FBI warns of possible US election violence in protest-riven Portland

The FBI has warned of the potential for armed clashes linked to Tuesday's United States election in Portland, as the northwestern city that has become symbolic of the country's stark divisions braces for unrest.

The liberal enclave in the state of Oregon is still reeling from a summer that saw mass anti-racism rallies inflamed by the arrival of federal officers and right-wing militias, including the so-called Proud Boys.

Tuesday's fiercely polarised vote — which could see President Donald Trump reelected, or defeated by his Democratic rival Joe Biden — has spurred fears of more deadly street violence.

Downtown businesses were boarding up windows once again as protests are planned for either a Trump or a Biden win — or a state of limbo, with delays in the vote-counting expected nationwide due to a surge in mail-in voting during the pandemic.

“The thing that is the most concerning to me is the potential for armed clashes between opposing groups,” FBI Portland Special Agent Renn Cannon told AFP.

“That could escalate into a dangerous situation where — if tempers are heated — you could end up with an unfortunate or tragic act of violence,” he added, pointing to a deadly shooting of a far-right supporter in the city in August.

The 250-strong Portland office has devoted additional resources to election crimes including voter suppression as well as fraud and foreign cyber threats, said Cannon.

Meanwhile Governor Kate Brown on Monday issued an executive order handing Portland policing to state forces — effectively overruling the city's ban on tear gas — and putting the National Guard on standby.

“This is an election like no other in our lifetime,” she warned.

'Wild card situation'

Brown's warnings about white supremacists have drawn scorn from local conservatives including talk-radio host Lars Larson, who Monday accused her of “deafening silence” about “Antifa and Black Lives Matter violence” over five months of protests.

But while Oregon is a safe Democratic state, Portland's Republican hinterland has made it a focus for protests from all ideologies, with further demonstrators flying in from across the country this summer.

FBI agents are being “extra attentive” to any threats that could “reduce the ability for people to exercise their first amendment rights or exercise the right to vote,” said Cannon.

Officials' fears of renewed violence were echoed by voters on Monday, including restaurant cook Leigh Smith.

“I've seen everybody's boarding up already and I'm like 'oh geez,'” said the 35-year-old, after mailing her ballot near the downtown courthouse that became an epicenter of earlier demonstrations.

“It's really a wild card situation. It could be really chill [...] it could become chaotic.” One cause for optimism is that Oregon votes entirely by mail, making lengthy voting lines that could be targeted unlikely on Tuesday, said Cannon.

Of greater concern are multiple protests planned in Oregon for the aftermath of a vote which may not yield a result for days or even weeks, he added.

“Whether or not those will have an armed component or not, I don't know,” said Cannon, with no specific threats currently identified.

'Prepared' for violence

One group organising a rally — the left-wing Democratic Socialists of America's (DSA) Portland branch — told AFP it was “prepared for right-wing street violence to express frustration about their candidate not winning” if Joe Biden triumphs.

“It's our duty to show up and counter them,” said co-chair Olivia Katbi Smith, adding that if protesters fail to mobilise in numbers, militias “will actually drive around and assault people.” DSA Portland does not advocate for armed response to right-wing extremists, she added.

If Trump tries to claim an illegitimate victory, Katbi Smith hopes liberal groups will bring out protest numbers approaching the tens of thousands who attended Portland's 2017 women's rights march.

“We're going to go forward with specific demands about democracy,” said Katbi Smith, including Trump's removal or a new vote.

She added: “There will be right-wing mobilisations against us after the election.“

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Lawyers in US on standby if cloudy election outcome heads to court

Signature mat­ches. Late-arriving absentee votes. Drop boxes. Secrecy envelopes.

Democratic and Republican lawyers already have gone to court over these issues in the run-up to Tuesday’s election.

But the legal fights could take on new urgency, not to mention added vitriol, if a narrow margin in a battleground state is the difference between another four years for President Donald Trump or a Joe Biden administration.

Both sides say they’re ready, with thousands of lawyers on standby to march into court to make sure ballots get counted, or excluded.

Since the 2000 presidential election, which was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court, both parties have enlisted legal teams to prepare for the unlikely event that voting wouldn’t settle the contest. But this year, there is a near presumption that legal fights will ensue and that only a definitive outcome is likely to forestall them.

The candidates and parties have enlisted prominent lawyers with ties to Democratic and Republican administrations.

A Pennsylvania case at the Supreme Court pits Donald Verrilli, who was President Barack Obama’s top Supreme Court lawyer, against John Gore, a onetime high-ranking Trump Justice Department official.

It’s impossible to know where, or even if, a problem affecting the ultimate result will arise. But existing lawsuits in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Minnesota and Nevada offer some hint of the states most likely to be ground zero in a post-election battle and the kinds of issues that could tie the outcome in knots.

Roughly 300 lawsuits already have been filed over the election in dozens of states across the country, many involving changes to normal procedures because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 230,000 people in the US and sickened more than 9 million.

Most of the potential legal challenges are likely to stem from the huge increase in absentee balloting brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. In Pennsylvania, elections officials won’t start processing those ballots until Election Day. Mailed ballots that dont come inside a secrecy envelope have to be discarded, under a state Supreme Court ruling.

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India has no historical or legal locus standi on GB: FO

The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday rejected the statement made by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh regarding Gilgit-Baltistan, stating that Delhi had "no locus standi whatsoever on the issue" whether it be historical, legal, or moral.

A day earlier, the Indian minister had said that GB was an "integral part of India" and had lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan's announcement regarding granting the region the status of a province.

“Pakistan has illegally occupied GB. Pakistan is going to make it a province now. Our government has clarified that GB, along with the entire Pakistan occupied Kashmir, is an integral part of India,” Singh had said, according to Hindustan Times.

"Gratuitous repetition of false claims by RSS-BJP leaders for political point-scoring can neither change facts nor can they draw attention away from the reprehensible human rights violations being perpetrated against the Kashmiri people by Indian occupation forces in the valley," the FO said in a statement issued today.

"Pakistan’s principled position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains firmly anchored in the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

"Administrative, political and economic reforms are a long standing demand of the people of GB. The envisaged provisional reforms reflect the aspirations of the indigenous populace of GB," the FO said.

Pakistan also called upon India to immediately end its illegal and forcible occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

"India must comply with its international obligations by allowing the Kashmiris to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations as enshrined in the relevant UNSC resolutions," the statement said.

Earlier this week, the FO had categorically rejected a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs regarding GB and termed it “irresponsible and unwarranted”.

The FO spokesman had issued the statement in response to comments made by his Indian counterpart who had "rejected" the premier's announcement about granting GB the provisional status of a province.

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Information minister lauds govt for boosting economic growth

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz on Tuesday said Pakistan has seen significant economic progress after recovering early from the coronavirus pandemic and is recording healthy economic activity in key industries.

Praising the government’s efforts, Faraz said the country’s economy is fast moving toward stabilisation after struggling during the COVID-19 outbreak.

“If we compare Pakistan to other countries, we have seen significant economic progress over the last few months,” he explained.

“Look at the construction industry, for instance, which has been quite active, of late. Similarly, other aspects of the economy, including large-scale manufacturing units and textiles, have shown consistent growth.”

Faraz added that the government provided special packages to the industrial sector, focusing on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) so that they could enhance production, increase employment rates, and contribute to strengthening the country’s economy.

“Unlike previous governments, we made sure to provide several incentives to SMEs, including reduced power tariff, which has been slashed by 50%,” he informed journalists.

“The government is doing everything it can to boost Pakistan’s economic sector because it is the only way to bring prosperity to the country.”

Opposition has run out of topics

Speaking about the political situation in the country, Faraz said that the opposition has run out of topics to criticise the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government on.

“The opposition has no plans of its own and no past comparisons to show. They have forgotten how they disturbed the rule of law in the country and promoted an economic structure based on nepotism, a move which led to brain drain, which is extremely unfortunate.”

He also condemned the opposition’s stance on law and justice in the country, saying that Opposition leaders moulded laws to their convenience during their terms.

“Nawaz Sharif considered himself above the law and believed in the concept of monarchy. We will do everything we can to bring him back to Pakistan. He cannot be a 'revolutionary' while living abroad,” the minister proclaimed.

Faraz also called out the policies of the Sindh government, adding that the PPP leadership has been taking political advantage of every situation.

“The Sindh government created an artificial wheat shortage through hoarding, which disrupted the supply chain throughout the country and led to a shortage. As a result, poor Pakistanis had to suffer," he said.

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Lawyers in US on standby if cloudy election outcome heads to court

Signature mat­ches. Late-arriving absentee votes. Drop boxes. Secrecy envelopes.

Democratic and Republican lawyers already have gone to court over these issues in the run-up to Tuesday’s election.

But the legal fights could take on new urgency, not to mention added vitriol, if a narrow margin in a battleground state is the difference between another four years for President Donald Trump or a Joe Biden administration.

Both sides say they’re ready, with thousands of lawyers on standby to march into court to make sure ballots get counted, or excluded.

Since the 2000 presidential election, which was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court, both parties have enlisted legal teams to prepare for the unlikely event that voting wouldn’t settle the contest. But this year, there is a near presumption that legal fights will ensue and that only a definitive outcome is likely to forestall them.

The candidates and parties have enlisted prominent lawyers with ties to Democratic and Republican administrations.

A Pennsylvania case at the Supreme Court pits Donald Verrilli, who was President Barack Obama’s top Supreme Court lawyer, against John Gore, a onetime high-ranking Trump Justice Department official.

It’s impossible to know where, or even if, a problem affecting the ultimate result will arise. But existing lawsuits in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Minnesota and Nevada offer some hint of the states most likely to be ground zero in a post-election battle and the kinds of issues that could tie the outcome in knots.

Roughly 300 lawsuits already have been filed over the election in dozens of states across the country, many involving changes to normal procedures because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 230,000 people in the US and sickened more than 9 million.

Most of the potential legal challenges are likely to stem from the huge increase in absentee balloting brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. In Pennsylvania, elections officials won’t start processing those ballots until Election Day. Mailed ballots that dont come inside a secrecy envelope have to be discarded, under a state Supreme Court ruling.

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India has no historical or legal locus standi on GB: FO

The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday rejected the statement made by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh regarding Gilgit-Baltistan, stating that Delhi had "no locus standi whatsoever on the issue" whether it be historical, legal, or moral.

A day earlier, the Indian minister had said that GB was an "integral part of India" and had lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan's announcement regarding granting the region the status of a province.

“Pakistan has illegally occupied GB. Pakistan is going to make it a province now. Our government has clarified that GB, along with the entire Pakistan occupied Kashmir, is an integral part of India,” Singh had said, according to Hindustan Times.

"Gratuitous repetition of false claims by RSS-BJP leaders for political point-scoring can neither change facts nor can they draw attention away from the reprehensible human rights violations being perpetrated against the Kashmiri people by Indian occupation forces in the valley," the FO said in a statement issued today.

"Pakistan’s principled position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains firmly anchored in the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

"Administrative, political and economic reforms are a long standing demand of the people of GB. The envisaged provisional reforms reflect the aspirations of the indigenous populace of GB," the FO said.

Pakistan also called upon India to immediately end its illegal and forcible occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

"India must comply with its international obligations by allowing the Kashmiris to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations as enshrined in the relevant UNSC resolutions," the statement said.

Earlier this week, the FO had categorically rejected a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs regarding GB and termed it “irresponsible and unwarranted”.

The FO spokesman had issued the statement in response to comments made by his Indian counterpart who had "rejected" the premier's announcement about granting GB the provisional status of a province.

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Information minister lauds govt for boosting economic growth

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz on Tuesday said Pakistan has seen significant economic progress after recovering early from the coronavirus pandemic and is recording healthy economic activity in key industries.

Praising the government’s efforts, Faraz said the country’s economy is fast moving toward stabilisation after struggling during the COVID-19 outbreak.

“If we compare Pakistan to other countries, we have seen significant economic progress over the last few months,” he explained.

“Look at the construction industry, for instance, which has been quite active, of late. Similarly, other aspects of the economy, including large-scale manufacturing units and textiles, have shown consistent growth.”

Faraz added that the government provided special packages to the industrial sector, focusing on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) so that they could enhance production, increase employment rates, and contribute to strengthening the country’s economy.

“Unlike previous governments, we made sure to provide several incentives to SMEs, including reduced power tariff, which has been slashed by 50%,” he informed journalists.

“The government is doing everything it can to boost Pakistan’s economic sector because it is the only way to bring prosperity to the country.”

Opposition has run out of topics

Speaking about the political situation in the country, Faraz said that the opposition has run out of topics to criticise the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government on.

“The opposition has no plans of its own and no past comparisons to show. They have forgotten how they disturbed the rule of law in the country and promoted an economic structure based on nepotism, a move which led to brain drain, which is extremely unfortunate.”

He also condemned the opposition’s stance on law and justice in the country, saying that Opposition leaders moulded laws to their convenience during their terms.

“Nawaz Sharif considered himself above the law and believed in the concept of monarchy. We will do everything we can to bring him back to Pakistan. He cannot be a 'revolutionary' while living abroad,” the minister proclaimed.

Faraz also called out the policies of the Sindh government, adding that the PPP leadership has been taking political advantage of every situation.

“The Sindh government created an artificial wheat shortage through hoarding, which disrupted the supply chain throughout the country and led to a shortage. As a result, poor Pakistanis had to suffer," he said.

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