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Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
May 31, 1985, Forty Years Ago: India-US talks
A new chapter of cooperation between India, the world's largest democracy, and the United States, the world's most powerful democracy, is expected to begin with the visit of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to the US in the second week of June. US arms supplies to Pakistan — a longstanding irritant in Indo-US relations — are expected to figure prominently during the talks Gandhi will have with President Ronald Reagan. Much ground has already been prepared with regard to improved bilateral economic relations. A memorandum of understanding on the transfer of technology from the US to India has been signed. Iraq said its warplanes attacked a 'very large naval target' — a term applied in the past to large merchant ships — near Iran's main oil export terminal at Kharg island in the Gulf. A spokesman said the planes scored an accurate hit and returned safely to base. The raids marked the fourth straight day in the latest flare up between the two belligerents, locked in a border war since September 1980. In the wake of protests by several Labour MPs, the UK government has said that it will not be harsh on Sri Lankan Tamils who are being driven to Britain by the trigger-happy Sinhalese troops, but it insists that representations on behalf of those who are not being allowed in will have to be limited to 24 hours. Earlier, the practice was that an MP could take up a case on behalf of a person denied entry into the country within a month or two. About 500 villagers were evacuated from the coastal villages of Junagadh district in view of the impending cyclonic storm which could strike the Gujarat coast. According to the latest weather bulletin, however, the cyclone had moved north and was heading towards Sind and Pakistan.
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Nishikant Dubey questions UPA over talks with Pakistan after 26/11, alleges US pressure influenced decision
New Delhi [India], May 30 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday slammed the former Manmohan Singh-led government, alleging that under pressure from the United States, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had decided to resume dialogue with Pakistan shortly after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. In a post shared on X, Dubey referred to the meeting between Manmohan Singh and Pakistan's then-Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in July 2009. This was the first formal engagement between the two countries after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Dubey questioned the timing of the meeting, saying, 'Pakistan attacked Mumbai on 26 November 2008. 180 people died and 300 were injured, the fire of the pyre has not even cooled down. Was the dialogue started in December under US pressure without attacking Pakistan or not, is this the statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Lok Sabha?' The BJP leader alleged that the talks with Pakistan were not only premature but also influenced by external forces, especially the United States. He cited multiple instances from 2009 where Indian and Pakistani leaders engaged in diplomatic interactions. 'Did the Foreign Ministers' meeting take place in January 2009 or not? Did he meet Pakistan President Zardari in Russia in June 2009 with the mediation of a third country or not? In July 2009, under American pressure, did Sharmal Sheikh go to Egypt and reach an agreement with the Prime Minister of Pakistan or not?' he asked. Referring to another major terror incident that occurred in 2011, Dubey said that such attacks highlighted Pakistan's continued support to terrorism, and criticised the Congress party's alleged 'soft' approach. 'In 2011, Mumbai blast happened again in which 26 people died and 200 people were injured. PM Modi raised our head high by doing Operation Sindoor, after years Pakistan is in a state of panic. Congress is completely hand in glove with terrorist Pakistan. The public can go to hell,' he added. In an earlier post on Wednesday, Dubey had also targeted Congress over an alleged nuclear deal with Pakistan in 1988 during the tenure of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. According to Dubey, the agreement was signed under 'American pressure'. He posted a purportedly declassified letter that he claimed was sent by former US President Ronald Reagan to Rajiv Gandhi, which outlined America's role in setting the agenda for India-Pakistan discussions. 'Why is Congress angry? When I saw this paper, I felt ashamed. US President Ronald Reagan sent this letter/telegram to the then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Under American pressure, we spoke to Pakistani President General Zia. The agenda for the talks was set by the US President. What we understood after this letter was that Pakistan and we did the nuclear deal in 1988 under American pressure,' Dubey said in his post. He further added, 'Whatever we talked to our friend Soviet Russia about on the Afghanistan problem was an American agenda. Is this the Shimla Agreement? Is the Iron Lady the mentality of slavery? Were we a sovereign nation at that time? Is Congress abusing Modi Ji to make India stronger?' Dubey, the Member of Parliament from Godda in Jharkhand, is part of a multi-party parliamentary delegation currently visiting West Asia and North Africa. The group, led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda, has already visited Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. The delegation is scheduled to arrive in Algeria on May 30 for the next leg of its official tour. (ANI)
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Reagan offered Aid, Trump threatens Modi": Khera slams Nishikant Dubey's claims
