August 2023 - Page 4 of 10

Interim PM: Govt, opposition keep cards close to their chest as first round of talks end

ISLAMABAD: After the first round of consultations on a caretaker prime minister, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Raja Riaz and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have failed to agree on a name and are yet to reveal the identities of the people in the run for the post.

Talking to the media after his consultation on Thursday, Riaz said that the conversation surrounding the interim prime minister was held in a cordial manner.

“It has been decided that another round of consultation will be held tomorrow (Friday). Till a name is not finalised no name will be revealed,” said the NA opposition leader, an indication that both sides are keeping cards close to their chest. However, Riaz did confirm that he had shared the names of his candidates with the premier, hoping that things will clear out tomorrow.

“The prime minister and I have to hold consultations. I told the PM that I will consider his [interim PM] names and he should consider the names suggested by him [Riaz],” said Riaz. He added that PM Shehbaz was unaware of the names suggested by him.

The opposition leader also said that he is confident that PM Shehbaz and he would develop a consensus on a single candidate for the interim premier’s slot.

Further deliberations to be held tomorrow: PM Office

On the other hand, the PM Office in a statement confirmed that further deliberations between Riaz and Shehbaz will be held tomorrow (Friday).

The consultation between the premier and opposition leader was due after the dissolution of the 15th NA of Pakistan last night, with President Arif Alvi’s approval of the summary sent by PM Shehbaz.

“The president dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of the prime minister under Article 58-1 of the Constitution,” read an official statement issued by the President’s Office on X, formerly known as Twitter, late Wednesday.

PM Shehbaz had formally invited Riaz for the meeting for consultation in a letter.

In his letter, the premier said that the president has dissolved the National Assembly under Article 58(1) of the Constitution and that he is ready to fulfil his constitutional responsibility for the appointment of the caretaker prime minister.

A process to appoint a caretaker prime minister will be conducted under Article 224-A of the Constitution, which will usher in an interim government to oversee an election.

Three names have been proposed, including two nominations — former diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani and former chief justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jilani — sent by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

However, there’s no public announcement by the Pakistan Mulsim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in this regard.

Names of former finance minister Ishaq Dar, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former caretaker prime minister Mohammad Mian Soomro are also under consideration.

If the prime minister and opposition leader fail to agree on the name within three days, the matter will go to the parliamentary committee for the appointment of a caretaker PM.

As per the law, the premier and the opposition leader will send their respective preferences for the coveted post to the parliamentary committee.

The parliamentary committee will have to finalise the name of the caretaker prime minister within three days and if it too failed to reach a consensus on the name, then the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will pick the caretaker prime minister within two days from the names proposed by the opposition and the government.

By law, elections should be held within 90 days of parliament’s dissolution, but the outgoing government has already warned they are likely to be delayed.

After the Council of Common Interests (CCI) approved new census results, ECP is required to carry out fresh delimitation — an exercise that will likely take three to four months.

Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan next month: PM

In a major development as the nation is heading towards general elections, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif would return to the country next month and face the law.

In an interview with Geo News’ Capital Talk programme host Hamid Mir, the outgoing premier said he would travel to London to meet his elder brother Nawaz as soon as the caretaker government took charge.

“Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan next month and will face the law and lead the election campaign,” the incumbent prime minister said without giving the exact date of Nawaz’s homecoming who has been in self-imposed exile in London since November 2019 owing to health reasons.

Nawaz went to London in November 2019 for medical treatment after he was convicted by an accountability court in graft cases and he has been living there since then.

In 2016, Nawaz stepped down as the prime minister after the Supreme Court disqualified him for life for concealing assets.

Later, the PML-N supremo was convicted in the Al-Azizia and the Aveinfeild Apartment references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) which emerged in the aftermath of the Panama Papers leak.

His appeals against the conviction are currently pending in the relevant courts.

“He [Nawaz] will neither wear a hat nor a bucket,” PM Shehbaz said in today’s interview while taking a thinly veiled jibe at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan who dons a bulletproof helmet while appearing for court hearings.

Shehbaz, who is also the PML-N president, hoped that his party will win the next general elections and he will work as an activist of the party under the Nawaz-led government.

