- 2 days ago
An Indian-flagged cargo vessel, MSV Faiz Noor Oliya, sank off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea after being struck by an unprovoked projectile attack near the port of Hodeidah.
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00:07What happens when a prison cell becomes the most powerful campaign office in a country?
00:13And while one political battle turns a jailed leader into a legend,
00:16another crisis thousands of kilometers away shows how borders can become weapons.
00:22Tonight, two stories that seem completely different but reveal the same truth about power.
00:27In Pakistan, prisoner number 804 was supposed to disappear into silence.
00:33Instead, Imran Khan's prison number became a political symbol.
00:37Then shift your gaze to Europe's southern edge, where tens of thousands suddenly crossed into Sayota,
00:43raising difficult questions about migration and geopolitical leverage.
00:47One story is about political survival. The other is about strategic pressure.
00:52Hello and welcome. You're watching Statecraft with me Geeta Mohan.
00:55All this and more, but first up, the headlines.
00:58Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed the international media from India,
01:04her first ever address since her ouster in 2024.
01:07Sheikh Hasina confirmed she will be returning back to Bangladesh.
01:11After US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was progress in talks on the Strait of Hormuz,
01:17Iran's state media IRIB said ongoing talks between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz
01:23have nothing to do with the United States.
01:25Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected US President Donald Trump's
01:31Board of Peace plan for Hamas's disarmament and Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
01:36As US mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon resume in Rome an explosive device detonated
01:43in the occupied village of Majd el-Zon, injuring Israeli soldiers.
01:47At least eight bodies could be seen on a railway station in Bravari after a Russian missile strike
01:52on a logistics facility in the Kiev region overnight.
01:56Abdul Al-Sayed, a progressive public health advocate, has won the Democratic nomination for the US Senate,
02:03overcoming more than $60 million in campaign spending, mostly from pro-Israel groups.
02:10Amid reports of Iran and Oman closing in on an agreement for opening a safe passage in the Strait
02:15of Hormuz, an Indian merchant vessel was hit by a projectile in the Red Sea.
02:20Indian-flagged cargo ship MSV Fares Noor-Oliya, which was hit by a projectile in the Red Sea,
02:26capsized and sunk.
02:28However, all 14 members, including 13 Indian nationals, were rescued by the Yemeni Coast Guard
02:33and brought to the port of Mokha.
02:36Yemen's internationally recognized government has condemned the attack and blamed the Houthis for the attack.
02:42It said the attack was a flagrant violation of international law and international maritime law rules
02:48and a direct threat to the security and safety of navigation and freedom of trade in international waterways.
02:54Union Shipping Minister of India, Sarbanan Sonawal, in a post on X,
02:58has condemned the unprovoked attack on the defenceless merchandise sailing vessel.
03:04The Indian government has instructed the Director General Maritime Administration, that's DGMA,
03:09to take immediate steps in coordination with all agencies to ensure the absolute security of Indian seafarers in the region
03:17and provide all necessary assistance to the rescued crew.
03:20Indian External Affairs Ministry has also issued a statement condemning the attack.
03:24It's said the Indian Embassy in Riyadh is closely monitoring the situation
03:28and proactively coordinating with Yemeni authorities for the safe passage of the crew.
03:33After U.S. imposed blockade of Iranian ports,
03:36the IRGC Navy claims to have completely blocked the Strait of Hormuz,
03:39contrary to U.S. military claims that traffic in the strait is moving.
03:44To exert maximum pressure on U.S. and its allies in West Asia,
03:47Iran-backed Houthis now have imposed a naval blockade in the other side, in Red Sea.
03:53But the blockade is against Saudi Arabia,
03:55and the Houthis have warned that no ships would be allowed to load or unload at Saudi ports,
04:00potentially blocking Saudi oil exports and choking off an additional 7% of global oil supply.
04:06But it remains unclear why an Indian-flagged ship was attacked in the Red Sea
04:12if the blockade is against Saudis.
04:15This isn't just about an Indian commercial vessel which sunk in the Red Sea,
04:18it is about what its sinking could mean for global trade, energy supplies, and India's economic interests.
04:26As attacks spread across the Red Sea,
04:28one of the world's most critical maritime corridors is becoming increasingly vulnerable.
04:33Why should this concern everyone?
04:48The war in West Asia has entered a dangerous new phase.
04:51And this time, India has been caught in the crossfire.
