- 44 minutes ago
Balochistan is witnessing a striking new chapter in its long-running conflict with Pakistan, with women increasingly appearing at the centre of both political activism and armed resistance.
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00:08what happens when an indian conglomerate takes a 15 billion dollar bet on american steel
00:13and when thousands of kilometers away baloch women move from the protest lines to the battlefield
00:19today two stories about power pressure and changing realities in america india's sr
00:26group is betting big on steel in iowa as donald trump credits his 50 tariffs for bringing the
00:32project to u.s soil but is this a triumph for trump's tariff strategy or a calculated business
00:38move by an indian giant then to balochistan the baloch liberation front has unveiled a women's
00:44combat unit a 14 year old activist is appealing to india while another baloch woman has been handed
00:51a life sentence in pakistan so are baloch women becoming the new face of the conflict and taking
00:57the fight to islamabad hello and welcome you're watching statecraft with me gita mohan
01:03the guns may be still firing but behind the scenes washington and tehran are talking again
01:08just days after president donald trump rejected iran's seven-day proposal to reopen the strait
01:14of hormones fresh diplomatic contacts are now underway through mediators iranian foreign minister abbas
01:20iraqi says qatar has carried fresh ideas between tehran and washington dc iraqi says the discussions
01:28in new york focused on iran's conditions for ending the crisis and reopening the strategic waterway
01:34tehran is now waiting for an official american response potentially as early as tuesday
01:44today one of the qatari mediators held another meeting with us we discussed ideas on how to find
01:50a way to fulfill iran's conditions and how these conditions could be met they had some ideas and we
01:57agreed that they would raise the matter again with the american side after which the u.s side's final
02:03decision would be conveyed to us hope the process would be completed by tomorrow and crucially these
02:10are indirect talks there are no direct u.s iran negotiations at the table instead qatar and other
02:16intermediaries including pakistan are carrying messages between the two sides iran's original
02:22seven-day proposal offered a possible route out of the crisis now tehran wants an end to hostilities
02:28relief from sanctions and the u.s blockade and the unfreezing of iranian assets in return iran would
02:36reopen the strait of hormones and resume nuclear negotiations but washington rejected that proposal
02:42trump administration has insisted that any agreement must address iran's nuclear program
02:47uh we have iran will never have a nuclear weapon we're going to win that war very soon that'll be
02:53over and the gases gas prices will come tumbling down so nobody else could have done that nobody else
03:02has your team still going to go around today yeah they have the mediators yeah anything else you
03:09can share about uh a movement of your talks we're going to win as far as i'm concerned it's going
03:16to
03:16be one way the other it's going to be it's going to go pretty quickly trump meanwhile confirmed that
03:21his officials had spoken to mediators yet even as diplomacy moves he's maintaining his hard line
03:27saying the u.s will win the war one way or another and predicting fuel prices will fall once it
03:33ends
03:34so the question now is simple can qatar bridge the gap between trump's demands and tehran's conditions
03:39before diplomacy gives way to another round of fighting trump was fined with the raf fairford arrests
03:46until britain released the five suspects on bail now he's furious and the biggest questions around
03:53the alleged bomb plot are only getting bigger five british men in their 20s were arrested near raf
04:00fairford a uk base used by u.s military during the iran war police found three suspicious vans and
04:08launched a major counter-terror operation okay it was fantastic working with britain it was an amazing job
04:15we had them under investigation uh they uh they were looking to do big damage to our port and working
04:23with the british worked out great it may have been scotland yard i don't know that we worked with a
04:29lot
04:29of them we had them under view for a long time and we got them thank you but after extensive
04:36questioning
04:36all five were released on police bail they remain under strict conditions and are still suspects uk counter
04:43terror police say the investigation is far from over and that every possible angle remains open
04:49including possible foreign state involvement that is where trump's reaction changed he said he was
04:56surprised britain released the men and added that he would not have released them he also suggested iran
05:03might be connected to the case without publicly providing evidence that's in the uk there's five suspects
05:09that were arrested it was just released on bail what's your reaction to that and is this connected
05:15to iran might be but uh i will tell you i would have said don't let them have bail cashless
05:22bills
05:23i wonder is it cashless bill i guess that was one of the problems that we had which started the
05:28whole
05:28mess of crime and we're ending cashless but over there i'm surprised that they released him i wouldn't
05:36address then came another twist u.s secretary of state marco rubius said the incident clearly
05:42involved a foreign actor again without naming one or providing evidence so now the mystery is bigger
