Ahead of Thursday's talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Pakistan has reportedly indicated that it would like the discussions to be a follow up of the talks held at the Egyptian resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh in July last year.
The Central Information Commission has allowed the inspection of files pertaining to the controversial Sharm el-Sheikh joint statement of India and Pakistan last year, responding to a Right To Information application.
Whatever the prime minister might say in defence of his grand vision to seek peace with Pakistan, he cannot justify the oblique insinuation in the Joint Statement that India has a hand in what Pakistan calls 'threats in Balochistan'. This reference draws a parallel with Pakistan's prolonged proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir, under the shadow of its nuclear umbrella, and cannot be justified even though "India has nothing to hide".
The Indian people need to know what the Manmohan Singh government expects to achieve from the dialogue from Pakistan. This obsession of normalising of relations with Pakistan, even if this is at the cost of India's territorial unity and integrity, is acquiring dangerous dimensions, says Sushant Sareen.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday said India's presence at the Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, at the level of a Minister of State, was in stark contrast to the heads of state gathered there, and wondered whether the decision reflects "strategic restraint" or "missed opportunity".
'The India he represented in 1961 was a fledgling democracy; it was struggling to establish itself in the world polity. The India I represent rubs shoulders with the rich nations of the world.'
A Financial Times report reveals Pakistan's crucial role in brokering a temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran, driven by White House concerns over rising oil prices and Iran's resilience.
United States President Donald Trump on Monday praised India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi without naming him, saying 'India is a great country with a good friend of mine at the top'.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a strong attack on Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party, accusing them of compromising India's interests on the world stage and selling out farmers and the poor during their time in power.
A media report indicates the White House was directly involved in crafting a social media post by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, requesting then-US President Donald Trump to extend the deadline on Iran.
United States President Donald Trump on Monday floated the proposal of imposing 200% tariff on French wine and champagne after French President Emmanuel Macron's reported refusal to sit on the so-called Board of Peace, an initiative created by Trump to mediate global conflict, EuroNews reported.
'Football's role has to be to support, to unite, to give hope.'
Trump described the his Israel visit as "a very special time," calling it a moment filled with excitement and unity.
After the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire and expressed hope for lasting peace, Pakistan took much of the credit for playing mediator between the two countries. However, Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Director at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies and former US Treasury counterterrorism analyst, said Pakistan is deeply indebted to China.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the release of hostages in Israel and expressed support for President Trump's peace efforts in the region.
India has pulled out of the World Cadet Chess Championship scheduled to be held in Egypt from October 14 to 23 in view of the situation in Gaza
Qatar's Al Haydos pledges Gaza school, sports hall after reaching World Cup
According to Downing Street sources it was "no biggie".
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's anti-tobacco crusade has a new target: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Politico reported.
Keeping the United Progressive Alliance government in the line of fire on Indo-Pak Sharm-el Sheikh joint statement, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's praise of Atal Bihari Vajpayee cannot shield him from his 'monumental lapse' in reversing India's consistent stand on Pakistan.
Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, who is under detention in a hospital, has regained consciousness after lapsing into a coma, a top hospital official has said. The 83-year-old ex-ruler, who is facing trial for corruption and murder, had fallen into a coma on Sunday at the Sharm el-Sheikh hospital. Mohamed Fathalla, the head of the Sharm el-Sheikh facility, said that Mubarak had recovered. "He is now stable after suffering a coma that did not last long," the CNN said.
British tourists returning from Egypt told to leave luggage behind as airport security is tightened in wake of disaster in Sinai
Leader of Opposition L K Advani on Thursday said after the Indo-Pak Joint Statement at Sharm-el Sheikh, the government may be "inclined to settle" the Kashmir issue in blatant violation of the unanimous resolution on it in Parliament in 1995.
On the evening of July 14 in Sharm El Sheikh, two days before the meeting between Dr Singh and Gilani, Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir told Shiv Shankar Menon that India must delink the talks from terrorism, otherwise Pakistan will be forced to produce at least "three Indian Ajmal Kasabs" before the international media, who were directly or indirectly part of the terrorist activities in Baluchistan, reports Hamid Mir
Following is the text of Joint Statement issued after the meeting between the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Egypt: 70 arrested in hunt for attackers
His assertion came after Trump claimed that his "friend" PM Modi has assured him that India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, a move he described as a big step toward increasing pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday nominated United States President Donald Trump for the Israel Prize, the country's highest civilian honour, hailing him as 'the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House'.
American and British intelligence authorities have suggested that a bomb from the dreaded Islamic State might have caused the crash of a Russian plane in Egypt's Sinai, killing all 224 people on board.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will be the chief guest at this year's Republic Day celebrations.
The recently signed Gaza Peace Agreement is a 'landmark' step towards stability in the Middle East, India has said, reiterating that a two-state solution remains 'the only pragmatic path' to achieving durable peace between Israel and Palestine.
India has called for a ceasefire, release of all hostages, and peaceful resolution of the Israel-Hamas conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. The Centre informed Parliament that India welcomed the agreement on the first phase of the Gaza Peace Plan. The article also covers India's energy sourcing strategy and the release of Indian fishermen by Pakistan.
By all available indications, the White House drafted a face-saving note and handed it, ready-made, to Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was supposed to then post it in the guise of a plea urging Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks 'to allow diplomacy to run its course'. Trump would then graciously accept Pakistan's 'request' and declare a ceasefire. Sharif dutifully posted the message on X. Except that he, or whoever was handling the account, forgot to delete the tell-tale first line visible in the edit history: 'Draft - Pakistan's PM Message on X'. Prem Panicker's must read blog on the Iran War.
While both sides have announced the decision to restart talks for a trade deal, government officials said discussions are continuing virtually.
Mumbai comes after Hanoi (Vietnam), Warsaw (Poland), Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt) and Bangkok (Thailand).
We bring you some breathtaking images of sun setting around the world.
Rakul relives her childhood... Armaan in Egypt... Rasika wants some recommendations...
India on Tuesday evacuated over 1,100 citizens from Iran and Israel amid ongoing tensions between the two countries, taking the number of evacuees under Operation Sindhu to 3,170.
Equating the accord with the Sharm-el-Sheikh joint statement between India and Pakistan, Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley accused the government of 'spin doctoring' and trying to interpret the agreement differently.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances