<p>India&rsquo;s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, in a series of tweets, hit out at Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz for not acknowledging a visa request for Kulbhushan Jadhav&rsquo;s mother.</p>

<p>She, however, added that any Pakistani national asking for a medical visa would be granted one immediately if Sartaj Aziz recommended it.</p>

<p>Swaraj&#39;s tweets come after Pakistani media last week reported that the Indian embassy in Pakistan rejected the visa application of a woman suffering from cancer for her treatment in India.</p>

<p>Faiza Tanveer, in a series of tweets, had urged Swaraj to intervene.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj">@SushmaSwaraj</a><br />
Please help me save my life mam plz</p>
&mdash; Faiza Tanveer (@FaizaTanveer8) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaizaTanveer8/status/883009788807966721">July 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Swaraj said she sympathised with Pakistani nationals seeking medical visa and that all it required was a &ldquo;recommendation&rdquo; from Aziz.</p>

<p>She added, &ldquo;I am sure Mr. Sartaj Aziz also has consideration for the nationals of his country.&rdquo;</p>

<p>She then wrote that India, too, had a visa application pending for Mrs Avantika Jadhav, Kulbhushan Jadhav&rsquo;s mother.</p>

<p>Swaraj added that she had written a letter to Aziz requesting a visa for Mrs Jadhav, but he didn&rsquo;t even show the courtesy to acknowledge her letter.</p>

<p>&ldquo;We also have a visa application pending for an Indian national Mrs.Avantika Jadhav who wants to meet her son in Pakistan against whom they have pronounced a death sentence. I wrote a personal letter to Mr. Sartaj Aziz for the grant of her visa to Pakistan. However, Mr.Aziz has not shown the courtesy even to acknowledge my letter,&rdquo; she wrote.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I have my sympathies for all Pakistan nationals seeking medical visa for their treatment in India. /1</p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/884271125542260736">July 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I am sure Mr.Sartaj Aziz also has consideration for the nationals of his country. /2</p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/884271449082519553">July 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">All that we require is his recommendation for the grant of medical visa to Pakistan nationals. /3</p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/884272062792990720">July 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I see no reason why should he hesitate to give his recommendation for nationals of his own country. /4</p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/884272310831558656">July 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


She, however, added that any Pakistani national asking for a medical visa would be granted one immediately if Sartaj Aziz recommended it

India’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, in a series of tweets, hit out at Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz for not acknowledging a visa request for Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother. She, however, added that any Pakistani national asking for a medical visa would be granted one immediately if Sartaj Aziz recommended it. Swaraj's tweets come after Pakistani media last week reported that the Indian embassy in Pakistan rejected the visa application of a woman suffering from cancer for her treatment in India. Faiza Tanveer, in a series of tweets, had urged Swaraj to intervene. @SushmaSwaraj Please help me save my life mam plz — Faiza Tanveer (@FaizaTanveer8) July 6, 2017 × Swaraj said she sympathised with Pakistani nationals seeking medical visa and that all it required was a “recommendation” from Aziz. She added, “I am sure Mr. Sartaj Aziz also has consideration for the nationals of his country.” She then wrote that India, too, had a visa application pending for Mrs Avantika Jadhav, Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother. Swaraj added that she had written a letter to Aziz requesting a visa for Mrs Jadhav, but he didn’t even show the courtesy to acknowledge her letter. “We also have a visa application pending for an Indian national Mrs.Avantika Jadhav who wants to meet her son in Pakistan against whom they have pronounced a death sentence. I wrote a personal letter to Mr. Sartaj Aziz for the grant of her visa to Pakistan. However, Mr.Aziz has not shown the courtesy even to acknowledge my letter,” she wrote. I have my sympathies for all Pakistan nationals seeking medical visa for their treatment in India. /1 — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 10, 2017 × I am sure Mr.Sartaj Aziz also has consideration for the nationals of his country. /2 — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 10, 2017 × All that we require is his recommendation for the grant of medical visa to Pakistan nationals. /3 — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 10, 2017 × I see no reason why should he hesitate to give his recommendation for nationals of his own country. /4 — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 10, 2017 ×

