Connecting over 25 millions NRIs worldwide
Most trusted Name in the NRI media
NRI PEOPLE- OUR NETWORK
 
Dr. Manmohan Singh's trip to US
  • Weak at home, Manmohan Singh talks tough with Pakistan
  • Terror attack Trade and Development to feature in the talks with US
  • NO First USE of NUKE’s – India Ready to Negotiate a Global Treaty
  • Sikh group gets US court summons for Manmohan Singh
  • Unanimous US senate resolution welcomes Manmohan Singh
  • USA, Inc. in focus as PM arrives in US
  • Manmohan Singh arrives in Washington

-----------------------------------------------

Weak at home, Manmohan Singh talks tough with Pakistan

New York, Sep 30, 2013: Prime Minister Manmohan may be perceived weak at home, but he held his ground abroad as he talked tough with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the issue of terrorism after securing the full backing of the US.

At the much anticipated talks with Sharif here Sunday - both were meeting for the first time - he stuck to his guns on the issue of terrorism and securing peace on the line of control before moving on to other things.

Domestic compulsions may have indeed played some part in Manmohan not seeking what has been described as a "grand bargain" but the thinking in the Indian camp was that the the desired forward movement without peace on the LoC was not possible, analysts said. And Sharif had to agree.

The meeting, though decided long ago through track two diplomacy, was not announced beforehand lest another incident of beheading or firing on the LoC may inflame passions and lead to demands for cancellation of the meeting - as it happened after a terror attack just three days before the talks.

The meeting was sought by Nawaz Sharif and it was he who drove down to Manmohan Singh's hotel at New York Palace hotel for the meeting on a quiet Sunday morning minus the usual mad rush of the Big Apple. And they met not in the prime minister's suite but in a conference room - for a business meeting - at 10 a.m. - no time for breakfast or lunch.

Sharif, who came dressed in a blue suit greeted Manmohan dressed in a dark blue bandhgala suit with a light blue turban in Punjabi with a handshake. But there was no embrace or small talk before the two sat down for a "frank discussion" - diplomatese for serious differences.

Manmohan Singh is said to have kept his cool as his aides briefed him about a major controversy back home fanned by BJP leader Narendra Modi over Sharif's alleged remarks in an off-the-record conversation with some journalists, describing Singh as a "dehati aurat" or village woman.

And as the issue threatened to derail the talks, it was an upset Sharif who got Pakistan Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani to call up National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon to convey that he had never insulted the Indian leader.

Earlier, during Manmohan Singh's summit with President Barack Obama too, the controversy created by Congress vice president Rahul Gandi's remarks about the "non-sense" ordinance to protect convicted politicians, did not affect the talks one whit.

He won Obama's full backing "eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, and disrupting terrorist networks" including Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and a call to bring perpetrators of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks to book.

In addition, the two nations managed to seal the first commercial deal for setting up nuclear plants in Gujarat under the landmark civil nuclear deal, considered Manmohan Singh's crowning achievement, in the face of yet another controversy over dilution of India's tough nuclear liability law.

But as he headed home after his six-day sojourn abroad, things may not be that rosy on the horizon, what with challenges ranging from a troubled economy, a strident opposition and a change from the party's young guard putting question marks over his continuance.……IANS
-

Terror attack Trade and Development to feature in the talks with US

Terror attack Trade and Development to feature in the talks with US

Washington, Sep 27, 2013:  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama are meeting here for their third summit Friday (2100 IST) with an intent to “give added meaning and content” to their strategic partnership, including ways to counter terror, and iron out differences over trade and economic issues.

The activities of Pakistan based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed were very much on the agenda “especially because it was a very great concern nationally for us” Indian Ambassador Nirumpama Rao said adding, “US was aware of that and is concerned about that.”

As Manmohan Singh said on arrival Thursday, the US is one of India most important strategic and trading partners and an “important provider of investment and technology support for India’s development.

“We need the United States on our side as we move to give new added thrust to our development programmes,” said Manmohan Singh, who turned 82, as he sits down with Obama, 52, mid-morning at his Oval Office at the White House for an hour-long chat to review their ties spread over diverse fields.

Vice President Joe Biden will join the two leaders “as they chart a course toward enhanced trade, investment, and development cooperation between the United States and India,” according to the White House.

With corporate America mounting a shrill campaign about “India’s discriminatory trade policies” the US has also signalled its intention to make its concerns about doing business in India the “centrepiece for discussions” between the two leaders.

Previewing the visit with Indian media on the eve of the summit Indian ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao said India had sought to address US corporate concerns in an “open and candid manner” and hoped US would understand India’s development challenges.