His statement comes as the process to appoint caretaker setup formally kicked off with the dissolution of the National Assembly prematurely a day earlier on August 9.

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the multi-party alliance, decided to dissolve the assembly three days ahead of its constitutional completion to allow the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold general elections in the country within 90 days instead of 60 days stipulated time period if legislature completes its term.

However, the general elections in the country are likely to be delayed as the Council of Common Interests (CCI) approved the 2023 census, requiring the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to carry out fresh delimitation — an exercise likely to take three to four months.

Caretaker PM

Speaking about his meeting with NA Opposition Leader Raja Riaz to deliberate on the interim PM name, the PM said: “It is hoped that the name of caretaker prime minister will be agreed upon before three days.”

Under the Constitution, the PM and the opposition leader have three days to finalise the caretaker PM name. In the first round of consultation earlier today, they failed to reach a consensus on the interim PM name.

“It has been decided that another round of consultation will be held tomorrow (Friday). Till a name is not finalised no name will be revealed,” said the NA opposition leader following the meeting.

His statement indicated that both sides are keeping cards close to their chest. However, Riaz did confirm that he had shared the names of his candidates with the premier, hoping that things will clear out tomorrow.

“I will meet [NA opposition leader] again tomorrow to hold consultation on the name of caretaker prime minister,” the PM added.

PM Shehbaz said he will also consult his brother Nawaz regarding the appointment of caretaker prime minister.

Amid concerns that polls might be delayed, PM Shehbaz said general elections should be held as soon as possible, adding that the ECP is responsible for holding elections in the country, not the caretaker setup.

Rohingya: At least 23 dead, 30 missing after boat sinks

Thirty others are still missing, while eight people are reported to have survived the mishap.

The survivors said they were trying to reach Malaysia when their boat carrying more than 50 passengers foundered and was abandoned by its crew on Sunday.

Every year thousands of Rohingyas attempt the perilous sea journey to Malaysia or Indonesia.

They are escaping persecution in Myanmar and overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh. Those who died this week include 13 women 10 men, all Rohingya Muslims, a rescue team told BBC Burmese.

The Muslim Rohingyas are an ethnic minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar. Many of them fled to Bangladesh in 2017 to escape a campaign of genocide launched by the Burmese military. Those remaining in Myanmar too have been trying to flee since the military coup in 2021.

Survivors of the boat sinking this week recall being struck by a large wave near Rakhine’s capital, Sittwe.

They say the smugglers, who had been paid around $4,000 (£3,153) per person for the journey to Malaysia, then abandoned the boat. The bodies of the victims have been picked up by other boats, or washed up on the beach.

The long journey across the Andaman Sea in overcrowded fishing boats is always dangerous, but especially at this time of the year, at the peak of the monsoon storm season.

Most Rohingyas attempt to cross between the months of October and May.

They are willing to take the risk – and often sell their only assets, such as land, to fund the trip – because of the unrelentingly grim conditions in which they are forced to live, either as refugees in appallingly crowded camps over the border in Bangladesh, or subjected to discrimination and restrictions on their movement in Myanmar.

Tropical storm triggers floods, evacuations in South Korea

Downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm, Khanun made landfall on the southeast coast, and was heading towards the South Korean capital Seoul.

Khanun could also strike North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, early on Friday and state media there reported that the military and the ruling party had been ordered to prepare flood-mitigation measures and salvage crops.

Schools closed, over 14,000 people evacuated from flood-hit areas

In South Korea, some 350 flights and 450 train routes were cancelled, and more than 14,000 people were moved to safety, the interior ministry said.

One person was missing in the south-eastern city of Daegu after falling into the river in a wheelchair, the ministry said, adding it was looking into the death of another person in the same city.

The storm brought up to 60 mm (2.4 inches) of rain per hour in some east coast towns, and maximum wind speeds of 126 kilometres per hour in the port city of Busan, the weather agency said.

Khanun losing a little speed as it moved northwards at 23 kph toward the greater Seoul area.“I’m worried that people living in lowlands or making a living by farming and fishing would suffer,” said Kim Wi-jeong, a 33-year-old office worker living in the capital.

