For the first time a top U.S. diplomat for South and Central Asia has for the first time publicly addressed allegations of conspiring to oust Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu on Wednesday rubbished former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s allegations his government was ousted via a conspiracy orchestrated by Washington, describing it as a “conspiracy theory” and a “lie.” "These allegations, this conspiracy theory, is a lie, it is a complete falsehood," Lu said while responding to a question by committee Chairman Representative Joe Wilson, a Republican from the U.S. state of South Carolina. Cypher conspiracy In April 2022, Khan was expelled from power in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence. Khan has since alleged that a secret diplomatic cable, or cypher, sent by then-Pakistani ambassador to the U.S. Asad Majeed Khan, proves the United States conspired with Pakistan's military and opposition leaders to remove him from office. The cable described a March 7, 2022, meeting with Lu in Washington. Last August, an American news outlet, The Intercept, published what it said was the text of the cipher. According to Ambassador Khan's purported cable, the State Department officials at the meeting encouraged Khan to tell Pakistan's powerful military that Islamabad could expect warmer relations if Khan were removed from office because of his neutrality on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Pakistani prime minister was in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the day the invasion began and failed to condemn it. "I think if the no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister succeeds, all will be forgiven in Washington because the Russia visit is being looked at as a decision by the Prime Minister. … Otherwise, I think it will be tough going ahead," the document quoted Lu as telling the Pakistani ambassador. While the State Department has consistently rejected the allegation of conspiring in Khan's ouster, the department's spokesperson Mathew Miller conceded last year that the Biden administration was unhappy with Khan's overtures to Russia. "We expressed concern privately to the government of Pakistan as we expressed concerns publicly about the visit of then-Prime Minister Khan to Moscow on the very day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We made that concern quite clear," Miller said at a regular press conference while responding to a question about The Intercept's reporting. The Pakistani military and Khan's opponents also have rejected his allegations. The former Pakistani prime minister is currently serving a 10-year prison term for revealing the contents of the secret cable, a charge he rejects as politically motivated. Lu called the reporting of the diplomatic cable in Pakistani media inaccurate. "At no point does it [the cypher] accuse the United States' government or me personally of taking steps against Imran Khan," he told the committee. Lu pointed out that Pakistan's now-former ambassador Khan had also testified to his government that there was no U.S. conspiracy to remove the prime minister from office. In March 2022, Pakistan's National Security Committee headed by Khan issued a demarche to the U.S ambassador over his country's "interference" in Pakistan's politics. After Khan's ouster, however, another NSC committee headed by then-Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif concluded that the diplomatic cable did not indicate any U.S. conspiracy. "We respect the sovereignty of Pakistan. We respect the principle that Pakistani people should be the only ones choosing their own leaders through a democratic process," Lu told Wednesday's hearing. The assistant secretary was disrupted several times as some in the audience called him a liar. The proceedings stopped on a few occasions, and Capital Police removed some in attendance for being disruptive. Lu told the committee that he has received several death threats, and his family also has been threatened over "unfounded allegations" since Khan's removal. Election irregularities Addressing reports of irregularities in Pakistan's February 8 general elections, Lu said the Biden administration was persistently urging Pakistani authorities to investigate. "We as a partner of Pakistan have called for that to be done transparently and fully and for those found responsible for irregularities to be held accountable." Pakistan's much-delayed elections faced several controversies. A state-backed crackdown on Khan's party, pre-election violence including terror attacks, suspension of mobile internet services on Election Day, and a massive delay in announcing results led local and international observers to question the fairness of the vote. The United States, U.K. and the EU have called on Pakistan to probe the discrepancies. In a February 28 letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a bipartisan group of 31 members of the U.S. Congress urged the administration not to recognize Pakistan's new government until "a thorough, transparent, and credible investigation of election interference" was conducted. In a statement on April 13, though, Blinken congratulated Sharif on being elected as prime minister of Pakistan. U.S. ambassador to Islamabad Donald Blome has since met Pakistan's new president, prime minister, as well as foreign and finance ministers. Representative Greg Casar, a Democrat from Texas who was among the authors of the letter, questioned Lu on the administration recognizing Sharif's government. "We do not go around recognizing or withholding recognition. We decide whether we are going to engage with the government," said Lu. Pakistan's polls delivered a hung parliament. Khan's party had to field candidates as independents after it was deprived of a unified elections symbol. Although candidates backed by Khan's PTI won the largest number of seats in the lower house of the parliament, Sharif's party, which came in second, formed a coalition government with Khan's opponents.   Source: Voice of America

