Latest news with #MinistryofExternalAffairs
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
As Pak Begs For Dialogue…India reiterates talks and terror cannot go together
New Delhi: India on Thursday made it clear once again that any engagement with Pakistan will only be bilateral; terror and talks cannot go together; and, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will remain in abeyance until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably abjures" its support for cross-border terrorism. "We have been very clear and consistent in our position regarding any engagement with Pakistan - that it has to be bilateral. At the same time, we are clear that talks and terror don't go together. On terrorism itself, we are open to discussing the handing over to India of noted terrorists whose list was given to Pakistan some years ago," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi. "I would like to underline that any bilateral discussion on Jammu and Kashmir will only be about the vacation of illegally-occupied Indian territory by Pakistan. As for the Indus Waters Treaty, it will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. As our Prime Minister has said, terror and trade cannot go together, water and blood cannot flow together," he added. The MEA's strong response came at a time when Pakistan, pushed on the backfoot by India's decisive Operation Sindoor, has suddenly started talking about its intent on having peace talks with India. Since Monday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has twice spoken about Islamabad's willingness to talk with India to resolve ongoing disputes between the two countries.
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
The Hindu Morning Digest: May 30, 2025
No talks till Pakistan renounces terror, vacates PoK: India Any engagement with Pakistan will have to be 'bilateral', but India will not engage with its neighbour on issues such as trade, the Indus Waters Treaty, or Jammu and Kashmir as long as Pakistan continues to support cross-border terrorism against India, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday (May 29, 2025). Israel accepts new U.S. proposal for temporary ceasefire, White House says Israel has accepted a new U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, the White House said Thursday (May 29, 2025). The fresh signs of progress towards a temporary truce came after U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, expressed optimism earlier this week about brokering an agreement to halt the Israel-Hamas war and return more of the hostages captured in the attack that ignited it. Appeals court allows Trump to continue collecting tariffs under emergency powers law for now A federal appeals court on Thursday (May 29, 2025) allowed U.S. President Donald Trump to continue collecting tariffs under an emergency powers law for now, as his administration appeals an order striking down the bulk of his signature set of economic policies. India hopes U.S. will clear visas on merit Issuing visas is a sovereign issue for the U.S. government, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday (May 29, 2025), but added that the government hopes that the process will be completed in time for Indian students to join the U.S. universities they have gained admission to this year. Centre appoints three judges to Supreme Court, fills all 34 posts The Centre on Thursday (May 29, 2025) cleared the appointment of three judges to the Supreme Court. With this, the top court has reached its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges. Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal confirmed the appointments through a post on X. IPL RCB vs PBKS Qualifier 1: Royal Challengers waltz past Kings into final If there was a blueprint for Royal Challengers Bengaluru after opting to bowl in IPL's Qualifier 1, it would have been pretty similar to how things transpired at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium on Thursday (May 29, 2025). Almost everything that the RCB bowlers did fell into place as Punjab Kings' catastrophic explosion with the bat saw it folding up for 101 in 14.1 overs. It takes RCB to a fourth IPL final, in Ahmedabad on June 3 (Tuesday), and ignites hope among its fervent fanbase of a long-awaited maiden title. Federal judge extends order blocking Trump administration ban on foreign students at Harvard A federal judge on Thursday (May 29, 2025) extended an order blocking the Trump administration's attempt to bar Harvard University from enrolling foreign students. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs extended the block she imposed last week with a temporary restraining order, which allows the Ivy League school to continue enrolling international students as a lawsuit proceeds. Lok Sabha Speaker to lead delegation to BRICS inter-parliamentary forum Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will be leading an Indian parliamentary delegation to the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in Brazil this June, where he is scheduled to address the forum on the 'BRICS Parliaments united for the reform of the multilateral peace and security architecture', a statement from the Lok Sabha Secretariat said on Thursday (May 29, 2025). Bangladesh should focus on solving its governance issues: India India on Thursday (May 29, 2025) reminded Dhaka that the 'responsibility for law and order and governance' of Bangladesh lies with the interim government of the country, with the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal warning that attempts to 'deflect attention' would not solve the country's problems. Pakistan only a cradle of terrorism, has nothing good to offer: Modi Observing that Operation Sindoor was far from over, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday (May 29, 2025) that Pakistan has nothing positive to offer to the world, and since its creation, the country has only 'nurtured terrorism.' 'We destroyed their terror hideouts; which Pakistan could not have imagined ever being possible,' the Prime Minister said while addressing a public meeting at Alipurduar in West Bengal. Nari Shakti played crucial role during Operation Sindoor: Rajnath Singh Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday (May 29, 2025) said women pilots and other women soldiers played a crucial role in the effective action taken by India against terrorism in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Jammu & Kashmir during Operation Sindoor. Give generous relief package to residents of Poonch: Rahul Gandhi The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday (May 29, 2025) wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Union Government to offer a generous relief and rehabilitation package to the residents of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and other areas affected by Pakistani shelling Delhi HC orders takedown of parts of Mohak Mangal's video targeting ANI The Delhi High Court on Thursday (May 29, 2025) directed YouTuber Mohak Mangal to remove specific portions of his video targeting news agency ANI, in which he used terms such as 'hafta wasooli' (extortion), 'gunda raj', and 'kidnap'.
