Swaraj was extraordinary woman, leader: UNGA Prez

Agencies
August 7, 2019

United Nations, Aug 7: UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa has expressed condolences at the demise of India’s former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, describing her as an "extraordinary" woman and leader who devoted her life to public service.

Swaraj passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Tuesday night after suffering a cardiac arrest. The senior BJP leader was 67.

“Saddened by the news of the passing of @SushmaSwaraj, an extraordinary woman & leader who devoted her life to public service. I had the honour of meeting her in my visits to #India, & will always remember her fondly,” Espinosa tweeted.

She added in her tweet that she sends her “deepest condolences to all of her loved ones @IndiaUNNewYork," tagging India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in her message.

Before assuming her role as the President of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in September 2018, becoming only the fourth woman to lead the General Assembly in its 73-year history, Espinosa had visited India and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swaraj.

In her meeting with Swaraj, the top UN official had discussed the revitalisation of the UN, including reform of the Security Council, strengthening global counter-terrorism legal framework and other global issues.

Condolence messages poured from across India and the world at the demise of Swaraj, one of the most charismatic and dignified political leaders.

Over the years, Swaraj had visited the UN on multiple occasions, addressing world leaders in Hindi at the annual high-level General Assembly sessions.

She had headlined the commemoration of the first International Yoga Day at the UN on June 2015, launching the annual celebration of Yoga at the world body’s headquarters alongside then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin tweeted a video montage of Swaraj's powerful speeches at the UN, beginning from her address to the General Debate at the 70th General Assembly session in 2015 till her statement in 2018.

"Leaving behind indelible memories. We @IndiaUNNewYork will always cherish memories of her @UN. Farewell Madam @SushmaSwaraj," Akbaruddin said in an emotional message on Twitter.

The Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) also conveyed its heartfelt condolences on the passing of Swaraj. “As minister looking after the Overseas Indian Affairs, GOPIO has had a close working relation and cooperation on many of the NRI and PIO issues as well as on new initiatives from her ministry.”

The organisation said it has been working with Swaraj since she was the leader of BJP in the Rajya Sabha. “In her passing away, we will miss a Statesman as well as a sincere and able political leader,” GOPIO Chairman Thomas Abraham and President Sunny Kulathakal said in a statement.

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Agencies
February 17,2020

Islamabad, Feb 17: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday warned that Pakistan may face another refugee crisis if the international community failed to take notice of the current situation in India.

Speaking at the two-day refugee summit in Islamabad on 40 years of hosting Afghan refugees in Pakistan, he said India’s "ultranationalist ideology going unchecked could lead to destruction and the region could become a flashpoint", The Express Tribune quoted him as saying.

Khan said if the international community does not take notice of this situation, it will create another refugee crisis for Pakistan as Muslims of India will move to Pakistan.

"This is not the India of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. The United Nations (UN) must play its role otherwise it will become a very big problem in the future," Duniya News quoted Khan as saying.

He said said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that India can destroy Pakistan in 11 days is not a responsible statement by a premier of a nuclear state with a huge population, the paper reported.

Khan made the statement in the presence of visiting UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who was also attending the summit.

He said because of the "Hindutva" ideology, Kashmiris have been lockdown for over 200 days. He alleged under the same ideology, the BJP-led government passed two discriminatory nationalistic legislations, targeting 200 million Muslims in India.

Khan was referring to India's Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the revocation of the special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The new citizenship law passed by the Indian Parliament in December 2019 offers citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The Indian government has maintained that the CAA is an internal matter of the country and stressed that the goal is to protect the oppressed minorities of neighbouring countries.

India revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5. Reacting to India's move, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner.

India has always maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is its integral part and ruled out any third party mediation, including either from the UN or the US, saying it is a bilateral issue with Pakistan.

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News Network
February 21,2020

New Delhi, Feb 21: Global terror financing watchdog FATF on Friday decided continuation of Pakistan in the "Grey List" and warned the country that stern action will be taken if it fails to check flow of money to terror groups like the LeT and the JeM, sources said.

The decision has been taken at the Financial Action Task Force's plenary in Paris.

The FATF decided to continue Pakistani in the "Grey List". The FATF also warned Pakistan that if it doesn't complete a full action plan by June, it could lead to consequences on its businesses, a source said.

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Agencies
January 7,2020

Tehran, Jan 7: The Iranian Parliament on Tuesday ratified a motion dubbed as "harsh revenge", that considers all members of the US Pentagon and those responsible for the death of Major General Qasem Soleimani as "terrorist forces".

The triple-urgency motion is a modification of a previously ratified bill on April 23, 2019, that designated the US Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organization in retaliation to the same designation imposed on Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by Washington, the Tehran-based Mehr News Agency said in a report.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said in Tuesday's open session that in the previous anti-US law, CENTCOM was designated as a terrorist entity.

"Today, following the cruel US measure in assassinating General Soleimani, the responsibility of which was accepted by the US President, we modify the previous law and announce that all members of Pentagon, commanders, agents and those responsible for the martyrdom of Gen Soleimani will be considered as terrorist forces," Larijani was quoted as saying in the report.

All of Iran nation supports the resistance, he added.

The modified law also allows withdrawal of $223 million to the IRGC's Quds Force from the National Development Fund of Iran for the next two months, added Larijani.

He said that the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's permission to withdraw the fund has been obtained, the Mehr report added.

Following its ratification, MPs chanted anti-US slogans at the Parliament.

Soleimani and his son-in-law and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Front (PMF), along with eight other people were killed in the January 3 drone attack ordered by US President Donald Trump.

Soleimani, 63, was the elite Quds Force chief in charge of IRGC operations outside Iran, and has been on the ground in Syria and Iraq supervising militias backed by Tehran.

The Quds Force holds sway over a large number of militias across the region ranging from Lebanon to Syria and Iraq.

The attack has led to widespread condemnation in Iran. Supreme Leader Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani has vowed revenge on the US.

On Sunday, Iranian MP Abolfazl Aboutorabi threatened to attack the heart of American politics.

During an open session of the Iranian Parliament on Sunday afternoon, President Trump was called a "terrorist in a suit" after he threatened to hit 52 Iranian sites hard if Tehran attacks Americans or US assets.

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