Bangladesh wants peace in South Asia, says Foreign Affairs Adviser
Dhaka [Bangladesh], April 27 (ANI): Bangladesh wants peace in South Asia, Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on Sunday.
When asked about Bangladesh's position on the current tensions between India and Pakistan, Hossain said, 'Our position is very clear, we want peace in South Asia'.
'We do not want any major conflict to arise that could endanger the people of this region', he told the reporters at the foreign ministry in Dhaka. 'We want India and Pakistan to resolve the issue through dialogue,' he added.
'We have already seen offers of mediation from one or two countries. Whether through mediation or through bilateral talks - we want tensions to be defused,' Hossain said.
When asked whether Bangladesh would mediate, the foreign affairs adviser of Bangladesh said, 'We will not try to play any role of mediation at this time. If they want help, it will be considered. We don't want to do anything prematurely.'
Several world leaders have condemned the April 22 attack in Pahalgam.
The Dawoodi Bohra Community of Queens, New York came together to pay heartfelt tribute to the innocent victims of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on Sunday.
Hundreds of Canadians from diverse communities gathered on a frigid night in Toronto to stage a massive candlelight vigil and rally condemning the massacre.
FBI Director Kash Patel on Sunday offered condolences to all the victims of the terror attack and affirmed the 'full support' of the US to the Indian government.
Regarding the news of the arrest of Bangladeshis in India, he said, 'We have not been informed officially'.
In a massive statewide crackdown on illegal immigration, Vadodara Police have caught more than 500 suspected Bangladesh nationals, officials said on Saturday.
Meanwhile four Bangladeshi nationals were detained on Saturday at Agartala Railway Station for 'illegally' entering India and attempting to travel to other states by train, according to an official release. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Canada Standard
2 hours ago
- Canada Standard
"Carney had no options": Foreign affairs expert KP Fabian on Canada's invitation to PM Modi for G7 Summit
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): Foreign affairs expert KP Fabian on Sunday shared his insights on Canada's decision to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 Summit. Speaking with ANI, he said, 'Carney had no options. The others said, Listen, India must be there. It's a vital link in the supply chain and any talk of Indo-Pacific stability.' Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, the host of this year's summit, reportedly faced significant pressure from other G7 members after initially hesitating to invite Prime Minister Modi. This reluctance was largely due to domestic political backlash within Carney's own Liberal Party, triggered by a diplomatic row linked to the killing of a Khalistani separatist in British Columbia in June 2023. He added, 'Now, of course, one should expect big demonstrations by the World Sikh Federation and others, but then it is for the government of Canada to deal with it.' Fabian remarked that India, as the world's fourth-largest and fastest-growing economy, must be included in G7 discussions given its strategic importance in global trade and Indo-Pacific stability. Fabian pointed out that India has participated in the G7 Summit in the past, including five times during former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's tenure. He added that Canada's hesitation ultimately yielded to pressure from the G7 nations, who recognised India's critical role. He further said, 'Carney is walking a tightrope when it comes to Canadian values. At a press conference, he was asked whether he believes the Indian government was involved in the killing of Nijjar. He refused to answer, citing the ongoing RCMP investigation. That's quite ironic. When did this happen, and why is the RCMP taking so long to conclude the investigation? And if you recall, why did Justin Trudeau accuse India before the investigation was even complete? Canadian political leaders have shown a lot of inconsistency. In the end, Mark Carney did the right thing, though it took some time -- and that's that.' The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is investigating the incident, but no conclusions have been drawn yet. Despite these political challenges, Carney reaffirmed Canada's commitment to the G7 summit's agenda. On Friday (local time), he said that G7 countries will discuss important issues, including security and energy, emphasising that India's presence at this intergovernmental political and economic forum is essential. Carney emphasised that India, being the fifth-largest economy and the most populous country in the world, must be at the table. 'Let's put the two aspects in context -- first is, we are in the role -- Canada's in the role of the G7 chair and in those discussions as agreed with our G7 colleagues, include important discussions on energy, security, on digital future, critical minerals amongst others and partnerships actually in building infrastructure in the emerging and developing world,' he said. Prime Minister Modi received a call from his Canadian counterpart, who extended India's invitation to attend the G7 Summit. 'Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit,' PM Modi wrote in his post. The G7 Summit (Group of Seven) is an informal grouping of seven of the world's advanced economies and the European Union. Its members meet annually at the G7 Summit to discuss global economic and geopolitical issues, according to the G7's official website. The members of the G7 are France, the US, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, and the UK. (ANI)