04:55An Indian-flagged cargo vessel, MSV Faize-Nore-Olya,
05:02has sunk off the coast of Yemen after being struck by a projectile near the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeda.
05:08The ship was carrying 14 crew members, including 13 Indians.
05:14Thankfully, all of them were rescued by the Yemeni Navy and Coast Guard and are now safe.
05:20India has strongly condemned the attack,
05:24calling it deeply worrying and demanding an immediate end to attacks on commercial shipping in international waters.
05:32While no group has officially claimed responsibility,
05:35Yemen's government has blamed the Iran-backed Houthi rebels,
05:40saying the vessel was targeted using an explosives-laden boat.
05:45But this isn't just about one ship.
05:47Their attack signals that the conflict has expanded beyond the Strait of Hormuz
05:52into another vital global trade route,
05:55the Red Sea.
05:57That matters because the Red Sea connects the Suez Canal to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait,
06:03one of the world's busiest maritime corridors.
06:06Every year, around 12-15% of global maritime trade,
06:11worth more than $1 trillion,
06:13passes through these waters.
06:15For India, the stakes are especially high.
06:19Nearly 80% of India's exports to Europe travel through the Red Sea,
06:25while almost one-third of India's imports also depend on this route.
06:29The region also carries around 90% of the undersea internet cables linking Europe and Asia,
06:36making it critical not just for trade, but for global digital connectivity.
06:41The attack on the Indian vessel comes just weeks after the Houthis announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia.
06:50Since then, they have repeatedly attacked Saudi oil tankers,
06:54claiming the ships violated their blockade.
06:56That has forced many shipping companies to consider longer routes around Africa's Cape of Good Hope.
07:04Increasing fuel costs, insurance premiums and delivery times.
07:09Energy experts warn that continued attacks in the Red Sea could tighten global oil supplies,
07:15disrupt liquefied natural gas shipments and push energy prices even higher.
07:22For India, the consequences go beyond rising fuel costs.
07:27Indian seafarers are increasingly finding themselves on the frontlines of a conflict they have no role in,
07:34simply because they crew commercial vessels moving through one of the world's most strategic waterways.
07:41Now the big question is whether ongoing diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran
07:48to reopen the Strait of Hormuz will also help calm the Red Sea.
07:53Until that happens, one thing is clear.
08:13Today marks two years since former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted due to a student's uprising.
08:21She then flew to India.
08:22Today, she virtually addressed the international media from India.
08:26This is Hasina's first direct engagement with journalists since her removal from power.
08:32More in this report by Mahashweta Lala.
08:39Two years since the ouster of a government from Bangladesh,
08:43former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed first media conference from India.
08:48The address coincided with the anniversary of her ouster after a student-led uprising in 2024.
08:55She chose this day to announce her return to Bangladesh in December.
09:00This comes at the back of demands by the Tariq Rahman administration to extradite her to Bangladesh.
09:07Whatever fate awaits me, I will return to my people.
09:12I cannot stay away while my beloved countrymen are suffering.
09:18I know.
09:19I may be detained.
09:20I may be sent to prison.
09:23They may try to enforce verdicts issue in fabricated cases,
09:29but fear cannot decide my duty to the people.
09:34My life moved beyond calculations of personal safety long ago.
09:43The address comes amid reports of Bangladesh government seeking clarification from India
09:49over its position on Hasina's address.
09:52The displeasure was conveyed to the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, Dinesh Trivedi.
09:57Tariq Rahman's foreign affairs advisor, Humayun Kabir, said
10:01that allowing Hasina to speak on Indian soil would have a negative impact
10:05on the now-mending ties between both the nations.
10:08Relations between India and Bangladesh have been strained
10:11after Hasina flew to India following her ouster.
10:15An interim government led by Mohammed Yunus
10:17that took charge after her ouster disbanded her political party,
10:22the Awami League, under an executive order issued under an anti-terror law.
10:27Hasina began her address by expressing despair over the current state of Bangladesh.
10:32For the last two years, I watched my beloved Bangladesh suffer.
10:41Fear has entered homes, workplaces and compasses.
10:48This is not the Bangladesh we built.
10:52This is not the Bangladesh for which three million people sacrificed their lives in 1971.
11:00The former Prime Minister said the 2024 students' protest
11:05that led to the downfall of her government was not peaceful.