Rishi Sunak has used RAF jets and helicopters for domestic flights more frequently than the UK’s previous three prime ministers

Ministry of Defence data show he took almost one such flight a week during his first seven months in office.

The prime minister has been accused of hypocrisy for flying short journeys domestically, given his pledges to curb planet-warming carbon emissions.

But Mr Sunak has said air travel was the “most effective use of my time”.

In response to Freedom of Information requests, the BBC was told the number of domestic flights on Command Support Air Transport aircraft broken down by prime minister between July 2016 and April 2023.

The RAF division – known as 32 Squadron – operates two Dassault Falcon 900LX jets and a helicopter to transport the PM and other ministers domestically.

In total, Mr Sunak boarded 23 domestic flights on these aircraft in 187 days, which is one every eight days on average.

Two caveats to bear in mind are the brevity of Ms Truss’s time in Downing Street, and the limitations on Mr Johnson’s travel during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The BBC initially requested data on the number of flights each UK prime minister since Tony Blair had taken using a military aircraft to travel domestically. But the MoD rejected the request on cost grounds and advised asking for data on those flights since Mrs May.

The prime minister sometimes has access to an RAF Voyager plane for overseas trips, and the government also charters private flights on aircraft operated by Titan Airways.

Separately, Mr Sunak has accepted more than £70,000 worth of private jet and helicopter travel to Conservative Party events from political donors this year.

High politics

Mr Sunak’s use of flights for UK engagements has come under intense scrutiny, with critics questioning why he had not used the train instead of RAF aircraft for relatively short trips to Newquay, Dover and Leeds this year.

Last month, Mr Sunak said those who say “no one should take a plane” in their approach to climate change were “completely, and utterly wrong”.

Labour said the PM was “developing an expensive habit of swanning around on private jets courtesy of the taxpayer”.

The party’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, suggested Mr Sunak had breached the ministerial code, which states he is supposed to use scheduled flights, unless “it is essential to travel by air”.

In his speech at the COP27 climate summit last year, Mr Sunak said it was “morally right to honour” the UK’s promise to reduce carbon emissions.

The UK has set a legally binding target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, as part of the global effort to avert the worst effects of climate change.

Flights produce greenhouse gases – mainly carbon dioxide (CO2) – from burning fuel, and these emissions contribute to global warming.

Emissions per kilometre travelled from domestic flights are significantly worse than any other form of transport, and private jets typically produce more CO2 than commercial flights.

But carbon emissions vary considerably depending on the size of the plane, how efficient its engines are, and how many passengers it carries.

In 2019, before the pandemic struck, international and domestic UK aviation accounted for 8% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

PM’s priorities

Anna Hughes, whose Flight Free UK campaign urges people to fly less for the sake of the climate, said Mr Sunak’s transport choices were “frustrating”.

She said if leaders demonstrated “the kind of behaviour that we all need to adopt to avert the climate crisis, it communicates that it’s serious and real”.

“You can’t just say I’m the prime minister, I’m too busy and important,” she added.

One former official with knowledge of ministerial travel prior to Mr Sunak’s premiership said transport choices “were based on time”, adding the train would be used “nine times out of ten”.

The former official, who did not wish to be named, said they “had access to the PM’s diary and every single minute of every day is accounted for”.

“In order to achieve a long visit, the only way was to use an aircraft,” they said.

A Downing Street spokesperson said ministers “sometimes require the use of non-commercial air travel”.

“This is a standard practice for governments around the world and this has consistently been the case under successive UK administrations of all political colours,” the spokesperson said.

“Value for money, security, and time efficiency is taken into account in all travel decisions and all flights are carbon offset.”

What’s the PM’s carbon footprint?

Although we have the number of domestic flights Mr Sunak has taken up to April this year, we don’t know the details of all those journeys, and what aircraft he used.

We did ask for that information, but the MoD said the “RAF does not retain records for air miles flown by aircraft”, and withheld data on the PM’s trips.

That means we can’t calculate the overall carbon footprint of Mr Sunak’s domestic flights during his first seven months in office.

What we can do is estimate the carbon emissions of some individual flights, using information in the public domain.