Requested visa for Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother, Sartaj Aziz didn't even acknowledge it: Sushma Swaraj

<p>India&#39;s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday dismissed reports that she is a contender in the presidential election as &quot;rumours&quot;.</p>

<p>Asked whether she was in the fray, the external affairs minister said that the selection of candidates was an &quot;internal matter.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;These are rumours. I am an external affairs minister and you are asking me something which is an internal matter,&quot; Sushma Swaraj told PTI.</p>

<p>Neither the government nor the opposition have declared their candidate presidential election to be held on July 17.</p>

<p>Several names, including that of Sushma Swaraj, have been doing the rounds.</p>

<p>While June 28 is the last day for nominations, a candidate can withdraw from the race till July 1.</p>

<p>Counting of votes will be held on July 20.<br />
<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Asked whether she was in the fray, the external affairs minister said these are 'rumours'

India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday dismissed reports that she is a contender in the presidential election as "rumours". Asked whether she was in the fray, the external affairs minister said that the selection of candidates was an "internal matter." "These are rumours. I am an external affairs minister and you are asking me something which is an internal matter," Sushma Swaraj told PTI. Neither the government nor the opposition have declared their candidate presidential election to be held on July 17. Several names, including that of Sushma Swaraj, have been doing the rounds. While June 28 is the last day for nominations, a candidate can withdraw from the race till July 1. Counting of votes will be held on July 20.

Rumours, internal matter, says Sushma Swaraj on running for presidency

<p>External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Sunday assured a Pakistani man medical visa for his father provided the case was recommended by the country&#39;s adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz.</p>

<p>Taking to Twitter to present his case, Saeed Ayub said &quot;I sold half of my assets 4 (for) my father&#39;s liver transplant from India and now no medical visa for us. Why only the common man suffers.&quot;</p>

<p>Swaraj, known for extending a helping hand to people who approach her through social media, said her sympathies are with him. &quot;We will give you the visa. Sartaj Aziz <em>sahib</em> should recommend your case.&quot;</p>

<p>Only a letter of recommendation by Pakistan Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz will enable a Pakistani national to get a medical visa for India, the External Affairs Ministry had said recently, a condition reflective of the strained ties between the two neighbours.<br />
<br />
(PTI)</p>


The man from Pakistan approached the external affairs minister for her help on Twitter

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Sunday assured a Pakistani man medical visa for his father provided the case was recommended by the country's adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz. Taking to Twitter to present his case, Saeed Ayub said "I sold half of my assets 4 (for) my father's liver transplant from India and now no medical visa for us. Why only the common man suffers." Swaraj, known for extending a helping hand to people who approach her through social media, said her sympathies are with him. "We will give you the visa. Sartaj Aziz sahib should recommend your case." Only a letter of recommendation by Pakistan Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz will enable a Pakistani national to get a medical visa for India, the External Affairs Ministry had said recently, a condition reflective of the strained ties between the two neighbours. (PTI)

Sushma Swaraj asks Pakistani citizen to secure Sartaj Aziz's approval for medical visa

<p>Indian national Uzma, who was forced to marry a Pakistan man at gunpoint, thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Indian High Commission officials in Islamabad for facilitating her safe return home on Thursday.</p>

<p>At a joint press conference with the external affairs ministry in New Delhi, Uzma broke down as she described her ordeal after she was forced to marry a Pakistani at gunpoint in the Taliban-infested Buner.</p>

<p>She has blamed Tahir Ali, whom she reportedly met in Malaysia and fell in love with, of forcing her into marrying him in Pakistan.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She said she was drugged by her husband and allegedly kidnapped.</p>

<p>&quot;Tahir&nbsp;tortured me in all ways including emotionally. He threatened to kill my daughter if I didn&#39;t go according to them (family). They kept pistols with them.</p>

<p>The situation developed so fast. Tahir gave me a sleeping pill&nbsp;and from my point of view, this can be called a kidnapping. I did not know that the situation would deteriorate so much after crossing the Wagah Border. The place and the people were&nbsp;so strange. The&nbsp;people were not good. I do not know how to describe everyting, a visibly distraught Uzma said.</p>

