News of the Day Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping agree to speed up boundary talks

Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping agree to speed up boundary talks

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping on Thursday agreed to expedite the dialogue on the India-China boundary issue for securing a “fair” solution.

The two leaders met in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, where they will participate in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

“The two leaders have asked the Special Representatives to meet and carry forward the discussion and have instructed them to expedite the discussion in this regard for achieving a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution,” Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said, describing the interaction as “substantive in content”.

The two leaders discussed the status of the bilateral relationship since the Wuhan summit of April 2018, which came in the backdrop of tension following the 73-day Doklam standoff. The attention on the border issue acquires significance as the Chinese President is expected to visit India later this year for a summit with Mr. Modi. Mr. Gokhale clarified that the discussion was held in the presence of the Special Representatives.

The last round of talks were held in November last, when Ajit Doval of India and Wang Yi of China met in Chengdu for the 21st round of talks between the Special Representatives.

“President Xi Jinping very warmly confirmed his readiness to visit India this year. He said that he looked forward to discussing all issues from a strategic and long-term perspective and that both sides should begin intensive preparations for the visit,” Mr. Gokhale said.

He said both leaders agreed that the approach to the border issue should be “constructive”, keeping in mind the ties between both sides in the coming years.

Mr. Xi highlighted the need for regional cooperation and connectivity and singled out the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor as an example for expanding the India-China ties, which had entered a “new phase” after the Wuhan informal summit.

Mr. Xi stressed that the two sides should adhere to the basic judgment that China and India are the opportunities for development and do not pose a threat to each other. “They must persist in deepening mutual trust, focusing on cooperation, and accepting differences, so that China-India relations become a more positive asset and positive energy for promoting the development of the two countries,” he said.

Both leaders discussed the plans for celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties, with Mr. Modi proposing 70 events. Mr. Modi acknowledged China’s contribution to the listing of Pakistan-based terror mastermind Masood Azhar as a global terrorist at the United Nations Security Council and said Pakistan should create conditions for talks without the shadow of terror.

Thursday’s meeting was the first Mr. Modi held with the Chinese President since he won a landslide victory in the general election in May. He is expected to meet Mr. Xi in Osaka during the G20 Summit and also during the BRICS Summit. These meetings are being interpreted as preparatory rounds for Mr. Xi’s visit to India. Mr. Modi also held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. Mr. Putin invited Mr. Modi to take part in the Vladivostok forum in September. Russia had bestowed the highest state honour on Mr. Modi, which is expected to be presented during a ceremony in Russia during the visit. The Foreign Secretary said the issue of the S400 missile system was not discussed, though he indicated that defence issues figured at the talks.

Pakistan-trained hand behind Anantnag CRPF attack, say officials

A day after five CRPF personnel were killed in an attack in South Kashmir’s Anantnag — the first major attack since the Pulwama suicide bomber attack in February — officials said the AK-47 toting, ‘hardened’ militant was not a local and was trained in Pakistan.

The official said the fidayeen (on a suicide mission) acted alone, killing five personnel in the initial burst of fire.

Pilgrim safety

CRPF Director General R.R. Bhatnagar briefed Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba about the attack on Thursday. The busy Khanbal-Pahalgam road, where the attack took place is the main approach road to the Amarnath shrine. The Amarnath Yatra commences July 1, more than two lakh pilgrims are expected to visit the shrine.

In wake of the attack, the security arrangements for the Yatra were also reviewed. Around 30,000 security personnel are to be deployed for security during the Yatra.

Narrating the sequence of events, an official said the militant walked towards a police vehicle when a CRPF team was withdrawing from duty and opened fire at them from close range.

A terrorist outfit, the Al-Umar Mujahideen, that used to be active in the 90s, has claimed responsibility for the attack. An official claimed the attack was coordinated from Pakistan and it was a ploy to rake up the names of obscure outfits to maintain deniability in international arenas.

“The CRPF men were bunched together as they were trying to get into the vehicle and were killed in the initial burst of fire. The encounter lasted for around seven minutes. The militant also lobbed grenades and emptied the entire AK-47 magazine, firing at the security personnel from 15-20 metres. He came to die,” said an official.

The official said they trawled social media for videos of the attack and based on it, came to the conclusion that the militant acted alone. Investigations were on to detect how he reached the site of the attack.

The CRPF personnel killed in the attack were identified as ASI Ramesh Kumar from Jhajjar in Haryana, ASI Nirod Sharma from Nalbari in Assam, Constables Satendra Kumar, Mahesh Kumar Kushwaha from Muzaffarnagar and Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh respectively and Constable Sandeep Yadav from Dewas in Madhya Pradesh. The condition of other three personnel — Head Constable Rajender Ingle, Constables Premchand Kaushik and Kedarnath Ojha — injured in the attack, was said to be stable.

Planned operation

“The militants must have done a reconnaissance of the entire area, they knew the exact time of withdrawal of duty,” the official said. Another official said the CRPF were “sitting ducks.” The CRPF had earlier requested the Jammu and Kashmir Police to not expose them in crowded areas by putting them on law and order duties. “We had requested that CRPF should be stationed at police stations and should be requisitioned only when required. This is a crowded marketplace, it also put the locals in danger,” said the official.

Source – The Hindu

News of the Day 14-June-2019

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