For example, on 19 January, the prime minister flew from RAF Northolt in west London to Blackpool Airport on a Dassault Falcon 900LX.

A number of aviation websites say the Falcon has a fuel consumption of about 260 gallons per hour. The flight from London to Blackpool took 41 minutes, which means approximately 178 gallons, or 805 litres, of fuel was consumed.

Based on the government’s fuel-to-emissions conversation rates, the flight would have produced about two tonnes of CO2.

Falcon jets typically have 12 seats. So if we assume the plane was full for the Blackpool trip, two tonnes of CO2 would be 166 kg per person.

To put that into context, the International Energy Agency estimated that the global average energy-related carbon footprint was about 4.7 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2021.

In contrast to Mr Sunak’s flight, a train journey from London Euston to Blackpool North would produce 14.31kg of CO2 per passenger, according to a LNER carbon calculator..

The Trainline website says it takes an average of three hours and 43 minutes to travel from London Euston to Blackpool by train.

Modi on path to become ‘Butcher of Kashmir’ after committing Gujarat massacre: Bilawal

Lashing out at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for grave human rights violations, atrocities and annexation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) by revoking its special status in 2019, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday said that the “Butcher of Gujarat” will become a slaughterman of the disputed territory.

Addressing a presser to highlight the achievement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during his tenure, Bilawal reiterated that Pakistan’s stance over its relations with India was very clear and consistent; unless it revoked its illegal and unilateral acts of 2019 over occupied Jammu and Kashmir, there was no space to meaningful engagement, APP reported.

India had not only violated international laws and the United Nations Security Council resolutions but also the bilateral agreements between the two countries, he added.

“There is no space left for Pakistan to meaningfully engage with India,” the foreign minister added.

Bilawal said he had already maintained during the previous government’s tenure that they should not expect anything good from Modi, who was a “butcher of Gujarat” and was quite different from Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.

SCO summit

Kashmir issue had been a consistent component of the foreign policy, he said and enumerated Pakistan’s efforts to address issues of Islamophobia and desecration of the Holy Quran, leading to the adoption of a resolution by the UN Human Rights Council.

To a quarry, the foreign minister said he went to Goa to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting despite serious reservations and carrying head money, to present Pakistan’s stance and tried to utilise the space available for the pronounce Pakistan’s interests.

He said due to his participation in SCO where he presented Pakistan’s stance clearly, India went on the back foot and held the SCO heads of states summit virtually.

About sending Pakistan national team to contest the ICC Cricket World Cup in India, he said contrary to India’s indulgence in immature acts, Pakistan always maintained that there should be a difference between politics and sports, adding that they still had security concerns as the security of the national team could not be compromised; and they had conveyed such to the ICC and India.

Pakistan was not interested in the bloc politics and did not want to be part of any polar world because they wanted to serve their 224 million population, he said, adding that if they were drawn into others’ interests, then they would be distracted.

Uptick in terror incidents

Responding to a question about Afghanistan, the foreign minister said that certain opinions were being formed across the world on the basis of ground realities.

If they wanted diplomatic recognition, the Afghan interim government would have to address the international concerns, but if they continued with their statements, it would create complications and the Afghan people would continue to suffer, he added.

The foreign minister said that after the fall of Kabul, there was a sharp spike in terrorist incidents in Pakistan and stressed that cooperation and engagement between the two countries was necessary to tackle the issue.

He said Pakistan remained engaged with the Afghan leadership. About women’s education issue, he said, Pakistan had a very open and clear stance.

Terming the fight against terrorism as their own fight, the foreign minister said that Pakistan had been the largest country in the world affected by the curse of terrorism.

He said that they wanted to save the next generations and would not allow the enemies of the religion, country and people to cause any further harm.

The foreign minister also expressed strong opposition to the previous government’s policy over the terrorists hiding in Afghanistan.

The foreign minister expressed the satisfaction that at the diplomatic front, they moved ahead with ‘damage control’ during the last 16 months.

He regretted that the PTI’s government had caused damage to the country’s relations with world capitals and strongly disagreed with the gesture of the former prime minister waving a letter sent by the EU in public.

Ukraine conflict

About the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he said that Pakistan wanted a peaceful resolution of the issue.

