental loss to the scientific community. He was a luminary, especially in the field of astrophysics. His pioneering works, especially key theoretical frameworks will be valued by generations of researchers. He made a mark as an institution builder, grooming centres of learning and innovation for young minds. His writings have also gone a long way in making science accessible to common citizens. Condolences to his family and friends in this hour of grief. Om Shanti.
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[5/20/2025 4:07 AM, 108.7M followers, 8.7K retweets, 64K likes]
Deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. MR Srinivasan, a stalwart of India’s nuclear energy program. His instrumental role in developing critical nuclear infrastructure has been foundational to our being self-reliant in the energy sector. He is remembered for his inspiring leadership of the Atomic Energy Commission. India will always be grateful to him for advancing scientific progress and mentoring many young scientists. My thoughts are with his family and friends in this sad hour. Om Shanti.
Brahma Chellaney@Chellaney
[5/20/2025 8:57 AM, 291.7K followers, 310 retweets, 892 likes]
Just ten days after India abruptly halted its brief military operation — insisting it had merely paused it — the country appears to be returning to business as usual, marked by the resumption of a colonial legacy: the "Beating Retreat" ceremonies at three border crossing points. These ceremonies, suspended 12 days ago, have now been revived following a statement by India’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) that the ceasefire is indefinite. The border troops’ aggressive stomping, synchronized drills, and loud commands during the ceremonies attract many Indian and foreign tourists, especially those visiting the Golden Temple in Amritsar. This colonial military tradition has, in fact, been reappropriated and imbued with new meaning — to project an image of strength, discipline, and readiness, while also drawing crowds. What is ironic, however, is that a government in New Delhi that claims to be staunchly nationalistic not only clings to a colonial-era practice but has revived it even as it dispatches teams of MPs abroad to explain its recent military operation against Pakistan.
Hamid Mir@HamidMirPAK
[5/20/2025 12:51 PM, 8.7M followers, 304 retweets, 1.3K likes]
Now India is trying to play China card against Pakistan by claiming that they actually fought against China not Pakistan. Can Pakistan claim that we actually fought against France and Russia not India because Pakistan destroyed French planes and Russian air defence system?
Hamid Mir@HamidMirPAK
[5/20/2025 12:30 PM, 8.7M followers, 48 retweets, 269 likes]
Indian Government is playing dirty politics in the name of diplomatic war against Pakistan. @narendramodi government is including the names of opposition MPs in the delegations without informing their party leadership.Trinmol Congress asked Yousaf Pathan to drop his name. NSB
Brahma Chellaney@Chellaney
[5/20/2025 11:13 AM, 291.7K followers, 36 retweets, 131 likes]
On May 12, Bangladesh’s military-installed, pro-Islamist regime outlawed all activities of the secular Awami League party, which led the country’s independence struggle. Stepping up their crackdown on the party, authorities are now making mass arrests. https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/over-48400-arrested-one-month-3898721
Brahma Chellaney@Chellaney
[5/20/2025 5:36 AM, 291.7K followers, 564 retweets, 1.6K likes]
After seeking to move the nearly $1 billion Teesta River project from India to China, Bangladesh reportedly is planning to revive with Chinese assistance the old British-era airbase at Lalmonirhat. Both projects, located near the Indian border, carry significant implications for India’s security. An active Lalmonirhat airbase would greatly enhance China’s ability to conduct aerial surveillance and reconnaissance on Indian military installations, troop movements and critical infrastructure, including in India’s strategically vital Siliguri Corridor (Chicken’s Neck). Any military presence or increased air activity near this corridor is a major concern for India, as its disruption would effectively cut off the Indian northeast from the Indian mainland. In a conflict scenario, even if not directly used by Chinese combat aircraft, Lalmonirhat could serve as a logistical hub for China, facilitating the movement of personnel, equipment or intelligence assets in the region.
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[5/21/2025 1:13 AM, 113.3K followers, 34 retweets, 31 likes]
Vice President meets the Executive Director of the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/33773 The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[5/21/2025 12:59 AM, 113.3K followers, 50 retweets, 49 likes]
His Excellency Vice President Uz @HucenSembe meets with Ms Gwen Yamamoto-Lau, Executive Director of the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority (HGIA). The Vice President and the Executive Director discussed the vulnerabilities of small island nations, potential climate solutions, and access to affordable finance, particularly for the private sector. The Vice President was also briefed on Hawaii’s key energy-related policies and received an overview of the HGIA’s innovative energy financing programme.
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[5/20/2025 11:27 PM, 113.3K followers, 68 retweets, 61 likes]
Vice President reaffirms Maldives’ commitment to advancing the Blue Economy, calls for reforms in international climate finance
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[5/20/2025 11:22 PM, 113.3K followers, 83 retweets, 83 likes]
His Excellency Vice President Uz @HucenSembe attends the breakfast event hosted by the Pacific Forum. In the Vice President’s statement, he called for global reform of climate finance. The Vice President was accompanied by @aleeshareef, the Maldives’ Special Envoy for Climate Change, who also contributed to the discussion by addressing specialised climate policies and strategies.
Abdulla Khaleel@abkhaleel
[5/20/2025 3:38 AM, 34K followers, 44 retweets, 49 likes]
I was honoured to accept the Letter of Credence from the new @WHO Representative to the #Maldives Ms Payden, today. The WHO has been a longstanding partner of the Maldives and has played a pivotal role in strengthening our healthcare system, providing vital resources, and guiding us in addressing and overcoming significant health challenges. I am confident that her experience and leadership will steer our cooperation with #WHO to reach new heights and milestones. Assured her of the Government’s full support.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake@anuradisanayake
[5/20/2025 9:56 AM, 151.7K followers, 17 retweets, 149 likes]
It was decided at a meeting today to appoint a special committee under the Presidential Secretariat to investigate corruption at @flysrilankan. It’s about time we made the national carrier accountable and capable of sustaining itself.
Namal Rajapaksa@RajapaksaNamal
[5/20/2025 4:34 AM, 435K followers, 7 retweets, 96 likes]
A tribute to our brave war heroes was paid today at the War Heroes Memorial, led by the then Commander-in-Chief, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, with the presence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. It was under their leadership that Sri Lanka became the first nation to fully eradicate terrorism, despite immense external pressure to abandon the mission. The war was never against any community. It was against one of the most ruthless terrorist groups in the world. Today, some choose silence over honour, swayed by external influences. But the people have not forgotten. As President Mahinda Rajapaksa reminded us: “Even if I am no more, Sri Lanka must remain united under one flag.” Let us never forget. Let us always honour. Central Asia
MFA Kazakhstan@MFA_KZ
[5/20/2025 11:01 AM, 55.7K followers]
PepsiCo to Triple Production Capacity with Increased Investment in Kazakhstan Plant
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service@president_uz
[5/20/2025 6:57 AM, 216.8K followers, 5 retweets, 21 likes]
President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev began his official visit to Budapest by meeting with leaders of #Hungary’s top companies and banks. They agreed to launch new projects in modernization of transport and road infrastructure, logistics hubs, utilities, production of construction materials, textiles, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals.
Navbahor Imamova@Navbahor
[5/20/2025 2:47 PM, 24.3K followers, 1 retweet]
US: Republican Senator @SteveDaines says Central Asian leaders "are thrilled" with Trump presidency, urges to support Trans-Caspian trade routes, and energy export. Discussion with @SecRubio during State Department’s 2026 budget hearing. https://www.youtube.com/live/14C-bsW-TOk{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.