News Analysis India

Tag: MEA

  • India closely monitoring legal proceedings against Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi: MEA

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: India on Friday said that it is closely monitoring legal proceedings against fugitive businessmen Mehul Choksi, and Nirav Modi.

    In a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We are of course closely monitoring the ongoing legal proceedings in both cases,” when asked about the latest update on Mehul and Nirav.

    Choksi, who is currently in Dominica facing trial, went missing from Antigua on May 23 and was caught in Dominica. He was charged with illegal entry into Dominica by police after he allegedly fled Antigua and Barbuda in a possible attempt to avoid extradition to India. The 62-year-old fugitive is wanted in India in connection with the Rs 13,500 crore fraud in Punjab National Bank.

    ALSO READ | ‘Total nonsense’: Dominica PM on claims that his govt was involved in Mehul Choksi’s abduction

    Meanwhile, Nirav Modi is currently held at Wandsworth prison in South London where he has been lodged since his arrest in London in March 2019 in connection with the largest bank fraud perpetrated in India.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday transferred seized assets worth Rs 9,371.17 crore in cases related to Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, and Choksi, to public sector banks and the central government. Assets worth Rs 18,170.02 crore have so far been seized by the ED.

    Further, Bagchi also answered on the Indian objections on social media posts that targeted the Indian diplomats in Male.

    He said, “Maldives Foreign Ministry today issued a statement on the matter. The Maldivian Democratic Party has also issued a statement. I think that answers the question.”

    Maldives Foreign Ministry has requested local media to work in such a way that the country’s diplomatic relations with other countries are not affected. The Foreign Ministry made the request while the Indian High Commission in the Maldives has requested the ministry to take action against local media that publish content that criticizes India, reported AVAS.

    A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Friday said recurring content recently published by some local media have targeted foreign ambassadors to the Maldives, diplomatic missions, and the member of the missions, and that such malicious content massacre the dignity of said individuals.

    Such actions will affect the age-old relationships the Maldives enjoys with its bilateral partners and will create enmity and hatred in the hearts of Maldivian citizens towards its diplomatic partners.

    Such actions will also endanger the diplomats and puts them at risk, while also affecting their performance and efficiency, said the statement.

    The statement also referred to article 29 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which states that the receiving state of any diplomatic state must treat the agent with due respect, and take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on his person, freedom, and dignity.

    Therefore, all media are encouraged to work within the boundaries set by the international convention and in such a way that bilateral relations with foreign countries are not affected, said the statement.

    AVAS has seen a copy of the written request sent to the Foreign Ministry by the Indian High Commission requesting to take action against local media.

    The letter expressed concern over some articles published by local media and how they portrayed the neighbouring country in an unpleasant light.

    It also said the High Commission’s work was being hindered due to the articles, and that it attacked the dignity of the Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives, Sanjay Sudhir. Therefore, action must be taken against media that publish such content, the letter said, reported AVAS.

  • India desires normal relations with all neighbours including Pakistan: MEA

    MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India supports the Afghan peace process and is in touch with various stakeholders including regional countries.

  • MEA says Bill passed by Pakistan has shortcomings, urges review

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  India on Thursday slammed Pakistan for passing the International Court of Justice (Review & Reconsideration) Bill, 2020, with ‘shortcomings’ and urged Islamabad to address them. The Bill was passed by Pakistan’s National Assembly last week and provides right to appeal to Indian death-row convict Kulbhushan Jadhav.

    “The bill has a provision for inviting the municipal court to decide whether any prejudice has been caused to Jadhav on account of the failure to provide consular access in accordance with a verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). We call upon Pakistan to take steps to address the shortcomings in the Bill,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. He  added a municipal court cannot be the arbiter of whether the state has fulfilled its obligation under international law.

    Bagchi said the Bill further invites the municipal court to sit in appeal, as it were, over the judgement of the ICJ. Jadhav, a retired Navy officer, was arrested and sentenced to death by a Pakistani court on charges of espionage and terrorism. India approached ICJ for denial of consular access to Jadhav. The ICJ ruled in avour of India and directed Pakistan to make provisions for review of the sentence.

    Afghanistan issue part of India-Qatar talksIndia on Thursday confirmed that the Afghanistan issue was discussed between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and top Qatari leadership during his two visits to the Gulf nation. The Ministry of External Affairs said the leaders exchanged views on the Afghanistan situation.

  • India to remain deeply engaged with G7 on major issues including climate action: MEA

    Senior MEA official also said that there was widespread support at the G7 deliberations for text-based negotiations on a proposal by India and South Africa for patent waiver on Covid vaccines.

  • India’s position not new: MEA on abstention at UNHRC on Gaza resolution

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India on Thursday defended its abstention during the voting at the UNHRC on a resolution to probe Gaza violence, saying its position is not new and it has abstained on previous occasions also.

