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Uzbekistan stops transportation to Afghanistan over “breach” of contract

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Uzbekistan Railways has suspended rail transportation to Afghanistan from February 1, blaming the Taliban authorities for not fulfilling technical obligation as per an agreement signed between the two sides in December.

The company in a statement said that the Taliban failed to honor its technical work obligations.

“Considering that Afghanistan Railway Authority is unable to implement the agreed measures in time, please be advised that railroad shipments on the Galaba/Hairton – Mazar-i-Sharif line in Afghanistan’s northern province of Balkh will be suspended from February 1,” Interfax reported, citing the statement.

On December 26-30, the Uzbek and Afghan representatives met in Termez, a city in south of Uzbekistan on the border with Afghanistan and they agreed on a plan of phased technical work to be performed by Afghan railroad workers in Afghanistan by February 1, 2023.

During the meeting, Sogdiana Trans and the Afghanistan Railway Authority mutually also agreed on the list of works to be performed and their prices. They also reached consensus to sign a new contract by January 27 of this year.

Railway line was built in 2010

Uzbekistan Railway furthered that since the line was built in 2010, all services to the railway line have been provided by its subsidiary company Sogdiana Trans.

The company said “to support entrepreneurs and ensure continuous cargo transportation to Afghanistan, as well as to prevent delays in delivering essential goods to Afghanistan, Sogdiana Trans will give practical assistance in transporting cargo to Afghanistan by truck from Termez logistics centers and via the Termez river port,” the press service said.

It will be part of an effort to prevent the stoppage of transportation of essential goods to Afghanistan.

Uzbekistan Railways built the 75-kilometer Hairaton – Mazar-i-Sharif railroad worth $129 million in 2010. Sogdiana Trans was established a year later to operate and service this line.

Taliban security forces at Hairatan port between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan

However, just before negotiations with Uzbekistan Railways, the Taliban officials on December six last year, just two weeks before discussions, signed a contract with a Kazakhstani company, Mansour Fatih, to manage the Hairatan-Mazar-e-Sharif railway line.

Local media in that time in Uzbekistan reported that the Kazak Company would manage technical issues for the line.

Taliban yet to comment

The Taliban officials did not comment on the news so far and the stop on railway services would definitely impact negatively on the country’s already fragile economic situation.

However, the Taliban has tried its best to sign different contracts with foreign countries to manage its economy and also the office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Economy had said that over the past 10 months, the nation’s exports have topped $1.7 billion and that revenue from this has been collected.

The office said that despite several difficulties including the freezing of Afghan assets and other restrictions on the banking system, they worked hard to keep the value of the Afghani currency against dollars and other foreign exchange.

The ministry also said that increase in exports has led to the surge in revenue.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the finance ministry said that since March until the end of January 10, they have collected nearly 150 million Afs.

The majority of the revenue was from the customs office, according to him.

Revenue growth

Abdul Latif Nazari, the Deputy Minister of Economy, said that domestic and foreign revenue has grown 90%, and put two reasons behind them. One of the main reasons was the reduction in inflation and the second was the increase in exports from Afghanistan.

Nazari said that an unprecedented record has been broken.

The economic pundits believe that these revenues must be invested in improving infrastructural projects.

The Prime Minister’s office said that despite all the challenges including sanctions on the banking system, they were able to provide the salaries of around 800,000 employees from domestic budget and income.

Low-quality diesel

Moreover, the Afghanistan National Standards Authority (ANSA) said that they have returned four tankers of low-quality diesel back to Iran.

ANSA said that they stopped and returned these tankers at Islam Qala port in Herat province over poor quality of the fuel. The authority has taken practical steps to prevent the importation of low-quality oil.

ANSA also called on the traders to import goods in standard quality otherwise they will face the same consequences.

In early this month, the ANSA also sent 26 tankers of “poor quality” fuel back to Iran.

At the same time, Iran ambassador to Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi said that Tehran has taken measures to facilitate the visa issuance to the Afghan businessmen.

Qomi in a tweet said that “with the aim of developing commercial-economic cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan, facilitating the process of issuing and receiving multiple-entry business visas will be accelerated for Afghan businessmen.”

