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You are here: Home / Archives for SAARC

Modi accepts Sharif’s invitation to visit Pak for SAARC summit

July 10, 2015 by Nasheman

Modi-Sharif

Ufa: India and Pakistan on Friday decided to revive the stalled dialogue process and find ways to expedite trial of the Mumbai attack case as Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif agreed to cooperate to eliminate terrorism from South Asia.

Mr. Modi and Mr. Sharif met for nearly one hour in Ufa on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and discussed entire gamut of issues between the two countries.

Foreign Secretaries S. Jaishankar and Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry held a joint press meet where they read out a joint statement on the outcome of the meeting between the two leaders.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz will meet in New Delhi to discuss all issues connected to terrorism, said the joint statement.

“Both sides agreed to discuss ways and means to expedite the Mumbai atack trial, including additional information like providing voice samples,” the statement said.

Mr. Modi accepted Mr. Sharif’s invitation to visit Pakistan for the SAARC Summit in 2016.

“They agreed that India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and promote development. To do so, they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues,” the statement said.

russia1

Fishermen to be released

Both sides also agreed to hold early meetings of DG BSF and DG Pakistan Rangers followed by that of Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs).

It was decided to release fishermen in each other’s custody, along with their boats, within a period of 15 days.

A mechanism for facilitating religious tourism will also be worked out, as per the five-point “steps” to be taken by the two sides.

The two leaders warmly shook hands and posed for the shutterbugs before settling down for the talks.

(PTI)

Filed Under: India Tagged With: Narendra Modi, Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan, SAARC

Modi, Sharif hold informal talks at Saarc retreat

November 27, 2014 by Nasheman

(Front L-R) Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani, Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maldives' President Abdulla Yameen, Nepal's Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa attend the opening session of 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Kathmandu November 26, 2014. REUTERS/Narendra Shrestha/Pool

(Front L-R) Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maldives’ President Abdulla Yameen, Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa attend the opening session of 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Kathmandu November 26, 2014. REUTERS/Narendra Shrestha/Pool

Kathmandu: In a significant development, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif held informal talks during the 18th Saarc Summit retreat Thursday afternoon.

Both sides maintained silence over the talks and did not divulge any details after the informal meeting.

The effect of the informal talks between Modi and Sharif was immediately reflected in the proposed agreements. The heads of state and government have agreed to sign the Saarc Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation now and decided to sign two other agreements — relating to movement of motor vehicles and railways — within three months in a big face-saver for 18th Saarc Summit host Nepal in particular and the region as a whole.

Dinesh Bhattarai, foreign relations advisor to Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, who was present at the retreat, confirmed to IANS that both the leaders held informal talks after meeting each other along with other heads of the state and government.

Prime Minster Koirala pushed the leaders of the two South Asian neighbours to sit for talks, at least informally now, and break the logjam in the bilateral India-Pakistan relations.

When the two leaders were talking, other heads of state and government were also there. The retreat is an informal gathering in Saarc summits, and is referred to as “beauty time”.

In his personal talks with Modi, Koirala asked the Indian prime minister to reach out to Pakistan given its stature as Saarc leader, and its size, population and economy.

Though Modi and Sharif shook hands and talked briefly Wednesday, they had not interacted with each other at length. It was still not clear whether the two sides would hold delegation-level talks after the retreat got over Thursday afternoon.

The Saarc leaders, including Modi, Sharif and Koirala, cracked jokes, planted trees and shared personal trivia with each other.

After the retreat, the leaders have agreed to sign the Saarc Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation which will be announced in the Kathmandu Declaration later Thursday.

Because of the deadlock between India and Pakistan, the fate of three proposed agreements — related to motor vehicles, railways and energy and all pushed by New Delhi — was uncertain until Thursday.

After the retreat and unofficial talks among the leaders, the Saarc leaders have agreed to sign the energy deal now and agreed to complete the other two agreements within three months, Bhattarai said.

Located in the neighbourhood of Kathmandu Valley, the Shangrila Resort in Dhulikhel is famous for its scenic beauty.

“While watching the Himalayas and taking herbal and organic food, Modi and Sharif were seen more open and close,” a diplomat said. “The focus was on how to carry on the Saarc process and how to strengthen bilateral ties.”

The 33 food items served to the leaders were totally vegetarian. Gujarati basundi with jalebi was served to Modi as dessert.

(IANS)

Filed Under: India Tagged With: Narendra Modi, Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan, SAARC, SAARC Summit

Will push India, Pakistan to hold talks: Nepal foreign minister

November 25, 2014 by Nasheman

File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif during a meeting in New Delhi. Photo: The Hindu

File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif during a meeting in New Delhi. Photo: The Hindu

Kathmandu: Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey said Monday that Nepal will push India and Pakistan to hold talks on the sidelines of the SAARC summit.

To end the deadlock between India and Pakistan, “we are trying to crack the nut”, he said in a television interview without divulging much details.

Though official talks between India and Pakistan are still uncertain, Nepal is likely to push the two regional leaders to one table during the retreat organised at Dhulikhel, a popular hill station near Kathmandu.

“SAARC has one very unique practice since its inception. The retreat among the heads of the state and government during the summit provides a platform to hold multilateral and bilateral talks. The talks are going to be held in a very free and frank manner to end mutual suspicion,” Pandey said during a regular press briefing Friday, hinting at the possible talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif.

SAARC needs to run like a rabbit, not a tortoise, said Pandey, as “we need harmony” among the member states.

“For that, we are trying to organise bilateral talks between India and Pakistan during the summit so that it can set an example.”

Apart from visiting heads of the state and government, foreign ministers, and foreign secretaries will also be the part of retreat. The delegates will spend over two hours in the resort famous for the scenic Himalayas.

Pandey said during his meetings with the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers, while extending invitations to attend the SAARC summit, he had already proposed such talks to them.

“I found both of them were positive in this respect. On that basis, we are making up our mind to bring them to the table,” he said.

(IANS)

Filed Under: India Tagged With: Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, Narendra Modi, Nawaz Sharif, Nepal, Pakistan, SAARC

Is it a crime to possess or wear clothing with national insignia of a neighbouring South Asian Country?: An Open Letter to Secretary General of SAARC

November 10, 2014 by Nasheman

pakistan-t-shirts-up-india

To:
H.E. Arjun Bahadur Thapa,
Secretary General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
SAARC Secretariat,
 Tridevi Marg, 
P.O. Box 4222,
 Kathmandu,
 Nepal
saarc@saarc-sec.org

Your excellency,

I write to draw your attention to the recent filing of a police complaint against 10 young boys in the Kushinagar area located in the province of Uttar Pradesh in India on grounds of wearing the Tee shirts of the Pakistan Cricket Team. [see a news report in the Indian Media posted below] It is indeed astonishing that citizen’s of SAARC member states cannot take the risk of wearing clothing bearing insignia from national sports teams of another SAARC member state. In a similar incident in March 2014 some 60 odd students in a university in India were charged with sedition and faced expulsion from their university for cheering the Pakistan Team in cricket match broadcast on TV [http://tinyurl.com/mq2mz2x]. After all the SAARC member states are signatories to a common charter and a whole set of regional agreements that are meant to promote regional cooperation and mutual understanding and incidents like these clearly run counter to these commitments. What is wrong in reading books, seeing films, watching and appreciating sports events, being able to access handicrafts or clothing from countries that are members of SAARC. Why should these banal things which are lived and accepted as normal in other parts of the world be considered inimical to National interests of SAARC states?

Usually people would write a letter like this directly to the authorities concerning the country of wrongdoing, but I choose to write to you most of all, since you hold the fort for SAARC.

This may seem an extra-ordinary request concerning events in a particular SAARC member state but I would like to ask you to kindly take up this matter formally with the Govt of India and also with all member states of SAARC to ensure that the act of purchase or possession of commonly available sports goods bearing national insignia of SAARC member states should not become grounds of filing police complaints in any SAARC country against citizens of SAARC member states. Sir, please dont hold your horses on this even if it means creating a precedent, if not for anything else, you owe it to the tax payers in South Asia’s member states that fund the SAARC secretariat. However symbolic an initiative from you regarding this matter it would render a signal service to citizens of SAARC member states.

Yours sincerely,

Harsh Kapoor [as concerned South Asian]

Copies to:

  • Mr Akhilesh Yadav Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, 5, Kalidas Marg Lucknow Uttar Pradesh, India cmup@nic.in
  • People’s SAARC Regional Secrerariat, Kathmandu, Nepal peoplesaarc@yahoo.com
  • South Asians for Human Rights 345/18 Kuruppu Road (17/7 Kuruppu Lane), Colombo 08, Sri Lanka sahr@southasianrights.org
  • Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal & Asha Hans Co-Chairpersons, Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace & Democracy – India pipfpd.india@gmail.com
  • Mr John Dayal, Member, National Integration Council of India john.dayal@gmail.com

UP police register case against 10 boys for wearing T-shirts of Pakistan cricket team

Written by Muzamil Jaleel | New Delhi | Posted: November 8, 2014 | The Indian Express

The Uttar Pradesh Police have registered a case against 10 boys in Kushinagar district for wearing T-shirts of the Pakistani cricket team during a Muharran procession. The boys have been charged for acting “prejudicial to national integration and causing communal disharmony”, sources said.

The sources said the boys, said to be aged under 12, were part of the Muharram procession in Kalyan Chapad Chotta, a village under the jurisdiction of the Kubersthan police station. They were playing with sticks, a tradition during Muharram processions especially in this region of Uttar Pradesh in which groups of boys exhibit their skills.

Sources said the police have named five boys in their case while the other five are yet to be named.

When contacted, SP Kushinagar Lalit Kumar Singh said “an FIR has been lodged but nobody has been arrested”. He did not want to explain as to why the case was registered.

Kushinagar DM Lokesh M told The Indian Express that it was a small issue and the district administration is trying to sort it out. “These children were wearing those T-shirts and once it was pointed out, they removed it immediately,” he said. He said the police have not given him any report yet. He said that Kushinagar district is communally sensitive.

The family members of the boys were not ready to speak because of fear. A police team had already visited the village for investigation.

A village elder, Liyaqat Ali, said this case has created tension in the village. “These are foolish children. They are 11-, 12-year-old children. They had bought these T-shirts from a shop and the elders had no idea about it,” he said. “If the police had an objection to this, they should have explained this to the children. What was the need to register a case,” he said. “The police case has created tension in the village. We are unable to understand as to why police filed a case of sedition against these children.”

A local social activist, Shakir Ali, however, said the issue was being unnecessarily exaggerated. “These T-shirts are readily available with a local sports shop. A group of boys had picked these T-shirts so that they could wear them during the stick playing tradition during the Muharram procession,” he said. “They had done it without knowing that it would get them into trouble. Once someone pointed it out, they removed it immediately.” He said there is a lot of fear among the Muslim population in the village after this incident, especially after police filed the case. “How is wearing a T-shirt of a country that is readily available in a store here seditious?’’ he asked.

Sources said activists of Hindu Yuva Vahini burnt Pakistani flags at different places especially at Padrona Subash Chowk in the district on Wednesday and sought action against the boys.

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: Arjun Bahadur Thapa, Nationalism, Pakistan, Press Release, Rights, SAARC, South Asia, Sports, Uttar Pradesh

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