05:49than the arrests themselves were these five men planning an attack was a foreign state involved
05:54why were they released and how much did u.s and uk authorities know before the arrests iran has denied
06:01involvement while british investigators say they're keeping an open mind for now one thing is clear
06:07the suspects are out on bail investigations continue and the questions around raf fairford are piling up
06:15trump slapped 50 percent tariffs on steel and india's sr group just answered with a 15 billion dollar u.s
06:23steel plant coincidence india's sr group is putting billions behind a steel bet in america and u.s
06:30president donald trump is already taking a victory lap today we're thrilled to announce that mesabi
06:36metallics will be building the largest steel plant in american history in the great state of iowa it's
06:42the largest plant one of the largest plants in the world but it's the largest plant in america by far
06:49we're also pleased to be joined by secretary of commerce howard lutnik secretary of energy chris wright
06:55senator johnny ernst who's done a wonderful job and i'm going to miss you johnny i can't believe you'll
07:01leave it but you are right are you you sure you're not sure you're going to go to kim reynolds
07:11representatives marionette miller meeks and ashley henson and i saw some good polls just recently
07:17that you're doing well actually i saw that looks like you're doing well you should do well iowa
07:23attorney general brennan byrd who's been with me right from the beginning and export import bank
07:28chairman john jovanovic who is a fantastic young man actually once completed wasabi metallics new steel
07:38plant will produce 10 million tons of steel per year using iron ore from the company's minnesota mine
07:44and minnesota has i will tell you they maybe have a lousy governor but they have great
07:49iron ore they have one of the worst governors in history a real stupid guy but they do have good
07:56iron ore which is more important i guess but it's the first new iron ore mine in the united states
08:01in
08:02more than 50 years with the highest quality ore in other words this steel will be mined melted
08:09and made right here in the usa which is something very unusual the project is expected to create up
08:16to 6 000 new construction jobs nearly 2 000 manufacturing and mining jobs and add another 95
08:23billion dollars to the u.s economy which is the number one economy in the world by far the ruya
08:29family's
08:30sr through misabi metallics plans a roughly 15 billion dollar iowa steel complex as part of an 18 billion
08:38dollar mine to mill system with iron ore from minnesota feeding the plant trump says his 50
08:44steel tariffs made the project possible commerce secretary howard lutnik says without those tariffs
08:50this mine and steel plant doesn't get built okay so these are your 232 tariffs the steel tariffs at work
08:59without those tariffs this mine doesn't get built and this steel plant does not get built two and a half
09:07billion dollar iron ore mine it does iron ore pellets right now where do we get those pellets from
09:14now we get them primarily from brazil so we are beholden to brazil to build our steel in america because
09:21the input is coming from outside the country so now we are unleashing the iron range in minnesota which is
09:29the greatest as as the chairman said the greatest set of iron in the world is right here in america
09:36we're going to these gentlemen to my right uh from sr they're doing a fantastic job two and a half
09:42billion dollars for the mine and then you go right down the mississippi to iowa right where they're
09:47going to build a 15 billion dollar integrated steel plant which will create steel at the same price they
09:56make it and import it from china this is competitive if you do it all here and you don't ship
10:03it from
10:03around the world and you don't buy it from other people this is exactly your plan this is exactly
10:09why you're doing it because you're driving steel to america the gentlemen uh to our right from from sr
10:15are fantastic this is great for iowa it's great for minnesota this is your plan living it out in america
10:23building 17 and a half billion dollar investment bringing steel which protects our national security
10:30home to america well done convenient perhaps but this is more than a tariff headline is this american
10:37industrial revival or tariff avoidance why mine in minnesota and make steel in iowa can sr deliver
10:45after its old minnesota mess and when the ribbon is cut who really wins first the tariff question
10:52is sr simply avoiding a 50 percent import bill not exactly the company plans to move production chain
11:00inside the u.s mine ore in minnesota then make steel in iowa if imported steel becomes expensive building
11:09the plant inside america makes more sense so does this prove trump's staff strategy works it proves tariffs
11:17give sr a strong reason to build inside america for sure whether every company follows is another
11:24question now why minnesota for the mine and iowa for the mill now why minnesota for the mine and iowa
11:32for the mill minnesota provides the iron ore iowa provides the steel complex with access to mississippi
11:39river sr says the mine will supply the iowa plant creating one american supply chain instead of
11:46relying on imported inputs so is distance a problem not automatically the company wants control from
11:54mine to mill even if the mine and mill sit in different states simple but here comes the uncomfortable
