The president of the South Asian Studies Association -- a non-profit professional association comprising professors and students at universities and colleges dedicated to 'understanding South Asia's cultures, histories, issues and opportunities' -- has slammed the recent humiliating pat-down of India's ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar and also taken Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to task for not expressing outrage over this incident.
Senior Indian Foreign Service officials Sharat Sabharwal and Meera Shankar will be the next envoys to Pakistan and the United States respectively. Sabharwal, Special Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, will succeed High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal, who reaches superannuation on February 28. Shankar, India's Ambassador to Germany, will succeed Ronen Sen in Washington.
She will also be the first serving diplomat to be posted in Washington in more than two decades after K Shankar Bajpai.
In yet another sign of deepening relationship between India and the United States, the Friends of Indian Caucus in the US Senate is holding a rare Congressional reception for the new Indian Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar.
India's outgoing ambassador to the United States, Meera Shankar, was showered with praises as the US administration gave her a warm send off, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lauding her role in strengthening the partnership between the two countries.
American lawmakers, who were attending the Confederation of Indian Industry's launch of a new study on Indian investment in the United States at a Congressional reception on Capitol Hill, showered Ambassador Meera Shankar with a surfeit of kudos, much to her embarrassment.Congressman Joe Crowley, New York Democrat and co-chair of the India Caucus in the US House of Representatives, said, "Ambassador you are a rock star". He also spoke of her receiving "a rock star welcome".
She will also be the first serving diplomat to be posted in Washington in more than two decades after K Shankar Bajpai.
'India and US relations move forward on the basis of potential and opportunities in the context of our bilateral relations,' says India's ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar.
United States President Barack Obama joined world leaders in paying rich tributes to late Special Envoy for Af-Pak region Richard Holbrooke, calling him a leading light who served the country until his final moments. "It is no coincidence that his life story so closely paralleled the major events of his times," Obama said, eulogising Holbrooke, who died on December 13, at a memorial ceremony, also attended by visiting Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday.
"We are in touch with the Department of Homeland Security. There may be ways in which we can improve communications so that officials at airports know when diplomats are coming and help to better facilitate their movement through security," State Department spokesman P J Crowley said at his daily news conference on Friday.
Noting that there are well-established conventions and practices as to how members of the diplomatic community should be treated, Krishna said such an incident has taken place for the second time in the last three months.
Less than two weeks after her arrival in Washington, India's Ambassador-designate to the United States, Meera Shankar, became India's ambassador after presenting her credentials at the State Department to Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg.
Amidst growing concern that India and the United States are on a collision course over reduction of carbon emissions in the run-up to the climate change conference in Copenhagen later this year, India's Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar said that for a country like India with a severe energy shortage, absolute reductions of emissions is extremely challenging and well nigh impossible.
Security is a science in the US, it is an art here. Former diplomat TP Sreenivasan offers his take on the controversy over the airport 'pat-down' of Ambassador Meera Shankar
'He was honest and very sincere. These qualities remained with him till the end.'
Satellite Shankar is a fun, time-pass film, feels Prasanna D Zore.
President Barack Obama welcomed Indian envoy Meera Shankar at the White House on Wednesday, during the credentials ceremony for newly appointed ambassadors to Washington, DC.
Shankar presented her diplomatic papers to officers and was escorted by a Mississippi Development Authority representative and an airport security officer, but witnesses said she was subjected to the hands-on search.
Meera Shankar, India's envoy to the United States, on Monday said there are 'double standards' in the US about the issue of India's ties with Iran.Shankar said that while it is true that India has relations with Teheran, there are American companies as well who have ties with some sectors in that country, through their local subsidiaries.
Hillary Clinton said. "It was not raised with me or raised directly with the state department," but she reiterated, "Certainly, we will be looking into it and not only responding to the Indian foreign minister, but also reviewing the policies."
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor on Monday expressed appreciation over Indian Ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar informing the Indian government about reports of corruption. However, he remained mum over the Centre's delay in taking action against officials who had allegedly accepted bribes from US companies. The government would initiate action against corrupt officials at the earliest, he added.
The Appeal of Conscience Foundation announced to felicitate Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with its prestigious World Statesman Award for the year 2010.
Take a look at the pictures of Barack Obama's visit to India. You can see Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar and National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon. Can you spot Foreign Minister S M Krishna anywhere?
Indian Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar described the transformation that the Indo-US bilateral relationship had witnessed in recent years and highlighted the complementaries and convergences in the ties. Shankar asked US companies to take advantage of the huge infrastructure development programme, which India proposes to undertake during the next few years.
India's new envoy to the United States, Meera Shankar, has said that the results of the recent elections in India "are a vote for continuity, stability and inclusive development." To sustained applause, Shankar also lauded the catalytic role played by the Indian American community in taking Indo-US relations in recent years to unprecedented levels."Of course, our relations with the US have undergone a very significant transformation," she said.
The four member National Investigative Agency team has concluded questioning of Mumbai terror suspect David Coleman Headley and has headed back home, Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar said on Thursday.
Indian Ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar has said it is not India but the US that has to respond to the recent revelations by former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf that American military aid provided to Pakistan for its war against terror during his tenure, had been diverted to strengthen its defenses against India.
But, the envoy acknowledged that there are infrastructure sectors which pose tremendous challenges where enormous amount of work, needed to happen.
Though this growth slowed down a little in the aftermath of the global economic crisis, our economy has rebounded. After dipping to 6.7 per cent in 2008, growth this year is expected to be in the region of 8.5 per cent.
Congratulating Manmohan Singh on his second term as the Prime Minister of India, United States President Barack Obama today said Singh is a "very wise leader" whom he respects and is looking forward to visit New Delhi at an early date.
Rediff.com's Bikash Mohapatra, who witnessed the historic re-election of Barack Obama as president, talks to former Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar about the future of the ties between the two democracies
There has been overwhelming elation from across United States from Indian American community leaders and activists over the decision by the government of India to appoint Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao as the new Indian Ambassador to the US, to succeed Meera Shankar whose term ends on July 31 after which she is expected to go into retirement from the Indian Foreign Service.
The government on Saturday officially announced the appointment of Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao as the next ambassador to the United States, an assignment she will take up shortly.
United States Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah, who is the highest ranking Indian-American official in the Obama administration, has received the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman.
US officials have agreed to take "suitable steps" in giving India a direct access to Headley, a statement released by the Indian Embassy in Washington said on Wednesday.
The government of India has set up the B R Ambedkar Chair in Indian Constitutional Law at the Columbia University Law School. It also established the Jagdish Bhagwati Fellowships at the law school to help students from India.
The former President also predicted that the conflict between India and Pakistan would be resolved by people power where "the people are going to force the nations to work for the prosperity of the nation and the peace of the nation."
"Following the telephonic conversation between the External Affairs Minister of India and the US Secretary of State on February 13, the Indian Ambassador on Tuesday conveyed to the Secretary of State details on the issue of the Indian students at Tri-Valley University," Indian Embassy spokesman Virender Paul said in a statement.
Speaking on 'India and the United States -- A Growing Partnership', she said the two leaders agreed to work together bilaterally and with all other countries to ensure a comprehensive and balanced outcome at the climate change meeting in Copenhagen.
Close on the heels of Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar being subjected to a 'pat-down' search, another incident of top Indian diplomat Hardeep Puri being patted down at Houston Airport has come to light following which India has lodged a strong protest with the United States.
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