AFP Asia

South Korea’s central bank on Tuesday slashed interest rates and its annual growth forecast as it looks to bolster the economy in the face of US tariffs and the fallout from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief declaration of martial law last year.Asia’s fourth-largest economy expanded less than expected in the final three months of 2024 as Yoon’s martial law move hit consumer confidence and domestic demand.That compounded fears over US President Donald Trump’s hardball trade policies that have seen him impose a broad range of levies on some of his country’s biggest economic partners since taking office in January.An official at the Bank of Korea told AFP it expected gross domestic product to expand 1.5 percent in 2025, down from its initial estimate of 1.9 percent in November.The benchmark interest rate would also be lowered by a quarter of a percentage point, the official said.In a statement released after the meeting, the bank said it projected a “slower recovery in domestic demand and export growth than initially expected”.It blamed “the effects of weakening economic sentiment and the US tariff policy” as well as political uncertainty stemming from the “martial law situation”.”There is a high level of uncertainty regarding the future growth path, including major countries’ trade policies, (and) the direction of the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy,” it added.Trump warned last week that he would impose tariffs “in the neighbourhood of 25 percent” on auto imports and a similar amount or higher on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.South Korea is home to the world’s key chipmakers, Samsung and SK hynix, and was the fourth-largest exporter of steel to the United States last year.Governor Rhee Chang-yong said South Korea would continue to face challenges with tariffs unless it develops new industries.”What our government should feel most painfully about the past 10 years is that no new industries have been introduced during this time,” he told reporters.”If we don’t address this issue, these problems will keep recurring,” he added.- ‘Weak’ data -South Korea’s trade ministry last week said it had asked Washington to exclude it from planned US tariffs on steel and aluminium.The country’s steel industry was already facing intense pressure in recent years as it grappled with oversupply — particularly from China — and a decrease in global demand.The US tariffs are likely to intensify those challenges.Analysts warn that should cheap Chinese steel which has been barred from the US market begin to flood regions such as Southeast Asia and Europe, South Korean steel producers will face deepening price competition.The Bank of Korea also said Tuesday that employment had continued to slow.”The data for early 2025 have been weak amid signs the political crisis is weighing on the economy,” Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist at Capital Economics, said.But he added that even if the crisis is resolved soon, growth is likely to remain weak because of a “downturn in the property sector and tight fiscal policy weighing on demand”.Dave Chia, associate economist at Moody’s Analytics, said he expected at least one more rate cut this year.”The boom in artificial intelligence should sustain shipments of advanced memory chips,” he wrote in a note. But a “slowdown in other major categories” stands to limit South Korea’s export growth, he added.

Title-holders and hosts Pakistan crashed out in the group phase of the Champions Trophy after losing to New Zealand and arch-rivals India.They still have a match to play, against Bangladesh on Thursday, but their tournament is over — a disappointing end to their first hosting of a major international cricket event in three decades.AFP Sport looks at where it all went wrong for Mohammad Rizwan’s men in the 50-over tournament: Rizwan was appointed white-ball skipper in October last year and led Pakistan to an impressive 2-1 ODI win over world champions Australia — their first series victory in 22 years in the country. They also won in Zimbabwe and inflicted on South Africa their first home whitewash, with a 3-0 scoreline. But fast-rising opener Saim Ayub injured his ankle during a subsequent Test in South Africa.Pakistan delayed the announcement of their Champions Trophy squad until the deadline to wait on Ayub’s fitness but the left-hander failed to recover. To add to the home team’s woes, fellow opener Fakhar Zaman was ruled out of the rest of the tournament after the first match — a 60-run defeat to New Zealand — with a muscle injury. Pakistan’s much-vaunted pace attack of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf — rested from the Test series to keep them fresh — looked rusty and failed to control the death overs.Pakistan selectors resisted calls from former players and pundits to include a second spinner in the 15-man squad and instead chose only one in Abrar Ahmed. They relied on part-time spinners Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah, who have managed just one wicket between them in two matches.   Pakistan also erred by not selecting a regular opener and took the risky step of promoting out-of-form Babar Azam to partner Zaman. When Zaman was ruled out they brought in Imam-ul-Haq as a replacement. He made just 10 as Pakistan were crushed by title favourites India by six wickets. In a surprise move they included in the squad all-rounders Khushdil and Faheem Ashraf on the basis of their performances in Bangladesh’s Twenty20 league. Ashraf had not played an ODI for two years and Khushdil for three.Former Pakistan captain and television pundit Rashid Latif called it a “political selection”, blaming outside influence.Former Pakistan captain and popular all-rounder Shahid Afridi accused Pakistan of playing outdated cricket. “In 2025 Pakistan was playing the cricket style of the 1980s and 1990s while other teams had progressed well to adopt an aggressive and modern style,” he told AFP.”The ailment of playing too many dot balls also hurt our game.”Pakistan played 152 dot balls against India in scoring 241 in 49.4 overs, including a record 28 balls with no scores in the first six overs. Their total of 260 in 47.2 overs in the defeat to New Zealand had 162 dot balls. “The mindset of Pakistan players does not match with modern-day cricket,” said Afridi.”We need a complete overhaul of the system so that we can produce players with an aggressive mindset.”

