All-party delegation led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda meets Algerian Parliamentary Foreign Affairs chairman
Algiers (Algeria), June 1 (ANI): All-party delegation led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda interacted with Mohamed Khouane, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and the National Community Abroad in the Algerian Parliament on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, the all-party delegation visited Wilaya D'alger Etablissement De Gestion Des Pompes Funebres Et Cimetieres and paid floral tributes to Emir Abdelkader, the founder of the modern Algerian state.
The all-party delegation is in Algeria from May 30 to June 2 to strengthen global cooperation in counterterrorism efforts.
Before arriving in Algeria, the delegation spent two days in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where they held extensive discussions with senior government officials, policy think tanks, media representatives, and the Indian diaspora. Baijayant Jay Panda told ANI that the talks were open and candid, particularly on the challenge of terrorism.'Saudi Arabia has a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, like us. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Saudi Arabia following the Pahalgam attack and the joint statement by both governments made it clear that there is no tolerance for any kind of terrorism,' Panda said.
He also highlighted the strengthening ties between India and Saudi Arabia in defence, counterterrorism, and trade, describing Saudi Arabia as a major regional power. The delegation also visited Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its traditional mud-brick architecture.
The delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, also includes Nishikant Dubey MP, BJP; Phangnon Konyak, MP, BJP; Rekha Sharma MP, NJP; AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi; Satnam Singh Sandhu MP; Ghulam Nabi Azad; and former Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla.
The delegation aims to brief international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism while engaging with leaders in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria.
India has sent several all-party delegations to showcase India's resolve against terrorism and garner international support for a united stand against this global threat. The Indian government's diplomatic outreach efforts aim to strengthen partnerships with countries in East and Southeast Asia, emphasising the need for a collective response to the threat of terrorism. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Wire
8 minutes ago
- The Wire
Justice, Speech and Selective Outrage: The Supreme Court's Contempt Dilemma
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Law Justice, Speech and Selective Outrage: The Supreme Court's Contempt Dilemma Rekha Sharma 4 minutes ago The Supreme Court's swift move to initiate contempt proceedings against journalist Ajay Shukla for a critical YouTube video contrasts sharply with the way BJP MP Nishikant Dubey was handled. Nishikant Dubey (left) and Ajay Shukla in the background. In the foreground is the Supreme Court. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now On May 30, a Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice of India initiated suo motu criminal contempt proceedings against Ajay Shukla, a Chandigarh-based journalist, for posting a video on YouTube allegedly containing scathing and scandalous remarks against some senior judges of the Supreme Court. The bench observed that though the Constitution guarantees to every citizen the right to freedom of speech and expression, this is subject to reasonable restrictions and that such a right does not permit someone to defame a judge or bring into disrepute the institution of the judiciary. Having said so, the court directed that the offending video be taken down forthwith. It also asked the Attorney General and the Solicitor General to assist the court on the next date of hearing. Though the video is no longer available, it is widely believed that contain some allegedly objectionable remarks against Justice Surya Kant, who is next in line for the Chief Justiceship, and Justice Bela M. Trivedi, who retired mid-May. It may be stated, at the very outset, that the dignity, majesty and honour of the Supreme Court, or for that matter any court of justice must be protected at all cost by every person including by the Supreme Court itself. That said, fair criticism of a judicial decision and the conduct of a judge – provided it is done in good faith and on accurate facts – also needs to be equally protected. In this background, while no one can question the right and the prerogative of the Supreme Court