India and China have established a Working Group to prepare a framework for the settlement of their vexed boundary issue, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced at Harbin in China on Thursday. The 11th round of talks between the Special Representatives of India and China was successful and they have decided to set up a Working Group to prepare a framework for the resolution of the boundary issue, said Mukherjee.
The Government on Wednesday virtually turned own demands of two Tamil parties, including United Progressive Alliance constituent Patali Makkal Katchi, for India's intervention to stop military offensive in Sri Lanka, saying it cannot force a sovereign government of another country to take a particular line.
Fearing further moderation in economic growth in the next fiscal, the government on Friday said it would take more steps to boost the labour-intensive sectors.
Insisting that all options are open on dealing with terrorism emanating from Pakistan, The government said on Sunday that nobody should think that India is "helpless" and asserted that the menace would be confronted with "courage and fortitude".
"We expect Pakistan to do whatever it has committed. We want it to fulfill its promises, fulfill its commitments as a responsible nation of the international community," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told media persons, adding, "No responsible nation can escape its commitment."
Making a strong defence of the nuclear deal during the debate on confidence motion, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee rejected the Left parties' allegations of betrayal and took potshots at leader of opposition Lal Kishenchand Advani, saying he should not "distort" facts in "over enthusiasm" to score political points.
Pranab's earlier fear of Sonia relying too heavily on a coterie due to her lack of experience turned out to be unfounded. As per Pranab, Sonia had her close advisers but she did not follow anyone's advice blindly. A fascinating excerpt from Sharmistha Mukherjee's Pranab, My Father: A Daughter Remembers.
The office of Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati has said he had offered advice as solicitor general to the then External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and Telecom minister A Raja in 2007 on 2G spectrum issues but it was not written and there is no copy of it.
As lawyers distance themselves from defending Ajmal Amir Iman Kasab in court, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said that the terrorist caught during the Mumbai attacks will get a fair trial."Of course, in India everybody will get a fair trial," Mukherjee told PTI when asked whether Kasab should be given a fair trial."Every person in India who is accused or prosecuted is entitled to have a fair trial," he said.
The chief minister said he recently had meetings with the prime minister, union home minister and foreign minister and discussed matters pertaining to the dialogue and peace.
"Our advice is not to further escalate tension and defuse the situation through dialogue and discussion."
With External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee set to visit Iran on February 6, there will be more than one pair of eyes watching the visit closely.
Scotching speculation about early polls, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has made it clear that the survival of the government was more important than the Indo-US nuclear deal and the Left parties will have to be taken on board. He ruled out the possibility of a minority government signing the nuclear agreement, saying the US was not ready for it.
The government had earlier this week briefed top BJP leadership on the same foreign policy issues.
Describing the Mumbai attacks as the "most gruesome" manifestation of terrorism, India on Thursday asserted that it will use all means at its command to put an end to the cross-border scourge. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Mumbai was chosen as a target by Pakistani terrorists as they wanted to hit India's business and corporate "vistas".
"We are for fight against terrorists and all sorts of terrorism. Therefore, we have no sympathy for any terrorist activity indulged in by any organisation, particularly LTTE (which) is a banned organisation in India," he told media persons. He made the remarks hours before his departure to Sri Lanka, where the government has claimed to have captured Mullaithivu, the last bastion of LTTE.
Making it clear that Islamabad's claims of cooperation in Mumbai attacks probe will not suffice, India on Thursday asked Pakistan to implement its words and show in a "transparent" manner that action has been taken against Jamaat-ud-Dawa and other such groups.
"Terrorism remains a scourge for our region. If a country cannot keep the assurances that it has given, then it obliges us to consider the entire range of options that exist to protect our interests and people from this menace," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, without naming Islamabad.
Hinting at the Pakistani establishment's backing to terrorists who struck in Mumbai, India on Saturday said such strikes could be carried out with impunity only when the safety of the "handlers" of attackers has been assured.
India is ready to share more information with Pakistan if Islamabad wants any more dossiers to further its investigation into the 26/11 Mumbai attack, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said. He reiterated that Pakistan has not given any report to India on its probe into the terror strikes and that a lot of reports have appeared in the media in this regard. Mukherjee's statement contradicts that of National Security advisor M K Narayanan.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday refuted the claim made by the Communist Party of India-Marxist that the government had 'substantially cut' the quota of rice meant to be given to the people through the Public Distribution System. However, despite the minister's denial, the Left parties continued to insist that there has been substantial cut in the quota in West Bengal and Kerala, in particular.
Officials in Dhaka have been given details of persons indulging in insurgency and other terrorist activities during a meeting of the Home Secretaries from the two sides.
Kumaran Padmanathan, who allegedly financed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, was reported to have been detained in Thailand earlier this week.
"Instances of inhuman treatment of Indian prisoners have come to the notice of consular offices of our mission in Islamabad from time to time," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in a written reply.
Replying to a question from a delegate participating in the Pravasi Baharatiya Diwas in Chennai that why the country did not have young leadership, he said Rahul Gandhi would follow the footsteps of his father Rajiv Gandhi, who became the prime minister at a young age.
"Arunachal is an integral part of India," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters in New Delhi, a day after Chinese Ambassador Sun Yuxi claimed that the east Indian state was "Chinese territory".
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads an Empowered Group of Ministers on Special Economic Zones, is likely to consult Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to resolve the dispute between finance and commerce ministries over tax exemption for export profits from the zones.
Mukherjee is visiting Pakistan to formally invite President Pervez Musharraf to attend the SAARC Summit to be held in India on April 3-4.
"Whenever we will be in a postion to share it with Pakistan, it will be done so," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told media-persons in New Delhi when asked when India will respond to Pakistan's questions.
In a clear indication that it is against the appointment of an American special envoy for the sub-continent, India said on Tuesday that there was a bilateral mechanism to improve Indo-Pakistan ties and third party intervention would not make any difference.Asked about US media reports that the incoming Obama administration may appoint former President Bill Clinton or some other person as special envoy, Pranab Mukherjee said that such news reports were speculative.
Mukherjee said that the demand of the Bhartiya Janata Party for a Joint Parliamentary Committee, as he told L K Advani and Jaswant Singh, was not possible.
"There is no denying the fact that we voted against Iran at IAEA. The intention was to ensure that its nuclear issue does not go to the Security Council as it would entail sanctions and more problems," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said while rejecting allegations that India's foreign policy was being affected by the Indo-US nuclear deal.
The finance minister also says that India requires an investment of $850 billion to $1 trillion in the next 5-7 years.
However, he disappointed big time by not announcing any relief in taxes or change in the tax structure to bring relief to the common man.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has done much damage to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday on a day's visit, during which New Delhi is expected to share with her evidence on the Mumbai terror strikes, pointing towards involvement of 'elements' based in Pakistan.
The United Progressive Alliance government on Thursday expressed hope that India will get the support of all member countries during its negotiations on the nuclear deal but noted that it would be difficult to fix an exact timeframe for making the agreement a reality.External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency is likely to meet on August 1 to discuss the India-specific safeguards agreement.
"All over the world, changes have taken place. Therefore, in the functioning of the United Nations, in its structure and in its contents, it should reflect the contemporary realities," Pranab said.
"The decision will be left to the wisdom of the authority at that point of time."
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will begin a four-day official visit to India on Friday to carry forward the peace process between the two countries and address outstanding issues like Kashmir.
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