<p>She also alleged that the women who went to Pakistan after an arranged marriage were living in very trying circumstances.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s easy to enter Pakistan, but it&#39;s impossible to leave from there. I have seen women who go there after arranged marriages.<br />
<br />
They&#39;re miserable and living in terrible circumstances. There&#39;re two, three, even four wives in every house,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>&quot;If I had stayed there for few more days, I would have died. They lure women from east Asian countries like Phillipines, Malaysia... there&#39;re many women like me still trapped there,&quot; she added.</p>

<p>Uzma also expressed gratitude to Sushma Swaraj and India&#39;s deputy high commissioner to Pakistan, JP Singh, for their support.</p>

<p>&nbsp;&quot;I want to express my gratitude to Sushma Swaraj and the high commission officials for helping me. They made me realise that my life is valuable,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>Sushma ma&#39;am used to call me everyday that don&#39;t worry, we will not let anything happen to you. I was happy that the government was doing something for me, it was enough for me,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>Calling Uzma&nbsp;&quot;India&#39;s daughter&quot;, Sushma Swaraj thanked the Pakistan government for helping her return to India.</p>

<p>&quot;The moment she crossed the (Wagah) border, I was relieved. I also&nbsp;want to thank Uzma for placing her trust on the high commission,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>The Islamabad High Court allowed Uzma&#39;s&nbsp;plea earlier in the day and ordered the police to escort her to the Wagah Border.</p>

<p>Uzma hails from New Delhi. She had travelled to Pakistan earlier this month.</p>

<p>(WION with agency input)&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Uzma said women who went to Pakistan after an arranged marriage were miserable and living in terrible circumstances

Indian national Uzma, who was forced to marry a Pakistan man at gunpoint, thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Indian High Commission officials in Islamabad for facilitating her safe return home on Thursday. At a joint press conference with the external affairs ministry in New Delhi, Uzma broke down as she described her ordeal after she was forced to marry a Pakistani at gunpoint in the Taliban-infested Buner. She has blamed Tahir Ali, whom she reportedly met in Malaysia and fell in love with, of forcing her into marrying him in Pakistan. She said she was drugged by her husband and allegedly kidnapped. "Tahir tortured me in all ways including emotionally. He threatened to kill my daughter if I didn't go according to them (family). They kept pistols with them. The situation developed so fast. Tahir gave me a sleeping pill and from my point of view, this can be called a kidnapping. I did not know that the situation would deteriorate so much after crossing the Wagah Border. The place and the people were so strange. The people were not good. I do not know how to describe everyting, a visibly distraught Uzma said. She also alleged that the women who went to Pakistan after an arranged marriage were living in very trying circumstances. "It's easy to enter Pakistan, but it's impossible to leave from there. I have seen women who go there after arranged marriages. They're miserable and living in terrible circumstances. There're two, three, even four wives in every house," she said. "If I had stayed there for few more days, I would have died. They lure women from east Asian countries like Phillipines, Malaysia... there're many women like me still trapped there," she added. Uzma also expressed gratitude to Sushma Swaraj and India's deputy high commissioner to Pakistan, JP Singh, for their support. "I want to express my gratitude to Sushma Swaraj and the high commission officials for helping me. They made me realise that my life is valuable," she said. Sushma ma'am used to call me everyday that don't worry, we will not let anything happen to you. I was happy that the government was doing something for me, it was enough for me," she said. Calling Uzma "India's daughter", Sushma Swaraj thanked the Pakistan government for helping her return to India. "The moment she crossed the (Wagah) border, I was relieved. I also want to thank Uzma for placing her trust on the high commission," she said. The Islamabad High Court allowed Uzma's plea earlier in the day and ordered the police to escort her to the Wagah Border. Uzma hails from New Delhi. She had travelled to Pakistan earlier this month. (WION with agency input)

Pakistan a 'well of death', says India's Uzma who was forced to marry Pakistani at gunpoint

<p>Union Minister for External Affairs (EAM) Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday informed that 10 Indians who were working as a crew on a commercial vessel which was hijacked in Somalia by pirates have been rescued.</p>

<p>Swaraj in a series of tweets announced the development.</p>

<p>&quot;I am happy to inform that 10 Indian nationals working as crew on MV AL Kausar which was hijacked by pirates have been rescued,&quot; Swaraj tweeted.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I am happy to inform that 10 Indian nationals working as crew on MV AL Kausar which was hijacked by pirates have been rescued. /1</p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/852185774770577409">April 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Swaraj also took the occasion to thank the government of Somalia for their participation.</p>

<p>&quot;We thank Federal Government of Somalia, Galmudug state authorities and people of Somalia for their help and cooperation, she added.</p>

<p>Swaraj lauded India`s High Commissioner in Kenya Suchitra Durai for her successful endeavours in the regard.</p>

<p>&quot;I appreciate Ms.Suchitra Durai, our High Commissioner in Kenya for her good work,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>Pirates stormed the &quot;Al Kausar&quot; ship off the Indian Ocean coast near Yemen on March 31, holding the 10-man crew hostage.</p>

<p>(ANI)</p>


I am happy to inform that 10 Indian nationals working as crew on MV AL Kausar which was hijacked by pirates have been rescued: Sushma Swaraj

Union Minister for External Affairs (EAM) Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday informed that 10 Indians who were working as a crew on a commercial vessel which was hijacked in Somalia by pirates have been rescued. Swaraj in a series of tweets announced the development. "I am happy to inform that 10 Indian nationals working as crew on MV AL Kausar which was hijacked by pirates have been rescued," Swaraj tweeted. I am happy to inform that 10 Indian nationals working as crew on MV AL Kausar which was hijacked by pirates have been rescued. /1 — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) April 12, 2017 × Swaraj also took the occasion to thank the government of Somalia for their participation. "We thank Federal Government of Somalia, Galmudug state authorities and people of Somalia for their help and cooperation, she added. Swaraj lauded India`s High Commissioner in Kenya Suchitra Durai for her successful endeavours in the regard. "I appreciate Ms.Suchitra Durai, our High Commissioner in Kenya for her good work," she said. Pirates stormed the "Al Kausar" ship off the Indian Ocean coast near Yemen on March 31, holding the 10-man crew hostage. (ANI)

Indians held by pirates in Somalia rescued

<p>India has received a report on the shootout incident resulting in the death of its national in the US&#39; Washington state and is coordinating with the investigative agencies, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today.</p>

<p>The Minister also said that the Indian Consulate in San Francisco is helping the family of 26-year-old Vikram Jaryal, who was shot dead allegedly by two masked armed robbers.</p>

<p>&quot;I have received a report on the shootout incident resulting in the tragic death of Indian national Vikram Jaryal in Washington State USA,&quot; Swaraj tweeted.</p>

<p>&quot;The victim was only 26 years old and had reached US only 25 days back. He was working at the gas station of a family friend,&quot; she said in a series of tweets.</p>

<p>Jaryal, who worked as a clerk at AM-PM Gas Station in Yakima city, was behind the counter when the incident happened. His family had yesterday sought Swaraj&#39;s help to bring his body back.</p>

<p>&quot;On 6 April two miscreants entered the shop at 1.30 am. They snatched cash from victim and shot on his chest. This resulted in his death,&quot; Swaraj said.</p>

<p>&quot;We are coordinating with the investigative agencies. They have got the CCTV footage and are in the process of apprehending the culprits,&quot; she said</p>

<p>&quot;Our consulate in San Francisco is helping the family and following this up with the Police authorities,&quot; she added.<br />
Jaryal hailed from Hoshiarpur district in Punjab.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(PTI)</p>