to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against Shukla, the action taken has given rise to certain questions. Not very long ago, highly objectionable and vicious remarks were made by Nishikant Dubey, a Lok Sabha member of the ruling party, against the then CJI, Justice Sanjiv Khanna. Dubey held him singularly responsible for all the alleged 'civil wars' in the country. He also alleged that the Supreme Court was taking the country towards anarchy. These remarks were not only highly toxic and outrageous, they had the potential to rock the very foundation of our judicial system and erode the people's faith in the judiciary and almost bordered on 'blasphemy'. And yet, even though the fountain head of the judiciary was personally targeted, it neither caused any stir nor a ripple. There was a sphinx like silence. No judge deemed it fit to issue any suo motu criminal contempt notice against the errant MP. It was the Supreme Court Bar Association which raised its voice, and urged the Attorney General to grant consent for initiating contempt proceedings against Dubey. The AG neither on his own nor on the request of the Bar Association has till date given or declined to give his consent. This, despite the fact that he as the first law officer of the country, has a duty to uphold the dignity and majesty of the court of which he is an integral part. It ultimately fell on the lot of Justice Khanna himself to give a befitting response to the likes of Dubey. Though the bench headed by him dismissed a petition which sought contempt action against the MP, he gave a very measured and dignified response to him. Holding that the comments were highly irresponsible and reflected a penchant to attract attention by casting aspersions on the Supreme Court and its judges, he wrote that the courts are not so fragile as flowers to wither and wilt under such ludicrous statements. He further observed, 'We do not believe that the confidence and the credibility of the courts in the eyes of the public can be shaken by such statements'. Kudos to Justice Sanjiv Khanna for such a befitting response. Going by media reports, Justice Bela Trivedi has not been given a farewell by the Supreme Court Bar Association. The CJI is reported to have expressed his disapproval over the decision of the Bar Association, and so has Justice A.G. Masih, who said that tradition must be followed. It is for the first time in the history of the Supreme Court that such a tradition has been broken. The bar, it is said, is the judge of the judges. It is not for nothing that Justice Bela Trivedi has been denied the honour of a farewell by the bar. The question is why did things come to such a pass? It should set both bench and bar thinking. Undoubtedly, a long standing tradition has been broken but, then, judgeship is not a blank cheque. It comes with responsibility. The bar not only helps judges make the justice delivery system work, it also acts as a watchdog. The bar has, by its action, sent a loud and clear message. It is time for judges to remember that they too are under watch. They may, in a given case, fail to grasp some suspected hidden meaning of a column written in English by an Oxford educated professor and leave the job of deciphering it to some police officer, and that too not from a particular state. But if they fail to take action against a minister who made a highly objectionable statement in simple and understandable Hindi, it does raise eyebrows. It is in such matters that the bar has to play its role. And, if it does play its role, there should be no protest. Rekha Sharma is a former judge of the Delhi high court. This piece was first published on The India Cable – a premium newsletter from The Wire & Galileo Ideas – and has been updated and republished here. To subscribe to The India Cable, click here. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News Central Hall | Governors Increasingly Acting like Political Agents as Constitutional Morality Erodes 'Same Sex Marriage Not Legalised But Couples Can Very Well Form A Family': Madras HC Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla-led Mission to International Space Station Pushed to June 10 'Highly Irresponsible': BJP MP Nishikant Dubey Faces Supreme Court Wrath Why the Process of 44 MLAs 'Forming the Government' in Manipur Is Not Straightforward US Supreme Court Rules $1.29 Bn Lawsuit Against ISRO-Owned Antrix to Proceed Modi-Shah Face Dilemma As Their Stormtroopers Cross All Limits of Propriety The Arrest and Trial of Professor Azaan M Free Speech on Eggshells: What the Ali Khan Mahmudabad Case Signals for All of Us About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
Deccan Herald
14 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Stampede politics, surrender barb, and a billionaire break-up!