Transgender activists often shunned by society say they have found rare acceptance at India’s Hindu Kumbh Mela festival by giving blessings to pilgrims attending the world’s largest religious gathering.Among the many millions who have attended the six-week-long Hindu celebration of prayer and bathing held every 12 years is a unique “akhada” — or religious order — a camp of transgender individuals.Surveying crowds from her lion throne, Vaishnavi Jagadamba Nand Giri showers blessings on pilgrims standing in long queues to her colourful tent.”It is very difficult to survive as a transgender person in society, since most people cannot understand how we feel,” Giri said, one of around 100 members of the group at the festival.”As visibility increases for us, the acceptance will also increase.”South Asia has a long history of people designated as male at birth but who identify as female — known as kinnar or hijra.In India’s last census in 2011, more than 487,000 people were members of the third gender.India recognised a third gender in 2014, but members still face severe discrimination.- ‘Very auspicious’ -The festival in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj, which ends Wednesday, is a sea of humanity.Enthusiastic officials say that more than 560 million Hindu devotees have attended — numbers impossible to verify independently.That includes naked naga sadhus, wandering monks who walked for weeks from the remote mountains and forests where they are usually devoted to meditation.It also includes the transgender Kinnar Akhada.Traditionally, Hinduism had only 13 religious akhada groups which only included men.The transgender Kinnar Akhada changed that when they were accepted as the 14th member in 2019.Hindus believe that those who immerse themselves in the river waters at the Kumbh Mela cleanse themselves of sin, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth and ultimately attaining salvation.After bathing, pilgrims come to the camps of religious orders seeking blessings.”A blessing from a kinnar is considered very auspicious,” said 38-year-old pilgrim Mangesh Sahu, queueing for a bead from the group.”I will tie the bead around my daughter’s neck to keep her protected from the evil eye — the kinnar prayers are powerful,” he said.But challenges to full acceptance still remain.”They seek blessings from a transgender person, but they will shun an individual like me in their family,” Giri said. 

Rachin Ravindra struck a superb 112 to lead New Zealand into the Champions Trophy semi-finals with a five-wicket win over Bangladesh and in turn dump hosts Pakistan out of the semi-final race.The result in Rawalpindi also ensured India’s semi-final berth in the 50-over tournament as Bangladesh became the other team from Group A to be knocked out.Both New Zealand and India have two wins from two matches and will now meet in Dubai on Sunday to decide team one and two from the group.”Feels nice to qualify,” New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner said after the win. “Knew Bangladesh would be a challenge.”Pakistan, who won the previous edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017, lost to New Zealand and then India in the first International Cricket Council (ICC) event they are hosting since the 1996 ODI World Cup.India refused to tour Pakistan due to political reasons and instead are playing all their matches in Dubai, which will host the final if the Asian giants go the distance.New Zealand have been the team to beat in this group after they humbled Pakistan by 60 runs in the tournament opener.Coming in as firm favourites in their second match, New Zealand elected to field first and spinner Michael Bracewell returned career-best ODI figures of 4-36 to restrict Bangladesh to 236-9.Chasing 237 for victory, New Zealand slipped to 15-2 and 72-3 before Ravindra and fellow left-hander Tom Latham, who made 55, added 129 for the fourth wicket.Both were dismissed before the end but New Zealand still achieved the target with 23 balls to spare.The Black Caps had a disastrous start when pace bowler Taskin Ahmed bowled first-match centurion Will Young for a duck.Bangladesh’s new pace sensation Nahid Rana took down Kane Williamson caught behind for five with a delivery bowled at 148.8 km/h (92.4 mph).- Ravindra reset and intruder -Ravindra, who returned to the team after recovering from a nasty blow to his forehead in a recent tri-series match against Pakistan, joined Devon Conway to rebuild the innings.Conway hit back with a flurry of boundaries and made 30 before Bangladesh checked the surge and Mustafizur Rahman hurried one on to the left-hander who chopped on to his stumps.Ravindra stood firm and with Latham, another centurion in the opener against Pakistan, waded his way through the chase and after reaching his fifty bossed the bowlers.Ravindra raised his fourth ODI ton — on his Champions Trophy debut — with a single off Rana and raised his bat to soak up the applause.”He’s doing Rachin things I guess,” Santner said of his batter who hit a hundred in his ODI World Cup debut in 2023.”He loves ICC events. Looks like he never left the