He said they did not want to see the relationship with Russia through the prism of the ongoing issue, as they wanted to collectively unlock the immense potential between the two countries. They prayed that diplomacy and peace would prevail, he added.

The foreign minister said Pakistan was committed to the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries.

Earlier, the foreign minister highlighted the achievements of his ministry on the diplomatic fronts and global fora with increased outreach and extensive engagements with the international community.

He said Pakistan engaged with the US, Europe and the UK through bilateral and multilateral meetings.

Removal from FATF’s grey list and hosting of the Geneva conference were some of the conspicuous achievements for f Pakistan, he added.

Visa facilitation and cooperation in science and technology resulted in the opening of doors for Pakistanis seeking jobs abroad, he said, adding they had corrected the diplomatic course.

The foreign minister said that during his tenure in office, they never compromised on the core issue of Kashmir and effectively advocated for the oppressed people of Kashmir at all fora.

The foreign minister thanked the UN Secretary-General for his efforts to support Pakistan during last year’s floods.

He said that they would provide 2 million climate-resilient houses to the flood-affected people in Sindh, adding that a huge number of educational institutions and roads network were also affected by that natural calamity.

Pakistan ready to thwart ‘nefarious designs’ of adversaries, says Gen Asim Munir

RAWALPINDI: Army Chief General Asim Munir vowed that Pakistan possesses the “wherewithal to thwart nefarious designs of its adversaries through the entire gamut of threat”, said the military’s media wing in a statement on Wednesday.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the chief of army staff (COAS) passed the remark when he visited Tilla Field Firing Ranges near Jhelum in Punjab. During the visit, Gen Munir witnessed live fire and manoeuvres of the advanced VT-4 tanks, shoot and scoot capabilities of long-range SH-15 artillery guns and innovative equipment display.

“The Pakistan Army is alive to the existing and emerging challenges and possessed the wherewithal to thwart nefarious designs of its adversaries through the entire gamut of threats,” the army chief added.

He also lauded the combat proficiency of the crews and their mastery over state-of-the-art weaponry. He also appreciated the high degree of professionalism, battle worthiness and offensive spirit displayed by the troops of the strike corps.

When the army chief arrived in Jhelum he was received by Mangla corps commander and briefed on the operational readiness of the strike corps.

Earlier this week, Gen Munir said the recent surge in terrorism was a “futile effort” by terrorists to resume talks and warned them to submit to the “writ of state of Pakistan before they are decimated”.

According to the ISPR, the army chief issued the warning when he met the tribal elders and notables from the newly merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The “interactive session” was held during the COAS’s visit to Peshawar.

“The surge in terrorism in recent past is a futile effort on the part of terrorists to get the talks re-initiated, however, there is no option for these terrorists except to submit to the writ of state of Pakistan before they are decimated, if they persist on their wrong path,” Gen Munir was quoted by the military’s media wing.

The army chief also reiterated the resolve of the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC) and other law enforcement agencies in their fight against terrorism. “He [Gen Munir] showed resolve to finish peril of Narco which is becoming a lifeline for these TTP khawaraj.”

North Korea’s Kim dismisses military chief, calls for war preparations

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dismissed his top general and called for stepping up war preparations “in an offensive way”, including boosting weapons production and conducting more drills, state media reported Thursday.

With a cigarette in hand, Kim was shown talking to a room full of uniformed top generals, and pointing at maps, images in state media showed, while he discussed “major military actions” against South Korea at a meeting of the Central Military Commission.

The Korean Central News Agency said the agenda of the meeting, which comes just days after Kim inspected key arms factories, was “the issue of making full war preparations” and ensuring “perfect military readiness for a war”.

The meeting comes as Seoul and Washington prepare for major joint drills later this month, which the North views as rehearsals for invasion and has repeatedly warned could trigger “overwhelming” action in response.

At the meeting, Kim dismissed chief of the general staff Pak Su Il, replacing him with Vice Marshal Ri Yong Gil, KCNA said without giving further details.

Pak, who was promoted to the post late last year, may have been dismissed “because he did not demonstrate sufficient competence in the field of military operations,” according to Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute.

