内容摘要：Work on the reservoir is expected to begin in 2027 and finish by 2032, with an estimated investment of $1.6bn.

Work on the reservoir is expected to begin in 2027 and finish by 2032, with an estimated investment of $1.6bn.

During the hearing, Mahmudabad’s lawyer read aloud the posts in question. The court responded sceptically, suggesting that his words carried double meanings and amounted to dog whistles. “Someone with an analytical mind will understand the language. … The words used may seem innocuous but can target unintended audiences,” the bench remarked.The Supreme Court then constituted an SIT comprising three senior police officers to “understand the complexity and properly appreciate the language used in the posts”.

Thus, the Supreme Court’s orders created the impression that Mahmudabad’s words could not be accepted at face value. While his statements might appear benign, there must be some hidden meaning or ulterior motive lurking beneath the surface.Public reaction to the court delegating its interpretive duties to the police was one of shock. Was it so difficult for the court to read, analyse and interpret the posts itself? Did the members of the court not have analytical minds to read and understand what was written by Mahmudabad? Was this not their job? Or was the court shying away from committing itself to a position?The SIT will operate under the shadow of the presumptions made by the court, which already lean against Mahmudabad. How can he possibly dispel such preconceived notions?

Meanwhile, the fog around Mahmudabad thickens. Details of his family background, devout Muslim identity, ancestral ties to Pakistan and foreign travels are being investigated by the police. These factors will now serve as the context in which his posts are to be read and interpreted.The media are busy demonising Mahmudabad. Soon, his actual words will vanish into the dense fog of propaganda, replaced by the image of a devious, cunning, scheming Muslim etched into the collective Hindu imagination.

Mahmudabad has appeared before the SIT. Meanwhile, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP, has announced plans for a public demonstration against him. It is asking Ashoka University to sack him because he has written “antinational posts”. The mouth organ of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent body of the ruling BJP and ABVP, has also joined the chorus asking for action against Mahmudabad.

We see the same playbook unfolding – the one used to vilify scholars like Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, turning them into enemy figures within the BJP ecosystem with the help of the media, police and judiciary.“We have a firm commitment to dialogue and reaching agreements” with those affected, Vergara said.

If the reservoir is not built, “we’ll regret it in 15 years,” she said.Civil society groups warn that as many as 12,000 people could ultimately be affected by the project, which enjoys the support of President Jose Raul Mulino, as the entire Indio River basin would be affected.

The 80-kilometre-long Panama Canal handles six percent of global maritime trade and remains vital to Panama’s economy.It is also at the centre of a diplomatic row, as former US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to “take back” the waterway, handed over to Panama in 1999, citing alleged Chinese influence.