A major earthquake measuring 7.8 on the richter scale rocked the Iran-Pakistan border on Tuesday, tremors of which were experienced in North India, including New Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab.
Twenty-six foreign leaders, including Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, will attend China's V-Day commemorations on September 3. Japan has expressed concerns about the event's anti-Japanese overtones.
A major earthquake measuring 7.8 on the richter scale rocked the Iran-Pakistan border on Tuesday, tremors of which were experienced in North India, including New Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab.
'Victims of terrorism do not sit together with its perpetrators to discuss terrorism.'
The blame must be shared by the investigating agencies, the government of the day and the nation at large, points out Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
The Indian men's kabaddi team thrashed arch-rival Pakistan 61-14 on Friday to storm into the final of the Asian Games.
It is the first time in nearly nine years that India's foreign minister travelled to Pakistan even as the ties between the two neighbours remained tense over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
Opposing India's continued interest in the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, an influential US lawmaker Gary Ackerman wants New Delhi to do more than "just implement the United Nations approved sanctions" to "isolate" Tehran on its nuclear programme.
'I said, fellas, come on, let's make a deal, let's do some trading, let's not trade nuclear missiles, let's trade the things that you make so beautifully, and they both have very powerful leaders, very strong leaders, smart leaders, and it all stopped.'
'The struggle of insurgents and pro-independence political activists is fuelled by a deep conviction that not only is a free Balochistan possible, but they also believe that Pakistan will inevitably break apart, leading to Balochistan's independence.'
'By annoying the Arabs and cozying up to Iran, Pakistan may end up losing Arab economic support, annoying the Americans and increase Shia-Sunni tensions domestically,' Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) points out.
'...rectification has to happen then and there, and that takes additional time.'
After a two-year lull, India has proposed to resume talks with Iran on importing gas through a pipeline passing through Pakistan, but the Persian Gulf state wants the meeting to happen in Tehran.
"The Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project is one of the most important economic projects in the region, which will bring extensive benefits for the three countries," Ambassador Mashallah Shakeri said. Pointing out that the measures taken by Pakistan and Iran showed their "firm will" for executing the project, Shakeri told a local news agency that the bilateral agreement between the two countries will be finalised by January 25.
A day after sealing final pacts with Iran on a long-talked gas pipeline, Pakistan on Monday said it will welcome India joining the project and will guarantee safe delivery of the fuel.
'They should come to Pakistan. It's not fair that they do not come to Pakistan. The Indian team is much better than us. We have a beautiful hotel just across the stadium. If Indians come it will send a good message that we are good neighbours.'
Taking to Twitter, United Nations Human Right Council said, 'At its 35th special session, the @UN Human Rights Council decided to create a new fact-finding mission to investigate alleged #HumanRightsViolations in the Islamic Republic of #Iran related to the protests that began on 16 September 2022.'
Iran had called a meeting of technical experts and lawyers from the three nations during September 24-26 to exchange views on the gas-supply contract that India and Pakistan, as consumers, would have to sign with fuel supplier Iran.
Pakistan and Iran have finalised a gas purchase agreement while India is yet to complete modalities for joining the project mainly due to differences with Pakistan over the transit fee to be paid for the gas transported through Pakistani territory. Iran had been asked by Pakistan earlier this month to finalise the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project by April because of its rising gas requirements. Iran said it was holding final talks with India to persuade it to join.
India and Pakistan will on Tuesday discuss financing of the $4.1-billion Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, the transit fee that Islamabad will charge for allowing the passage of the pipeline to India and security issues.
At the same time, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it is a matter between Iran and Pakistan.
Iran had called a meeting of technical experts and lawyers from the three nations during September 24-26 to exchange views on the gas-supply contract that India and Pakistan, as consumers, would have to sign with fuel supplier Iran.
India has missed yet another meeting on the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline last weekend as officials from Iran and Pakistan met in Teheran to discuss the revised project cost and a new pricing formula.
The Indian government, said a senior official, wishes to take talks forward on the $7 billion Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project.
The proposed gas pipeline between Iran and India will become a reality by 2010, the Iranian envoy to New Delhi said on Tuesday.
India's low passion, very cautious, relationship with Iran of the last 36 years awaits transformation, says Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd). Prime Minister Modi's visit cannot be a negotiating event; it is a symbolic one to strengthen the politico-diplomatic relationship.
Clearing the decks for the $7-billion Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project, the Pakistan government on Tuesday approved the gas sharing arrangement with New Delhi.
With New Delhi boycotting formal talks for almost three years, Iran and Pakistan this month signed last of a series of agreements for implementing the project on bilateral basis.
India maintains that it wants to be part of the project but cannot go ahead till its concerns with regard to security and issues related to pricing of gas are addressed.
India will host the next meeting on the 1,680-km gas pipeline, planned from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan to India, in October even as it has asked Tehran to call a trilateral meeting to finalise the rival Iran-Pakistan-India gas line.
The Chabahar message is a reality check for China, which has made deep political and strategic inroads into Iran.
Pakistan has said it is eager to transfer Iranain gas to India and China after it finalised the text of a multi-billion IPI gas pipeline project with Tehran. Mokhtar Ahmad, advisor to Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, made the remarks after the three-day Iran-Pakistan talks on the $7.4 billion pipeline project, which resulted in finalisation of the text over the weekend in the absence of India, which is the third partner.
India has asked Pakistan to waive the $200 million transit fee a year for allowing passage of a pipeline carrying natural gas from Iran.
Projects worth over $20 billion, ranging from the decade-long Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline to various oil and gas exploration and production projects, are being re-considered, said officials in the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
GAIL has already been appointed as the nodal agency for the pipeline in India.
Iran's decision to keep India out and welcome China to the scene is a huge strategic setback for India, observes Dr Rajaram Panda.
Ignoring objections from the US, India on Monday said it will go ahead with the proposed gas pipeline project with Iran.
In the Middle East, which is already coping with the Qatar-Saudi Arabia tensions, comes another pressure point.
There is no question of the US or any other country pressurising India on the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday.