game. He wasn’t as fluid as he’d have liked but when he gets going he’s tough to stop. His partnerships were good too.”Ravindra’s knock was interrupted by an intruder who barged on to the field to hug the batter before being escorted out of the ground by security.The young boy, wearing a white shalwar kameez, was carrying a photo of a leader of one of Pakistan’s radical religious parties.Ravindra finally fell, caught at long-on off leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, and wicketkeeper-batsman Latham’s run out added some late drama. But Glenn Phillips, 21 not out, and Bracewell, who hit the winning boundary, sealed victory.Player of the match Bracewell set up victory with key strikes that began with his second delivery to dismiss Tanzid Hasan for 24 and end a strong start by Bangladesh.Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto made 77 and Jaker Ali 45 in an attempt to put up a competitive total but Bracewell kept getting wickets.”I thought we started well with the bat but we lost wickets in the middle,” said Shanto. “On this pitch we didn’t bat well.” Bracewell was ably supported by the New Zealand quicks with Will O’Rourke collecting two wickets.

Taliban authorities have detained two Britons, a Chinese-American and their Afghan translator, the interior ministry confirmed to AFP late Monday, after the daughter of the British couple called on London to secure their release. “Based on certain considerations, the authorities have detained four people: two British citizens holding Afghan papers, one person with Chinese and American nationality and their translator,” Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, told AFP. “Efforts are underway to resolve this issue,” he added.Qani spoke shortly after Sarah Entwistle, in an interview with British media, called for her government to do “everything in their power” to secure the release of her parents, Peter and Barbie Reynolds, who had been running training programs in Afghanistan for years. British media had reported their arrest, along with a Chinese-American woman and their Afghan translator, on February 1 in the province of Bamiyan, a major tourist attraction west of Kabul known for its giant Buddhas — destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban. Qani refused to confirm the identities of the detainees, or give further details on their condition or the reasons for their arrests. “Details will be released shortly,” he said.Entwistle and her three brothers had initially chosen not to involve the UK authorities “hoping to hear directly from the Taliban about why they’d arrested our parents”, she told TimesRadio on Monday.”Our parents have always sought to honour the Taliban, so we wanted to give them the opportunity to explain their reasons for this detention,” she said.”However, after more than three weeks of silence, we can no longer wait. We’re now urgently calling on the British consulate to do everything in their power to get us answers and to put as much pressure as they can on the Taliban for their release,” she added.The British Foreign Office declined to comment on the couple’s arrest.- ‘Outrageous’ -The Reynolds, who married in Kabul in 1970, remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021 when the British embassy withdrew its staff.The arrest on February 1 was apparently linked to the teaching of parenting skills to mothers over 30, according to The Sunday Times, which first reported the detention.”My mother is 75 and my father almost 80 and (he) needs his heart medication after a mini-stroke,” Entwistle told the newspaper.”They were just trying to help the country they loved. The idea they are being held because they were teaching mothers with children is outrageous,” she added.The couple were reportedly arrested as they returned to their home in the central Bamiyan province.In an open letter to the Taliban authorities quoted by the Sunday Times, Entwistle and her brothers pleaded for their parents to be released.”We do not understand the reasons behind their arrest,” they wrote.”Our parents have consistently expressed their commitment to Afghanistan,” the letter added.They are not the first foreigners detained by the Taliban authorities. A former Canadian soldier, David Lavery, was released at the end of January after more than two months in captivity, under a deal negotiated by Qatar. A week earlier, two Americans held by the Taliban, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, were freed in exchange for Afghan fighter Khan Mohammed, convicted of narco-terrorism in the United States. Two other Americans, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi, are still being held in the country.Taliban leaders swept back to power in 2021, ousting the US-backed government and implementing a strict interpretation of Islamic law, despite promises not to return to the brutality displayed when they ruled in the 1990s.They have since imposed broad restrictions on women and girls, barring them from education beyond the age of 12 and squeezing them out of jobs and public life with rules the United Nations has labelled “gender apartheid”.

