'As Rana is not an Indian citizen, our leverage on the US system -- whether it's their judiciary or the executive -- is very limited in that sense.'
Russia and China are tight-fisted and Iran is broke and none of them has the political will or capacity to bankroll the Afghan economy, which only the US can, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The United States is going to retain a laser focus on its counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said on Friday, and warned the Taliban of a forceful response to any attack on American forces or disruption of its operations at the Kabul airport.
The strike by a Hellfire missile in Kabul on August 29, which was launched in an effort to kill ISIS-K planners, instead killed 10 civilians, he said.
In return for Pak's gesture, the US has authorised the reinstatement of a military training and educational programme which had remained suspended for 2 yrs. Pak blamed Iran's Maj Gen Soleimani for Baloch militant attacks against its forces.
'No other military in the world could accomplish what we and our allies and partners did in such a short span of time. That is a testament not only to our forces' capabilities and courage but also to our relationships and the capabilities of our allies and partners,' Austin said in a statement at the conclusion of the American mission in Afghanistan.
CIA Director William J. Burns held a secret meeting in Kabul on Monday with Baradar in the highest-level face-to-face encounter between the Taliban and the Biden administration since the militants seized the Afghan capital, the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity,
A Russian court sentenced US basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison on Thursday after finding her guilty of deliberately bringing cannabis-infused vape cartridges into Russia, a ruling that President Joe Biden called "unacceptable."
What can be more seductive to lure a populist politician than a mass rally? Modi understands Trump well like few people can, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Considering that Qatar is a trusted ally of Washington for decades, it is expected to be a steady influence on the Taliban leadership, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Images that capture what it was like living through 2021.
A state of emergency has been declared in Washington, DC and five states as 30 inches of snow and high winds may shut down up to a third of the country.
'Siddiqui was alive when the Taliban captured him. The Taliban verified Siddiqui's identity and then executed him, as well as those with him'
The world's attention is on the new Taliban and the imminent announcement of an inclusive government in Kabul, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar
'It was more than ego.' 'It carried with it a sincere belief that he was the quintessence of the country, that the country's destiny was irrevocably intertwined with his destiny.' An excerpt from T J S George's The Dismantling of India: In 35 Portraits.
If New Delhi finds itself out in the cold in Afghanistan, both the Congress-led UPA and BJP-led NDA have only themselves to blame. Each has been in power for a full decade from 2001, without reaching out to the Taliban, points out Ajai Shukla.
While he has 57 first-class, 24 List A and 39 T20 wickets at domestic level, Shahbaz Ahmed does have the ability to punch above his weight.
Earlier it was announced that after landing at the airport in Ahmedabad on February 24, Trump will go to the Sabarmati Ashram and spend around 30 minutes there. All preparations are in final stages for the visit of President Trump.
There is no better way to address the security threat emanating from ISIS and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan than by co-opting the Taliban, asserts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Earlier, confusion prevailed over Trump's visit to the Ashram. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday said the White House will take a call on such visit.
Two Air France flights from Los Angeles to Paris were on Wednesday diverted after a bomb threat was called in, a United States official has said.
The US intends first to cripple the Afghan government financially through sanctions, freezing of assets, denial of access to international banking, etc, and then proceed to do pretty much what it wants to do with scant regard for Afghanistan's sovereignty, predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
They said stranded Indians in central Asia as well as in various European countries will be brought back home in the second phase of evacuation beginning May 15.
The Indian limited overs side led by Shikhar Dhawan reached Bengaluru on Friday evening from Sri Lanka where three members of the squad -- Krishnappa Gowtham, Yuzvendra Chahal and Krunal Pandya were forced to stay back after testing positive for COVID-19.
"Those who wish America harm, we will hunt you down and you will pay the ultimate price," the US President said
'This is a historical moment in the political history of Sri Lanka.' 'You can see the amount of pressure that is coming from the people because nobody addressed the policy blunders, multiple corruption charges and huge scandals.'
The Taliban knows that Washington holds the key, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The pro-Iran militia did not say who was responsible but Iraqi state television reported it was a US air strike.
The coronavirus has however infected increasing numbers of athletes and others involved with the Games, and authorities were on Friday trying to track down a Ugandan weightlifter who went missing from his training camp.
One hundred and ninety two passengers and crew on board three United States passenger jets had a narrow escape when their aircraft came within seconds of a midair collision at Reagan National Airport in Washington on Tuesday, a media report said on Thursday.
Biden's lengthy remarks on Afghanistan contained no condemnatory references to the Taliban, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar, who played a stellar role in beginning India's systemic dealings in Afghanistan in 1994.
Over 1.3 million, or 49% of passengers flew to the US via airports in the Gulf in FY16
This doctor couple put their faith in India. And in return India has put faith in them.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during his telephonic conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday, discussed the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan amidst chaotic airlifts of Afghan civilians and diplomats by the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries before the August 31 deadline.
States across America are beginning the process of digging their way out of record-breaking snowfall on Monday after Winter Storm Jonas battered the nation's East Coast, wreaking havoc on millions and turning major cities into ghost towns.
In a US-India Joint Leaders' Statement issued after the first in-person bilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Friday, the two leaders underscored the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan.
Indian-Americans in the Washington metropolitan area accorded visiting Indian Defence Minister A K Antony -- on his maiden visit to the United States on the invitation of Defence Secretary Robert Gates -- a rousing welcome on his arrival at the Washington Dulles International Airport on Sunday evening. Dr Parthasarathy Pillai, a community icon in the Washington, DC area and erstwhile national president of the National Federation of Indian Associations were at the airport.
The plane's left engine burst into flames on the runway at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas on Tuesday afternoon while it was about to depart for London's Gatwick Airport with 159 passengers and 13 crew members on board.
India and the United States are planning to hold talks on appropriate mechanisms for security screening of dignitaries in the backdrop of frisking of A P J Abdul Kalam at a New York airport with Washington informing New Delhi that the former President was not exempted from security checks.
SpiceJet is the only Boeing 737 MAX operator in India, with 13 aircraft of the type in its fleet and a total of 205 planes on order.
