Mixed response to India’s neighbourhood outreach
Published: The Hindu
03 Apr 2018
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale held a meeting with Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on Monday, as he travelled to Thimphu for the second time since February. However, amid signs that the government is making efforts to increase its outreach in the neighbourhood with high-level visits to Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, it faced a pushback in the Maldives and Seychelles over military ties. Click here to read...
Japan Expands Self-Defense Forces Assistance to Include South Asia
Published: Japan Forward
03 Apr 2018
The Defense Ministry plans to expand the scope of the capacity-building assistance by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to other nations’ militaries, to include South Asia, it was learned on March 24. These programs, which have so far centered on the Southeast Asian region, are envisioned to serve as leverage to push forward the initiative for a free and open Indo-Pacific region, as advocated by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the sources said. Click here to read...
NSG seeks nod to support forces in J-K counter-terror operations
Published: Hindustan Times
04 Apr 2018
With a motive of remaining battle-ready and at the forefront of counter-terrorist (CT) operations, the elite National Security Guards (NSG) has approached the home ministry and top national security planners for permission to send its “house intervention teams (HIT)” in support of counter-terrorism operations conducted by the army and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. Click here to read...
Pakistan to Contest Alleged Terror Group Entering Politics
Published: Bloomberg
03 Apr 2018
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the government will challenge an interim legal ruling that allows a U.S.-proscribed terrorist organization to contest national elections due to be held this summer. Click here to read...
Islamic State Claims Attack on Christian Family in Pakistan
Published: Reuters
03 Apr 2019
The militant group Islamic State on Tuesday claimed responsibility for killing four members of a Christian family in southwestern Pakistan. A statement issued by the group claimed that militants belonging to ISIS fired on the group of Christians as they were traveling in the city of Quetta, killing four on Monday. Click here to read...
Another Wheat Shipment For Afghanistan Arrives In Chabahar - Tolo News
03 Apr 2018
According to IRNA, a ship, 'Arezoo', carrying 600 containers docked in Chabahar Port on Monday, said Hossein Shahdadi, deputy head of the province's Ports and Maritime Office. In total, 4,200 containers of India's wheat has come through Chabahar so far this year. Some 110,000 tons of India wheat bound for Afghanistan will be transported annually to Afghanistan through Chabahar, he said. Click here to read...
Trial run of first India-Bangladesh container train begins
Published: Business Standard
03 Apr 2018
The trial run of the first container train between India and Bangladesh was flagged off on Tuesday. The inaugural train was loaded with 60 containers, mainly carrying de-oiled cake which serves as a raw material for animal feed. It was flagged off from the terminus of the Container Corporation of India (Concor), near Majherhat station in Kolkata. Click here to read...
Sri Lanka, Pakistan ink MoU to expand bilateral cooperation in skill development
Published: Colombo Page
03 Apr 2018
Skill Development Council Islamabad and Information and Communication Technology Industry Skill Council (ICTISC) Sri Lanka have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand bilateral cooperation in skill development. The MoU aims at expanding bilateral cooperation in teaching and training programs between the two countries. Click here to read...
Maldives snubs India again, returns gifted helicopters
Published: The Economic Times
04 Apr 2018
At a time when relations between India and the Maldives are clearly in a free fall, Male has asked the Indian government to take back one of the two naval helicopters New Delhi had gifted to the Indian Ocean archipelago.
Official sources said they were still discussing with the Abdulla Yameen government what the real issue was but a top Maldives government source told TOI that Male wanted a Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft instead of the "Dhruv" Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) which India had given to Male. The chopper which Maldives wants India to take back operates from Addu atoll. Click here to read...
Special status to J-K: Article 370 not a temporary provision, says Supreme Court
Published: Hindustan Times
03 Apr 2018
The Centre asked for and received three weeks time from the Supreme Court on Tuesday to respond to a petition challenging the validity of Article 370 of the Constitution that confers special status on the state of Jammu and Kashmir, even as the top court said that the issue needs no consideration because a 2016 judgment had settled the issue. Click here to read...
