Iranian leaders are saber rattling, threatening #Afghanistan with a range of hostile actions, including perhaps war. Why? They argue that #Iran is not receiving water from Afghanistan that it should be getting under a 1973 treaty between the two countries.
[Thread] Taliban authorities are being surprisingly restrained and statesmanlike over the issue. They acknowledged the treaty while arguing that the lower amount of water is due to drought and climate change.

Pakistan’s Army Chief continues to trample over democratic red lines. Now he has decided to try civilians in a military court that he will constitute. The name for this is military dictatorship, and it’s brazenly unconstitutional.
#Pakistan
[Thread] There was a brief time, after the tragic terrorist attack on the army public school in Peshawar, when the constitution was amended (23rd Amendment) to allow for military trial of civilians. But that amendment expired in 2019, per its sunset clause.

I was concerned for #Pakistan before, but a recent speech by the Army Chief has led me to believe that things are truly dire. His closed-door angry tirade to senior officers in Sialkot has been reliably shared with me. The entire speech was alarming but two points stand out:(1/6) First, he threatened the wives and children of his critics. The May 9 violence was not a good thing and should be transparently investigated, but that is no excuse for threatening harm to innocent family members of retired officers who may have participated. (2/6)

There are fragile signs of hope in Pakistan: The Supreme Court decision yesterday and the Islamabad High Court's today ordering Imran Khan's release, and growing opposition within the military to the heavy-handed over-reach of some.
[Thread]
#Pakistan #ImranKhanArrested Perhaps disaster can be averted, but only if 2 things happen.

Army Chief Munir needs to resign, and elections must be posted for a specific date. Without the first, the second is unlikely. Without these steps Pakistan's economic, political and security crisis will only worsen.

There is growing fear that Imran Khan might be killed/assassinated while in custody. Imran Khan expressed this concern to the judge in charge in the court today.
[Thread]
#Pakistan #ImranKhanArrested The situation in Pakistan is deteriorating badly, affecting people's lives but also undermining the unity and cohesion of state institutions, including the armed forces.

The arrest of Imran Khan is deplorable and will have far-ranging consequences. I condemn it in the strongest terms.
[Thread]
#Pakistan #ImranKhanArrest It’s painful to watch a country so rich in potential, with an ancient heritage of culture, natural resources, an entrepreneurial spirit and hard-working people, repeatedly be thrown into chaos by its own dysfunctional elites—civilian and military—with some exceptions.

A few days ago, the @washingtonpost headlined on its front page that "Afghanistan has become a terrorism staging ground again." They sourced this judgment to a leaked Pentagon document. However, this sensationalist hyperbole is unwarranted.
[Thread]
washingtonpost.com/national-secur… An upswing in terrorism from #Afghanistan had been one of the fears associated with the US withdrawal. But that has not happened.

There are indications that Pakistan's parliament, which is controlled by the governing coalition, might well ask the Supreme Court to disqualify Imran Khan from running for election and even prohibit PTI in the next few days.
[Thread] The government appears to have decided to set up Imran Khan as Enemy No 1 of the State. Such steps will only deepen Pakistan's triple crises: political, economic, and security. Already, some countries have suspended planned investments.

The Taliban bans women from taking university entrance exams. This decision further hammers in the earlier edict banning women’s higher education.
#Afghanistan #Taliban

[Thread]
khaama.com/taliban-ban-fe… It is now clear that contrary to their assurances there is no intention for this ban to be temporary. This unconscionable decision also indicates that the efforts of Taliban leaders who oppose the ban have been rejected.