'Carrying Message of Peace' Nawaz Sharif Arrives For Narendra Modi's Swearing in

May 26, 2014

Sharif Arrives Modis SwearingNew Delhi, May 26: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in Delhi on Monday to attend Narendra Modi's swearing in as India's new Prime Minister, a historic first being seen as a step towards revitalizing ties that have been strained since last year. "I am carrying a message of peace. Dialogue is the only solution," he told reporters before leaving Lahore.

Mr Sharif, 64, is among six South Asian leaders invited for the swearing-in, unprecedented for any Indian prime minister's inauguration.

General Pervez Musharraf was the last Pakistani head of state to visit India in 2005.

Mr Sharif, who began his third term as prime minister last June after years of exile in Saudi Arabia, met outgoing PM Manmohan Singh last September on the sidelines of a UN meet in New York.

Today, Mr Sharif's only engagement is the evening ceremony.

Mr Modi will meet the Pakistan prime minister tomorrow as part a series of bilateral meetings. Officials say the meeting will be an ice-breaker more than anything, to set the tone for a dialogue.

The offer of a meeting with Mr Modi is said to be a major factor in clinching Mr Sharif's visit, which was reportedly opposed by some in Pakistan's security establishment.

Peace moves between the two countries were derailed last year after a series of ceasefire violations that escalated with the killing of five Indian soldiers in a Pakistani ambush in August last. In January, a jawan was beheaded by Pakistan soldiers.

During his campaign, Mr Modi had lashed out at the Congress for engaging with Pakistan despite the killings. "The heads of our soldiers are cut, but then their prime minister is fed chicken biryani," he sneered at one rally.

Mr Modi's invitation to Mr Sharif has been sharply criticized by the BJP's oldest ally, Shiv Sena, which believes India must not resume peace talks, cultural and cricketing ties with Pakistan unless violence along the border stops. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, however, said he would attend the swearing in even though it was "difficult to trust Pakistan."

The BJP's massive mandate - the party seized 282 seats on its own - means that it has room to act without pressure from its allies.

Also read: Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa arrives for Modi's swearing-in

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News Network
July 26,2020

New Delhi, Jul 26: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday saluted the valour and grit of the Indian soldiers on the occasion of 21st anniversary of the 'Kargil Vijay Diwas'.

Shah took to Twitter and said that 'Kargil Vijay Diwas' is a symbol of India's proud, valour and steadfast leadership.

"Kargil Vijay Diwas is a symbol of India's proud, valor and steadfast leadership. I bow to the soldiers who, with their indomitable courage, drove the enemy from the inaccessible hills of Kargil and waved the tricolor there again. The country is proud of the heroes of India, who are dedicated to protecting the motherland," Shah tweeted (translated from Hindi)
The country is celebrating the anniversary of the 'Kargil Vijay Diwas'.

The Indian armed forces had defeated Pakistan on July 26, 1999. Since then, the day is celebrated as 'Kargil Vijay Diwas' to rekindle the pride and valour of the soldiers who took part in Operation Vijay.

The day marks the victory of Indian soldiers in recapturing the mountain heights that were occupied by the Pakistani Army on July 26, 1999, known as the Kargil War. 

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Agencies
August 2,2020

New Delhi, Aug 2: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday issued fresh guidelines for international passengers coming to India amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The new guidelines will be implemented from 12:01 am on August 8.

The ministry has also asked all passengers to submit a self-declaration form online at least 72 hours before travel.

"All travellers should submit self-declaration form on the on the online portal (www.newdelhiairport.in) at least 72hours before the scheduled travel," the guidelines said.

It also said that those coming to India must give an undertaking that they would undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days as prescribed by the government. "They should also give an undertaking on the portal that they would undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days i.e. 7 days paid institutional quarantine at their own cost, followed by 7 days isolation at home with self-monitoring of health," it added.

Giving exemptions in some cases, the guidelines mentioned, "Only for compelling reasons/cases of human distress such as pregnancy, death in the family. Serious illness and parent (s) with children of 10 years or below, home quarantine may be permitted for 14 days."

"If they wish to seek such exemption, they shall apply to the online portal at least 72 hours before boarding. The decision taken by the government as communicated on the online portal will be final," it said further.

The guidelines further said that travellers could request for exemption from institutional quarantine by submitting a negative RT-PCR test report on arrival.

"This test should have been conducted within 96 hours prior to undertaking the journey. The test report should be uploaded on the portal for consideration," it added.

Passengers have also been asked to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones.

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Agencies
April 14,2020

Kochi, Apr 14: Reacting to the extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac on Tuesday maintained that his state needs money more than appreciation for the work it has done to mitigate the impact of the lockdown and contain coronavirus spread.

"The only additional money that Kerala received is mere Rs 230 crore and that too for Covid-19 work. The funds we received to tide over revenue deficit is different -- we would have got it anyways," said Issac, who has been demanding more liberal financial assistance from the Centre.

"The need of the hour now is for the Centre to immediately hold a videoconference meeting with all state Finance Ministers. The Centre should borrow more money from the RBI and give it to the states. Otherise, things will be very bad, as the economy, especially rural economy, is tumbling. It needs to be checked," said the Kerala Minister.

Devasom and Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the state Cabinet will meet on Wednesday to decide how to go about things till May 3.

"The coronavirus figures reveal that Kerala has done quite well. The Cabinet will decide on how we move forward after looking into the guidelines of the Centre," said Surendran.

Local Self Government Minister A.C. Moideen said that local farm produce has to reach markets as rural economy revolves around this. The Cabinet will look into this issue as well.

Health Minister K.K. Shailaja stressed the need for maintaining social distancing and asked all to see that the lockdown guidelines were strictly followed.

"Our advantage is that we have been able to contain the spread, but we still have a long way to go. Singapore is the best example -- after a slowdown in positive cases, it picked up there. So, let us all continue to maintain strict vigil and wait till Wednesday's Cabinet meet," said Shailaja.

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