Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that the BJP would form the next government in West Bengal after the assembly polls, asserting that he would return to the state for the oath-taking ceremony after results are announced on May 4.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has directed the JKBOSE to take strict action against private schools found to be arbitrarily increasing fees and violating established regulations.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who made "number 16" jibe at the treasury benches during his speech in Lok Sabha on Friday on three new bills, refused to elaborate on it in his brief interaction with reporters and said "it is a puzzle" and he "won't tell the answer just like that".
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor criticised the government's decision to link women's reservation with the expansion of Parliament, calling delimitation a 'political demonetisation'. He argued that women's reservation should be implemented immediately based on existing parliamentary strength.
Kher reportedly had earlier said that all the issues in the valley will be resolved if Article 370, which provides special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir is abolished.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticised the Congress party for its alleged inaction in addressing Maoist violence during its long rule, while highlighting the Modi government's success in nearly eradicating Maoists from Bastar, Chhattisgarh.
It is shameful that Kashmir Times has been attacked in the way it has and that Anuradha Bhasin has not found more voices to speak in support of her and her paper, points out Aakar Patel.
Democratic Progressive Azad Party chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad expressed deep concern over the escalating conflict in the Middle East, urging restraint and diplomacy from all parties involved.
National Conference President Farooq Abdullah has voiced his concern over the escalating violence in West Asia, urging all parties to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy to de-escalate tensions and protect civilian lives.
The Indian government has revoked the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was held under the National Security Act following protests in Ladakh.
Manmohan Singh and Musharraf felt that what they were embarking upon, if successful, could lead to a future of boundless potential for the two countries and for the relationship that was hard to foresee from the prism of the existing situation and the historical position and orthodox ideas on both sides.
Briefing leaders from PoK on its Kashmir policy ahead of crucial meetings with India to review the composite dialogue process, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi noted that the issue had remained "unresolved despite several attempts at bilateral and multilateral levels" over the last six decades. Pakistan "was ready to engage with India in a constructive dialogue to find a solution that is acceptable to all parties, in particular the people of Kashmir," he was quoted.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said there was a marked improvement in the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Chidambaram made these comments while addressing an All India Editors Conference on Society and Infrastructure in Srinagar.
'I am,' Musharraf writes, 'still waiting for Manmohan Singh's outside the box solution.'
The government continues to grope in the dark while looking for an initiative, which would end the three month cycle of violence that has claimed 69 lives and disturbed the peace in Kashmir Valley.
The surge in radicalisation has even startled some ex-separatist groups as they are concerned that another religious extremism wave, forced from the other side of the Line of Control, will destabilise the Valley's centuries-old Sufi tradition.
In an interview to Geo TV, he said a "lot of things were going on behind the scenes."
'If we don't resolve it by then, maybe we never will,' the Pakistan president told the Financial Times.
'There'll be extended periods where things aren't working in your favour. But if you believe in the cause profoundly, then you simply persevere.'
India and Pakistan were close to working out the outline of a solution to the Kashmir issue and reached an understanding on disengagement in Siachen while discussing demilitarisation on both the sides of the Line of Control, said former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid M Kasuri.
China and Pakistan are in a tight strategic alliance. India must deal with them one at a time, but be prepared in case they decide to collude, points out Shekhar Gupta.
She also voiced hope that the Centre will initiate an inclusive engagement through an institutionalised mechanism to address the Kashmir issue and the separatists will respond positively to it.
Concerned over the situation in Kashmir, a group of 40 young members of Parliament cutting across party lines, appealed to the youth there to "exercise restraint" and have trust in dialogue for working out a solution on Thursday.
In a strong retort against Pakistan in the United Nations Security Council, India on Monday said its neighbour as a country that 'bombs its own people' and conducts 'systematic genocide'.
Pakistan has always desired a purposeful dialogue with India to resolve outstanding problems, including the core issue of Kashmir, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday.Qureshi said, Referring to Pakistan's policy on Kashmir, he said, "We want a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue in light of the United Nation's resolutions and according to the aspirations of the Kashmiri people," he said.
'It brings precarious peace because the red lines have shifted. 'The next Pahalgam attack would mean a full scale war.'
The ministry of external affairs also seemed to reject Trump's forceful comments that Washington brokered the understanding between India and Pakistan on ending their four-day military conflict.
'You cannot 'clear' your way to peace.' 'You need intelligence, calibrated force, impartial law enforcement, political neutrality, humanitarian returns and a sustained reconciliation plan.'
A former Pakistani army chief and senior intelligence official, who was a close aide and confidant to Pervez Musharraf, has completely dismissed the much hyped proposals on Kashmir by the erstwhile President and military dictator that were widely reported as having been the closest India and Pakistan had come to a resolution of this historic imbroglio.
In his latest book Avoiding Armageddon: America, India, and Pakistan to the Brink and Back, Bruce Riedel said that by eliminating Pakistan's desire to wage asymmetric warfare against India, it would also discourage Pakistan from making alliances with the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Al Qaeda.
An Indian Air Force paramedic, who lost his hand in an operation, is regaining independence with the help of a cosmetic hand and support from the Artificial Limb Centre in Pune. The centre is also helping other armed forces personnel recover from severe injuries.
A new book reveals that India and Pakistan discussed a communal division of Jammu & Kashmir along the Chenab river before the Kargil war in 1999.
An uneasy calm prevails in Ladakh as authorities enforce a curfew following clashes between security forces and protesters demanding statehood and constitutional protections. The violence resulted in fatalities and injuries, prompting detentions and political reactions.
In a clutch of ice-cold words Dr Singh conveyed a great deal outright rejecting any third party mediation and disabusing any Pakistani notions to the effect that India was coming under US pressure over the Kashmir issue.
'Why have we failed to address the issue of ensuring a requisite buffer zone in J&K, given that cross-border links of some J&K politicians are known?', asks Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
'...they always address problems superficially, never tackling root causes.' 'Currently, the policy response will focus on immediate relief -- getting people to safety, providing facilities, clearing debris.' 'This is necessary, but once immediate relief operations end, everything returns to 'normal' without addressing underlying vulnerabilities.'
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said that the Indian sub-continent offers a "stark contrast" in terms of progress, prosperity and development models.
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