US state dept pulls up Pakistan govt, says Pakistan should block access funds for terrorists

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US continues to take steps for de-escalating Indo-Pak tensions

Pakistan seeks to 'normalise relations', will send back its High Commissioner to India

Officials of the Indian high commission in Pakistan, who had gone for shopping in Islamabad&#39;s Blue Area, were on Saturday harassed with two persons aggressively following them and hurling abuses.

India gave a Note Verbale to Pakistan through its high commission in Islamabad protesting the &quot;intimidation and harassment&quot; of its staff there, the 12th such diplomatic note in less than three months.

In its communication to the Pakistan foreign ministry, the Indian high commission specifically mentioned two incidents of harassment -- the one on Saturday and the other on March 15, official sources said.

In the March 15 incident, another official of the mission and his family was aggressively followed by two men on motorbike when he was going to a restaurant.

&quot;Another Note Verbale was sent today (March 18) by our High Commission in Islamabad to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan protesting against the intimidation and harassment of Indian High Commission officials,&quot; a source said.

&quot;This was the 12th Note Verbale this year on the subject,&quot; the source said.

&quot;We have asked the Pakistan Government to investigate these incidents,&quot; the source said.

The Note Verbale is a diplomatic note, which is unsigned and drafted in the third person.

The Note Verbale to Pakistan foreign ministry comes two days after Islamabad called its High Commissioner home for consultations, which was termed by India as &quot;routine&quot; and &quot;normal&quot;.

Pakistan had said it <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-refuses-to-send-envoy-back-to-india-36133">called home its envoy</a> in India Sohail Mahmood for consultations after repeated incidents of &quot;harassment&quot; of its diplomatic staff in New Delhi.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said that the Indian High Commission in Islamabad was also facing a &quot;litany of issues&quot; which have not been resolved for several months by Pakistan.

(With inputs from PTI)

Officials of the Indian high commission in Pakistan, who had gone for shopping in Islamabad's Blue Area, were on Saturday harassed with two persons aggressively following them and hurling abuses

Officials of the Indian high commission in Pakistan, who had gone for shopping in Islamabad's Blue Area, were on Saturday harassed with two persons aggressively following them and hurling abuses. India gave a Note Verbale to Pakistan through its high commission in Islamabad protesting the "intimidation and harassment" of its staff there, the 12th such diplomatic note in less than three months. In its communication to the Pakistan foreign ministry, the Indian high commission specifically mentioned two incidents of harassment -- the one on Saturday and the other on March 15, official sources said. In the March 15 incident, another official of the mission and his family was aggressively followed by two men on motorbike when he was going to a restaurant. "Another Note Verbale was sent today (March 18) by our High Commission in Islamabad to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan protesting against the intimidation and harassment of Indian High Commission officials," a source said. "This was the 12th Note Verbale this year on the subject," the source said. "We have asked the Pakistan Government to investigate these incidents," the source said. The Note Verbale is a diplomatic note, which is unsigned and drafted in the third person. The Note Verbale to Pakistan foreign ministry comes two days after Islamabad called its High Commissioner home for consultations, which was termed by India as "routine" and "normal". Pakistan had said it called home its envoy in India Sohail Mahmood for consultations after repeated incidents of "harassment" of its diplomatic staff in New Delhi. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said that the Indian High Commission in Islamabad was also facing a "litany of issues" which have not been resolved for several months by Pakistan. (With inputs from PTI)

India makes written complaint to Pakistan on harassment of its diplomatic staff

A five-month-old Pakistani boy, who was promised medical treatment by Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj after his father tweeted about not being able to get a visa, is going home following a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistani-hole-in-heart-toddler-to-undergo-surgery-in-india-today-16806">successful surgery</a> in a hospital in Noida.&nbsp;

Rohaan, who had a congenital heart disease, came to India with his parents on June 12 to undergo a high-risk surgery called Arterial Switch, The Times of India reported.

&quot;The child has been successfully operated upon and his health condition is being monitored. He will be discharged soon,&quot; a spokesperson for the hospital told TOI.&nbsp;

Read:<a href="http://India grants medical visa to Pakistani toddler amid tension along border">&nbsp;India grants medical visa to Pakistani toddler amid tension along border</a>

On May 22, the boy&rsquo;s father Kanwal Saadik, had tweeted to Swaraj and Pakistan foreign affairs minister Sartaj Aziz that his child was &ldquo;suffering&rdquo; due to the delay in getting medical treatment and was unable to get a visa due to a change in the procedure of medical visa application, following tensions between the two countries.&nbsp;

The case was brought to&nbsp;Swaraj&rsquo;s notice after a series of tweets from Saadik and several Twitter users from the two countries.&nbsp;

Five-month-old Rohaan was promised medical treatment by Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj after his father tweeted about the difficulties in getting a medical visa following tensions between the two countries