Vancouver Sun
7 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Canadian Armed Forces deployed to assist northwestern Ontario wildfire evacuations
The federal government is deploying members of the Canadian Armed Forces to help evacuate a northwestern Ontario First Nation as wildfires rapidly spread in the region, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday. Carney said in a social media post that Ottawa has accepted Ontario's urgent request for assistance in and around Sandy Lake First Nation, and the military will help with emergency airlift evacuations. 'We're prepared to mobilize every resource needed to keep Canadians safe,' Carney wrote. In response to rapidly spreading wildfires in northwestern Ontario, the federal government has accepted a Request for Federal Assistance from the province. We've deployed Canadian Armed Forces aircraft and personnel to support emergency airlift evacuations… As of Sunday, the Ontario government said the Red Lake 12 wildfire, near Deer Lake First Nation, is out of control and more than 1,500 square kilometres in size. The fire is about six kilometres from the community of Sandy Lake First Nation, it said. 'Overnight growth was minimal, but the fire has been exhibiting high intensity activity this morning,' the Ministry of Natural Resources said. Helicopters and fire ranger crews are continuing to suppress the fires and are focusing on structure protection, the ministry said, adding that minimal rain is forecasted in the next 24 hours. The ministry said Sandy Lake First Nation is conducting a phase one evacuation of residents by air, and boats will be available if needed. The province said Deer Lake First Nation remains evacuated and is being protected by fire rangers. Aerial suppression activities will continue as smoke conditions allow, with helicopters and 11 FireRanger crews continuing suppression operations and focusing on structure protection. Minimal rain is forecasted over the next 24 hours. It said the province's northwest region had 26 active fires as of Saturday night, seven of which were out of control. Videos and photos on social media showed one fire approaching a construction site near Sandy Lake First Nation on Saturday, with multiple cargo containers catching on fire and crews reportedly escaping the blaze by sheltering in one of them. Manitoba-based construction company Sigfusson Northern confirmed their crew was safely evacuated after they were working on a job site near the First Nation. 'Our crews showed an extreme level of professionalism and courage in the face of a rapidly changing situation,' the company said in a social media post. Other provinces, including Manitoba and Saskatchewan, are also undergoing evacuation efforts in some areas due to wildfires. The wildfires have prompted air quality alerts in Ontario. Environment Canada warned that smoke is causing poor air quality and reduced visibility in areas including Sioux Lookout, Summer Beaver and Ear Falls. The weather agency added that some northeastern areas, including Timmins, Kapuskasing and Attawapiskat, are under a special air quality statement Sunday due to the smoke. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Canada Standard
9 hours ago
- Canada Standard
"Khalistanis surrounded me, threatened violence," says Canadian journo who was assualted
Vancouver [Canada], June 8 (ANI): Canadian Investigative Journalist Mocha Bezirgan, who was physically assaulted by multiple Khalistanis in Canada on Sunday, said that an assailant was also a stalker, who had been tailing him for over a year. Bezirgan, in a conversation with ANI, said that the said Khalistani stalker doxed his movements and assaulted him in front of the police. 'Well, I'm still in Vancouver and it just happened two hours ago, not too long ago, and I'm still shaking because I was surrounded by multiple Khalistanis who acted like thugs. They surrounded me, threatened violence and they got physical with me. They grabbed my phone out of my hand in front of police, by the way,' he said. Bezirgan said that the stalker harassed him for a long time using dehumanizing language against him. 'This has been very stressful for me because this was done by an individual who has been harassing me for a very long time online using dehumanizing language against me, doxing my whereabouts,' he said. Bezirgan told ANI that he had been covering Khalistani protests and being an independent journalist, his works irk them. He added that they try to bribe him, and if that doesn't work, they threaten violence. 'I've been covering the Khalistani protests in Canada, US, UK, New Zealand. Since last year, I've been to about 30 of their events. And my only goal is to do independent journalism and record and report what's going on. And because I'm editorially independent, this frustrates some people. They want to influence me. They want to buy me. If they can't buy it, they want to threaten violence towards me. That's what this individual did,' he said. Bezirgan added that this Khalistani stalker of his is a UK citizen who is threatening him- a Canadian citizen for simply doing his job. 'He's not even a Canadian citizen. He is from the UK. He is in Canada, threatening me, a Canadian citizen trying to do his job. And yeah, I was just there reporting on the event,' he said. He said that he was reporting an event which was honouring their so-called martyrs- killers of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and minor suicide bombers. 