On its part, India would certainly take up Indian IT industry’s concerns over the Senate version of the US immigration bill that could lead to Indian companies such as Infosys, Wipro and TCS paying steep visa fees as penalty that could render them uncompetitive.

India had already discussed the matter “in a very candid and forthright manner” with the administration and on the Capitol Hill and “I believe our concerns are understood,” Rao said pointing out that the law was “still a work in progress” and its final outcome was difficult to predict.

Asserting that the landmark India-US civil nuclear deal was “certainly not in cold storage” she said Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and US-based supplier Westinghouse were in “active talks” and “very near finishing” their negotiations.

“We believe or hope there will be good outcome,” Rao said indicating the likelihood of the two companies signing a “Pre Early Works Agreement” on setting up a nuclear plant at Chayya-Mithivirdi in Gujarat.

In the context of the latest terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, Rao said India had obviously not let the issue of cross-border terrorism off the radar.

On reports that the US National Security Agency had spied on the Indian embassy in Washington and the Indian UN office in New York, the ambassador “couldn’t say specifically” whether it would be taken up at the Friday summit.

But “we have raised this issue with the American side and they are aware of our concerns,” Rao said and given the level of understanding between the two governments, they were discussing it in a “dispassionate and objective” manner.

As Manmohan Singh meets Obama at his Oval Office at the White House, First lady Michelle Obama will host a separate tea for the Prime Minister’s wife Gursharan Kaur in the residential wing.

After the summit and a brief media appearance for statements by both leaders, Singh and Obama will sit down for a working lunch along with their respective delegations.

Immediately after the summit, Manmohan Singh leaves for New York, where he will address the UN general assembly Saturday and meet the Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Sunday.……IANS

==

NO First USE of NUKE’s – India Ready to Negotiate a Global Treaty

United Nations, Sep 27, 2013:  India pushed its argument for a nuclear weapon-free and non-violent world order and said it is prepared to negotiate a global No-First-Use treaty, adding its proposal for a convention banning the use of nuclear weapons remains on the UN table.

Addressing the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said Thursday that India as a responsible nuclear power has a credible minimum deterrence policy and a posture of no-first use. “We refuse to participate in an arms race, including a nuclear arms race.”

“We are prepared to negotiate a global No-First-Use treaty and our proposal for a Convention banning the use of nuclear weapons remains on the table,” he said.

Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence, Khurshid said: “More than six decades later, it remains our collective challenge to craft a nuclear weapon free and non-violent world order. “

“India remains convinced that its security would be strengthened in a nuclear weapon free and non-violent world order. This conviction is based both on principle as well as pragmatism. We believe that the goal of nuclear disarmament can be achieved through a step-by-step process underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed multilateral framework that is global and non-discriminatory,” he said.

He said there is “need for a meaningful dialogue among all states possessing nuclear weapons to build trust and confidence and for reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in international affairs and security doctrines. Progressive steps are needed for the de-legitimization of nuclear weapons paving the way for their complete elimination”.

Referring to then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s proposal to the UN of an action plan for a nuclear weapon free world, Khurshid said: “As we see no contradiction between nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, we are also committed to working with the international community to advance our common objectives of non-proliferation, including through strong export controls and membership of the multilateral export regimes.”

He said India supports the Non-Aligned Movement call for early commencement of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament (CD) on nuclear disarmament.

“Without prejudice to the priority we attach to nuclear disarmament, we also support the negotiation in the CD of a non-discriminatory and internationally verifiable treaty banning the future production of fissile material for nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive devices that meets India’s national security interests. It should be our collective endeavor to return the CD, which remains the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum, to substantive work as early as possible,” he said.

He said the use of chemical weapons in Syria points “to an urgent need for the international community to strengthen restraints on use of weapons of mass destruction and in particular preventing their access to non state actors and terrorists”.……IANS

-

Sikh group gets US court summons for Manmohan Singh

Washington, Sep 26, 2013: A Sikh rights group has managed to get yet another summons from a US court - this time against Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ahead of his arrival here Thursday for a summit meeting with US President Barack Obama.

The New York-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which had secured similar summons for Congress president Sonia Gandhi earlier this month, got the summons against Manmohan Singh in connection with the counter-insurgency operations in Punjab in the 1990s.

Acknowledging that it would be an "uphill task" to serve the summons on the prime minister during his stay here, SFJ plans to ask the Washington Federal Court for leave "to effect alternative means of service" through White House staff and Manmohan Singh's security detail, according to the group's attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

In America, where one can sue anyone at the drop of a hat, it's easy to get such summons by simply paying a $350 filing fee without the court going into the merits of a case, sources said dismissing the case as a "publicity gimmick".