12:01part sr's minnesota history the company entered the project in the year 2007 financing problems followed
12:10and in the year 2016 sr steel minnesota entered chapter 11 bankruptcy with about 1 billion dollars in debt
12:19mesabi metallics later emerged from bankruptcy and sr eventually regained control now that project
12:26sits at the heart of a much bigger steel plan so can sr deliver the company has already put more
12:33than
12:332 billion dollars into the minnesota project but iowa's first steel target is 2030 the announcement is
12:41huge delivery test comes later then comes the made in america paradox trump says the steel will be mined
12:49melted and made in the usa that describes the planned supply chain but the company belongs to india's sr
12:58group owned by the ruya family so who wins america gets domestic production jobs and a supply chain based
13:06inside its borders sr gets an american production base but ownership remains foreign that does not erase
13:15the u.s benefit but it makes made in america more complicated than the slogan suggests what about the jobs
13:24numbers are big up to 6 000 construction jobs and at least 1750 permanent jobs the first phase targets
13:337.5 million tons of steel a year with capacity potentially rising to 10 million tons but those permanent
13:41jobs depend on a plant that targets production in the year 2030 so are the numbers guaranteed no they are
13:50projections the real test comes when the plant has to produce steel at the promised scale and finally
13:56the politics why announce this now because the timing is impossible to ignore the us midterms are weeks
14:04away and iowa matters politically trump gets a giant steel project a jobs message and a showcase for his
14:12tariff argument in one oval office announcement does that make it election theater not necessarily
14:20there is a real investment plan a minnesota mine financing and a 2030 target the political value
14:28however is obvious long-term test is execution so is sr's iowa gamble linked to trump's tariffs yes trump
14:38and lutnik say the tariffs made it possible and the economics give that argument a clear basis but the
14:45bigger story is not simply tariffs worked a 50 trade barrier helped push an indian conglomerate toward an
14:54american mine-to-mill steel chain trump gets his tariff showcase sr gets domestic production iowa gets a
15:03massive project minnesota gets the mine and american steel makers get a new competitor the applause can
15:11start now the real test comes in 2030 tennessee could carry out its first execution of a woman in 200
15:20years on wednesday after governor bill lee denied clemency to 50 year old krista pike pike was 18 when
15:28she was convicted of killing 19 year old classmate colleen slemer in knoxville in 1995. the case drew national
15:36attention for its brutality including a satanic symbol carved into the victim's body pike was 18 in 1995
15:44when she and her 17 year old boyfriend tedral ship killed 19 year old classmate colleen slemer at a
15:52knoxville job corps center pike was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death in 1996. pike has
16:00never denied her role her lawyers argued that severe childhood abuse trauma and mental health problems
16:07were not properly presented during her trial they've now asked the u.s supreme court for a stay lee said
16:15he reviewed the case and would not intervene pike's attorneys say she's now a remorseful 50 year old woman
16:22far removed from the troubled teenager who committed the crime if the execution goes ahead tennessee will
16:28carry out its first execution of a woman since 1820 balochistan is seeing a new and striking chapter in
16:37its long-running conflict with pakistan women are no longer only appearing on streets as activists or
16:44relatives of the missing a baloch rebel group has now unveiled a formal women's combat unit and claims it
16:52has already carried out attacks on pakistani forces at the same time a 14 year old activist is turning
16:59to india saying hindustan your voice matters and another baloch woman activist has been handed a life
17:07sentence by a pakistani court so what is happening to baloch women are they becoming the new face of the
17:15baloch movement both in the streets and on the battlefield let's start with the battlefield balochistan
17:24liberation front or blf has released footage of its newly formed karima armed assault division card the
17:32video shows women fighters in military uniforms a female commander is seen briefing them before an alleged
17:38operation in turbat other visuals show fighters conducting training and carrying out snap checks
17:45in the monk char area of kalat the blf claims this unit has now carried out its second operation and
17:55the
17:55claims are serious blf says kard attacked a pakistani military quick reaction force convoy on the sepek road
18:04in the josaq area of turbat it claims nine pakistani military personnel were killed and several others injured in
18:12two attacks but there is an important caveat these casualty claims have not been independently verified what
18:20is significant though is not just the claimed casualties it is the very existence of a separately organized
18:27women's combat formation blf says card was developed after years of training and preparation its own
18:36footage is clearly designed to show women not simply participating in the movement but training carrying
18:42weapons receiving orders and operating in the field and this is where the story gets bigger than one attack
18:50because baloch women have been politically active for years they've marched they've protested they've
