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Ghani Named President-Elect in Afghanistan; Pakistan Appoints New ISI Chief; Standoff at Indo-China Border Continues

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Ghani Named President-Elect in Afghanistan; Pakistan Appoints New ISI Chief; Standoff at Indo-China Border Continues

Ghani Named President-Elect in Afghanistan; Pakistan Appoints New ISI Chief; Standoff at Indo-China Border Continues

<p> <b>Afghanistan</b> </p><br><p> <i>Candidates sign power-sharing agreement, Ghani to become president</i> </p><br><p> Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani finalized <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdVsPojpd-TK8hA4a1a style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">a power-sharing agreement</a> on Saturday, ending months of tension in the country, and officially signed the pact on Sunday in a ceremony with President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdVsPojpd-TK8mA675c style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">BBC</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdVsPojpd-TK8rA0b4a style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Guardian</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdVsPojpd-TK8wA110f style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">NYT</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdVsPojpd-TK81A1808 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Pajhwok</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdVsPojpd-TK86Ab0e1 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">RFE/RL</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK8_A33a4 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">TOLO News</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK9EA5202 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">WSJ</a>). According to reports, teams for both men met late into the night with U.N. representatives to try to finalize the deal before Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced the final election results on Sunday. </p><br><p> International media outlets noted that the last sticking point was how to announce the results of the June 14 run-off election vote audit. Abdullah, who was widely assumed to be trailing Ghani, "had insisted that the official percentages either not be made public at all or be altered to give him more votes" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK9JA894c style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Post</a>). The IEC ultimately decided not to reveal the vote tallies, but declared Ghani the president-elect just hours after the agreement was signed (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK9OAa98a style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">AP</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK9TA69da style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Pajhwok</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK9YAb51a style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">RFE/RL</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK9dA3985 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">TOLO News</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK9iAeac2 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">VOA</a>). Abdullah is expected to take on the newly created position of chief executive -- similar in power to a prime minister -- though he could nominate someone else in his stead (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK9nAd473 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">NYT</a>). Ghani will be sworn in on Sep. 29. <i>Bonus Read: "What the Afghan power-sharing deal means" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK9sA23e1 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">BBC</a>).</i> </p><br><p> The agreement was hailed as an "important opportunity" for unity and increased stability by the Obama administration on Sunday, with the White House releasing a statement that congratulated Abdullah and Ghani for ending Afghanistan's political crisis and confirmed that the United States "stands ready to work with the new administration to ensure its success" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK9xA6e09 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">VOA</a>). President Barack Obama also spoke to both men by telephone (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK92Ab46b style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Pajhwok</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK97A3baf style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">TOLO News</a>). Support has also poured in from the international community, with representatives from the United Nations and NATO welcoming the agreement (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-AA366a style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">TOLO News</a>). </p><br><p> The signing of the pact has raised hopes that they will soon sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), which would determine the size and scope of any U.S. troop presence that would remain in Afghanistan once the NATO combat mission ends in December (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-FA08c6 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">BBC</a>). Both Ghani and Abdullah had pledged to sign the BSA -- something Karzai refused to do -- during their campaigns, and have said it would be signed immediately after being sworn into office (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-KA85e9 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Post</a>). </p><br><p> While the West welcomed the creation of a national unity government, the Taliban decried the pact on Monday, saying it was a "sham" orchestrated by the United States (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-PAa827 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Reuters</a>). In a statement emailed to journalists, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said: "Installing Ashraf Ghani and forming a bogus administration will never be acceptable to the Afghans," adding that: "We reject this American process and vow to continue our jihad until we free our nation from occupation and until we pave the way for a pure Islamic government." </p><br><p> <i>Ghani to name woman to Supreme Court</i><i> </i> </p><br><p> In a statement released on Monday, Ghani said he wants Afghan women to be "represented at the highest levels of government, including on the Supreme Court" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-UA06de style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">AP</a>). Afghanistan's new president-elect added that: "he is committed to ensuring that women are well represented in government and the education and economic sectors." Calling poverty, a lack of education, income inequality, and insecurity the country's enemies, he noted: "Together, we have turned the page and written a new chapter in our long and proud history -- the first peaceful democratic transition between one elected president and another." </p><br><p> <b>Pakistan</b> </p><br><p> <i>Bonus Read: "Home of the Free: Starting a New Life in Pakistan's Azad Nagar, a Colony of Ex-Slaves," Rabia Mehmood (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-ZA5585 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">AJA</a>).</i> </p><br><p> <i>New ISI chief is appointed, will take over in October</i> </p><br><p> Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations office announced via Twitter on Monday that Lt. Gen. Rizwan Akhtar would take over as the head of the country's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency on Oct. 1 (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-eA30de style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">BBC</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-jA7913 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Dawn</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-oAb740 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">ET</a>). Akhtar, who is currently the head of the paramilitary Sindh Rangers, has "extensive experience [in] counterinsurgency from a previous posting in the border region of South Waziristan" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-tAa3bc style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">RFE/RL</a>). He is also believed to be a close ally of Gen. Raheel Sharif, the head of Pakistan's army; the <i>Wall Street Journal</i> noted that the move -- which was one of six appointments -- allows Sharif to "put his own men in key positions" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-yAe047 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">WSJ</a>). Akthar will replace Lt. Gen. Zaheerul Islam, who is retiring at the end of September. </p><br><p> <i>Pakistan repatriates 14 detainees from Bagram Prison</i><i> </i> </p><br><p> Fourteen Pakistani detainees were quietly released from U.S. custody in Afghanistan's Bagram Prison on Saturday and repatriated to Pakistan, according to Justice Project Pakistan, a legal firm representing some of the prisoners (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-3A872d style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Guardian</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK-8Ab3e7 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">VOA</a>). Sarah Belal, a lawyer with the project, said in a statement that, so far, Pakistani authorities have not released any information about the prisoners, such as their names or their current whereabouts. The releases on Saturday raised the number of Pakistanis freed from Bagram in the past 10 months to 39. Reuters noted that: "At least one Pakistani is thought to still be in prison there, although the exact numbers are unclear since no official list has been provided since 2012" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK_BA0e9e style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Reuters</a>). </p><br><p> <i>Protest movement heads to Karachi, Lahore</i> </p><br><p> Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party chairman Imran Khan took his anti-government protests to the port city of Karachi on Sunday, attracting tens of thousands of supporters in the country's largest city and commercial hub (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK_GA17d2 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Dawn</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK_LA69cc style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">WSJ</a>). It was the first time since Aug. 15, when Khan and his followers began a sit-in in Islamabad against the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, that he took the protests on the road. On Monday, Khan announced that he would soon hold a similar rally in Lahore (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK_QA8ea2 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">ET</a>). While the crowd in Karachi was much larger than any of those in the Pakistani capital, it was hard to know what kind of impact it had, considering that Sharif doesn't have much of a political base in the city. <i>Bonus Read: "Khan Says His Party Would Rule Pakistan If Elections Held," Kamran Haider and Faseeh Mangi (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK_VAb59e style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Bloomberg</a>).</i> </p><br><p> <i>-- Bailey Cahall</i><i> </i> </p><br><p> <b>India</b> </p><br><p> <i>Standoff at Indo-China border continues</i> </p><br><p> The Indian Army has kept on high alert 15 battalions, as well as "reserve units," in the Chumar sector in eastern Ladakh -- located in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir -- to counter the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) presence there, according to media reports on Monday (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK_aAc721 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Times of India</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK_fA6110 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">NDTV</a>). Although, Chinese President Xi Jinping -- during his visit to India last week -- told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he had ordered his forces to withdraw, approximately 1,000 PLA troops were still occupying six to seven tactical positions in the Chumar sector. Tensions between India and China have flared up occasionally as both nations disagree over the demarcation of their shared border. </p><br><p> Despite the Indian army's repeated warnings to vacate the area, the PLA started pitching tents in the Indian territory, and showed no signs of withdrawing, Indian official sources said (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK_kA3e02 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Economic Times</a>). On Sunday, the Indian government withdrew clearances for Chinese editors who were scheduled to come to New Delhi for an annual media exchange with Indian journalists. Although the Indian government has not issued an official statement, the organizer told participating Indian journalists: "Due to unavoidable complications, we have had to postpone the India-China Media Exchange. We thank you all for agreeing to participate on Sep. 24 ... and we will call on your participation again when we hold the event. But for now, it stands cancelled" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK_pAf20f style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">NDTV</a>). </p><br><p> <i>India reacts to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's comment on Kashmir</i> </p><br><p> India, on Saturday, reacted to Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's earlier comment on Kashmir, and stated that the unity and integrity of the country was "non-negotiable" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK_uA3672 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Economic Times</a>). Bilawal had said on Friday: "I will take back Kashmir, all of it, and I will not leave behind a single inch of it because, like the other provinces, it belongs to Pakistan" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdV8Pojpd-TK_zA9520 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Times of India</a>). Bilawal, in his 20s, plans to contest the next general elections in Pakistan in 2018. His mother, Benazir Bhutto, was twice elected as Pakistan's prime minister, and his father, Asif Ali Zardari, was Pakistan's president from 2008 to 2013. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since the two countries were partitioned in 1947, and two of them were over Kashmir. Both countries have claimed Kashmir in its entirety, and the dispute has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan for more than 60 years. </p><br><p> In response to Bilawal's comments, Syed Akbaruddin, a spokesman for the Indian External Affairs Ministry, said: "We are in the process of looking forward and looking forward does not mean that our borders will be changed," adding that Bilawal's comment was "far from reality which takes us back into the past century" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdWMPojpd-TK_4Ad2e4 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">NDTV</a>). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party were also quick to respond to Bilawal's comments. BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said: "Kashmir is very much a part of India and will remain so. Any discussion on it is not acceptable to us. Kashmir resides in the hearts of Indians" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdWMPojpd-TK_9A9c94 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Indian Express</a>). Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed said: "He is a youth, his 70 generations had the dream to capture Kashmir. He will have to keep waiting for another 70 generations. He underestimates the might of India" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdWMPojpd-TK_4Ad2e4 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">NDTV</a>). </p><br><p> <i>Indian spacecraft 'Mangalyaan' clears crucial test</i> </p><br><p> India's Mars orbiter satellite, "Mangalyaan," which aims to observe the physical features of Mars and conduct a limited study of the Martian atmosphere, successfully completed a test fire on Monday (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdWMPojpd-TLACA7b77 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">IBNLive</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdWMPojpd-TLAHA87cc style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">NDTV</a>). Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully reignited the spacecraft's main engine for four seconds to test for efficiency, and uploaded commands to allow the spacecraft to automatically enter Mar's orbit on Sep. 24. The $74-million project was launched on Nov. 5, 2013, and is India's first mission to Mars. If India succeeds in its Mars probe, it will become the fourth country in the world, after the United States, Russia, and the European space agency, to claim a successful Mars mission. After clearing the crucial test, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdWMPojpd-TLAMA95f2 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">ISRO tweeted</a> on Monday: "<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdWMPojpd-TLARA6761 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">#MarsOrbiter</a> Main Liquid Engine test firing successful!" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c71udse.qlc/VCAdWMPojpd-TLAWA456c style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Economic Times</a>). </p><br><p> <i>-- Neeli Shah and Jameel Khan</i> </p><br><p> <i>Edited by Peter Bergen.</i> </p><br>

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