NEWS

New Delhi: India has strongly objected to release of Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed from house arrest, calling it an attempt by Pakistan to mainstream proscribed terrorists and a sign of its continuing support to non-state actors.

In a strong reaction, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Saeed's release confirmed once again the lack of seriousness by the Pakistan government in bringing to justice perpetrators of terrorism, including individuals and entities designated by the UN.

"It also appears to be an attempt by the Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists. Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding and supporting non-state actors and its true face is visible for all to see," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told a press conference.

New Delhi: CPI (M) general secretary SitaramYechuryhas compared Prime Minister NarendraModiwith  Bollywood's hit producer-director, Manmohan Desai.

Modi gives the people a slogan a day to keep them distracted the way the late director did not allow his audiences to think while they were watching his films, Yechury claimed at a function.

"Film director Manmohan Desai said his movies were successful as he didn't allow spectators to think while watching them. In a similar fashion, Modi is running the country by raising a new slogan every day to engage the people so that they are not able to think about what is happening around them," he said.

New Delhi: The West Pak Refugees, who migrated during partition and settled in Jammu and Kashmir, shall continue to get ration as per the past precedence, according to an official spokesperson.

This was decided at a meeting held in Jammu under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh in which Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs ChoudharyZulfkar Ali was also present.

Senior officers of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs and other departments attended the meeting.

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj will represent India at the forthcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Russian city of Sochi.

The SCO summit will be held on November 30 and December 1 and it is likely to discuss the regional security scenario besides several other issues.

In June, India along with Pakistan had become a full- fledged member of the SCO, a China-dominated security grouping which is increasingly seen as a counterweight to NATO.