26-year-old Vikram Jaryal, who hails from Punjab, was shot dead on April 6 in US

India has received a report on the shootout incident resulting in the death of its national in the US' Washington state and is coordinating with the investigative agencies, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today. The Minister also said that the Indian Consulate in San Francisco is helping the family of 26-year-old Vikram Jaryal, who was shot dead allegedly by two masked armed robbers. "I have received a report on the shootout incident resulting in the tragic death of Indian national Vikram Jaryal in Washington State USA," Swaraj tweeted. "The victim was only 26 years old and had reached US only 25 days back. He was working at the gas station of a family friend," she said in a series of tweets. Jaryal, who worked as a clerk at AM-PM Gas Station in Yakima city, was behind the counter when the incident happened. His family had yesterday sought Swaraj's help to bring his body back. "On 6 April two miscreants entered the shop at 1.30 am. They snatched cash from victim and shot on his chest. This resulted in his death," Swaraj said. "We are coordinating with the investigative agencies. They have got the CCTV footage and are in the process of apprehending the culprits," she said "Our consulate in San Francisco is helping the family and following this up with the Police authorities," she added. Jaryal hailed from Hoshiarpur district in Punjab. (PTI)

Sushma Swaraj: Coordinating with US agencies over death of Indian in Washington

<p>India&#39;s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said Wednesday that she was &quot;surprised&quot; the attacks on people of African origin had been termed&nbsp;&quot;xenophobic and racist&quot;. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;The attack cannot be called racist before probe is completed. We are committed to African students&#39; safety,&quot; PTI quoted her as saying in Parliament.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PTI added that Swaraj called the African envoys&#39; statement after the attack &quot;unfortunate, painful and surprising&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The chiefs of missions of 43 African countries had called the attacks &quot;xenophobic and racist&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They had added that the attacks had not been condemned strongly enough by the prime minister and the chief minister of UP, where the attacks took place.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The attacks -- in Greater Noida -- had taken place after the death of a teenager, presumably of a drug overdose.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Locals however alleged he had been forced to consume drugs.</p>

<p>The FIR filed after the attacks -- in which at least four people of African origin had been attacked -- had said as many as 1,000 locals had taken to the streets of Greater Noida looking to attack anybody who &quot;looked like an African&quot;.</p>

<p>(WION) &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


'The attack cannot be called racist before probe is completed,' she said in Parliament

India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said Wednesday that she was "surprised" the attacks on people of African origin had been termed "xenophobic and racist". "The attack cannot be called racist before probe is completed. We are committed to African students' safety," PTI quoted her as saying in Parliament. PTI added that Swaraj called the African envoys' statement after the attack "unfortunate, painful and surprising". The chiefs of missions of 43 African countries had called the attacks "xenophobic and racist". They had added that the attacks had not been condemned strongly enough by the prime minister and the chief minister of UP, where the attacks took place. The attacks -- in Greater Noida -- had taken place after the death of a teenager, presumably of a drug overdose. Locals however alleged he had been forced to consume drugs. The FIR filed after the attacks -- in which at least four people of African origin had been attacked -- had said as many as 1,000 locals had taken to the streets of Greater Noida looking to attack anybody who "looked like an African". (WION)

Sushma Swaraj 'surprised' attacks on Africans were called 'racist'

<p>The Indian government has asked for information from airport authorities in Frankfurt, Germany, after an Indian woman was asked to strip as part of &quot;random security check&quot; while on her way to Iceland.</p>

<p>The government has also asked the police to investigate the matter, India&#39;s external minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">@CGIFranfurt has taken up this matter with Frankfurt Airport authorities. The matter has been referred to the Police for investigation. /1 <a href="https://t.co/IhCdtwHddO">https://t.co/IhCdtwHddO</a></p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/848576558717485056">April 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>The Indian woman was apparently the only person to be strip-searched while she was travelling with her Icelandic husband their four-year-old child from India to Iceland via Frankfurt on Saturday morning.</p>

