Pakistani Officials: Election Delay Is Likely Following Former PM Khan’s Sentence
Pakistani authorities approved a plan on Saturday to reorganize the country’s electoral districts, which a top government official said would likely delay November’s election (FT) to next year. It comes after Pakistan’s former prime minister and current opposition leader Imran Khan was sentenced to three years in jail (Dawn) on Saturday on corruption charges. The court’s decision disqualifies him from the electoral race and from holding office for the next five years.
Khan’s supporters staged mass protests when the charges were first introduced; both leaders and supporters of his party have now also been detained in large numbers. No large-scale demonstrations occurred over the weekend. Current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is due to step down this week and transfer power to a caretaker government that will govern Pakistan until the election is held.
Analysis
“[Pakistan’s military] has maintained its cohesion to systematically repress [Khan’s party] the PTI and reclaim its domination of Pakistani public life. Khan’s populist and polarizing bid to regain power has been dealt a huge, most likely fatal blow by the institution that once enthroned Khan,” the University of Oklahoma’s Aqil Shah writes for Foreign Affairs.
“The upcoming general elections were supposed to be a breakout point for the country — a fresh start after months of turbulence triggered by the ouster of the PTI government. Unfortunately, all signs right now indicate extensive pre-poll engineering is being done to avoid any ‘undesirable’ outcome of the exercise,” Dawn’s editorial board writes.
Pacific Rim
Philippines Protests Chinese Ship Strikes in Disputed Area
Manila summoned the Chinese ambassador (SCMP) to protest against Beijing firing water cannons at Philippine ships in a disputed area of the South China Sea, calling China’s actions “illegal” and “excessive.” China claims the Philippine vessels are in the area illegally.
China: Authorities diverted floodwater (Reuters) to populated areas around Beijing, relocating nearly one million people in the country’s northern Hebei province. The move is part of an attempt to avoid rising floodwaters in the capital as record-breaking rains flooded reservoirs and rivers.
South and Central Asia
Indian Opposition Leader Returns to Legislature After Court Decision
European diplomats who attended the Saudi-hosted talks over the weekend said Chinese envoys “appeared constructive” (FT) at the talks after China had declined to participate in a previous round in Copenhagen in June. China indicated that it would attend future meetings. Ukraine called the talks productive (Reuters), while Russia called them “doomed.”
Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Bloomberg that he would stop short of pursuing the full judicial overhaul that he originally announced following widespread protests against the plan. He said he still aimed to change how judges are selected.
The military officials who overthrew Niger’s government on July 26 closed the country’s airspace (BBC), citing the threat of external military intervention. A deadline imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum passed on Sunday, after which point they have threatened the possible use of force.
Ethiopia: Clashes between government forces and a militia in the Amhara region continued over the weekend (Reuters), with the director of Ethiopia’s national intelligence service saying yesterday that militia members were seeking to overthrow the regional and federal government.
Europe
European, Chinese Top Diplomats Plan for Fall Visit
During a phone call yesterday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi invited (Politico) European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to visit Beijing later this year after canceling a visit originally planned for July. The two diplomats also discussed the security situations in Niger and Ukraine.
Russia/Ukraine: Russian missile strikes across Ukraine yesterday killed six people (AP), Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine attacked a Russian tanker in the Black Sea on Friday and a bridge connecting the Russia-occupied Kherson region and Crimea on Sunday.
Americas
Deforestation in Brazilian Amazon Falls to Six-Year Low
Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research said that deforestation of the Amazon fell by 66 percent (CNN) last month compared to July 2022. Amazon deforestation has declined since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in January with a pledge to end the destructive forest policies of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
Colombia/Panama: Panama’s top immigration official said Colombia has not followed up on promises (AP) to help control migrant smuggling through the Darién gap jungle border between the two countries. Almost 250,000 migrants have crossed through the gap in the first seven months of 2023.
United States
Heatmap: U.S. Government To Pay for Carbon Removal
The Department of Energy plans to spend tens of millions of dollars to pay companies to remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, Heatmap reported. This plan would mark the first time a government pays to remove climate pollutants from the atmosphere.