India Gazette
4 hours ago
- Business
- India Gazette
Foreign Secy, Deputy NSA interact with think tank experts in US
Washington DC [US], May 30 (ANI): Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Deputy NSA Ambassador Pavan Kapoor on Thursday (local time) held an interaction with leading US think tank experts on India-US cooperation in defence, technology, and trade, as well as key regional and global developments. In a social Media post on X, the Embassy of India in the US wrote, 'Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Deputy NSA Ambassador Pavan Kapoor held an engaging interaction with leading US think tank experts today. Wide-ranging discussions covered India-US cooperation in defence, technology, and trade, as well as key regional and global developments.' Misri is currently in the United States for a three-day visit, during which he will meet with senior administration officials to discuss key areas of bilateral cooperation. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Misri met Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler to advance India-US cooperation on critical and emerging technologies. 'He led our delegation, comprising Deputy NSA for the Inter-Agency discussions on the India-US Compact for the 21st century. This meeting happened in the White House and focused on implementing trust initiatives which is about critical and emerging technology partnerships. They also discussed cooperation in area of defence and energy domains as well as strengthening the QUAD, IMEC, I2U2 initiatives,' the spokesperson said. 'Foreign Secretary also had a meeting with the Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and they discussed all aspects of India-US relationship, In particular they agreed that tech, trade and talent will shape the India-US partnership in the 21st century and they both reaffirmed the commitment to further strengthening the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership. All issues of mutual interest were discussed between India and the United States,' he added. According to the Ministry of External Affairs statement, Misri's visit to Washington DC follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US in February this year, when both nations launched the India-US COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century. MEA stated, 'Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri will be visiting Washington, D.C., USA from 27-29 May 2025 to meet senior officials of the US Administration. The visit is a follow up to Prime Minister's visit to the United States in February 2025, when both sides had launched the India-U.S. COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century.' (ANI)
The Print
6 hours ago
- Business
- The Print
Trade talks between India-US still ongoing, ‘tech, trade & talent' future of ties, says MEA
In this regard, Goyal met Lutnick twice in the six days between 17 and 23 May. At a regular press briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, 'The India-US trade agreement negotiations are going on. We just had a team visiting the United States. So we will have to wait for the negotiations to come to a conclusion. And as we have an update, we will share it with you. But this is an ongoing matter, so you will have to bear with us.' New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs Thursday said trade negotiations between India and the US were still ongoing even as an Indian team led by Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal recently met with his American counterpart, Howard Lutnick, twice in a week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump first announced the India-US trade negotiations towards a deal during Modi's visit to Washington, DC, in February this year. Since then, multiple rounds of talks have been held. The deal has become increasingly crucial to India-US relations ahead of the 8 July 8 deadline for Trump's 'reciprocal trade tariffs' to kick in. Indian exporters are likely to face some of the highest tariffs, as India maintains a goods trade surplus of around $30 billion with the US. Trump has also increasingly pushed for American businesses to build in the US, calling on Apple a few weeks ago to stop producing goods in India for the domestic market. Separately, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has been in the US between 27 and 29 May. On Wednesday, he met with Jeffrey Kessler, the US undersecretary, to 'advance cooperation' in critical and emerging technologies. 'He [Misri] also led our delegation comprising the Deputy NSA for the inter-agency discussions on India-US COMPACT for the 21st century. This meeting happened in the White House, discussions at the White House, and it focused on implementing the trust initiatives, which again is about critical minerals and critical and emerging technology partnerships,' Jaiswal said. The inter-agency discussions also touched upon cooperation in areas of defence and energy, as well as strengthening various multilateral initiatives such as the Quad, IMEC and I2U2. Misri also met with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. 