The Left parties on Wednesday night said that the government's move to get the draft nuclear safeguards agreement circulated to the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors was 'expected', especially after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks that the nuclear watchdog will be approached very soon.The Bharatiya Janata Party expressed surprise about how the draft was circulated.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will begin a four-day official visit to India on Friday to carry forward the peace process between the two countries and address outstanding issues like Kashmir.
Among those attending the meeting from the government side were Defence Minister AK Anthony, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal. The Left parties were represented by the Communist Party of India's A B Bardhan and D Raja, and the CPI-M by Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechuri
"The pursuit of clandestine activities in respect of nuclear technologies is unacceptable and dangerous. All States must transparently live up to the international commitment that they have undertaken," he said at the conference 'Towards a World Free of Nuclear Weapons'.
Describing terrorism as a "common menace," Pakistan Wednesday agreed to fight it jointly with India and gave a commitment for maintaining ceasefire on the Line of Control. After extensive talks between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the two sides also reported progress on Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek issues and expressed willingness to push forward the confidence building measures.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee met Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari at Islamabad on Wednesday. Mukherjee arrived in Pakistan on a two-day official visit on Tuesday, to hold talks with his counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in India's first high-level contact with the new government. Qureshi and Mukherjee are expected to discuss various issues including terrorism, Kashmir, exchange of prisoners, bilateral trade and confidence building measures.
Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will call on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad on Wednesday and discuss various aspects of bilateral relations including taking forward the Composite Dialogue Process.Mukherjee, who is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad later today for discussions with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmoud Qureshi to take forward the CDP into the fifth round, would also meet Pakistani leaders Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari.
India is sending two naval ships with relief and medical supplies to Myanmar, where a severe cyclone claimed over 3,000 lives and rendered thousands more homeless. The ships, carrying food items, tents, blankets, clothing and medicines will sail to Yangon from Port Blair, the External Affairs Ministry announced in New Delhi. The top leadership has conveyed India's readiness to provide immediate emergency relief assistance and to assist Myanmar in its rehabilitation efforts.
Just after the senior Congress leader and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee stated that terrorists might try to disrupt poll process in the country, suspected militants triggered a blast in Guwahati city, killing one and injuring 13 others.
"I am shocked. It once again proves that terrorism has not been eliminated in Pakistan and was rather continuing unabated," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told media-persons after a poll rally in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
The government on Wednesday admitted in the Lok Sabha that Pakistan had clandestinely acquired know-how on nuclear weapons technology. In a written reply, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said New Delhi has consistently shared its concerns regarding the adverse effects of such developments on India's security with the international community.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was re-nominated on Sunday by the Congress from the Jangipur seat in West Bengal for the coming Lok Sabha polls
A day after India handed over answers to the 30 questions asked by Pakistan, on the terror attack in Mumbai last November, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said he expected Islamabad to follow up its commitment with 'tangible action'."Words and commitments should be followed by tangible action," he told reporters when asked whether he was satisfied with Pakistan's handling of the investigation into the Mumbai attacks.
Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Bannerjee's ultimatum of "48 hours" to finalise sharing of seats in West Bengal worked. Without asking for more seats, the Congress on Thursday talked of "larger perspective of defeating the Communist Party of India-Marxist" in deciding to contest only 14 Lok Sabha seats, leaving the remaining 26 seats in the state for her party.
Criticising the US for resorting to protectionism in the wake of the global financial crisis, India on Friday warned such a "negative" trend will have a cascading effect on major economies and undermine efforts to overcome the downturn in the shortest possible time.
Viewing the mutiny in Bangladesh as an effort to destabilise the Sheikh Hasina government, India on Monday expressed solidarity with her dispensation and conveyed readiness to extend whatever support and assistance that Dhaka may require at the present juncture.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has decided to skip the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Foreign Ministerial meeting in Colombo on Friday and in his absence his deputy E Ahamed would represent India at the meet.
India on Monday promised to respond to any information sought by Pakistan in connection with the probe into the terror attack on Mumbai but underlined that the request should come through official channels only.External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said India will cooperate 'as and when' necessary but ruled out a joint investigation into the attacks. After being provided the dossier of evidence on Mumbai attacks, Pakistan has sought more information.
The Taliban forces operating out of Pakistan's Swat region pose a common threat to India and the United States, besides the host country, America's special envoy Richard Holbrooke suggested in New Delhi on Monday. The envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, who met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, said he had sought the Indian leadership's assessment of the situation.
Complimenting external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, who also holds the charge of finance ministry, for the budget, Chidambaram said, "He (Mukherjee) had before him an unenviable task having to present an interim budget at the end of a difficult year caused by a global financial crisis.
