Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a prominent opposition figure in Pakistan, was apprehended on Saturday, as reported by his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. This arrest came shortly after Qureshi’s statement, in which he expressed the party’s intent to legally contest any potential postponement of the national elections. Zulfi Bukhari, the spokesperson for the party, conveyed to Reuters that the precise grounds for Qureshi’s detention, a former foreign minister of Pakistan on two occasions, remained unclear.
On Sunday, Pakistani President Arif Alvi refused to sign two bills into law, which opponents believe will suppress dissent and increase authorities’ ability to punish people for crimes against the military and national security. Alvi posted on Twitter, “As God is my witness, I did not sign [the] Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 & Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 as I disagreed with these laws.”
Volodymyr Zelensky applauded the Netherlands and Denmark’s “historic” decision to provide Ukraine with American F-16 fighter jets — the latest action by Western allies to help Kyiv’s attempts to repel Moscow’s aggression. The decision is “absolutely historic, powerful, and inspiring for us,” Zelensky said during a visit to the Eindhoven air force facility in the Netherlands with Dutch PM Mark Rutte.
Former Kremlin economic advisor Andrei Illarionov was added to the Russian Justice Ministry’s list of foreign agents — a designation the government uses to identify opponents — late Friday. According to the Ministry, Illarionov “spread false information” regarding Russian authorities and their decisions.
Indian PM Narendra Modi will visit Johannesburg from 22-24 August to participate in the 15th BRICS Summit. Modi will participate in a special event, “BRICS – Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue,” which will include leaders from other countries invited by South Africa. The Indian PM will also hold bilateral talks with several leaders at the summit. Following his visit to South Africa, Modi will pay an official visit to Greece on 25 August.
On Friday, Indian PM Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation with Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi. The two leaders discussed matters of bilateral and regional importance and reiterated their commitment to realising the full potential of Chabahar Port as a connectivity hub. They further highlighted the importance of cooperation at multilateral forums, including the expansion of BRICS, and looked forward to their meeting on the margins of the upcoming BRICS summit in South Africa.
The UAE strongly condemned the burning of numerous churches and dozens of homes in Pakistan and denounced the violence that ensued due to rumours of blasphemy. The country said it rejected all practices contradicting human and moral values and noted that hate speech and extremism contradict international efforts seeking to spread the values of tolerance, coexistence and peace among people.