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Pakistan in chaos following Khan’s arrest

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Eventually, the Pakistani army sent Imran Khan, the former ousted Prime Minister, behind bars in case of corruption, a move sparked deadly protests across the country that so far took the lives of two people.

Mr. Khan was arrested by paramilitary troops in Islamabad on charges brought by the country’s anti-corruption agency.  “Rangers abducted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, these are the visuals. Pakistan’s brave people must come out and defend their country,” PTI said in a tweet..

The arrest was made when Khan was submitting his biometric data for a court appearance when paramilitary forces broke down a window and dragged him toward a vehicle.

Videos in social media show that the paramilitary forces attacked Islamabad High Court premises before arresting Khan. PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry told CNN that the political leader had been “whisked away by unknown people to an unknown location.”

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is taken into a vehicle by police as they arrest him, in Islamabad, Pakistan May 9, 2023. (Reuters)

The arrest that also caused nationwide deadly protests came one day after Khan once again blamed the army for his ouster and accused a senior leader for attempting to assassinate him.

Khan was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote last year and since then he held several protests across Pakistan and asked for early election, a demand often rejected by the incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Khan, a former cricket player, holds a mass popularity among the citizens, where men, women, boys and girls reacted to his arrest and called on the army to immediately release him.

Khan’s arrest sparks violence; two killed  

Chaos reigns on the streets of a nuclear-armed nation with a population of over 231 million after supporters of Mr. Khan staged protests across the country with a clear demand “release Khan”.

At least two PTI activists have lost their lives in Quetta and Malakand during clashes with the law enforcement agencies while dozens were injured.

Following the arrest of Khan, PTI’s workers with tens of thousands of supporters headed toward the military installations and police stations and set fire to some installations.

Social media videos show that Khan’s supporters reached inside the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi, while in other videos they appear vandalizing the army properties in different cities including big cities like Lahore and Karachi. The angry demonstrators also set public properties on fire and engaged in direct clashes with the police. In return, the police used all sources including firing tear gas shells to disperse the demonstrators, but it really did not work and forced the forces to retreat instead.

Khan’s arrest hurls Pakistan into chaos

There have been reports coming from Pakistan that people are still in the streets and protesting against the army and warned to continue protests in the night and day until Khan’s release.

With thousands of protesters now on the streets, the Pakistani government has been facing fresh political turmoil and has to deal with this before it further worsens the situation.

Khan’s supporters already blocked streets in Islamabad, the capital city, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and other cities. In the capital city, hundreds of Khan’s PTI’s activists already blocked the main Kashmir Highway. They also blocked the adjacent roads in Lahore outside Khan’s Zaman Park by burning tyres.

To control the situation, the provincial government in Punjab has imposed a law banning demonstration and it has reported that other cities are also announcing the same law to prevent further chase. This law will also empower authorities to arrest politicians and protestors who engage in such gatherings.  There is no clear information where Mr. Khan has been taken.

Meanwhile, before going to the court, Khan in a tweet said that he fears being arrested by the army. “My reply to ISPR and attempts by PDM and their handlers to arrest me for two reasons: 1. To prevent me from campaigning because In Sha Allah when elections are announced I will be doing jalsas. 2. To prevent me from mobilizing the masses for street movement in support of the Constitution if PDM govt and their handlers refuse to obey the SC and violate the Constitution on holding of elections.”

Anticipating Khan’s arrest, the PTI has later released a pre-recorded video by Khan who engaged his supporters to take to the streets in support of “true freedom” in case he was arrested.

Khan’s arrest is legal

Police arrested Khan in relation to corruption involving the Al-Qadir University Trust, headed by the opposition leader and his wife Bushra Bibi. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a statement said that Khan was arrested “for the crime of corruption” in the trust.

Meanwhile, the country’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan confirmed that Khan was arrested in a case followed by the anti-corruption body.

“Imran Khan did not appear despite the notices, NAB has arrested him for damaging the national treasury. No violence was done to them,” Sanaullah said in a tweet.

However, Sanaullah’s statement was rejected by PTI leaders who denied the charges leveled by the interior minister. They say that Khan had not been issued any arrest warrant before Tuesday and his arrest was made suddenly.

Mr. Khan has been slapped with more than 100 cases, including corruption but he denies the charges as politically motivated.

Khan’s arrest is illegal

One of top PTI members, Shah Mehmood Qureshi called the arrest of Khan illegal and strongly condemned the act. “Khan was arrested by the Islamabad High Court, which the entire nation has condemned, and which I also condemn. This arrest is illegal, against political norms and inhuman, and it has been carried out under a special plan. Its roots can be traced back to London,” Qureshi told newsmen.