Alex Carey said Australia are excited by the challenge posed by a formidable South Africa when they meet in the Champions Trophy for the first time in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.Australia, winners in 2006 and 2009, chased down 352, the highest target in tournament history, against England in Lahore in a Group B game on Saturday.Carey made a brilliant 69 alongside man-of-the-match Josh Inglis, who scored his maiden one-day international hundred, to seal a five-wicket win.South Africa overwhelmed Afghanistan by 107 runs in a clinical performance in Karachi.”I think South Africa are playing really well in one-day cricket and look like they’ve got a great balance across their 11 players,” the 33-year-old Carey said on Monday.”So, another exciting opportunity for us coming off the back of a great game against England, play with a lot of freedom, take the game on.”Australia and South Africa have never met in the Champions Trophy, and the Proteas hold a clear advantage after winning nine of their past 12 ODIs against them.Australia are also missing world-renowned pace trio Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.”Look, it’s an inexperienced bowling attack, there’s no hiding away from that. In and around that we’ve got some experience with our leg-spinner Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell,” Carey said.The pace trio of Spencer Johnson, Ben Dwarshuis and Nathan Ellis went for 171 runs for three wickets between them in 27 overs as England scored 351-8 in their 50 overs.However, Carey backed a strong Australian batting line-up that includes Travis Head.”We’ve got Steve Smith who’s a fantastic captain,” Carey said. “I think if we are to bat first throughout the tournament, I’ll back our boys to defend.””Travis will try to smack them at the top with Matthew Short. You’ve got Smith and Marnus (Labuschagne) through the middle and then hopefully set it up for Maxwell to go big at the end. “We know they’re a great team… but I feel like our confidence is high and we’re really excited for tomorrow,” he said.The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, with hosts Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and New Zealand in Group A.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have “a lot of cricket left in them”, former India opener and Champions Trophy winner Shikhar Dhawan says, adding that the mere presence of the veteran duo can unsettle any opposition.Kohli hit an unbeaten 100 on Sunday, his 51st ODI century, as India swept aside Pakistan by six wickets in Dubai to stand on the cusp of the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals.Pakistan, who are hosting all of the games except those involving India, are on the brink of elimination after their second defeat of the tournament.Rohit made a quickfire 20 at the top of the innings as India went after 242 for victory and Kohli took charge after the captain’s exit to steer the team home with 45 balls to spare.Kohli, 36, and Rohit, 37, have struggled for form since retiring from T20 internationals after last year’s World Cup win, with speculation swirling that they could soon retire.But Kohli rolled back the years with his first ODI century since November 2023.”Virat standing on the crease, his presence is big. The opposition have fear in them,” said Dhawan, who is in Dubai as a tournament ambassador.Kohli went past 14,000 ODI runs early in his innings, becoming only the third batsman to achieve the landmark after Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.Rohit struck form with a century in India’s 3-0 home sweep of England earlier this month and hit a 36-ball 41 in India’s opening win over Bangladesh.”Recently Rohit scored an amazing century, but it’s not about a century or half-century,” said Dhawan, a swashbuckling opener who played his last ODI in 2022 and won the Champions Trophy in 2013.”Today Rohit played a quick 20 runs, that also carries value. He created that fearless environment for the whole team,” he added.”He’s got a great impact in early overs in today’s cricket.”Things have changed, so now it’s good to take that risk and play aerial shots. “We used to see it only in T20 cricket but now we see it in 50-over cricket. “The Pakistan batsmen did not play any aerial shots, but Rohit came and took that risk, which played in India’s favour.”Pressed on the futures of Rohit and Kohli, Dhawan said: “They have a lot of cricket left in them.”Spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who took a crucial 3-40 to peg back Pakistan, hailed man-of-the-match Kohli.”There is only one big player in the team and that is Virat ‘bhai’ (brother), who played a brilliant innings,” Kuldeep said.”Hope that I can continue performing well,” added the left-arm wrist spinner, who recently returned after hernia surgery. “Obviously if you play good cricket, stick around with good players, and you know you have a good team with two senior players who are greats.”

