Pak Lawmakers Blocked From Flight By Passengers; Ghani Leads Abdullah by 800K Votes; Xi Arrives in India

Bonus Read: "Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution," Douglas Ollivant (SouthAsia).

Pakistan

Lawmakers blocked from boarding flight

Angry travelers blocked two Pakistani lawmakers — former Interior Minister and current Pakistan Peoples Party senator Rehman Malik (pictured in center above), and Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a minority Hindu member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party — from boarding a flight from Karachi to Islamabad on Monday, complaining that the politicians’ late arrival had delayed the flight by at least two hours (ET, Guardian, NYT). A video of the incident on a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight began circulating on social media a day later, "fueling an online debate about the VIP treatment of Pakistan’s politicians and military leaders" (RFE/RL). According to reports, Malik turned back when one man demanded he apologize to all of the passengers on the plane, while Vankwani left after passengers threatened to throw their shoes at him as a sign of disrespect and outrage. The flight eventually took off with neither man on board.

It is unclear why Malik and Vankwani were both so late to turn up for the flight, though the PIA told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper that the flight had been delayed for 90 minutes due to a technical issue (Dawn). The airline also told media outlets it had suspended two employees for causing further "unnecessary delay," though no additional information was given (BBC).

Sharif threatens to clear protest camps

In a televised address on Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif threatened to clear a protest camp established outside government offices in Islamabad more than a month ago (Reuters). Speaking a day after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party chairman Imran Khan told his supporters Friday would be "Go Nawaz Go" Day, Sharif said: "Up until now, we have tolerated all this and acted with decency and patience," noting that: "Otherwise it’s no hard task for us to clear the way and clear the streets." Hundreds of protestors, led by Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek leader Tahir ul-Qadri, have been in capital since August, refusing to leave until Sharif steps down. Bonus Read: "Cleric Qadri Asks Grandkids for Advice in Pakistan Campaign," Kamran Haider and Faseeh Mangi (Businessweek).

Forty militants killed in new wave of airstrikes 

Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) office announced on Wednesday that the military had killed 40 militants and destroyed five hideouts and ammunition depots in a fresh wave of airstrikes in the country’s northwest (AP, Dawn, ET, RFE/RL). ISPR said the strikes took place north of Datta Khel in North Waziristan, and were part of the ongoing security offensive against militants operating in the country’s tribal regions. The report came just one day after ISPR said at least 31 militants had been killed in airstrikes near North Waziristan’s Spinwam district. The offensive, which began in June, has killed more than 1,000 militants, according to the Pakistani military, though those numbers cannot be independently verified.

Thirteen polio cases surface in one day

Pakistan’s National Institute of Health confirmed on Tuesday that 13 new polio cases had been identified throughout the country, bringing the national total in 2014 to 158 cases (Dawn, ET). According to the institute, most of the cases were recorded in the country’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas, but some were also found in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh provinces. All of the new cases were reported in young children, ranging in age from eight-months to two-years-old. Pakistan is one of three countries where the poliovirus remains endemic; Afghanistan and Nigeria are the other two.

Afghanistan

Pajhwok: Ghani leads Abdullah by 800,000 votes

Afghanistan’s Pajhwok Afghan News reported on Tuesday that a source within the country’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) had confided that former finance minister Ashraf Ghani was leading former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah by 800,000 votes in the country’s 2014 presidential contest (Pajhwok). While many observers believed that Ghani would come out ahead of Abdullah, the IEC and international observers have been conducting an audit of the votes cast in the June 14 run-off election; the results from that audit have not yet been released. Afghanistan’s Independent Election Complaints Commission is currently working through complaints lodged by both campaigns, and the IEC has said the official results of the audit will be released once those concerns have been addressed. 

Afghan central government almost broke, official says 

Alhaj M. Aqa, the director general of the treasury at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Finance, told the Washington Post‘s Tim Craig on Tuesday that the country’s "central government is nearly broke and needs a $537 million bailout from the United States and other international donors within ‘five or six days’ to continue paying its bills" (Post). Aqa told Craig that some of the problem stems from the fact that the Afghan government, which is crippled by a growing budget shortfall, has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in reserve funds so far this year, while other officials have blamed the ongoing stalemate over who will succeed President Hamid Karzai.

Regardless of the cause, Craig reported that: "The government was barely able to cover its September payroll for more than 500,000 national and provincial employees," adding that "with its October payroll deadlines approaching, Aqa said the country’s financial challenges are now ‘critical.’"

A senior U.S. Embassy official in Kabul told Craig that they are "working to find ways to help the new government meet some of its challenges and priorities using resources already allocated," but no further information was given.

— Bailey Cahall 

India

Chinese President Xi arrives in India

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in India on Wednesday for a three-day visit, and was received at the airport in Ahmedabad by Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel (Times of India, Livemint). A tribal dance was performed at the airport in honor of XI’s visit, and he was given an all-female honor guard led by the district superintendent of police, Panna Momaya. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were then received by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at their hotel in the city. The two leaders will hold a private meeting, and later have dinner on the banks of the Sabarmati River, where over 100 Gujarati delicacies will be offered. The riverfront has been illuminated with colorful lights and five tents have been put up.

Ahead of his visit, Xi wrote in a column for the Hindu newspaper: "As the two engines of the Asian economy, we need to become cooperation partners spearheading growth," and said further that a combination of the "world’s factory" and the "world’s back office" will drive global economic growth (The Hindu).

Wednesday is also Modi’s 64th birthday, an occasion on which he met his mother to seek her blessings (NDTV). In response to various celebrations organized by followers and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party members, Modi — @narendramodi — tweeted: "My humble request – do not celebrate my birthday. Instead, dedicate yourselves towards relief work in [Jammu and Kashmir] through your time & resources (sic)" (NDTV).

U.N. Secretary General wanted PM Modi at summit

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he "really wanted" Modi to participate in the climate change summit in New York next week, which will be attended by about 120 heads of states, according to news reports on Wednesday (Press Trust of India). The summit is expected to mobilize political will towards finalizing a new global compact to tackle climate change.

Addressing reporters ahead of the 69th U.N. General Assembly session, Ban said: "Even though he [Modi] will not be able to participate in the climate summit meeting per se, I really wanted to have him (Modi) participate in climate change summit meeting" (DNA). In addition to India, top leaders from China and Russia will not be attending the summit. Prakash Javadekar, India’s environment minister is expected to represent the country at the summit.

New Delhi’s position has been that any announcements or decisions taken at the summit would impact the ongoing U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations process, an international environmental treaty addressing climate change (Economic Times). India’s stance aligns with China; Xi is also not attending. The two "Asian Giants" share an approach reflective of the Like Minded Developing Countries — which also includes Venezuela, Philippines, Bolivia, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia — who do not believe the summit is the proper forum for announcements or reform on climate change.

Indian actress angrily reacts over cleavage comment

Indian actress Deepika Padukone received support from her fans and the Indian film industry after the Times of India published a photo and report on her cleavage on Sunday (DNA). The newspaper tweeted: "OMG: Deepika Padukone’s cleavage show," which was linked to a web photo gallery showing additional photos of her. Padukone — @deepikapadukone — angrily responded on Twitter, tweeting: "YES! I am a Woman. I have breasts AND a cleavage! You got a problem!!??" (BBC). Padukone further tweeted: "Dont talk about Woman’s Empowerment when YOU don’t know how to RESPECT Women!" (NDTV). 

Although the newspaper removed the original tweet, they urged Padukone to consider the tweet a compliment. The Times of India — @TOIEntertain — tweeted: "@deepikapadukone, It’s a compliment! You look so great that we want to make sure everyone knew! :)" (NDTV). The story resulted in the hashtag #IStandWithDeepikaPadukone in India on Sunday, with many people speaking out against the newspaper’s comments.

— Neeli Shah and Jameel Khan

Edited by Peter Bergen.