New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): Congress leader Pawan Khera, took a jibe at the BJP, thanking them for their recent actions, saying they've unexpectedly made the Congress party more noticeable, and refuted BJP leader Nishikant's claims on Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and US President Regan. Speaking to ANI, Khera said, 'We are very grateful to the BJP because we would not have been able to give the kind of publicity to Congress as the BJP is giving.' Khera referenced a letter from former US President Ronald Reagan to former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He wrote on X, 'If you go through the letter written by US President Regan to Rajiv Gandhi, you will realise that President Reagan is requesting our help in Afghanistan. That was the kind of role India played then. The language used by President Regan was 'I offer to assist'. But today, President Trump threatens Mr Modi...' Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey launched a fresh attack on Congress, claiming that New Delhi, during former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's tenure, made a nuclear deal with Islamabad in 1988 under America's pressure. In a post on X, Dubey shared a purportedly declassified letter, which, according to him, was sent by then-US President Ronald Reagan to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Dubey also claimed that New Delhi spoke to Former Pakistan President General Zia under US 'pressure'. He further stated that the agenda of the meeting was also set by the US President Reagan. 'Why is Congress angry? When I saw this paper, I felt ashamed. US President Ronald Reagan sent this letter/telegram to the then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Under American pressure, we spoke to Pakistani President General Zia. The agenda for the talks was set by the US President. What we understood after this letter was that Pakistan and we did the nuclear deal in 1988 under American pressure,' the Godda MP said on X. 'Whatever we talked to our friend Soviet Russia about on the Afghanistan problem was an American agenda. Is this the Shimla Agreement? Is the Iron Lady the mentality of slavery? Were we a sovereign nation at that time? Is Congress abusing Modi Ji to make India stronger?' the BJP leader questioned. Notably, the Agreement on the prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installation and Facilities between India and Pakistan was signed on 31 December 1988 and entered into force on 27 January 1991 and provides, inter alia, that India and Pakistan inform each other of the nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the Agreement on the first of January of every calendar year. The agreement also prohibits the two nations from attacking each other's nuclear installations and facilities. This revelation adds a new layer to the ongoing political debate over third-party involvement in India-Pakistan relations, especially in the wake of recent escalations triggered by the Pahalgam terror attack and India's retaliatory Operation Sindoor. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Did India sign nuclear deal with Pakistan under pressure from the US? Congress, BJP exchange jibes
The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have exchanged jibes at one another in relation to the 1988 nuclear deal signed between India and Pakistan. As per BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, India signed the 1988 nuclear deal with Pakistan due to pressure from the United States. Sharing an alleged declassified letter from then US President Ronald Reagan to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Dubey alleged that the agenda for the nuclear talks between India and Pakistan were set by the United States. 'Why is Congress angry? When I saw this paper, I felt ashamed. US President Ronald Reagan sent this letter/telegram to the then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Under American pressure, we spoke to Pakistani President General Zia. The agenda for the talks was set by the US President. What we understood after this letter was that Pakistan and we did the nuclear deal in 1988 under American pressure,' the Godda MP said on social media platform X. However, the Congress party has dismissed these claims and stated that the party is "grateful" to the BJP for the publicity it has given Congress in the past 10 years. "If you go through the letter written by US President Regan to Rajiv Gandhi, you will realise that President Reagan is requesting our help in Afghanistan. That was the kind of role India played then. The language used by President Regan was "I offer to assist"," said Khera. The Congress leader further stated that current US president Donald Trump "threatens" Modi, to which the Indian prime minister stays silent. India and Pakistan signed a "non-nuclear aggression agreement" in 1988. This agreement came in the backdrop of the Cold War between the United States and then USSR. The treaty, signed by former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Rajiv Gandhi, calls on both nations to reduce or limit nuclear arms. The treaty also called on both countries not to attack or assist foreign nations in attacking each other's nuclear installations and facilities. Both parliaments ratified that agreement in January 1991, bringing it into action. This deal between India and Pakistan also came after US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987. Before the Indo-Pak agreement, the US led a Six Nation Five Continent Peace Initiative in 1984, which called on peace and called for an end to nuclear testing. The six nations in focus for the US were Argentina, Greece, Mexico, Sweden, Tanzania and India. During the Cold War period, nuclear disarmament was the key focus amid tensions between the US and USSR to become the next superpower. Hence, any cable or role the US played during the nuclear pact, was focused on its overall geopolitical and foreign policy at the time.