'Khalistanis gathered to honor their so-called martyrs, including the assassins of Indira Gandhi and suicide bombers, child suicide bombers. And I was reporting on that. This was a public event in a public location. And I was within my rights to do what I was doing,' he said. He further recounted the chilling details where he was verbally threatened first and then was assaulted. 'But there was this one individual who was not even a Canadian citizen. He came up to me and started asking me questions. He was very close to my face. And I said, listen, if you want to have a conversation, sure, let's talk, but you need to keep your distance. And he would keep saying, let's go around the corner. Let's go around the corner. I'll show you around the corner if you're not scared. And I told him, yeah, I'm not scared, but let's speak here,' he said. 'If you want to say something, because I'm an independent journalist, I have to be accountable. I accept challenges and I'm okay with conversations, but this individual, this was not a conversation,' he added. Bezirgan then said that as this assailant drew closer, more people joined him and the stalker kept throwing questions at him. 'He keeps coming at my face, very close proximity. I'm stepping one step back, he's stepping forward. I'm telling him to keep his distance. He's not keeping his distance. He's asking loaded questions and won't even allow me to answer. Interrupting, advancing towards me, keeping his finger and hands towards my face. This is becoming very threatening. And then all of a sudden I had two, three people surrounding me with the same physical closeness. I have nowhere to go,' he said. 'And they're saying, so you're talking, you're talking about Sikhs, huh?' he added. Bezirgan said that as he started recording the incident, the other assailants hid their faces out of fear and walked away. But there was one Khalistani who kept asking him questions. He even grabbed his phone and stopped the recording and assaulted him despite police's warning. 'At that moment, I was recording secretly from my main camera because I felt that something physical is about to happen. I was recording, but to get a better view, I started recording from my phone as well. As soon as I started recording, they turned their faces away. They are scared. But this one individual, he keeps walking towards me. I walk away, he keeps walking. And then eventually he grabbed my phone out of my hand for a moment. It stopped my recording. And when I turned back on, the police was engaging with him and telling him to stop his harassing behavior,' he said. The journalist revealed that the police exercise restraint in addressing such issues. 'Canadian police are very conservative when it comes to laying charges or making arrests. They exercise a high degree of restraint, which I do not like because that type of behavior where he's reaching for my phone, grabbing my phone, having physical contact, harassing me. And I have filed police reports about this individual about this specific individual before, for his harassment,' he said. Bezirgan expressed his disappointment at the Canadian police and called for the deportation of the assailant. 'And, you know, him being allowed to walk free is a big disappointment. I think he should be deported back to UK. He's a foreign national. He's not a citizen of Canada. What is he doing interfering with my job, interfering with the journalism of a Canadian citizen? This is unacceptable. He should be deported,' he said. Bezirgan further recounted with chills how he was stalked even after police warning. 'His harassment continued even after police warned him. And I have more footage I'm about to upload on my channel. He continued following me throughout the parade. I'm stopping, he stops. I keep walking, he keeps walking. I distance myself and then I just turn around, he's standing right behind me. I go walk across the street. He comes near standing,' he said. He added that he called the police after this Khalistani person kept stalking him even outside the premises of the event. He added that he had filed multiple complaints of this person before with the police. 'I get away from the event. He's getting away from the events with me. And then eventually I had to call 911 and be like, Hey, this behavior is continuing and officers on the ground may not be aware, but I have filed police reports about this guy before. So please let them know. And officers came and they took notes for the police report further. And then they escorted me to safety. On top of a bicycle, he followed me to the train station, and that's how I departed from the area,' he said. He added that the assailants are trying to portray him as a weakling who is running away from questions. He refuted the claims and said that this is not how someone asks questions, this was threatening. 'But, now on online platforms, they are trying to frame it as, Mocha is afraid of conversation or they are always resorting to disinformation and they are trying to portray me as someone who's afraid to have conversation when I'm being assaulted, I'm being threatened, I'm being surrounded. My phone is being grabbed from my hand,' he said. 'That's not how you have a conversation. You don't go up to someone's face and don't give them any space and you keep talking and not letting them, that's not conversation. Very uncivilized and yeah, it's been, it's quite shaken me because I felt my safety was threatened,' he added. In a post on X, he said, 'I've been surrounded by a group of Khalistanis who grabbed my phone out of my hand and threatened me. Naturally I'm a bit shaken, but not deterred. Footage coming.' (ANI)