Top-order batsman Saud Shakeel said Pakistan must be better in every facet after a six-wicket defeat to arch-rivals India left the hosts on the brink of a Champions Trophy exit.Shakeel top scored with 62 as Pakistan were dismissed for a below-par 241 in 49.4 overs in Sunday’s blockbuster Group A clash.Tournament favourites India overhauled the target in 42.3 overs with a masterly unbeaten 100 by Virat Kohli.Pakistan are hosts of the one-day event but the match took place in Dubai in front of a packed 25,000 crowd after India refused to travel to their neighbour.”We did not play well in all three departments and that is why this result has come and we have to accept this,” Shakeel told reporters.Pakistan were lifted by a third-wicket stand of 104 between Shakeel and skipper Mohammad Rizwan, who scored 46, but both fell in successive overs in the space of eight runs.Shakeel said those wickets hurt Pakistan.”We are losing wickets in bunches and are not building big partnerships,” he said.He added: “When we were batting the pitch played slow. We tried to bat deep but it did not happen.”I am sure fans will be disappointed, just like we are.”The defeat left Pakistan at the bottom of Group A with two losses in as many games. They now need other results to go in their favour to remain in contention for the semi-finals.”Some things did not go in our favour,” said spinner Abrar Ahmed, but agreed with Shakeel.”We have to change a lot of things within the group.”This tournament is like that — you go out if you lose one match. We have to improve our batting and have to do more work on bowling.”Pakistan face Bangladesh in their last group match in Rawalpindi on Thursday, but both will already be eliminated if Bangladesh lose to New Zealand later on Monday.Pakistan is hosting a major international cricket tournament for the first time in nearly three decades.

Die-hard South Korean fans cheer and clap as their favourite superheroes strike poses in brightly coloured uniforms to the sounds of a soulful Japanese ballad, a nostalgic throwback to the days of VHS.It has been decades since Japanese superhero series “Choudenshi Bioman” was last on TV, but its epic stories of good versus evil still resonate deeply for these South Korean millennials.And while their masked heroes are now well into their sixties, a chance to meet them in person at a sold-out concert hall event this month in Seoul was too good to pass up — even with ticket prices starting at 300,000 won ($210).”Most of us here are office workers, and though the ticket price wasn’t cheap, it wasn’t beyond our means as lifelong fans,” said Oh Myung-hoon, 39.”It wasn’t a matter of choice for fans like me. It was a must.”Part of the “Super Sentai” series, better known to Western audiences as the inspiration for the “Power Rangers” phenomenon of the 1990s, “Choudenshi Bioman” and its companion shows tell the story of a group of people with special powers fighting supervillains intent on world domination.The show was broadcast at a time of Japan’s transformation into a global cultural powerhouse, its animation and film studios producing content seen the world over.But many Korean fans of “Choudenshi Bioman” were initially not even aware the show was Japanese.- Japanese imports banned -For decades, South Korea imposed sweeping restrictions on Japanese cultural imports due to historical tensions stemming from Tokyo’s colonial rule over the peninsula in the early 20th century.It was not until 1998 — more than half a century after Korea’s independence — that Seoul began lifting its ban on Japanese media content.Japanese superhero series — best known in South Korea through “Bioman” and “Flashman” — were among the few exceptions to the ban and imported on VHS tapes, making them a rare and cherished phenomenon in the 1980s and 1990s.Even so, authorities required all Japanese text in the series to be replaced with Korean and the voices dubbed, effectively erasing any trace of their Japanese origins.This allowed the series to thrive in an era when anti-Japanese sentiment remained strong, media columnist Kim Do-hoon told AFP.”The media that dominated my youth was all Japanese, like the animation ‘Galaxy Express 999’, but they had to appear Korean through dubbing,” the 49-year-old said.”The 1970s and 80s were an era of peak anti-Japan sentiment, with the belief that anything related to Japan was bad.”But “thanks to South Korea’s strong cultural exports and vibrant economy” times have changed, he added.Some scenes managed to avoid the censorship and showed Japanese characters in the background — puzzling young Korean kids.Cha Jeong-in, a 39-year-old game developer, admits she was confused by the “unrecognisable letters”.”I asked myself ‘what is it?'” she told AFP.”I later learned it was all made in Japan.”- Good triumphs over evil -For the actors who starred in the hero series, the heartfelt reception in Seoul was both exhilarating and perplexing — especially in a country where Japanese content was once heavily censored. “I had never expected something like this to happen 40 years after filming, so I was really surprised,” said Kazunori Inaba, who played Red Mask in “Maskman”.The 68-year-old former actor, who now runs a ramen restaurant in Tokyo, said it was “difficult” for him to account for the devoted following his decades-old fantasy drama still enjoys in South Korea.”If this work that we did can be a good bridge between Japan and Korea, then we have done a really good job,” he told AFP.”I think heroes are really important, especially when you’re a child. As you grow up, you forget about them,” he said.”But rewatching them can help bring back the memories.”Game developer Cha said she spent $1,500 to come to Seoul from the Philippines, where she now lives.”I thought that if I missed this chance, I’d never be able to see them face to face in my lifetime because of their advanced age,” she told AFP.”They all taught me that good always triumphs over evil and that I must not choose the path of wrongdoing,” Cha said.”They instilled those values in me.”