Paolo Garbisi's injury-time penalty hit the post as Italy were denied a first Six Nations victory in France. The fly-half looked set to seal the historic win until the ball fell off the tee, which resulted in a rushed attempt due to the shot clock. Ange Capuozzo's late try and Garbisi's difficult conversion had drawn Italy level against the 14-man hosts. Centre Jonathan Danty saw his high tackle upgraded to a red card during a half-time review. The 31-year-old made direct head-on-head contact with Juan Ignacio Brex in an upright tackle at the end of a frustrating first half for the French. The hosts dominated early on and scored the opening try through Charles Ollivon but lacked accuracy throughout. The Azzurri, who have beaten France twice in Rome during the Six Nations, remained in touch thanks to penalties from Martin Page-Relo and Garbisi. Despite having an extra player for the entire second half, Italy never threatened until the closing stages when history was in sight. The draw means Italy's victory in Cardiff two years ago remains their only championship win in their last 45 attempts.   Source: BBC

While Muslim nations around the world were practising Zakat (charity to the needy) and multiplying their acts of kindness, Pakistan has vowed to make it impossible to allow its citizens to breathe. Especially the ones that stand up against the oppression of the ruling institutions, The International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) reported. Gilgit-Baltistan is standing on turbulent grounds facing neglect from Pakistan, while CPEC (China) is creating in-roads snatching people's livelihood starting at the bottom of the pyramid. Over the last few months, a social uprising demanding unity with India has further sparked issues with the government. The civil society of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) is carrying out demonstrations every day to seek economic and political rights for the local people who are deprived of their basic human rights. The protesters are seeking ordinary demands like employment, electricity, wheat, education, basically a life above destitution which Pakistan has been unable to deliver since the region was illegally captured by them in October 1947. Now the government is trying to add a political angle to the issue because the residents have moved to criticize state policies regarding CPEC and Chinese workers, IFFRAS reported. A fresh set of protests started in December 2022 after government bodies started crushing the movement using extreme force. This was met with equal rebellion on the part of people who are exhausted with Pakistan's laid-back attitude when it comes to them. Today they claim that Pakistan separated them from the freedom they enjoyed in Jammu & Kashmir to lock them up forever in a prison. The illegal occupation was not heroic, but just a political move to enjoy control of some of the world's finest mineral and water resources. It was an act purely out of need, not sentiment for the Kashmiris. The land-grabbing issue in the region is not news. But since last year, the Pakistan government is hell-bent on changing up the demography of the region, only this time outright publicly. Procuring land in GB is hard due to the obligations emerging from the UN Security Council Resolution on Kashmir and some guarantees given to GB people by the state of Pakistan. Under the guise of developmental works, Pakistan slowly made its way into the region and invited China for a permanent stay, IFFRAS reported. According to law, the land can only be used for the construction of military infrastructure. But the government has been using local politicians and goons for the procurement of land for the National Highway Authority and for the re-designing of the Karakorum highway. Pakistan's business giants have also taken over the tourism sector which served as the main source of income for locals. Businesses buy land in the name of locals and construct huge hotels and infrastructure that cannot be matched with the humble offerings of the GB residents. These outsmarting tactics of the government and businessmen are not going well with people. There is a rumour that the government intends to construct residential accommodations for ex-servicemen from mainland Pakistan. This has further fueled the sentiments of the locals who have accused Pakistan of diluting the demographics of GB by attempting incursion in their areas, IFFRAS reported. Another huge woe is that of electricity. GB is the largest producer of electricity but its hydropower plants deliver to everyone in the nation besides them. The locals have alleged the government of stealing their assets and resources. This winter the federal government cut the power supply of GB for almost 20 hours a day. In peak winters GB was relying on burning scrap to keep their houses warm. Later the government even increased the prices of electricity. Chinese workers shroud all the major projects and even receive cuts while the locals, the actual land owners live in misery. People from Punjab and other provinces make quick debuts performing sub-standard work, earning interim dividends, and then running off home leaving GB's population floating on incomplete projects, health hazards such as open mines, and so on. In other words, Pakistan won't let GB function on its own, nor will it develop the region, unless it's for their personal gain. Pakistan has crossed all limits and tested the patience of the GB natives for more than seven decades. Their oppression has been tolerated for far too long, the report noted. 