'They discussed all aspects of the India-U.S. relationship. In particular, they agreed that technology, tech, trade and talent will shape the India-US partnership in the 21st century, and they both reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the India-U.S. comprehensive global strategic partnership,' said Jaiswal. On student visas & India-Pak cessation of hostilities On the issue of student visas, Jaiswal said, 'While we note that issuance of visas is a sovereign function, we hope that the application of Indian students will be considered on merit and they will be able to join their academic programmes on time.' Media reports this week have said that the US State Department has halted the visa interview process for students as it institutes a procedure to vet applicants' social media presence. Indians make up one of the largest student communities in the US with roughly 330,000 students in the US for the year 2023-2024, according to MEA data. The MEA spokesperson also reiterated that no talks on trade had been held between officials of India and the US during Operation Sindoor. This came hours after the US government told a court Wednesday that it had used the offer of expanding trade and the threat of tariffs to bring a 'ceasefire' in the flare-up between India and Pakistan earlier this month. 'From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on 7th May till the understanding on cessation of firing and military action on 10th May, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation. The issue of trade or tariff did not come up in any of those discussions,' said Jaiswal. India has previously denied that the US played a role in the cessation of hostilities, maintaining that it was a bilateral understanding, arrived at by the militaries of India and Pakistan. (Edited by Sanya Mathur) Also Read: India incapacitating Pakistan airbases, air defences forced a halt to hostilities—Jaishankar
India Gazette
8 hours ago
- Business
- India Gazette
Cessation of hostilities decided through contact between India and Pakistan DGMOs, issue of trade, tariff not discussed with US: MEA
New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): The cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan took place on May 10 following contacts between the two DGMOs and while there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving situation since Operation Sindoor was launched, the issue of trade or tariff did not come up in any of those discussions, the government said on Thursday. Responding to queries at the weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India's position on the stoppage of military action has been well-articulated. 'Our position on this particular issue that you mentioned has been well articulated. I would refer you to our position that was made clear on May 13. From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on 7th May till the understanding on cessation of firing and military action on May 10, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation,' Jaiswal said. 'The issue of trade or tariff did not come up in any of those discussions. External Affairs Minister has also made clear that the cessation of firing was decided upon through direct contacts between the DGMOs of India and Pakistan,' he added. Asked about US Commerce Secretary submitting a statement in a US court which claimed that the US mediated in the conflict between India and Pakistan and that trade was used as leverage, Jaiswal said he has stated his position. 'When I state my position, I do it as spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India, with the flags on both sides. That has an implication, means a lot,' he said. India launched Operation Sindoor and carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK in response to Pahalgam terror attack. India repelled subsequent Pakistani aggression and pounded its airbases. The two countries agreed to stop military action after Pakistan DGMO contacted his Indian counterpart. Answering a query about the visit of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to the US, Jaiswal said he met Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler to advance India-US cooperation on critical and emerging technologies. 'He led our delegation, comprising Deputy NSA for the Inter-Agency discussions on the India-US Compact for the 21st century. This meeting happened in the White House and focused on implementing trust initiatives which is about critical and emerging technology partnerships. They also discussed cooperation in area of defence and energy domains as well as strengthening the QUAD, IMEC, I2U2 initiatives,' the spokesperson said. 'Foreign Secretary also had a meeting with the Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and they discussed all aspects of India-US relationship, In particular they agreed that tech, trade and talent will shape the India-US partnership in the 21st century and they both reaffirmed the commitment to further strengthening the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership. All issues of mutual interest were discussed between India and the United States,' he added. (ANI)
