Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari arrived in Naypyidaw in Myanmar on Thursday on a four-day visit during which India and Myanmar will sign three agreements, one of which will see auto giant Tata Motors setting up a truck manufacturing unit in this neighbouring country.
Ansari, who is on a two-day visit to the state, is scheduled to attend the fourth convocation of the the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agriculture and Technology on Sunday. Ansari visited the famous Nishat Garden on the banks of the Dal Lake on Saturday. He also paid obeisance at the Hazrtabal shrine which houses the relic of the Holy Prophet of Islam.
Considered an intellectual with Left-of-the-Centre inclination, Ansari has carved out a distinct place for himself as a diplomat, academician and a writer specialising in international issues.
The 70-year-old Ansari was administered the oath of office by President Pratibha Patil in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other top leaders at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
'Is Ansari flagging a genuine concern? Is a rectification called for?' 'And finally: Do minorities matter?' asks Shekhar Gupta.
This is Jagdeep Dhankhar's first public appearance after resigning his post on July 21, 2025.
The vice-president will be the second Indian to be accorded the honour at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. Nikhil Lakshman reports.
Hamid Anasari's was not talking of reservation for the whole religious community to which he too happens to belong. Yet, sections of media chose to put words into his mouth and then subject him to the criticism he never deserved. This does not augur well for our media or democracy, says Mohammad Sajjad.
"I am an Indian citizen and for me, the Constitution of India is my religious book," Ansari asserted.
Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation marks the third instance of a vice president resigning mid-term in India. The article looks at past instances of vice presidents who resigned.
This initiative ensures these voters can participate in the electoral process with ease and dignity, eliminating the need to visit polling stations. Delhi will go to polls on May 25.
The opposition party was reacting after BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia asked Ansari and the Congress to come clean on the claims of Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza that he had visited India five times during the Congress-led UPA rule and passed on sensitive information collected here to his country's spy agency ISI.
An overview of the past vice presidential elections in India, highlighting uncontested wins, multi-cornered fights, and notable candidates.
Glimpses from the At Home reception hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Republic Day.
Dr Singh's eldest daughter Professor Upinder Singh gently reminded the gathering that this was a moment for prayer, not accolades.
With the stage all set for a direct contest between Mohammad Hamid Ansari and Jaswant Singh, leaders of the National Democratic Alliance will meet at Bharatiya Janata Party veteran Lal Krishna Advani's residence in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the vice presidential election.
Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck will be the chief guest at India's Republic Day parade this year. An official release stated that the King and Queen of Bhutan will pay a state visit to India from January 23 to 30. The King has been invited by President Pranab Mukherjee.
A dazzling laser show and a musical extravaganza on Thursday marked the finale of the Commonwealth Games, the biggest sporting event hosted by India which crowned itself with sporting glory by winning an unprecedented 101 medals.
The Infosys Prize comprises a special gold medallion, a citation expounding the laureate's work and Rs 50 lakh (Rs 5 million) as prize money.
Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by the military court on December 15, 2015.
Muhammad Yunus proved that he was neither an armchair economist nor a slogan mongering political activist, but a doer destined to do what Mahatma Gandhi said -- to remove every tear from every eye, recalls Rup Narayan Das.
Afghan President Dr Mohammad Ashraf Ghani will be paying a three-day state visit to India beginning on Monday, during which he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attend delegation-level talks.
Mohammad ElBaradei, director general of International Atomic Energy Agency, was on Wednesday honoured with the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for his 'impassioned opposition to use of nuclear energy for military purposes.'
There was considerable disquiet in the Congress after Mukherjee accepted the invitation of the RSS to address its workers at its headquarters in Nagpur.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday met the family of Indian prisoner Hamid Nehal Ansari, who was attacked at least thrice by inmates in a Peshawar jail, and assured them of all possible help.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi attacked the Modi government of forcing everyone into silence at a function to re-launch the National Herald newspaper.
Chand was honoured with Kirti Chakra, the second highest peace-time decoration, for displaying great presence of mind, valour and conspicuous gallantry before making the supreme sacrifice.
Giant effigies of 10-headed demon king Ravana, his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhakaran went up in flames marking the triumph of good over evil as fervour marked Dussehra festivities across the country on Thursday.
Hassan Rouhani, a moderate cleric who was a surprise winner in the recent elections, took oath on Sunday as Iran's seventh president at a ceremony attended by a galaxy of world leaders, including Vice President Hamid Ansari, with which he has pledged to expand ties.
'Sarkar jo bhi gana gaye, is bar sarkar paltegi'
Every party had been asked to give in their suggestions during the meeting.
Bearing in mind how full India's pitcher is with ethnic and communal complexities, only the greatest circumspection can hold this country together in a willing union.
Security will be a consideration, as would protocol, but given Modi's penchant for the unconventional, it should not come as a surprise if he indeed decides to attend the ceremony in Kabul, says Ramesh Ramachandran.
Ansari was attacked and injured three times over the last couple of months and shifted to the hospital for treatment, the counsel added.
'Surprised and pained that my name has been dragged into Indian domestic politics,' says Pakistan's former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.
If the Opposition is bent upon shouting its own agenda on a deaf ruling dispensation, then it becomes binding upon the chair to ensure that the parliamentary affairs aren't reduced to a farce.
Using the Jinnah portrait as an issue, and by demonising AMU and consequently Indian Muslims, the politics of communal polarisation is sought to be played out ahead of the Kairana Lok Sabha by-poll and to sustain it till the next Lok Sabha election, says Mohammad Sajjad.
Only three per cent of women candidates have been allotted tickets in Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls.
590 cricketers -- including 370 Indian players and 220 overseas players -- will go under the hammer during the two-day mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.
'The mobilisation is nothing but a political ploy -- a sort of a fixed match between Hindu and Muslim communal forces, towards polarisation, in a run-up to the next election,' argues Mohammad Sajjad.
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