A five-month-old Pakistani boy, who was promised medical treatment by Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj after his father tweeted about not being able to get a visa, is going home following a successful surgery in a hospital in Noida. Rohaan, who had a congenital heart disease, came to India with his parents on June 12 to undergo a high-risk surgery called Arterial Switch, The Times of India reported. "The child has been successfully operated upon and his health condition is being monitored. He will be discharged soon," a spokesperson for the hospital told TOI. Read: India grants medical visa to Pakistani toddler amid tension along border On May 22, the boy’s father Kanwal Saadik, had tweeted to Swaraj and Pakistan foreign affairs minister Sartaj Aziz that his child was “suffering” due to the delay in getting medical treatment and was unable to get a visa due to a change in the procedure of medical visa application, following tensions between the two countries. The case was brought to Swaraj’s notice after a series of tweets from Saadik and several Twitter users from the two countries.

Pak baby recovers from surgery in India, set to return home

The Jammu and Kashmir government today said it will construct bunkers for civilians residing along the border with Pakistan. The decision comes amid continuing ceasefire violations by Pakistan and cross border shelling between the two countries.

The state&#39;s chief minister Mehbooba Mufti directed divisional authorities to initiate the process of identifying land for construction of the bunkers, an official spokesperson told PTI.

She said Rs 50 crore are being earmarked for construction of bunker facilities which could be used by the civilians for their safety.

The chief minister also took stock of the relief, rescue and rehabilitation plans devised by the respective district administrations from the Jammu divisional administration in view of the cross border shelling, the official spokesperson told PTI.

She was informed that an adequate rehabilitation plan had been put in place and spots identified where people would be relocated in case of emergencies, the spokesman said.

Mehbooba enquired about the status of harvesting in the border areas and she was informed that additional ration needs to be sent to the villages of Balakote sector which have seen a dip in crop yield due to late harvesting.&nbsp;

A number of civilians have died or have been injured in the shelling and firing and thousands have migrated to safer places following shelling by Pakistan&#39;s security forces along the International Border and Line of Control, PTI reported. 
 
(WION with inputs from PTI)

A number of civilians have died or been injured in the shelling. Thousands have migrated to safer places

The Jammu and Kashmir government today said it will construct bunkers for civilians residing along the border with Pakistan. The decision comes amid continuing ceasefire violations by Pakistan and cross border shelling between the two countries. The state's chief minister Mehbooba Mufti directed divisional authorities to initiate the process of identifying land for construction of the bunkers, an official spokesperson told PTI. She said Rs 50 crore are being earmarked for construction of bunker facilities which could be used by the civilians for their safety. The chief minister also took stock of the relief, rescue and rehabilitation plans devised by the respective district administrations from the Jammu divisional administration in view of the cross border shelling, the official spokesperson told PTI. She was informed that an adequate rehabilitation plan had been put in place and spots identified where people would be relocated in case of emergencies, the spokesman said. Mehbooba enquired about the status of harvesting in the border areas and she was informed that additional ration needs to be sent to the villages of Balakote sector which have seen a dip in crop yield due to late harvesting. A number of civilians have died or have been injured in the shelling and firing and thousands have migrated to safer places following shelling by Pakistan's security forces along the International Border and Line of Control, PTI reported. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Bunkers to be built for civilians after tensions with Pakistan escalate along J&K border

Popular Pakistani actor Fawad Khan has spoken out for the first time about the increasing tension between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Uri attacks and the subsequent surgical strikes by India.

In a Facebook post on Friday, the 34-year-old wrote that as a father of two children, he wished for a more peaceful world. &nbsp;

&quot;As a father of two little children, I pray and wish like many others that together we can build and live in a more peaceful world. I believe we owe it to our children who will shape our tomorrow,&quot; stated the actor, whose Bollywood film &quot;Ae Dil Hai Mushkil&quot; releases in India on October 28. He does a cameo in the film.

He concluded by saying: I thank all my fans and fellow artists from Pakistan, India and people in general all over the world who have shown continued support for their belief in love and understanding to unite a divisive world. 
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Paskistani artistes were banned from working in India by the Indian Motion Pictures Producers&#39; Association (IMPPA) last month in the wake of the Uri attack that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers. All Pakistani artistes and technicians are barred from working in the country till the bilateral tensions cease,&nbsp;according to a motion passed by the association.&nbsp;

The Mahrashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a political party based in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, had also issued an ultimatum to Pakistani artistes ordering them to leave the country.&nbsp;The party has also threatened to stall the releases of &quot;Ae Dil Hai Mushkil&quot; and &quot;Raees&quot;, starring Pakistani actors.&nbsp;

Indian filmmaker Karan Johar, who has directed Fawad in &quot;Ae Dil Hai Mushkil&quot;, had spoken out against the MNS ban, saying that banning artistes was not a solution and that the film industry must not be made a &quot;soft target&quot; in times like these.

Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, who co-stars with Fawad, actress Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai in &quot;Ae Dil Hai Mushkil&quot; also cautioned against &#39;getting swept away with bitterness and negativity&#39;.