18:57campaigned for information about missing relatives and groups such as the baloch yakh jehti committee
19:04have put women at the center of public mobilization but the armed insurgency has historically been
19:11dominated by men that is now changing this takes us to another baloch woman but on a very different
19:18battlefield 14 year old activist faraha baloch has directly appealed to india in a video message
19:25with her mother faraha called on indians to speak for what she described as the voiceless people of
19:31balochistan her message was direct she addressed india as hindustan and said indian citizens could be the
19:38voice of the baloch people faraha's appeal comes as baloch activists continue to highlight allegations of
19:45enforced disappearances civilian deaths and restrictions on political activity in the province
19:50at the same time pakistan has accused baloch militant organizations of attacks on security
19:56forces and infrastructure while groups such as bla remain banned by pakistan so faraha's message is not
20:04simply a social media appeal it is part of a wider attempt by baloch activists to internationalize
20:11their grievances and india is an obvious audience because balochistan has periodically featured in india's
20:18political political and diplomatic discourse faraha is now trying to take that conversation beyond
20:23governments and into the public sphere her message is essentially this look at balochistan listen to
20:30baloch voices and speak up but while one young activist is appealing for international attention
20:36another baloch woman is facing the pakistani justice system gulzadi baloch a member of the baloch yak
20:44jehti committee has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in quetta in a murder case her lawyers
20:52say the verdict was delivered without gulzadi or her legal team being present they also alleged that her
20:58statement was not recorded and that the defense was not allowed to make final arguments they say gulzadi was
21:06not the principal accused and had no role in the killing those are defense allegations and they remain
21:12contested but the case has become another flashpoint between pakistani authorities and the byc gulzadi was
21:20arrested in april of 2025 and has been held in quetta her activism was linked to the campaign against
21:27enforced disappearances including her efforts to find her brother abdul wadud satakzai the pakistani
21:35authorities have repeatedly accused baloch activist groups of links to separatist militants
21:40byc rejects that characterization and describes itself as a peaceful movement seeking rights and
21:47accountability gulzadi's case comes less than three months before two other prominent byc figures
21:54mehrang baloch and sib ghatullah shahji were sentenced to life imprisonment in a separate case
22:01amnesty international has raised concerns over the detention and legal proceedings involving gulzadi
22:07and other byc activists including questions around bail and fair trial guarantees and this brings us to
22:15the bigger question why are baloch women becoming increasingly visible at both ends of this conflict
22:22the answer begins with the nature of the baloch movement itself for years women were among the most
22:29visible faces of peaceful mobilization they carried stories of missing family members they organized
22:36marches they stood outside government offices they brought the issue of enforced disappearances into
22:43public domain and that gave women a unique position in the movement but the armed groups have now begun
22:51presenting women differently not simply as protesters not simply as victims but as combatants the transformation
22:59became impossible to ignore after shari baloch's 2022 suicide attack analysts noted that the use of a female
23:07attacker challenged traditional assumptions about who could participate in baloch militancy and now kath takes that
23:15evolution one step further a formal female unit a female commander training footage weapons and claimed operations
23:24and that is the real shift baloch conflict is no longer being represented through one image of the baloch woman
23:32she's the protester she's the activist she is the campaigner the question is no longer simply how islamabad will
23:39fight baloch militants it is how islamabad responds when the woman protesting against the state the woman demanding
23:47answers the teenager appealing to the world and the woman being presented with a weapon all become part of
23:55the same national conversation balochistan is no longer just a story about an insurgency it is becoming a story
24:03about who controls the narrative and increasingly that narrative is being carried by baloch women that's all in
24:12this edition of statecraft before we go an update on what nepal has been facing for a few months now
24:18where rescue teams are now racing against time after an avalanche swept away at least 12 people on mount
24:25himlung a 7126 meter peak in manang district this comes after nepal was hit by a series of flash floods
24:34last
24:34month that killed thousands at least 10 people have been rescued alive days of heavy rain have also triggered
24:41landslides and flash floods across parts of nepal leaving homes and buildings damaged more than 700
24:48households are affected and at least 24 people dead as rescue teams continue their search the message
24:56from nepal is a reminder that when nature turns unpredictable preparedness and solidarity
25:01can save lives that's all on this show goodbye and take care
25:08you