Josep Borrell has apologized for offending people with his remarks, saying he used the word 'jungle' to mean the increasing rise of lawlessness around the world. The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday apologized for offending people with remarks that were criticized as racist. Borrell said Europe was "a garden" and most of the world "a jungle" that "could invade the garden" at the inauguration of the European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges, Belgium, last week. His remarks caused a stir both online and diplomatically. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday summoned the head of mission at the EU delegation to the UAE for an explanation. The UAE Foreign Ministry said the remarks were “inappropriate and discriminatory," the country's state news agency (WAM) reported. Borrell apologizes for 'jungle' metaphor On Tuesday, Borrell explained in a blog post that his reference to "jungle" was to increasing examples of countries using force, intimidation and blackmail or behavior that stood at odds with agreed international norms. "The growth of this lawless world and disorder is what I meant when talking about the 'jungle,'" Borrell wrote. Borell added his reference to "jungle" had no racist, cultural or geographical connotation. He said unfortunately, the "jungle" is everywhere, including today in Ukraine. It was important to take into account the rise of lawlessness around the world and that was his message to students, he explained in his post.  Borrell is the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, and said that some had misinterpreted the metaphor as "colonial Euro-centrism." "I am sorry if some felt offended," he said, adding that he felt Europe was often too Eurocentric and needed to get to know the rest of the world better.  Borrell also acknowledged that some really disliked the use of the "garden" and "jungle" metaphors because it has been used by US neoconservative politicians and said he was "far from that school of political thought." Reuters material contributed to this report

Canada on Tuesday said that it has no plans to accept the Taliban as the new government of Afghanistan as the terror group entered the presidential palace on Sunday and seized the Afghan capital declaring its victory over the Afghanistan government. "They have taken over and replaced a duly elected democratic government by force. We have no plans to recognise the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan. They are a recognised terrorist organization under Canadian law. Our focus right now is on getting people out of Afghanistan and the Taliban need to ensure free access to people to get to the airport," Canada's CTV Network quoted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as saying on Tuesday. Mr. Trudeau mentioned that, 20 years back when the terror group had gained control over Afghanistan at that time also Ottawa didn't recognise the Taliban as the country's government, CTV Network reported. Soon after President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan on Sunday, the Taliban entered Kabul and gained control over the presidential palace. The terror group also declared its victory over the Afghan government. The Taliban leaders are discussing future government plans in Doha and are in touch with the international community and intra-Afghan parties to make government in Afghanistan. Over Afghanistan's situation, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday called for an immediate cessation of all hostilities and the establishment of a new government that is united, inclusive and representative. In a press statement, UNSC President TS Tirumurti said that the members of the Security Council called for an immediate end to the violence in Afghanistan, the restoration of security, civil and constitutional order. (ANI) (Imrul Hasan)

Myanmar's former pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday denied that her country's armed forces committed genocide against the Rohingya minority, telling the U.N.'s top court that the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Muslims was the unfortunate result of a battle with insurgents. In a measured tone, Suu Kyi calmly refuted allegations that the army had killed civilians, raped women and torched houses in 2017 in what Myanmar's accusers describe as a deliberate campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide that saw more than 700,00 Rohingya flee to neighboring Bangladesh. She said the allegations stem from "an internal armed conflict started by coordinated and comprehensive armed attacks ... to which Myanmar's defense services responded. Tragically, this armed conflict led to the exodus of several hundred thousand Muslims." Her appearance at the International Court of Justice was striking in that Suu Kyi was defending the very armed forces that had kept her under house arrest for about 15 years. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize in absentia for championing democracy and rights under Myanmar's then-ruling junta. A small group of her supporters gathered Wednesday outside The Hague-based court. Suu Kyi told the court that the African nation of Gambia, which brought the legal action against Myanmar on behalf of the 57-country Organization of Islamic Cooperation, had provided "an incomplete and misleading factual picture" of what happened in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state in August 2017. Gambia alleges that genocide was committed and is still ongoing. It has asked the world court to take action to stop the violence, including "all measures within its power to prevent all acts that amount to or contribute to the crime of genocide" in Myanmar. But Suu Kyi said developments in one of Myanmar's poorest regions are "complex and not easy to fathom." She detailed how the army responded on Aug. 25, 2017, to attacks by insurgents trained by Afghan and Pakistan extremists. Addressing the court in her capacity as Myanmar's foreign minister, Suu Kyi insisted that the country's armed forces had tried "to reduce collateral damage" during fighting in 12 locations. While conceding that excessive force might have been used and that one helicopter may have killed "non-combatants," Suu Kyi said a Myanmar investigation is looking into what happened and should be allowed to finish its work. "Can there be genocidal intent on the part of a state that actively investigates, prosecutes and punishes soldiers and officers who are accused of wrongdoing?" she asked the court. Suu Kyi and Myanmar's legal team argued that the genocide convention does not apply to Myanmar. They invoked Croatia during the Balkans wars in the 1990s, saying that no genocide was deemed there when thousands of people were forced from their homes by fighting. On Tuesday, Justice Minister Aboubacarr Tambadou urged the International Court of Justice to "tell Myanmar to stop these senseless killings, to stop these acts of barbarity that continue to shock our collective conscience, to stop this genocide of its own people." Also Tuesday, the U.S. slapped economic sanctions on four Myanmar military officers suspected of human rights violations. It sanctioned Min Aung Hlaing, commander of Myanmar's armed forces, over allegations of serious rights abuses. Deputy commander Soe Win and two other military leaders, Than Oo and Aung Aung, were also targeted. "There are credible claims of mass-scale rape and other forms of sexual violence committed by soldiers under Min Aung Hlaing's command," a U.S.  statement said. The court's hearings on Myanmar are scheduled to end Thursday. Source: AP/UNB AH

Myanmar's army chief denied his forces committed rape and other sexual abuses during a crackdown he ordered on Rohingya Muslims, as he addressed UN Security Council delegates in the capital Naypyidaw. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing heads an army accused of ‘ethnic cleansing’ by the United Nations, including the widespread rape and murder of civilians in its ‘clearance operations’ ostensibly targeting Rohingya militants. Reports AFP. Launched in August 2017, that campaign drove around 7 lakh Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh, fleeing burnt villages and army atrocities. Denied access to Myanmar in the months immediately after the crisis, a UN Security Council delegation is making a belated first visit to Myanmar to ratchet up pressure for a safe and dignified return of the Muslim minority. Late Monday they met the army chief, who controls all security matters in the country without oversight from the elected government. ‘The Tatmadaw (army) is always disciplined... and takes action against anyone who breaks the law,’ he told the delegates, according to a post late Monday on his official Facebook page. Rohingya women and girls in Bangladesh have provided consistent accounts of sexual violence -- reports verified by conflict monitors -- but Min Aung Hlaing said his forces have ‘no such history of sexual abuse.’ ‘It is unacceptable according to the culture and religion of our country,’ he said, adding anyone found guilty of crimes would be punished. He also repeated the official line that Myanmar was ready to take back the refugees who could be verified as residents as per a repatriation deal with Bangladesh. Several months after the deal was signed, no refugees have returned. That has enraged Bangladeshi officials, who accuse Myanmar of pretending to co-operate for the benefit of the international community. Calling the refugees ‘Bengalis’ -- official shorthand for illegal immigrants from over the border -- Min Aung Hlaing blamed ‘terrorists’ for causing the violence. The UN delegates will travel by helicopter Tuesday over the scarred landscape of northern Rakhine state and give a press conference back in the capital Naypyidaw later in the afternoon. Their visit to Myanmar comes after an emotionally-charged stay in Bangladesh where Rohingya refugees told delegates of their trauma including sexual abuse. Myanmar denies the Rohingya citizenship and the accompanying rights. It has driven two thirds of its roughly 1.5 million Rohingya population out since 2012. But the country is under mounting pressure to respond to a humanitarian crisis of its making. Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi also met the UN delegates on Monday afternoon, urging their understanding of a complex, festering conflict and vowing to repatriate the refugees. AH