22 AUGUST 2015: indo US hotline activated successfully

Ø  After a day of exchanging strongly worded statements, India and Pakistan on Friday all but called off talks between National Security Advisers Ajit Doval and Sartaj Aziz, with India blaming a “force” in Pakistan for “sabotaging” the talks. In a late-night response, Pakistan accused India of “reneging” on commitments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Ufa talks with his counterpart Nawaz Sharif. At the end of the day the deadlock over whether Mr. Aziz would meet Hurriyat leaders remained, as Pakistan said it would go ahead with the plans to meet Kashmiri separatists when Mr. Aziz comes to Delhi, while India said the meeting was unacceptable. However, both sides insisted that they were willing to go ahead with the NSA meetings if their respective conditions were met, and Pakistani officials in Islamabad and Delhi said they were “making all arrangements” for the visit. As a result, if Mr. Aziz does go ahead with his visit to Delhi, the stage is set for a showdown, with officials in New Delhi threatening to “ensure” there is no meeting with the Hurriyat leaders “by detaining them at the airport if necessary.” Acknowledging that the wide divergences and bad blood evident in the exchanges indicated the talks would “make no sense” at this point, however, a senior Pakistani official said, “We need time to reflect and then see how to re-engage.” The day began with Indian High Commissioner TCA Raghavan handing over a statement from India clearly “advising” Pakistan to call off the proposed meeting with the Hurriyat leadership at a reception called by the High Commission on August 23 “as it would not be in keeping with the spirit and intent of the Ufa understanding to jointly work to combat terrorism”. Hours later, after a meeting between Mr. Nawaz Sharif, Mr. Aziz and other senior officials, Pakistan issued its response saying “it would not be possible for Pakistan to accept the advice”, and it saw no reason for departing from the “established past practice” of meeting the separatists during high-profile visits.

Ø  The agenda of the UAE visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi included extradition of 10 persons, several of them wanted in terror cases. Though officials did not divulge the names on the extradition list, one of the most prominent wanted man is Abdul Wahid Siddibapa, an Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative and cousin of Yasin Bhatkal, who was arrested from Nepal in 2012. Siddibapa was detained in Abu Dhabi on the basis of a red-corner notice issued by India for his alleged role in the serial blasts in various parts of the country from 2006 to 2010. He is said to be the financial brain of the IM. Another person on the extradition list is Sahul Hameed of Chennai, who is wanted in several cases of red-sanders smuggling in Telangana. India reminded the UAE of at least 39 letters rogatory (letter of request for legal assistance issued by a court to a foreign court) pending with the Gulf nation. A follow-up was sought on the status of 192 suspects against whom red-corner notices have been issued at India’s behest. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who accompanied Mr. Modi on the trip, is learnt to have raised the pending extradition requests. The UAE showed its willingness to cooperate in these cases, it is learnt. The extradition treaty signed between India and the UAE in 1999 came into force in 2000. A Central Bureau of Investigation official confirmed that India had pursued the extradition requests.

Ø  Having reached out to the Pacific Island Countries to support its bid for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council, India also wants to collaborate with them for combating the challenge of climate change, ahead of the UN Climate Summit in Paris later this year. On Friday, addressing the second summit of the Forum for India Pacific Island Countries (FIPIC), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said climate change is clearly a pressing concern for all and combating it is India’s national priority. His statement comes a day after the EU Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete asked India to immediately submit its emissions reductions targets for the UN climate summit. The Prime Minister said India and the Pacific Island Countries can enrich each other through bilateral and regional cooperation, and suggested they work together for UN reforms. He sought their support for the quick adoption of the draft presented by the President of the General Assembly as the negotiating text to conclude negotiations during the 70th Session of the General Assembly and promised that India would stand by them at international forum. “Your voice of support for India’s permanent membership of UNSC will give UN the global character and balance that mirrors our age,”

Ø  The hotlines or secure lines of communication between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Barack Obama and their National Security Advisers have recently become operational, though they have not been put to use during its short lifespan so far. “It [hotline] has just recently been established,” said Peter R. Lavoy, Special Assistant to U.S. President and Senior Director for South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council of the White House. The decision to have the hotline was made during Mr. Obama’s historic visit to New Delhi to attend the Republic Day on January 26, as its chief guest.

Ø  United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was?on Friday?sworn in as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for the fourth time.