The 24-page SFJ complaint alleges that Manmohan Singh, as the finance minister in early 1990s, approved and financed the practice of "cash rewards" to members of security forces for allegedly killing Sikhs through extra-judicial means to curb militancy.

The complaint also alleges that during his tenure as the prime minister beginning 2004, Manmohan Singh actively shielded and protected members of his Congress party allegedly involved in 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The SFJ also plans to hold a "Justice Rally" Friday in front of the White House during the Obama-Singh meeting.

Justifying the filing of rights violation lawsuit against Manmohan Singh, Pannun said the prime minister "should be held accountable before the world community for funding the crimes against humanity and protecting security force personnel involved in extra-judicial killings of Sikhs in the state of Punjab".
-

Unanimous US senate resolution welcomes Manmohan Singh

Washington, Sep 26, 2013: As Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives here Thursday for his third summit Friday with President Barack Obama, the US Senate has passed a resolution welcoming him "for meetings to advance the United States-India partnership".

Recognising Manmohan Singh's role in "undertaking a series of reforms designed to strengthen the Indian economy and transform the bilateral economic relationship into a true strategic partnership", the resolution said his visit provided a "timely opportunity to reinforce the United States-India relationship".

The resolution was initiated by the co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus, Democrat Mark Warner and Republican John Cornyn, who were joined as sponsors by the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Robert Menendez.

The resolution said that the Senate "looks forward to making progress on a range of issues to deepen and broaden the strategic partnership between India and the United States".

It welcomes continued progress towards a Bilateral Investment Treaty, supports progress and implementation of the landmark United States-India civil nuclear agreement.

Acknowledging that the progress made by the Indian government "on economic reforms has opened new channels for foreign direct investment", the resolution says "it believes further liberalisation can bring increased prosperity to both countries".

The resolution "recognises there is strong potential to grow the bilateral relationship and increase cooperation between the United States and India, elevating the relationship to an even stronger strategic partnership".....IANS
--------------------------

USA, Inc. in focus as PM arrives in US

Washington, Sep 26, 2013: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here Thursday for his third summit with US President Barack Obama with lawmakers and the administration alike focusing on corporate America's concerns over doing business with India.

Ahead of the visit, the US Senate passed a unanimous resolution welcoming him "for meetings to advance the United States-India partnership" while making a plea for "further liberalisation" to "bring increased prosperity to both countries".

The resolution was initiated by the co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus, Democrat Mark Warner and Republican John Cornyn, and joined as sponsors by the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Robert Menendez.

Meanwhile, Corporate America mounted an offensive about what it called India's "discriminatory" trade practices with 18 business organisations under the umbrella of Alliance for Free Trade with India (AFTI) dashing off a letter to President Obama.

The letter urged Obama to take up the issue with Manmohan Singh saying "India's discriminatory trade policies put American businesses at a disadvantage, place manufacturing jobs at risk, and jeopardise India's ability to grow its economy".

The Obama administration was more than willing with a senior Obama administration official previewing the visit saying corporate America's concerns about doing business in India will be the "centrepiece for discussions" Friday between the two leaders.

At the same time, in a teleconference with Indian media Wednesday, the official asserted that progress would be made on defence trade and technology transfer, civilian nuclear cooperation and clean energy.

The "trajectory" of bilateral engagement during Manmohan Singh's 10th meeting with Obama, including seven meetings at other international fora, would "reflect the strength in relations and the personal warmth" between the Obamas and the Singhs, he said.

As Manmohan Singh meets Obama at his Oval Office at the White House Friday morning to "set out a road map for the path ahead", First lady Michelle Obama will host a separate tea for the prime minister's wife Gursharan Kaur in the residential wing.

After the summit and a brief media appearance for statements by both leaders, Singh and Obama will sit down for a working lunch along with their respective delegations.

Meanwhile, shortly after landing in Washington Thursday, Gursharan Kaur is planning to attend the investiture ceremony of Chandigarh-born Indian American legal luminary Srikanth 'Sri' Srinivasan who is a family friend.

Srinivasan made history with his unanimous Senate confirmation as the first South Asian judge on the powerful appeals court for the American capital, often called the nation's second highest court.....IANS

---

Manmohan Singh arrives in Washington

  Washington, Sep 26 : Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here Thursday afternoon for his third summit with US President Barack Obama at the White House Friday....IANS

 

 

 

 

  • Sikh group gets US court summons for Manmohan Singh ...READ MORE