Shubhajit Roy

Abe, who was scheduled to arrive on Sunday for a three-day visit (December 15-17), was expected to travel to Guwahati for the meeting. But with the ongoing protests in the region, the situation was considered “not conducive” for a “high-profile visit”.

The US and the UK also issued travel advisories asking their citizens to “exercise caution” while visiting the North-East in the wake of the Citizenship Bill protests in Assam and other places.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said linking the cancellation of Momen’s visit with CAB was “unwarranted”

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee had voiced concerns over the Bill, noting that any religious test for citizenship undermines pluralism, which is one of the core shared values for both India and the US.

Another venue which was being considered was Odisha, but that is unlikely to happen since it is too short a notice. Sources said the visit would have to be postponed if the meeting was to be held in Odisha.

As Shah walked out, BJP MPs stood to greet him, he nodded at some, ignored others, and then shook hands with Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan before leaving.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an advisory body for the US Congress, took a harder line and called for sanctions against Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other leaders, if the Bill is passed.

The USCIRF is an advisory or a consultative body, which advises the US Congress and the administration on issues pertaining to international religious freedom. Why has it said it is “deeply troubled” by the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha?

The two sides are working hard on negotiating the LSA, which will allow the countries to use each other’s military bases for logistical support.

This comes about a month-and-a-half after a US Congressional hearing on the Kashmir situation, where the government was criticised for its decision to revoke special status for J&K under Article 370.

During the meeting between the visiting Japanese ministers and the Prime Minister on November 30, Modi had said that both he and Abe attach great importance to strengthening the bilateral partnership between the two countries.

Sweden last week urged India to restore free movement and communication in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the last two decades, only General Raheel Shareef retired on time, while General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Musharraf stayed on beyond their prescribed tenures.

The statement recalled the shared vision of a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, in which the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity are ensured, and all countries enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight.

This is Gotabaya’s first overseas visit after he took charge of the country as President less than two weeks ago. He invited Modi to visit Sri Lanka as the first head of government after he assumed office.

So far, only India and the US have the 2+2 ministerial mechanism, although India and Australia also have the 2+2 at the official level. With this, India has 2+2 mechanism with all the Quad countries.

Ravi Shankar Prasad says govt wants to conduct an audit of WhatsApp’s security systems.

Rajapaksa, brother of Sri Lankan Prime Minister and ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said that he was looking forward to strengthening bilateral relations with Modi and the Indian government.

On Wednesday, Amit Shah told Parliament that the government was planning a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC).