Akbar had resigned as junior external affairs minister in the wake of allegation of sexual misconduct during his tenure as a senior editor. The alleged incidents came to light during the #MeToo movement. Akbar had denied the allegations.
The specially chartered Air India Boeing 747 with a capacity of 360 passengers, and an Airbus 330 with a capacity of 280, are en route to Tripoli and were to land shortly, External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
FO said that the Indian government failed to take notice of the increasing incidents of intimidation of Pakistani diplomats, their families and staffers by its intelligence agencies.
Downplaying the recent war of words with China, India on Wednesday expressed confidence that the boundary dispute would be resolved amicably through dialogue.
India's concerns on a host of issues, including issuance of stapled visas and "illegal" construction in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, will be taken up by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna during his meetings with Chinese leadership when he visits that country from Monday.
Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria asked the air warriors to maintain a very high-level of alertness considering the evolving situation in Pangong lake region in eastern Ladakh following China's unsuccessful attempts to occupy certain strategic points in the area, the officials said on Thursday.
The two sides held talks on Tuesday as well but it could not produce any tangible outcome, the sources said.
The British high commission had sought consular access to Michel after he was arrested in the first week of December.
The external affairs ministry on Friday did not rule out any further disciplinary action against senior diplomat Devyani Khobragade, who had hit the headlines last year after being arrested in the US in a visa fraud case.
They said the Indian Army has further bolstered its presence around the Southern Bank area of Pangong lake by deploying additional troops and bringing in more weaponry including tanks and anti tank guided missiles.
The ministry had earlier decided to issue a orange-coloured passport to those who have ECR status.
India on Friday welcomed Pakistan's decision to accept its $5 million aid offer for flood relief in the country and said it was willing to provide more assistance. Pakistan's decision to accept the aid came nearly a week after the offer was made by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi last Friday. "We welcome the decision of Pakistan to accept the aid offer," external affairs ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said.
India has called the remarks by foreign leaders on protests by farmers as "ill-informed" and "unwarranted" as the matter pertained to the internal affairs of a democratic country.
The External Affairs ministry was at odds with the Jammu and Kashmir government over reports on Chinese intrusion in Ladakh, saying no such incident had taken place and the media reports carrying the same were "baseless".
MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava also slammed Pakistan's flip-flop on the presence of Dawood Ibrahim in the country, saying it 'lays bare the insincerity' of Islamabad in responding to legitimate expectations of the world that it will track down international terrorists operating from its soil.
Taking a serious view of recent incidents of 'grave' and 'unprovoked' firing from Pakistani side, India on Friday summoned Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner Rifat Masood to lodge a 'strong' protest and press for steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
"They cry victim when they actually are the perpetrators," she said, rejected Pakistan's charges against India on the issue at the 42nd session of the UNHRC.
The meeting will take place in Chushul sector on the Indian side of Line of Actual Control.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May for the first time in Hangzhou, China and held discussions on enhancing bilateral ties in the aftermath of the UK's decision to exit the European Union.
A senior government official said the issue had come up during the foreign secretary-level talks earlier this week and Pakistan expressed its willingness to re-engage in the discussion.
Pakistan has rejected India's stance on occupied Kashmir, saying the dispute over the region was a result of New Delhi's refusal to implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
The plight of the three came to light after a Whatsapp video of a Saudi employer allegedly beating them with a wooden plank surfaced.
During the meeting, the leadership of the India Caucus, which is the largest country-specific caucus in the House of Representatives, condemned the violence on January 26 in Delhi.
The External Affairs Ministry underlined the need for the international community to show "unwavering commitment to resolutely opposing, resisting and overcoming terrorism and those who nurture, sustain and give sanctuary to terrorists and extremist elements."
India's irritation at the reference to Indo-Pak ties in the joint communiqu issued by United States President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao was apparent from an official statement issued on Wednesday making it clear that a third party role was not necessary.
The dinner was part of the working visit of Prime Minister Modi which was originally scheduled to be held at the Mexican President's official residence.
The PM held bilateral meetings with three ASEAN leaders, including his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, and discussed key bilateral and regional issues.
India today condemned and rejected the observations of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) on Jammu and Kashmir and said the grouping had no locus standi on matters concerning country's internal affairs.
India's communication to Pakistan on Thursday made clear its position that the consular access must be 'unimpeded'
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