The quest of millions seeking salvation at the world’s largest religious festival has also been a golden opportunity for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to burnish Hindu nationalist credentials.Undeterred by packed trains, sold-out hotels, stomach-churning faecal matter measurements in rivers used for ritual bathing, and two deadly stampedes that killed dozens, the Hindu faithful descended on the city of Prayagraj for the six-week-long Kumbh Mela.They were welcomed by the ubiquitous presence of Modi on giant billboards flanked by firebrand Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath, 52, the chief minister of India’s largest state of Uttar Pradesh — and viewed by many as the prime minister’s potential successor.Both men say the millennia-old festival which ends Wednesday has been the “grandest” yet, bolstering their portrayal of themselves as stewards of Hindu resurgence and national prosperity.Above the sea of people at sprawling campsites, loudspeakers trumpet the achievements of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).That is the take-home message for many of the pilgrims, who — at least according to eyebrow-raising figures from Adityanath’s state government — numbered more than 560 million.”We are just thankful to Modi and Yogi for their great work,” said Satendar Singh, 60, who travelled from Bihar state to bathe where Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet.”Only they will return to power now, no one else can replace them.”- ‘Kings’ -As well as Modi and Adityanath, a host of political leaders, business tycoons and Bollywood stars have made national headlines with a holy dip since the festival opened on January 13.The festival’s success was paramount for Modi and Adityanath, whose fortunes are linked to support from India’s one-billion-plus Hindus and, critics say, the marginalisation of its estimated 200 million Muslim minority.Modi, elected for his third consecutive term last year, has championed a Hindu nationalist agenda intertwining the majority religion with politics and economy.The Kumbh Mela, held at Prayagraj every 12 years, is the biggest milestone on the Hindu calendar.Modi, speaking before the festival, said previous governments “did not care” about the festival and pointed out that his administration “respects the culture and hence sees it as a responsibility to provide all the facilities for devotees”.The BJP has long pushed massive projects in key Hindu pilgrimage sites including Ayodhya, also in Utter Pradesh, where a grand temple was opened last year on the site where a centuries-old mosque was torn down by zealots in 1992.Before the festival, Modi and Adityanath —  who controlled lucrative service contracts — boasted of massive infrastructure upgrades and investments. It has cemented diehard loyalty from supporters.”Both Modi and Yogi are doing what no other government could do for us, and I just want them to stay in power forever,” said Sonu Sharma, 48, from Prayagraj.”They are kings, and the only thing a good king wants is whatever his subjects need.”- ‘Religious division’ -But many among Prayagraj’s Muslim population, who make up roughly a fifth of its seven million residents, viewed the festival with deep unease.Many still use the city’s old name of Allahabad, given by a Muslim ruler more than 400 years ago, rather than the Hindu name of Prayagraj the BJP changed it to in 2018.Critics say it was part of wider BJP efforts to smother Muslim identity. Local political activist Mohammad Akram, 38, accused the BJP of trying to turn the ancient festival into a “tool for religious division”.Unlike earlier editions, warnings by hardline Hindu groups deterred many Muslim shopkeepers and hawkers from entering the festival grounds. Mohammad Zahid, 52, a shopkeeper, said “99 percent of the local Muslims did not set up shops there out of fear”.He worried about the loss of the city’s Muslim past.”You can rename the city, but how can you change this cultural fabric of brotherhood which is the foundation of Allahabad?” he asked.Preacher Syed Farooq Ahmed, 55, whose family has lived in Prayagraj for generations, said he was “saddened” because division was “not the history of Allahabad’s shared cultural heritage”. Ahmed said his ancestor built their 300-year-old home and the mosque next to it, and had used the Ganges river to perform ceremonial washings before prayers.”This river does not belong to any caste or religion,” he said. “It belongs to those who have made it a part of themselves”.