Hello Readers! The week that went by was a tumultuous one in political circles. A victory parade turned into tragedy with political mudslinging taking precedence thereafter, a 'surrender-' barb opened up a Pandora's box while a Bharat Mata picture in Kerala's Raj Bhavan ruffled a few feathers. The week also saw the break-up of two-most influential personalities in the world of business and trade. Here's a quick recap of the week's action in DH Political Theatre.. Stampede did not take much time for ecstasy to turn into agony as Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) triumph and the resultant celebrations turned haywire last week with 11 lives lost due to a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. But what followed after the stampede was sheer innuendo and political mudslinging which would put everyone into shame. While BJP, which is the principal opposition party in Karnataka, flayed the ruling Congress for giving the nod to victory celebrations at such a short notice despite being warned against the same by the police, the ruling party allowed the situation to go from bad to worse by suspending top police BJP flayed the Congress for turning the event into a virtual 'photoshoot' with most of their barbs aimed at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar. Videos and photos showing family members of Congress leaders posing with RCB cricketers on the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha added more fuel to the fire. Regional imbalance questions also popped up as to whether the government would have accorded a similar reception to a Ranji-Trophy-winning state team instead of arranging a grand welcome with pomp and splendor for a city-based franchise club , that too in front of the Vidhana Soudha. Though the government did do some knee-jerk action by ordering a CID probe and detaining four people, including RCB's marketing manager, the damage is beyond control. The suspension of top police officials including the city pole commissioner who netizens claim have been made a scapegoat, has drawn flak from many circles. As cricket fans became cannon fodder, questions like what was the need to organise an event at such a short notice despite police warning and measures about better crowd-control management will remain open to debate for far across the Vindhyas, a political slugfest broke out between the ruling BJP and opposition Congress after Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'surrendered' following a call from US President Donald Trump during the India-Pakistan military conflict."A call came from Trump and Narendra ji immediately surrendered - history is a witness, this is the character of BJP-RSS, they always bow down," Rahul posted on taking potshots at the PM, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also recalled the bravery of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1971 when she held her fort despite the US sending its Seventh Fleet. The Raebareli MP also went on say that India, under Indira Gandhi's astute leadership, held on its conviction and did not yield to US pressure at that was quick to pounce upon the 'surrender barb' and flayed Rahul saying his comments were an insult to the armed forces. While alleging that Rahul's comments undermined the success of Operation Sindoor, it also said that it makes one suspect if he is a "paid agent" of China and Pakistan. The saffron party also went on to add that it was the Nehru-Gandhi family which surrendered Indian interests. Governor vs since Arif Mohammed Khan was shunted out of Kerala Raj Bhavan, the equation between the state government and the governor had been reasonably good. But it looks as though the face off between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government and the Governor is set to resume. In a latest twist, a political row erupted after Kerala's agriculture minister P Prasad boycotted a sapling plantation function at the governor's house on World Environment Day, apparently for using a photo of Bharat Mata carrying a saffron flag. The minister's contention was that gubernatorial offices should not be used as a platform to promote religious causes, in an apparent reference to the portrait, which is mostly used in RSS 'shakhas'.Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar refused to budge though and defending it by saying that the picture of Bharat Mata could not be removed as 'we can't not do away with the ideals for which we're living'. Though the function was moved out from the central hall of Raj Bhavan to the Durbar Hall inside the state secretariat, the damage had been done by that time as the LDF government stuck to its stand of boycotting the function unless the portrait was removed. The latest row happened close on the heels of another controversy over a programme of RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy on 'Operation Sindoor' being held at the Raj Bhavan, with both Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Opposition parties chiding Arlekar for what they called attempts to 'saffronise' the Raj Bhavan. It looks as though there is no end in sight to the Governor vs Govt face off in the left-ruled Kerala. Out of context!.'Misinterpreted', 'taken out of context' --- these are certain euphemisms that politicians usually use when they are in trouble after making controversial comments. It looks as though Tamil film icon Kamal Haasan, who nurtures political ambitions, is the latest to follow the trend. The 'Ulaganayagan' is in the eye of a storm following his comments that Kannada was born out of Tamil during an event to promote his film Thug Life, which he made in the presence of Kannada star Shiva Rajkumar. He faced heavy backlash from all quarters, with even Karnataka High Court pulling up the 70-year-old and asking him to apologise. But Kamal remained defiant and said that though there was no dispute or debate over the rich legacy of Kannada language, he would not apologise