Qureshi called on the all PTI workers and Khan’s supporter to come out from their homes and stage a peaceful protest,

“I appeal to you, wherever you are, to come out of your homes with your children, your daughters, your fathers. We are peaceful people. We should not have sticks in our hands. We have never held arms in our hands, nor will we ever do so. We are not to attack anyone, or harm anyone. We are not to occupy anyone’s house. We have to ask for our rights peacefully. We have to record our protest in peace,” Qurehsi encouraged the people.

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Afraid of the gun; Taliban supreme leader fears of a coup

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Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban, has ordered the security institutions that without his permission, “no one can distribute or use the military equipment registered by the ministries of defense and interior, the directorate of intelligence and other independent institutions.”

Experts and analysts have considered this move by Hibatullah as last resort to weaken the position of defense minister, Yaqoob Mujahid, interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani and the head of Taliban intelligence, Abdul Haq Wasiq in order to prevent a possible internal coup that was initiated by these three top officials.

In the first article of the order, it is mentioned that no person can distribute military equipment registered in the reserves of the ministries of defense, interior and intelligence, or issue an order to distribute it without the order of Hibatullah.

This decree titled “Regarding the distribution, protection and supervision of registered military equipment”, specifies that whenever an Emirate entity (Taliban-related entity) needs weapons, ammunition, night vision cameras, telecommunications and other military equipment” must receive the approval order from the leader of the Taliban.

Also, in the second article of this decree, it is stated that whenever one of the military departments of the Taliban needs military equipment, it must send its request to Hibatullah’s office in Kandahar.

In the third article of the decree, it is emphasized that if the military equipment was distributed or used without the permission of the Taliban leader before the issuance of this decree, they must be returned to the reserves.

Ministries of defense, interior and head of intelligence department are banned from disturbing military weapons.

According to this article, Hibatullah entrusted the ministries of defense and interior, as well as the general directorate of Taliban intelligence, with the responsibility to report the list of available military equipment to the directorate of registration, and protection of military equipment.

This order of the Taliban leader has been considered as another step in the direction of concentrating more power in the hands of Mullah Hibatullah in Kandahar. Many have seen it as a sign of Hibatullah’s increasing distrust of senior Taliban officials in Kabul. Previously, some senior Taliban officials, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, have openly disobeyed Hibatullah’s order to prohibit photography and filming and have not followed the order of their supreme leader.

(R) Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid and (L) Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.

Previously, several reports have been published about the sale of military equipment left over from the US troops and Afghan security forces during the republic government. Even the US-elected president Donald Trump, repeatedly mentioned this issue during his election campaigns. Not long ago, the government of Pakistan also announced that the Pakistan security forces have discovered and confiscated a car carrying US weapons smuggled from Afghanistan.

Pakistani media reported that this equipment included M4 assault rifles, night vision cameras and thousands of rounds of ammunition, which were transported in a truck carrying vegetables. Pakistani security officials have estimated the total value of weapons smuggled from Afghanistan in this truck to be 126,354 US dollars.

The cost of US’s remaining equipment in Afghanistan estimated over 7 billion US dollars

The Pentagon has already announced that after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, about 7 billion dollars of military equipment fell into the hands of the Taliban. This equipment reached the hands of the Taliban after the fall of Afghanistan on 15 August, 2021.

It has been reported that when the US forces left Afghanistan, there were 78 US-made aircrafts in the country, whose value reached 1 billion dollars. According to CNN, with the end of the US military presence, a total of more than 9,000 air-to-ground munitions worth more than six and a half million dollars have remained in Afghanistan.

The report also states that out of a total of 96,000 military vehicles, more than 40,000 units, including 12,000 Humvees (armored tanks), fell into the hands of the Taliban. Moreover, out of a total of more than 400,000 weapons that the US gave to the forces of the former Afghan government, about 300,000 remain in the country.

Almost all “communications equipment, including mobile base stations, portable and hand-held commercial and military radio systems, and associated transmitters and encryption devices, all remain in Afghanistan,” according to the report.

The report added that “almost all” of the equipment for night vision cameras, surveillance, biometric and positioning equipment,” a total of nearly 42 thousand pieces of specialized equipment, remained in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Five Mi 17 helicopters of the then Afghan army, which were transferred to Ukraine for repair before the collapse of the government, have also returned to Afghanistan and now are used by the Taliban.

It should be noted that the internal rivalries in the Taliban, especially among the different factions of this group, is one of the important reasons for Mullah Hibatullah’s distrust of some Taliban officials. Some officials, including interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and defense minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, gained a lot of power, especially during the Taliban’s war against foreign forces, and Mullah Hibatullah may be worried that these officials are trying to expand their power, which is a clear threat to his position as the Taliban leader.