Earlier, the Taliban Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in a meeting with the Iranian envoy appreciated Iran’s efforts for the facilitation of the visa issuance process, economic cooperation, securing the common border, and hosting Afghan immigrants.

ASIA

Taliban denies Pakistan claims Jaffar Express “terrorists” were in contact with leaders in Afghanistan

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The recent attack on the Jafar Express passenger train in the Pakistani province of Balochistan by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has sparked a number of reactions, including strong condemnation from the National Resistance Front and some Afghan jihadi organizations. Many people asked for designation of the BLA as a terrorist group.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said that “India has been involved in terrorism. In the particular attack on Jaffar Express, the terrorists had been in contact with their handlers and ring leaders in Afghanistan.” The statement came a day after the rescue operation for the Jaffar Express attack was completed and all the 33 BLA fighters, who hijacked the Jaffar Express which was carrying over 400 passengers, were killed.

The Pakistani military said that 21 passengers have been killed and the remaining hostages have been freed. And also, four Pakistani security forces killed during the rescue operation in the Mushqaf area of the Bolan district.

Shafqat Ali Khan added that “the terrorists have safe havens in Afghanistan, and Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan interim government to prevent groups like the BLA from using its soil for terrorism.”

Pakistani Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that the Jaffar Express incident changed the rules of the game.

“Whoever did this will be hunted down and brought to justice,” he said, adding that the terrorists had nothing to do with Islam, Pakistan and Balochistan. In a statement, the ISPR said that intelligence reports have unequivocally confirmed that the attack was orchestrated and directed by terrorist ring leaders operating from Afghanistan, who were in direct communication with the terrorists throughout the incident.

Taliban urges Pakistan to restrain from irresponsible statement rather resolve their own security issues.

The Taliban Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Abdul Qahar Balki asked Pakistan to refrain from giving irresponsible remarks and instead focus on the security situation and internal issues of the country.

“We categorically reject baseless allegations by a Pakistani army spokesman linking the attack on a passenger train in Balochistan province with Afghanistan, and urge the Pakistani side to focus on resolving their own security and internal problems instead of such irresponsible remarks,” Balkhi added.

Balkhi furthered that “no members of Balouch opposition have presence in Afghanistan, nor have they ever had or have any links with the Islamic Emirate.”

He expressed his saddened by the loss of life of innocents in the incident, lamenting that “sacrificing civilians for political objectives is unjustifiable”.

Baloch struggle against injustices.

The incident came despite the fact that the Baloch struggle against injustices by the Pakistani military began in 1948. These struggles are in response to systematic discrimination, political marginalization, the “kill and dump” policy, and the unjust exploitation of Balochistan’s natural resources.

Given these facts, a fundamental question arises: What is the difference between the oppression of the Pakistani military against the Baloch and the oppression of the same military’s proxy forces in the form of the Taliban against the people of Afghanistan?

“What difference should there be between the BLA and those who have condemned it, to call one a terrorist group and consider themselves legitimate fighters, while both groups have resorted to armed resistance in response to injustice and oppression,” Rahmatullah Nabil former Afghan spy head said.

It seems that condemning the Baloch freedom movement indicates a double policy that can add to the distrust of the narrative of the struggle of these movements. “I think it is essential to address such issues by paying attention to the historical and social roots of the conflicts and responding to them with a fair and impartial approach.”

 

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Premier Li calls for accelerated efforts to meet China’s economic goals

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Chinese Premier Li Qiang has urged officials to do their utmost in the race to achieve key targets, such as maintaining an economic growth rate of around 5%, as set out in the “two sessions” held last week.

“We must improve measures and accelerate their implementation, race against time amidst various uncertainties, and work quickly and proactively,” Li said on Wednesday at a State Council meeting, one day after the conclusion of the annual meetings of China’s top legislative and advisory bodies.

As Beijing outlined a series of policies to boost growth in the face of economic headwinds, Li called on all state institutions to “take the initiative to fulfill their responsibilities and take more positive steps to complete their tasks.”