External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said the challenges of terrorism and nuclear proliferation were inter-connected and 'alarming aspect' was the linkages that radical terror groups have forged with 'a few nuclear scientists'.
India on Saturday said it is yet to receive any official communication from the Pakistani authorities on its dossier on the Mumbai attacks, a day after Islamabad said its probe into the terror strikes will be made by public by Monday or Tuesday. "I have not received any official communication from the Pakistan authorities till now," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told media persons, after flagging off the Murshidabad Express from the Kolkata terminus.
With the financial meltdown eating into global economic growth, including India's own, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who also holds the finance portfolio, warned that ignoring rural economy could prove to be disastrous. "Global financial institutions need to put more resources for developing countries in rural economy, build social infrastructure... The government will take further steps to ensure labour-intensive sectors are less adversely affected," he said.
Fearing further moderation in economic growth in the next fiscal, the government on Friday said it would take more steps to boost the labour-intensive sectors.
Broad consensus is emerging within a Group of Ministers chaired by finance and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee on a proposal seeking comprehensive changes in the foreign direct investment policy. This includes scrapping automatic approval in sectors that have FDI limits and in which ownership or control is shifting to a foreign company, and a new definition for calculating indirect foreign equity.
The Mumbai attacks came up for discussion when UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday, with the Indian side apprising him about Pakistani linkages to the terror strikes and urging him to press Islamabad to cooperate.
Pakistan has not responded officially on India's dossier on the terror attacks in Mumbai, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in New Delhi on Tuesday.National Security Adviser M K Narayanan had told a TV channel on Sunday that Pakistan had sent two sets of questions about the dossier and Indian officials have already replied to one set of questions.
"In view of contracting global demand, we have to focus on domestic demand by stimulating demand in rural areas and labour intensive sectors," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is holding charge of the finance portfolio, said. "We must support the development of those sections which immediately boost growth and throw up employment opportunities." Sectors that specifically sought enhancement of bank credit were infrastructure, rural credit, consumer credit, MSME.
To boost the economy, the RBI has taken a slew of measures since September last year, including cuts in the cash reserve ratio and short-term lending (repo) rate, to inject funds into the system and signalled a soft interest rate regime. PSU bankers' meeting is being held in the backdrop of the third quarterly review of monetary policy by the Reserve Bank of India.
Other noted personalities to be bestowed with the Padma Vibhushan include noted playback singer Asha Bhosle, chess wizard Vishwanathan Anand, mountainer Edmund Hillary and industrialists Ratan Naval Tata, Infosys mentor N R Narayana Murthy, steel tycoon Lakshmi Narayan Mittal and hotelier P R S Oberoi.
As India's fears mounted for Tamil civilians trapped in the war zone in Sri Lanka, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday night sought an assurance from President Mahinda Rajapakse that the innocents are safe and humanitarian situation will be taken into consideration.
During the two-day visit, Mukherjee will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and discuss the latest situation in the northern part of the island nation, sources said. Mukherjee is expected to impress upon Rajapaksa government the need for finding a political solution to the ethnic problem to ensure lasting peace.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was on Friday given the additional charge of Finance Ministry with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being admitted to the hospital for a heart bypass surgery on Saturday.
"Nests and sanctuaries are located in territories of some countries," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in Kabul on Thursday, adding that there was no need to name them. Maintaining that all countries should fulfil their international and bilateral obligations and deny sanctuary to terrorists, Mukherjee said: "They will have to fight against the menace of terrorism at whatever cost."
India on Wednesday said it had made it clear to Britain through diplomatic channels that it did not share its Foreign Secretary David Miliband's views linking resolution of the Kashmir issue with terrorism.
Terrorism, trade and port transit issues are likely to dominate the bilateral talks as External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee becomes the first high-level Indian dignitary to visit Bangladesh since the assumption of office by Sheikh Hasina.
India will allow Pakistan to provide legal assistance to Ajmal Kasab, the only surviving Mumbai carnage terrorist arrested, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Saturday.
"I do not agree to that. Because this is totally wrong. The situation is not at all comparable," Mukherjee said when asked whether Israeli type offensive against Hamas in Gaza Strip could be an option for the Government against Pakistan.
" Kasab has told us quite categorically where he comes from, where he received military and arms training and where his handlers are located. Unfortunately, despite this, we have seen a consistent flip-flop in the reaction of the government in Islamabad," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told a gathering at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Chennai.
"Since home minister has called a meeting of the chief ministers on internal security on Januray 6, I hope to take over before that so that I could represent J&K as the chief minister. But we have few formalities. The governor's rule has to be revoked before that," Omar Abdullah said.
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