Pakistan intends to illegally expel more refugees from Afghanistan

Attacks on Xiomara Castro’s government intensify after termination of extradition treaty with the US

The Central American country has experienced a political earthquake following the end of an extradition treaty between Honduras and the United States requested by President Xiomara Castro. President Castro’s decision came after U.S. Ambassador to Honduras Laura Dogu made statements to Honduran media questioning a meeting between several officials and Venezuelan officials.

The right-wing opposition in the Central American country has accused the executive branch of the government of making the decision because of alleged links between some government officials and criminal groups. Such rumors intensified after congressman Carlos Zelaya — brother of former president Manuel Zelaya (Castro’s husband, who was overthrown in a 2009 coup) — said he had been to a meeting in 2013 that included a drug trafficker. Carlos Zelaya has clarified that the meeting was not one known to or ordered by his brother or President Castro, but rather a personal encounter. The congressman has announced that he will resign from his political position to be investigated so that he can clarify that there is no link between criminal groups linked to drug trafficking and Castro’s leftist political party, Liberty and Refoundation (Libre).

“I will submit my resignation to the National Congress as a congressman and secretary of the Congress, to get rid of any form of protection I may have, and to be investigated,” said Congressman Zelaya. He stated that he would not mind appearing before the American justice system to prove his innocence if the US government requests it.

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Israeli Siege of West Bank Continues: Al-Qassam Commander Wissam Khazem Murdered in Jenin

At least three Palestinian resistance fighters were killed in the early hours of Friday, August 30, by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in the town of Zababdeh, south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank. One of the dead fighters was later identified as Wissam Ayman Khazem, 30, who was a commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. Khazem was reportedly shot dead when his vehicle came under fire from the Israeli army.

The other two fighters were identified as Maysara Suleiman Masharqa, 33, and Arafat Yasser Amer, 27, who were struck by a drone after fleeing a gun attack. Amer was a member of the Jenin Brigades, which is linked to Saraya al-Quds, the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Masharqa was a field commander of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a network of military groups linked to Fatah.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the bodies of three fighters were reportedly confiscated by the Israeli Occupation Forces. Confiscating the bodies of Palestinian freedom fighters has been a long-standing practice of the IOF, using them as a bargaining chip in future negotiations.

On the evening of August 30, the IDF forced Palestinian families to evacuate from the eastern neighborhood of Jenin as part of a wide-ranging military operation in the West Bank.

UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory Francesca Albanese has slammed Israel for justifying the launch of a major offensive in the West Bank by citing “self-defense” as a pretext.

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Hundreds of Rideshare Drivers Form Tennessee Drivers Union, Go on Strike Over Labor Day Weekend

On August 20, hundreds of rideshare drivers voted to form the Tennessee Drivers Union and strike on August 30 to address deteriorating working conditions at Nashville International Airport. Workers strategically struck on Labor Day weekend, as they considered it one of the busiest weekends of the year.

Rideshare drivers are demanding that Nashville International Airport expand rideshare parking and increase access to clean restrooms. Riders are also demanding restrictions on scooter use after 9 p.m. for driver and pedestrian safety, enforcement of a ban on fake taxis and minimum wage. Rideshare drivers in Nashville have long called on the city to crack down on people who impersonate taxi or rideshare drivers, making passengers feel unsafe.

“Drivers should be paid by the minute and by the mile!” the Tennessee Drivers Union said in a statement. “Uber has significantly increased its rates over the past three years,” the statement said. “Many drivers fear homelessness and drive long hours to survive week after week.”

The statement continued: “Drivers refuse to continue to allow big companies like Uber and Lyft to profit off of (their) work. They want Nashville to hear their struggles… Until their demands are met, Tennessee and its tourists can expect further disruption.”

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Pakistan intends to illegally expel more refugees from Afghanistan

Pakistani Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi said on August 28 that his government was continuing another round of expelling “undocumented Afghan refugees” from the country, despite concerns from numerous human rights activists and organizations working on the issue.

Naqvi made the announcement at a meeting with the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, Indrika Ratwatte, who was visiting Pakistan. According to a statement issued by the ministry after the meeting, Naqvi confirmed that no one will be allowed to stay in Pakistan without a visa or other legal documents.

The first round of mass deportations of some of Pakistan’s 1.7 million “undocumented” Afghan refugees in November 2023 has been met with widespread criticism. The Pakistani government says it is preparing for a second round of expulsions in 2024.

The current Pakistani government has launched numerous attacks on refugees, accusing them of involvement in terrorism, smuggling and other crimes in the country. It has also described them as a burden on the country’s ailing economy.

During last year’s expulsion campaign, Pakistani authorities faced several allegations of abuse, extortion and harassment of refugees. Human rights groups, including the UN, have said the expulsion of refugees is illegal under international law and violates humanitarian law.

Nearly 3 million Afghans live as refugees in Pakistan. Some have been there for decades and traveled to the neighboring country to escape war, chaos and human rights abuses at home.

The Pakistani government has declared all refugees who do not have documents such as a registration certificate or Afghan citizenship card as “undocumented aliens” and should be expelled.

Some 44,000 Afghans approved for relocation to Western countries from 2021 are living in Pakistan. Most of them worked with the US-led international forces during the two-decade occupation of the country and were promised repatriation by Western powers during the chaotic withdrawal from two decades of occupation.