“Kim Jong Un has shown a tendency to quickly replace officials when they are judged to be lacking in the ability to control and perform their duties,” he said.

Ri may have been the “most suitable person” to replace Pak, as he has previously held the position for a long time, Cheong added.

– ‘Mass-production’ of weapons –

Kim called for “all the munitions industrial establishments to push ahead with the mass-production of various weapons and equipment”, the report said.

“He also called for actively conducting actual war drills to efficiently operate (the) newly deployed latest weapons and equipment,” it added.

Kim reached an “important conclusion on further stepping up the war preparations of the KPA in an offensive way,” KCNA reported, referring to the North’s military.

The latest KCNA report appeared to be North Korea’s “own response to the upcoming joint military training between Seoul and Washington,” an official from Seoul’s unification ministry told reporters.

Referring to photos carried by the North’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper showing Kim pointing to what appeared to be a map of Seoul, he said: “I think he wanted to send a message to the South with a threatening action.”

The meeting also discussed preparations for a massive parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of North Korea on September 9.

Last month, Pyongyang held a major military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, with analysts describing the event as “the largest, most overt North Korean display of nuclear-capable systems”.

North Korea also held a large defence expo to coincide with the parade, with Kim giving the visiting Russian defence minister a tour of the country’s newest and most advanced weaponry, including ballistic missiles and spy drones.

Saudi embassy in Iran resumes work after seven years: state media

Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran has resumed operations, state media in Iran reported Wednesday, following a thaw in ties seven years after the mission was closed.

Shiite-dominated Iran and Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their respective embassies following a China-brokered deal announced in March.

The long-time regional rivals severed ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were attacked during protests over Riyadh’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

“The embassy of Saudi Arabia in the Islamic Republic of Iran has officially commenced its activities” and has been operating since Sunday, the official news agency IRNA said, quoting an “informed source” at Iran’s foreign ministry.

There has been no official confirmation from Riyadh on the move.

In June, Iran marked the reopening of its embassy in Riyadh with a flag-raising ceremony.

Iranian media had previously attributed the delay in reopening the Saudi embassy to the poor condition of the building which was damaged during the 2016 protests.

The reports said Saudi diplomats would work from a luxury hotel in the Iranian capital pending the completion of the works.

Since the March deal, Saudi Arabia has restored ties with Iranian ally Syria and ramped up a push for peace in Yemen, where it has for years led a military coalition against the Iran-backed Huthi forces.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have backed opposing sides in conflict zones across the Middle East for years.

Iran has in recent months been at odds with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over the ownership of a disputed gas field.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait claim “sole ownership” to the field, with Iran warning it would “pursue its right” to the offshore zone if negotiations fail.

Brazil ex-highway police chief arrested over election

The former chief of Brazil’s highway police was arrested Wednesday over allegations he deployed officers to prevent voters in left-leaning areas from casting ballots in the country’s divisive elections last year.

Silvinei Vasques, director of the Federal Highway Police (PRF) under far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, was arrested in the southern city of Florianopolis, a police source told AFP.

He is accused of abusing his position and obstructing the right to vote with massive roadblock operations in Brazil’s northeast on October 30, the day of Bolsonaro’s runoff election against now-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The northeast, Brazil’s most populous region, is largely poor, black and pro-Lula. It delivered the election to the veteran leftist that day, giving him nearly 70 percent of its votes.

The national result was a far narrower 50.9 percent for Lula to 49.1 percent for Bolsonaro.

Witnesses said highway police roadblocks created huge traffic jams on election day, when officers stopped and boarded buses taking voters to the polls, in some cases allegedly trying to influence or intimidate them.

Highway police leadership is accused of “directing human and material resources to impede the transit of voters” on election day, federal police said in a statement.

“The crimes were allegedly planned from early October.”

Authorities also carried out 10 search and seizure operations in connection with the investigation, acting under the Supreme Court’s orders, it said.

Vasques had reportedly posted his support for Bolsonaro on social media ahead of the election.

He denied wrongdoing when he was called to testify on the roadblocks before a Congressional inquiry in June, saying the northeast has a high number of traffic accidents.

Month: August 2023