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China’s BYD prepares to launch latest SUV, the Sealion 07, in Europe despite EU tariffs

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BYD, the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) maker, is set to launch its latest SUV, the Sealion 07, in Europe, undeterred by recent tariff increases on Chinese-made electric vehicles. This strategic move highlights BYD’s commitment to expanding overseas sales despite economic barriers.

Deliveries of the Sealion 07 are scheduled to begin in 2025, marking BYD’s seventh all-electric model in the European market, the company announced on Wednesday. Additionally, BYD plans to enter the South Korean market next year, adding to its existing presence in 95 countries worldwide.

This European expansion comes on the heels of the European Union’s decision last month to impose new tariffs—ranging from 17% to 35.3%—on Chinese electric vehicles following an anti-subsidy investigation. BYD’s EVs are subject to a 17% tariff, in addition to the standard 10% tariff applied to all pure electric cars imported from China. These tariffs, which took effect last month, will remain in place for five years. Meanwhile, U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made EVs increased from 25% to 100% as of September, citing similar concerns.

Despite the added costs, BYD’s vehicles continue to hold strong appeal in export markets. “BYD’s vehicles remain attractive even after the additional tariffs, so it’s not really a big problem for the company,” said Chen Jinzhu, CEO of Shanghai Mingliang Auto Service, a leading industry consultancy. “The Sealion 07 exemplifies how BYD’s cost advantage enables it to counteract such trade barriers in key export markets.”

Shenzhen-based BYD has yet to disclose the European pricing for the Sealion 07. On the mainland, the SUV—featuring a range of 450 kilometers—starts at 189,800 yuan (approximately US$26,272), with deliveries beginning in May.

According to a report last year from UBS analysts, BYD has a sustainable cost advantage of 25% over traditional European brands.

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Singles’ day promotions target overseas Chinese as China’s domestic demand slows

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After last year’s Singles’ Day shopping festival in China was dubbed the “quietest in history,” China’s e-commerce platforms focused on a new strategy this year.

For this year’s Singles’ Day event, major e-commerce companies such as Alibaba, JD.com, and Pinduoduo invested heavily in expanding overseas markets, targeting the estimated 100 million Chinese living abroad with offers like discounts and free or low-cost shipping.

The central question, however, is not whether these efforts will succeed in the short term, but rather if this shift can help platforms grow their user bases as online sales growth in China reaches a bottleneck.

“Domestic consumption is quite weak right now, and every company is certainly considering new ways to drive growth for Singles’ Day,” said an executive at a leading online retailer, who requested anonymity. “The overseas market is widely seen as a promising source for additional growth,” he added in an interview with Nikkei Asia.

Singles’ Day, a one-day sales event launched by Alibaba in 2009 as a celebration for singles, has since evolved into a month-long campaign with special offers and deep discounts, culminating on or around November 11.

This year, China aimed to revitalize its retail sector with the event. Total consumer goods sales rose by 3.3% year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2024, though high-end consumer spending remained stagnant. Cosmetics sales fell by 1%, while gold and silver jewelry sales declined by 3.1% year-on-year.

Last month, Alibaba’s Taobao launched a significant marketing campaign in Hong Kong and Taiwan, flooding subway stations with advertisements for “free shipping on orders over 99 yuan,” among other offers. According to the company, the campaign cost 2 billion New Taiwan dollars ($61.7 million) in Taiwan and 1 billion yuan ($138 million) in Hong Kong.

Following Alibaba’s move, JD.com announced it had invested 1.5 billion yuan to offer discounted product prices and cheaper shipping to Hong Kong shoppers. Bargain platform Pinduoduo took it a step further, offering free shipping via courier SF Express for Hong Kong shoppers, regardless of the item’s price. All products on these platforms are shipped from mainland China.

A spokesperson from Alibaba’s International Digital Commerce Group noted that since the overseas initiative launched in October, Taobao Hong Kong has achieved double-digit growth in both orders and gross merchandise value (GMV)—a metric that excludes canceled orders—on both a monthly and year-on-year basis.

The platforms are also targeting Chinese shoppers in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.

This year, unlike in previous years, shoppers could combine online discounts with a subsidy program introduced by the Chinese government to boost domestic consumption, primarily for home appliances and household products. Analysts suggest these incentives will likely boost sales for JD.com, which is known for selling high-quality large appliances and offering after-sales services.

While JD.com has yet to release sales or GMV figures for home appliances during the shopping festival, it is expected to share its June-September results, along with Alibaba, later this week.

Last year, data provider Syntun estimated that total GMV on major e-commerce platforms grew by only 2.1% to 1.14 trillion yuan, falling short of the 2.9% growth forecast for 2022. Similarly, consultancy Bain predicted that Singles’ Day sales would reach 1.15 trillion yuan in 2023.

On Tuesday morning, Alibaba announced “strong GMV growth” and a “record number” of active shoppers for this year’s Singles’ Day event.

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