11:08She alleged that organized groups were trying to turn students' movement
11:13into a violent political instrument.
11:15It was not a peaceful student movement.
11:20From the beginning, my government tried to resolve the issue peacefully
11:24through dialogue, legal process and patience.
11:29But behind the language of reform,
11:34organized groups were working to turn students' demand
11:38into violent political instrument.
11:42Genuine students were emotionally manipulated.
11:47While organized groups used their movement as cover for violence and recent change.
11:55Mohammed Yunus himself said
11:57this was a meticulously designed movement led by a mastermind.
12:07Hasina has been sentenced to death by a tribunal in Dhaka
12:11and has been charged for ordering the use of lethal force
12:15in the crackdown on student protesters.
12:18Bangladesh's law minister, Emma Sadduz Zaman, said
12:21she will likely be arrested if she returns to Bangladesh.
12:25With Mahashweta Lala, Bureau Report, India Today.
12:31Meet Prisoner No. 804.
12:33Pakistan wanted you to remember the number, not the man.
12:37Instead, the number became a movement.
12:39And the man behind it, former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
12:43Today marks three years of Imran Khan in jail.
12:46If the plan was to make Pakistan forget him,
12:49somebody deserves a refund.
12:51Because the exact opposite happened.
12:53The man they tried to lock away now dominates Pakistan's politics
12:57without stepping outside a prison gate.
12:59Every attempt to silence him only makes people ask
13:03why he scares the system so much.
13:05Every restriction adds another layer to his story.
13:09Every month behind bars turns the politician into something bigger.
13:13Here's the strange part.
13:15How does a prisoner become stronger than the people who jailed him?
13:18And why has Prisoner No. 804 become the biggest political symbol in Pakistan?
13:24The idea behind the jail sentence looked simple.
13:27Remove Imran Khan from the political stage after he was ousted as Prime Minister
13:31through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022,
13:35which his supporters describe as an impeachment-like removal.
13:38After his 2022 ouster, authorities jailed Imran Khan to silence his opposition.
13:44Instead, the imprisonment backfired,
13:47transforming the former Prime Minister into a powerful symbol of resistance
13:51and fueling a movement that continues to challenge the system today.
13:56The idea behind the jail sentence looked simple.
13:59Remove Imran Khan from the streets.
14:01Strip PTI of its election symbol.
14:03Arrest party workers.
14:04Restrict rallies.
14:05Limit access to family and lawyers.
14:07Keep him away from cameras.
14:10Wait for people to move on.
14:12The ruling cab even expected something else.
14:14They believed Khan would eventually accept a deal for release, exile or house arrest
14:19in exchange for political silence.
14:22He refused.
14:23And that refusal changed everything.
14:25Instead of looking like a politician bargaining for power,
14:29Khan began to look like someone willing to pay a personal price for his politics.
14:34Uncompromised.
14:35Whether people agreed with him or not became almost secondary.
14:39The image changed first.
14:41So what was imprisonment supposed to do?
14:43End his politics.
14:45What did it actually do?
14:47It turned him into a movement.
14:48A politician can lose an election.
14:51A movement is much harder to defeat.
14:53Three years later, Khan still calls the shots inside PTI.
14:57Even from a prison cell, his instructions shaped political decisions in Khayber Pakhtunkwa.
15:03The man remained locked up.
15:05His influence didn't.
15:07That creates a strange paradox.
15:09Especially in Pakistan.
15:11The louder the prison doors shut, the louder his political echo became.
15:15How do ordinary Pakistanis see him now?
15:18Not just as a former prime minister.
15:20For many supporters, especially younger Pakistanis, he became the face of resistance.
15:25His imprisonment reinforced the belief that he challenged powerful forces and paid the price for it.
15:31That perception matters because politics isn't only about speeches.
15:35It is about stories.
15:37And Khan's story became far bigger than court cases.
15:40Every hero's story needs an obstacle.
15:43Prison became his.
15:44Then came the crackdowns.
15:46PTI workers faced arrests.
15:48Leaders disappeared from public life.
15:50The party lost its election symbol.
15:52Demonstrations faced restrictions.
15:55Family meetings became difficult.
15:57Even court-approved visits became another battle.
16:00Did those measures weaken the movement?
16:03No, they strengthened its central message.
16:07Every blocked meeting raised another question.
16:09Every restriction made supporters wonder why so much effort went into controlling one prisoner.