Although Chinese leaders emphasized their confidence in the future of the world’s second-largest economy, they also highlighted ongoing challenges such as weak domestic demand and intensifying trade frictions with the US during the two sessions.

According to a summary of Wednesday’s meeting reported by Xinhua, Li asked officials to “closely monitor changes in the situation and make good policy preparations to ensure they can be launched in a timely manner and deliver results as soon as possible.”

In his work report last week, Li emphasized that China’s growth target of around 5% for 2025 underscored the leadership’s determination to tackle challenges and achieve results.

While China announced further fiscal stimulus measures during the two sessions, following a package in the last quarter of 2024, it faces uncertainties not only domestically but also externally, particularly due to the trade war with US President Donald Trump.

At Wednesday’s State Council meeting, a work plan was discussed and adopted that clarified the division of key tasks for this year among different departments and emphasized inter-departmental coordination.

According to a separate meeting held by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on the same day, these tasks include expanding the scale of 5G telecom technology applications and accelerating the development of 6G.

Li Lecheng, the Party Secretary of the Ministry, pledged to continue efforts to upgrade traditional industries, accelerate the digitalization and green transformation of the manufacturing sector, and accelerate the application of artificial intelligence, especially in areas such as electric vehicles, the low-altitude economy, and biomanufacturing.

According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, 1.664 million electric bicycles were sold and replaced nationwide from January 1 to Tuesday, accounting for 120.4% of the total number in 2024.

Meanwhile, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, a leading state-owned bank, pledged on Wednesday to provide at least 6 trillion yuan (829.2 billion US dollars) in financing to private enterprises over the next three years, Xinhua reported.

Bank Chairman Liao Lin said at an event in Beijing that the aim was to “support businesses to stick to their core businesses” and “help the economy continue to recover and improve.”

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Zhao Leji misses key political meetings, citing respiratory infection

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For the first time in recent history, the head of China’s top legislature was absent from the closing of the parliamentary meeting known as the “two sessions” on Tuesday.

Zhao Leji, 68, the third-ranking official and chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC), was unable to attend due to a “respiratory infection,” according to his deputy, Li Hongzhong, who presided over the closing ceremony.

Zhao last appeared in public on Saturday at the first meeting of the NPC presidium.

For the first time in decades, not all members of the Politburo Standing Committee attended the closing meeting of the NPC.

However, Zhao’s name was mentioned when Li announced the voting results of the NPC’s annual work report.

“The deputies of the NPC listened to and reviewed the work report presented by Chairman Zhao Leji on behalf of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. The session fully approved the work of the Standing Committee over the past year, agreed with the tasks proposed in the report for the coming year, and decided to approve the report,” Li said.

According to Li, the work report was approved by an overwhelming majority.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang both appeared relieved as they left the stage after the ceremony concluded.

For the first time since the pandemic, Covid-19 tests were not required to attend the two sessions.

Zhao was also absent from the closing of the annual session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Monday, which was attended by the other six members of the Politburo Standing Committee, including President Xi.

Since the 1980s, it has become a political norm for all top leaders of the ruling party to attend the opening and closing ceremonies of the annual NPC and CPPCC sessions as a political endorsement of the national legislative and political advisory sessions.

The annual event also serves as a platform for party and government leaders to hear the views of non-party Chinese elites on China’s most pressing issues.

In addition to missing the closing of the CPPCC, Zhao also did not attend two meetings of the NPC’s presidium on Monday, which are usually overseen by the NPC chairman. Instead, state news agency Xinhua said that NPC Vice Chairman Li Hongzhong was “entrusted by Zhao Leji” to preside over the two meetings.

At the meeting where Zhao last appeared in public on March 8 at the NPC presidium, it was decided to submit the draft decision on the amendment of the Deputies Law and the draft revisions to the government work report and the central and local government budgets to the NPC for consideration.

Zhao, who was promoted to the Politburo Standing Committee in 2017, served as secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party’s top anti-corruption and political discipline body, until 2022, succeeding Wang Qishan.

At the 20th Party Congress in 2022, he was reappointed to the Politburo Standing Committee, becoming the third-ranking member. In March 2023, he was appointed chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, succeeding Li Zhanshu.

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