Peace talks with Pakistan will resume yet again later this month as Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao meets with her counterpart Salman Bashir. The result is predictable -- the dialogue will go nowhere. India instead should renew its military-to-military ties for a positive outcome with its neighbour, believes noted defence analyst Ajai Shukla.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a hectic second day at the SAARC Summit in Thimphu, where he held meetings with various Heads od State.
Reacting sharply to Pakistan's critical remarks over India's endorsement by the United States for United Nations Security Council, India has expressed its 'disappointment' and said they reflected the 'trust deficit' between the two countries.
Reacting sharply to Pakistan's critical remarks over India's endorsement by the United States for United Nations Security Council, India has expressed its 'disappointment' and said they reflected the 'trust deficit' between the two countries.
Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan on Tuesday held consultations to finalise the agenda for the meeting between their foreign ministers on Wednesday during which they will discuss Confidence Building Measures and India's concerns on terror and Jammu and Kashmir.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is scheduled to meet Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in McLeodganj, the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile, in Dharmasala in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday."A meeting between the Dalai Lama and Rao has been scheduled at his official palace post lunch, where other high-ranking officials of his administration would also be present," an official of the external affairs ministry said.
India's Ambassador to China and the new Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said that she is \n\nlooking forward to her new assignment with optimism and is ready for the challenges that \ncome with job.
Striking a positive note ahead of the India-Pakistan talks, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir on Monday said Islamabad would extend all required cooperation to India on the terror issue and share related information.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev discussed the rise of China and the complexities surrounding ties with Beijing.
Since Pakistan is in the middle of an intense regional and internal issue, the Rao-Bashir talks are not the "major attraction" in Islamabad, reports Sheela Bhatt from the Pakistani capital
The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are meeting in Islamabad on Thursday to hold talks on the Kashmir issue and confidence-building measures aimed at boosting the peace process between them that was resumed earlier this year. Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on Thursday morning for two-day talks with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir. They will discuss peace and security.
Pakistan was on Thursday dismissive of India's attempts to raise fresh evidence of Inter Service Intelligence's links to the 26/11 attacks at the upcoming foreign secretary-level talks, stating clearly that the agenda would be limited to three issues: Kashmir, peace and security and friendly exchanges.
India on Tuesday reacted strongly to Pakistan terming New Delhi's demand for action against all those responsible in 26/11 Mumbai attacks as 'outdated,' saying the country was consistent about this and Pakistan knows this.
The central government on Thursday decided to immediately commence evacuation of Indians from Libya by sea and air in view of the "sharp and unprecedented deterioration" in the situation in the African nation which is witnessing anti-government protests that have claimed hundreds of lives so far.
India is looking towards "unlocking processes" and exploring "doables" to revive the stalled dialogue with Pakistan, officials said on Friday, as Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao prepares to meet her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir next week in Thimpu.
Dubbing terrorism emanating from across the border as "Frankenstein's monster", India on Thursday said Pakistan has not taken enough steps to control the menace, which is out to harm it.
Underlining the importance of stability in Afghanistan for regional security, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Thursday said Washington 'fully recognises' India's role in the war-torn country and reiterated that New Delhi will not be 'scaling down' its operations there following the recent attacks targeting Indians. "The United States fully recognises that India has legitimate interests in Afghanistan. It appreciates the development work we do there," said Rao.
Like in any expanding relationship, there will always be transactional issues to address between the two sides, says Rao.
The much-awaited hotline between the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao finally became operational on Thursday, thereby setting up a direct communication between the leaders.
India has demanded stopping "forthwith" the "patronage of powerful forces and institutions" within Pakistan to the groups involved in anti-India acts, saying it faces "hostile forces" from across the border with that country.
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.
After protracted re-negotiations, India and Russia have ended the stalemate over contentious price and technical issues for the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier which had become an irritant in bilateral ties.
Underlining that India has worked to promote better ties with Pakistan, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has said that the relations with Islamabad can only grow in an atmosphere free of terror and violence.
India and the United States have come up with the idea of 'a triangular cooperation' on development issues involving countries like Afghanistan, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said on Monday."An interesting new idea has emerged -- that of a triangular cooperation in places like Afghanistan and Africa. Let me say that on Afghanistan, (Secretary of State Hillary) Clinton spoke very positively about India's role in that country," said Nirupama Rao.
India on Friday made it clear to Pakistan that resolution of the Kashmir issue cannot take place under the "shadow of gun" as the two countries concluded "satisfactory" talks which resulted in agreement on various confidence building measures.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, who arrived in Islamabad on Thursday on a two-day visit, began talks on Friday with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir on Kashmir. The two-day talks have been divided into three segments under which the issue of peace and security, including confidence-building measures, was discussed on Thursday. After Jammu and Kashmir, the talks will be held on the promotion of friendly exchanges
At the end of discussions at the foreign secretary level between Indian and Pakistan in Islamabad, which were focused on peace and security, India pointed out that terrorism had complicated the Indo-Pak relationship. India has urged Islamabad not to follow a segmented approach.
India's concerns over terror and slow pace of Mumbai trial were discussed in the first round of Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks dealing with the issue of peace and security during which the Samjhuta bomb blast case also came up with both sides holding "substantive" deliberations in a "forward looking" approach.
During the much awaited talks later this week, India should discreetly flag its concerns so that a greater political maturity on both sides facilitates a discussion on sensitive issues, says B Raman
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao will travel to Islamabad later this month to hold talks with her Pakistani counterpart during which India will raise the issue of nexus between Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and the perpetrators of 26/11 attacks, as brought out by the trial of Pakistani-Canadian terrorist Tahawwur Rana in the United States.
India has rejected Pakistan's claim that it was in agreement with it that Home Secretary G K Pillai's remarks regarding Inter State Intelligence role in Mumbai attacks were uncalled for.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday pressed US President Barack Obama to convince Pakistan to take strong action against terrorists involved in anti-India activities in that country following disclosures made by LeT operative David Headley.
India and Pakistan must focus on a creative and realistic approach as they begin the long haul of normalising relations following a constructive meeting of their Foreign Secretaries, the Pakistani media and analysts said on Friday. News reports of the coordial meeting between Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir dominated the front pages of the dailies.
According to an Indian government source, there is no way any Indian administration will ever de-link talks from terror. In fact, neither can the Pakistani government.
Making the first effort to bridge the trust deficit between the two countries, Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan discussed all issues of mutual concern with New Delhi flagging its core concern of terrorism emanating from that country on Thursday.
India on Wednesday said "nothing spectacular or dramatic" was expected from a series of forthcoming high-level political contacts with Pakistan because of the complexity of bilateral ties.
Mixing cricket with diplomacy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held wide-ranging discussions with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani when he favoured the need for an "atmosphere free of violence" in order to ensure thorough mobilisation of bilateral ties
"Like we talk about the Thimphu spirit after the two prime ministers' meeting in Bhutan last year, today we have a Mohali spirit, an extremely positive and encouraging spirit," said Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao summing up the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the world cup semi-final clash between the two countries at Mohali.
Ahead of its engagement in the process of bridging "trust deficit" with Pakistan, India has asked it to "shed its insecurity" on asymmetries in sizes and capabilities between them, including the strategic leverage gained after Indo-US nuclear deal, as they were not targeted against it.
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