16:14The harder the squeeze, the stronger the narrative became that the system feared him.
16:19It's a bit like trying to hide a giant spotlight with a bedsheet.
16:23The more you struggle, the more everyone notices where the light comes from.
16:28Then there's one number.
16:29Normally a prison number is meant to erase identity.
16:32You're no longer a name.
16:34You're just a file.
16:36But 804 escaped the prison walls.
16:38It appeared on T-shirts, jerseys, merchandise, protest slogans, social media, political gatherings.
16:45A prison number became a political brand.
16:49Instead of reducing Khan to a number, supporters turned the number into a badge of resistance.
16:54That is a spectacular backfire.
16:58Then came another layer.
16:59Questions over his health.
17:01Concerns about his eyesight.
17:03Reports of restricted medical access.
17:05Tight limits on family visits.
17:07Amnesty International called for an end to his solitary confinement and demanded restored access to family, lawyers and medical care.
17:15UN human rights experts also raised concerns over his detention conditions.
17:22Every new report added emotional weight.
17:25His suffering stopped looking private.
17:27It became political.
17:28Meanwhile, the ruling establishment faced an uncomfortable reality.
17:32Even leaders inside the ruling coalition admitted their calculations were wrong.
17:37They expected prison to weaken Khan's political position, to weaken his resolve.
17:42Instead, he refused deals, stayed in jail and remained Pakistan's biggest opposition figure.
17:48That left the establishment trapped.
17:51Release him and he turns to politics.
17:53Keep him jailed and his legend keeps growing.
17:56So does every extra day behind bars make him harder to defeat?
18:00Based on the last three years, yes.
18:03Because absence has become his greatest political weapon.
18:07When you're locked away, you don't make campaign mistakes.
18:10You don't lose debates.
18:11You don't dominate headlines for the wrong reasons.
18:15Supporters fill the silence with symbolism.
18:18And symbols travel farther than speeches.
18:20Three years ago, Pakistan jailed a politician.
18:23Today, many supporters see something very different.
18:27Pakistan is experiencing significant political friction centered on Interior Minister Mohsen Nakfi,
18:33ally of Army Chief Field Marshal Asa Munir amid claims of governance collapse,
18:38corruption scandals, institutional rifts, proposed restructuring and rising youth unrest
18:44and economic instability across the country.
18:47Prisoner number 804.
18:49A slogan, a brand, a symbol.
18:51That's the biggest irony of this entire story.
18:54The prison sentence was supposed to close Imran Khan's political chapter.
18:59Instead, it wrote a new one.
19:01The state locked up the man, but every extra month behind those prison walls fed the myth.
19:07And history often shows one uncomfortable truth.
19:11It's far easier to jail a politician than it is to defeat a martyr.
19:1760,000 people just crossed into Spain without ever stepping foot on mainland Europe.
19:23Sounds impossible, right?
19:25Coincidence?
19:25Or something being quietly orchestrated behind the scenes?
19:28Because this didn't look like a normal migration wave.
19:32It looked like a pressure test.
19:34A live experiment on Europe's borders unfolding in real time.
19:38So what really happened in Ceuta?
19:41Was Europe genuinely caught off guard?
19:43Or was this a message sent on purpose?
19:46Did Morocco simply lose control?
19:48Or was control never the point?
19:50And why are there reports saying that this was Washington and Tel Aviv's revenge on Spain?
19:55Let's decode one of the strangest and most suspicious geopolitical flashpoints of the year.
20:00First, where exactly did this happen?
20:04When headlines said migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain, they didn't mean Madrid or Barcelona.
20:09They meant Ceuta, a tiny Spanish city on the North African coast.
20:14Along with Melilla, it forms the European Union's only land border with Africa.
20:19Think of it as Europe living inside Africa.
20:23That tiny piece of geography suddenly became the centre of a global political storm.
20:28Then came the shock.
20:30Over just two days, roughly 50,000 to 60,000 migrants entered Ceuta.
20:35Most didn't climb fences.
20:37They swam around them or walked along the shoreline.
20:41A city of about 84,000 people suddenly faced a human wave almost as large as its own population.
20:49Reception centres collapsed under the pressure.
20:52Spain deployed the military.
20:54At least 72 people lost their lives.
20:56But here's something obvious.
20:58How did tens of thousands cross so easily?
21:01The first answer came from Spain's own legal system.
21:05Earlier in July, Spain's Supreme Court narrowed the use of the so-called hot returns.
21:11If someone climbed a border fence, authorities could send them straight back.
21:15But if they reached Ceuta by sea, officials had to process them through normal immigration and asylum procedures.
21:22In simple terms, the route changed the rules.
21:25Swim in and you couldn't be immediately pushed back.
21:29Word spread fast.
21:30Smuggling networks and social media amplified the message.
21:34Suddenly, swimming looked like the smarter option.
21:38But hold on.
21:39A legal ruling explains why people wanted to cross.
21:42It doesn't explain why tens of thousands crossed on the exact same weekend.
21:47That brings us to Morocco.
21:49Now, multiple news reports said Moroccan security forces allegedly eased enforcement around key crossing points.
21:57Some news reports cited migrants who claimed border guards simply let them pass.
22:03Morocco rejected the accusation and blamed misinformation and trafficking networks.
22:08So why do many analysts still believe the timing mattered?
22:12Because the crisis was not only about migration, but also about long-standing geopolitical tensions over Western Sahara.
22:19Morocco currently controls most of Western Sahara, a disputed territory claimed by Polisario Front, which seeks independence and is supported
22:28by Algeria.
22:30This rivalry has shaped North African politics for decades, with Morocco and Algeria backing opposing sides.
22:37Spain is also involved indirectly.
22:40In 2022, Spain shifted its position by supporting Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, which improved relations between Madrid and
22:48Rabat.
22:49However, in July this year, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Algeria to strengthen energy ties and secure gas supplies,
22:58which Algeria welcomed, but Morocco viewed with suspicion.
23:02Although Spain did not abandon Morocco, the Diplomatic Balancing Act created tensions.
23:06Many analysts believe the Ceuta migration surge was interpreted as a signal of leverage.
23:13Morocco demonstrated that it can influence migration flows into Europe when political relations become strained.
23:20Then the story became even bigger.
23:22Where do Trump and Israel fit in?
23:24After the crisis erupted, Israel's UN representative criticized Spain's presence in Ceuta and Melilla, echoing Morocco's long-standing argument.
23:33At the same time, the U.S. State Department sharply criticized Sánchez over migration, adding to existing tensions after Spain
23:41criticized Israel's actions in Gaza and refused U.S. access to Spanish bases for strikes on Iran.
23:47That fuels speculation online that Washington and Tel Aviv welcomed Morocco's pressure campaign because it embarrassed Sánchez.
23:56But speculation is not proof.
23:59There is no public evidence that the United States or Israel coordinated the border surge with Morocco.
24:04What is clear is that the crisis supported several political narratives at once.
24:09Morocco demonstrated its leverage.
24:11Critics of Sánchez gained fresh ammunition.
24:14Spain faced pressure from multiple directions.
24:16And who paid the prize?
24:18Not politicians.
24:20Migrants did.
24:21At least 72 people died trying to reach Ceuta.
24:24Thousands became pieces on a geopolitical chessboard where governments argued over territory, energy, diplomacy and influence.
24:32Europe also learned a painful lesson.
24:35When border security depends on another country's cooperation, that cooperation becomes leverage.
24:41Turn the tap off, migration slows.
24:43Turn the tap on, Europe scrambles.
24:47So was this simply a border breakdown?
24:49Partly.
24:50Was it also geopolitical pressure?
24:52The timing, the diplomatic backdrop and Morocco's strategic leverage point strongly in that direction.
24:58The Ceuta crisis wasn't just about migration.
25:01It was about Western Sahara.
25:04It was about Algeria.
25:05It was about Europe's dependence on Morocco.
25:08And it showed, once again, that in modern geopolitics, borders aren't just lines on a map.
25:14Sometimes, they're bargaining chips.
25:17That's all in this edition of Statecraft.
25:20But before we go, North Korea has revived a controversial summer tradition.
25:23As the severe heat wave grips the Korean Peninsula, state media is reporting that the Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un
25:31himself,
25:32has once again encouraged people to eat dog meat soup, describing it as a nutritious way to cope with extreme
25:39temperatures.
25:40The recommendations come even as neighboring South Korea moves toward a nationwide ban on the dog meat trade,
25:47highlighting the stark contrast between the two countries.
25:50With that, it's goodbye from me.
25:52Take care.
25:53Take care.
26:24Take care.
26:27Take care.
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