&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to sound preachy and like a &lsquo;healer talker&rsquo; but we are living in some hard times right now. I hope that you guys don&rsquo;t get swept away with the bitterness and negativity, the violence that&rsquo;s happening around the world and around us,&rdquo; the actor told the press a few days back.

The Indian film industry is deeply divided on the issue. While some artistes have critised the decision to ban Pakistani performers, many in the industry such as Randeep Hooda, Sonali Bendre and Nana Patekar have supported the move.

(WION)

Paskistani artistes were banned from working in India by the Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association last month

Popular Pakistani actor Fawad Khan has spoken out for the first time about the increasing tension between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Uri attacks and the subsequent surgical strikes by India. In a Facebook post on Friday, the 34-year-old wrote that as a father of two children, he wished for a more peaceful world. "As a father of two little children, I pray and wish like many others that together we can build and live in a more peaceful world. I believe we owe it to our children who will shape our tomorrow," stated the actor, whose Bollywood film "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" releases in India on October 28. He does a cameo in the film. He concluded by saying: I thank all my fans and fellow artists from Pakistan, India and people in general all over the world who have shown continued support for their belief in love and understanding to unite a divisive world. × Paskistani artistes were banned from working in India by the Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association (IMPPA) last month in the wake of the Uri attack that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers. All Pakistani artistes and technicians are barred from working in the country till the bilateral tensions cease, according to a motion passed by the association. The Mahrashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a political party based in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, had also issued an ultimatum to Pakistani artistes ordering them to leave the country. The party has also threatened to stall the releases of "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" and "Raees", starring Pakistani actors. Indian filmmaker Karan Johar, who has directed Fawad in "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", had spoken out against the MNS ban, saying that banning artistes was not a solution and that the film industry must not be made a "soft target" in times like these. Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, who co-stars with Fawad, actress Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai in "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" also cautioned against 'getting swept away with bitterness and negativity'. “I don’t want to sound preachy and like a ‘healer talker’ but we are living in some hard times right now. I hope that you guys don’t get swept away with the bitterness and negativity, the violence that’s happening around the world and around us,” the actor told the press a few days back. The Indian film industry is deeply divided on the issue. While some artistes have critised the decision to ban Pakistani performers, many in the industry such as Randeep Hooda, Sonali Bendre and Nana Patekar have supported the move. (WION)

Pakistani actor Fawad Khan on Indo-Pak tensions: Wish we can build a more peaceful world

Nepal, the current South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Chair, on Saturday said it will hold talks with member states to push for holding the group&#39;s annual summit at the earliest.&nbsp;

Foreign minister Prakash Sharan Mahat said all necessary initiatives would be taken to ensure the participation of all eight member states.&nbsp;

Addressing a press conference, Mahat said SAARC states must be sensitive towards holding the 19th SAARC Summit which was postponed after five countries pulled out, including India. &nbsp;

&quot;SAARC is an important forum for advancing regional cooperation and development,&quot; the minister said.

The conference was scheduled to be held in Pakistan&#39;s capital Islamabad in November. India, followed by Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, refused to travel to Pakistan for the summit citing security concerns.&nbsp;

Continued tensions along the Line of Control and cross border terrorism by Pakistan made the environment unconducive for holding the meeting, India had announced earlier in the week.&nbsp;

The decision by the five member states forced Nepal to postpone the summit, as the summit cannot be held even if one member refuses to attend.&nbsp;

Mahat said that Pakistan as host should make a conducive environment for holding the summit.

Mahat also urged for a decision to be made on holding the summit, saying it is imperative to encourage harmonious relations between the member states to enhance regional development.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
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Nepal said it is Pakistan's responsibility as a host nation to ensure a conducive environment to hold the summit

Nepal, the current South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Chair, on Saturday said it will hold talks with member states to push for holding the group's annual summit at the earliest. Foreign minister Prakash Sharan Mahat said all necessary initiatives would be taken to ensure the participation of all eight member states. Addressing a press conference, Mahat said SAARC states must be sensitive towards holding the 19th SAARC Summit which was postponed after five countries pulled out, including India. "SAARC is an important forum for advancing regional cooperation and development," the minister said. The conference was scheduled to be held in Pakistan's capital Islamabad in November. India, followed by Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, refused to travel to Pakistan for the summit citing security concerns. Continued tensions along the Line of Control and cross border terrorism by Pakistan made the environment unconducive for holding the meeting, India had announced earlier in the week. The decision by the five member states forced Nepal to postpone the summit, as the summit cannot be held even if one member refuses to attend. Mahat said that Pakistan as host should make a conducive environment for holding the summit. Mahat also urged for a decision to be made on holding the summit, saying it is imperative to encourage harmonious relations between the member states to enhance regional development. (WION with inputs from agencies)

SAARC Summit: Nepal to hold talks with member states to salvage meet