    Asked about the Palestinian foreign minister writing to his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on India abstaining during the voting in the United Nations Human Rights Council on the issue, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said a similar letter has been written to all countries who abstained.

    “Palestine wrote similar letters to all countries who abstained. The position that we took is not a new position.

    And we have abstained on previous occasions. I think that explains our position quite clearly and addresses these questions,” the spokesperson said during a media briefing.

    Expressing “concern”, Palestine’s Foreign minister Riad Malki in a letter to Jaishankar said that India “missed an opportunity to join international community at this turning point, both crucial and long overdue, on the path to accountability, justice and peace”.

    Both Israel and Palestinian group Hamas agreed on a ceasefire that came into effect last month after days of intense fighting in which around 230 people were killed in Gaza and 12 in Israel.

    Last week, India along with 13 other countries abstained from voting on the resolution at UNHRC to launch an investigation into alleged violations and crimes during the 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

    ALSO READ | Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponents race deadline on unity government

    The resolution was adopted as 24 countries voted in favour of it while nine opposed it at the end of an all-day special session of the 47-member UN body at its headquarters in Geneva.

    The special session of the Council was called to discuss the “grave human rights situation” in the Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem.

    India’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva Indra Mani Pandey had said at the special session that New Delhi welcomes the diplomatic efforts of the international community and regional countries that have resulted in bringing ceasefire between Israel and armed groups in Gaza.

    “India calls on all parties to show extreme restraint, desist from actions that aggravate tensions and refrain from any further attempts to unilaterally change the existing status-quo, including in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhoods,” he said.

    Pandey said India was firmly convinced that dialogue remains the only viable option that can effectively address the issues confronting the region and its people.

  • India steadfast in resolve to bring fugitives back to country: MEA on Mehul Choksi issue

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said India remains steadfast in its resolve that fugitives of the country are brought back and all efforts would continue to bring back Mehul Choksi, who is wanted in a major banking fraud here.

    “He (Choksi) is currently in the custody of Dominica where some legal proceedings are underway. We will continue to ensure that he is brought back to India,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told reporters here at an online press briefing.

    ALSO READ | Dominican court denied bail to Mehul Choksi in connection with illegal entry: Lawyer

    He was replying to a batch of questions regarding Choksi, who had fled to Antigua but was recently found in Dominica.

    To another question regarding Palestine foreign minister Riad Malki writing to Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to protest against India’s decision to abstain from voting at UNHRC on Gaza violence, the MEA spokesperson said the position that India took was not new and the country has abstained on the previous occasions also.

    He also said Palestine has written similar letters to all countries that abstained.

  • Covid concerns likely to halt Kailash Mansarovar yatra this year too

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: The annual Kailash Mansarovar yatra may get cancelled this year too.

    Officials from Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), the nodal agency for the annual pilgrimage in Uttrakhand, said so far, no preparatory meetings have been held by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

    Ashok Joshi, the general manager of the KMVN said, “We are witnessing Covid surge again in the country. There are high chances that the yatra will be cancelled again.” 

    The first few meetings were convened by the MEA in Delhi followed by a meeting in Pithoragarh attended by the representatives from the KMVN, the district administration, and the ITBP.  

    However, no updates have been received regarding the yatra leading to speculations that it might be cancelled for the second year in a row. Last year, the yatra had been cancelled due to the pandemic. 

    The yatra commences every year from June and concludes in September. It is managed by the KMVN with the help of the ITBP and the local administration.

  • India has sensitized OHCHR about activities of Sikhs for Justice: MEA

    Ministry of External Affairs said that we expect that there should be a proper understanding of developments in India.

  • Funds allocation to MEA inadequate considering India’s foreign policy objectives: Parliament panel

    The panel said the provisioning of adequate finances is critical to ensure that India #39;s global footprint and diplomatic outreach is #39;not circumscribed #39;.

  • Desire normal ties with Pakistan, all issues should be resolved bilaterally: MEA

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Days after Indian and Pakistani armies agreed to strictly observe all their ceasefire agreements, India on Friday maintained that it desires normal relations with all neighbours, including Pakistan, and asserted all issues between the two countries should be resolved bilaterally and peacefully.

    Following a hotline discussion between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan last month, the two sides agreed to strict observance of all agreements, understandings and ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and all other sectors.

    Asked about the observance of the ceasefire agreement by both sides, Ministry of External (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, “I will direct you to the Ministry of Defence.”

    “India desires normal relations with all its neighbours, including Pakistan. We have consistently maintained that issues, if any, between India and Pakistan should be resolved bilaterally and peacefully. Our position on key issues remains unchanged,” he said.

    India and Pakistan signed a ceasefire agreement in 2003, but it has hardly been followed in letter and spirit over the past several years with more violations than an observance of the pact.

    Indian Army officials have asserted that there would be no let-up in their fight against terrorism or in troops deployment along the borders, following the new commitment that they described as a fresh attempt at peace in the region.