as demanded by Kannada outfits. But to calm down the issue, Haasan came up with a 'classic' justification, saying that his comments on Tamil and Kannada while talking about his association with thespian Dr Rajkumar's family have been 'misunderstood' and 'taken out of context.''It pains me that my statement at the Thug Life audio launch spoken out of gent affection for the legendary Dr Rajkumar's family, especially Shiva Rajkumar been misunderstood and taken out of context. My words were intended only convey that we are all one and from the same family and not to diminish Kannada any way,' Kamal said, in a belated attempt to douse the fire. After all, actors too can turn into good politicians, right?Billionaire break-up!.Across the globe, the week ended on high drama with dirty linen being washed in public by US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The public feud between the two most influential figures in the United States reached a crescendo, with Trump suggesting that he may terminate US government contracts and subsidies given to Musk's companies after the latter blasted Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' as fiscally reckless and a "disgusting abomination."When Trump met privately with White House officials, there was little to suggest that the US president was close to a public spat with Musk, the billionaire businessman who helped him win a second term in office. But things took a diabolic twist as Trump called Musk volatile and the latter retaliated through a barrage of posts on his own social media platform 'X'.As the public feud between the two billionaires escalates over the tax and spending bill, the Musk-Trump break-up also sent Tesla's stock price plunging while keyboard warriors went berserk with a wave of memes and viral one-liners across the world of concludes the (political) entertainment for this week folks! We will be back next week with more. Till then, stay tuned to Stage Left,DH Newsletters Team
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
24 minutes ago
- First Post
'Combat terror, eliminate Jaish': Bilawal Bhutto delegation gets a reality check in US
US Congressman Brad Sherman gave a reality check to the Pakistani delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, insisting that the country should 'do all it can' to eliminate terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad from the region read more Pakistan's bid to spread its false propaganda in Washington failed horribly after a US lawmaker called out the country's support for a globally recognised terrorist organisation, Jaish-e-Mohammad. On Thursday, American Congressman Brad Sherman delivered stern advice to the Pakistani delegation led by former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari that the country should 'do all it can' to eliminate the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad. Sherman also told Bhutto's team that Pakistan should ensure the protection of religious minorities in the country. Interestingly, the remarks from the US lawmaker came months after Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir made provocative remarks, expressing his support for the so-called 'Two-Nation Theory,' days after which India witnessed the Pahalgam terror attack. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sherman took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to reveal that he emphasised to the Pakistani delegation the importance of combating terrorism and, in particular, the group Jaish-e-Mohammed. The American lawmaker pointed out that it was the JeM that was behind the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002. For years, the people of #Sindh have faced political repression through enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Since its founding in 2011, Pakistan's own Human Rights Commission has documented over 8,000 cases of enforced disappearances, many of which have never been… — Congressman Brad Sherman (@BradSherman) June 6, 2025 Sherman shares the plight of the Pearl family In his post, the US lawmaker noted that he told the Pakistani delegation that it is important to combat terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and shared the plight of the Pearl family. 'I emphasised to the Pakistani delegation the importance of combatting terrorism, and in particular, the group Jaish-e-Mohammed, who murdered my constituent Daniel Pearl in 2002,' the Congressman said. 'Pearl's family continues to live in my district, and Pakistan should do all it can to eliminate this vile group and combat terrorism in the region,' he added. Daniel was kidnapped by terrorists in Pakistan in January 2002, while he was on his way to what he had expected would be an interview with Pakistani religious cleric Mubarak Ali Gilani in Karachi. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Congressman from California also raised concerns about the lives of minorities in Pakistan. 'Christians, Hindus and Ahmadiyya Muslims living in Pakistan must be allowed to practice their faith and participate in the democratic system without fear of violence, persecution, discrimination, or an unequal justice system,' he said in the post. During the meeting, Sherman also called for the release of Dr Shakil Afridi, who continues to languish in prison for helping the United States kill Osama bin Laden . 'Freeing Dr Afridi represents an important step in bringing closure for victims of 9/11,' he said. Dr Afridi is a Pakistani physician who helped the CIA run a polio vaccination programme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The campaign eventually helped in the collection of the DNA sample of the Bin Laden family. Afridi was eventually arrested by Pakistani authorities shortly after the American raid on Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad in May 2011. In 2012, a Pakistani court eventually sentenced him to 33 years in prison. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