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Pakistan and India struck nuclear deal in 1988 under American pressure," claims BJP's Nishikant Dubey
New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Wednesday launched a fresh attack on Congress, claiming that New Delhi, during former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's tenure, made a nuclear deal with Islamabad in 1988 under America's pressure. In a post on X, Dubey shared a purportedly declassified letter, which, according to him, was sent by then-US President Ronald Reagan to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Dubey also claimed that New Delhi spoke to Former Pakistan President General Zia under US 'pressure'. He further stated that the agenda of the meeting was also set by the US President Reagan. 'Why is Congress angry? When I saw this paper, I felt ashamed. US President Ronald Reagan sent this letter/telegram to the then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Under American pressure, we spoke to Pakistani President General Zia. The agenda for the talks was set by the US President. What we understood after this letter was that Pakistan and we did the nuclear deal in 1988 under American pressure,' the Godda MP said on X. 'Whatever we talked to our friend Soviet Russia about on the Afghanistan problem was an American agenda. Is this the Shimla Agreement? Is the Iron Lady the mentality of slavery? Were we a sovereign nation at that time? Is Congress abusing Modi Ji to make India stronger?' the BJP leader questioned. Notably, the Agreement on the prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installation and Facilities between India and Pakistan was signed on 31 December 1988 and entered into force on 27 January 1991 and provides, inter alia, that India and Pakistan inform each other of the nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the Agreement on the first of January of every calendar year. The agreement also prohibits the two nations from attacking each other's nuclear installations and facilities. This revelation adds a new layer to the ongoing political debate over third-party involvement in India-Pakistan relations, especially in the wake of recent escalations triggered by the Pahalgam terror attack and India's retaliatory Operation Sindoor. On Wednesday, Dubey claimed that Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had written a letter to then-United States (US) President Ronald Reagan to help in negotiating with Pakistan. Sharing a purported letter written by a US president to the Indian Prime Minister on X, Dubey stated that it was decided under the 1972 Shimla Agreement that any dispute between India and Pakistan would be negotiated only between the two countries, and there would be no mediator. 'It is not easy to be Gandhi. This letter is in reply to a letter written by US President Ronald Reagan to the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. When it was decided under the 1972 Shimla Agreement that any dispute between India and Pakistan would be negotiated only between the two countries and there would be no mediator, why did the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi ask for US President Reagan's help in negotiating with Pakistan?' he questioned on X. Earlier, the BJP leader had shared a purportedly declassified 1971 US intelligence cable regarding former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's decision to accept a UN ceasefire proposal during the Bangladesh Liberation War, in response to the Opposition's demand for clarification from the Union Government on the US's involvement in the recent understanding on the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan. Earlier, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a dig at External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, saying that he had been 'silent' on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remarks about 'US mediation' and a 'neutral site' for India-Pakistan talks. However, India refuted the claims made by the US President, reiterating its policy that India and Pakistan bilaterally address any matter related to the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)