<p>The 30-year-old woman put up a post on Facebook to narrate her ordeal in Germany: &quot;I was taken into a room, and was asked to lift my dress/ take it off so that I could be checked to make sure I wasn&#39;t &#39;carrying anything under my clothes&#39;. This whole ordeal happened in front of my 4 year old (sic).&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;I was given no explanation as to why I was put through this ordeal. My constant requests to be patted down gently because of a recent abdominal surgery (proof of which I was carrying on hand) was constantly ignored and resulted in being shouted at aggressively by the woman in charge. She then proceeded to call her supervisor who parroted the same lines about how they wanted me to take my dress off,&quot; she further wrote.</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from ANI)</p>


On Saturday, a 30-year-old woman was allegedly the lone passenger to be strip-searched before her flight to Iceland

The Indian government has asked for information from airport authorities in Frankfurt, Germany, after an Indian woman was asked to strip as part of "random security check" while on her way to Iceland. The government has also asked the police to investigate the matter, India's external minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted. @CGIFranfurt has taken up this matter with Frankfurt Airport authorities. The matter has been referred to the Police for investigation. /1 https://t.co/IhCdtwHddO — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) April 2, 2017 × The Indian woman was apparently the only person to be strip-searched while she was travelling with her Icelandic husband their four-year-old child from India to Iceland via Frankfurt on Saturday morning. The 30-year-old woman put up a post on Facebook to narrate her ordeal in Germany: "I was taken into a room, and was asked to lift my dress/ take it off so that I could be checked to make sure I wasn't 'carrying anything under my clothes'. This whole ordeal happened in front of my 4 year old (sic)." "I was given no explanation as to why I was put through this ordeal. My constant requests to be patted down gently because of a recent abdominal surgery (proof of which I was carrying on hand) was constantly ignored and resulted in being shouted at aggressively by the woman in charge. She then proceeded to call her supervisor who parroted the same lines about how they wanted me to take my dress off," she further wrote. (WION with inputs from ANI)

India asks police to probe Frankfurt airport incident

<p>The Indian student assaulted in Poland has survived the attack, but is in the ICU.</p>

<p>Initial reports had said he had died from his injuries.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The student had been attacked on a tram in the city of Poznan.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Times of India reported that an Amit Agnihotri had tweeted about the attack. Agnihotri is presumably a friend of the victim.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Times of India reported him as saying:&nbsp;&quot;When my friend got pushed from the back, he thought, I was doing it for fun. But soon, it turned out to be an attack by stranger. The victim suffered wounds on the head, hand and face and was bleeding heavily,&quot; Agnihotri said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Agnihotri said the attack had been &quot;racist&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">There was an incident of beating. Fortunately, he has survived. We are inquiring into all aspects of the incident. <a href="https://t.co/uO9hJ171aB">https://t.co/uO9hJ171aB</a></p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/847864308025311232">March 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is from Mr.Ajay Bisaria, Indian Ambassador in Poland. <a href="https://twitter.com/amit02A">@amit02A</a> <a href="https://t.co/pjDLfpv6vo">https://t.co/pjDLfpv6vo</a></p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/847862111946457088">March 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&quot;... the person shouted at him (victim) and then start hitting,&quot; Agnihotri said, adding, &quot;He has been badly beaten and is in ICU.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;There was an incident of beating. Fortunately, he has survived. We are inquiring into all aspects of the incident,&quot; Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She later tweeted an update from the Indian high commissioner to Poland Ajay Bisaria, who said:&nbsp;&quot;Prelim enquiry suggests student attacked in Poznan tram on Wed. Thank God, he survived. Getting details.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Initial reports had said he had died from his injuries

The Indian student assaulted in Poland has survived the attack, but is in the ICU. Initial reports had said he had died from his injuries. The student had been attacked on a tram in the city of Poznan. The Times of India reported that an Amit Agnihotri had tweeted about the attack. Agnihotri is presumably a friend of the victim. The Times of India reported him as saying: "When my friend got pushed from the back, he thought, I was doing it for fun. But soon, it turned out to be an attack by stranger. The victim suffered wounds on the head, hand and face and was bleeding heavily," Agnihotri said. Agnihotri said the attack had been "racist". There was an incident of beating. Fortunately, he has survived. We are inquiring into all aspects of the incident. https://t.co/uO9hJ171aB — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 31, 2017 × This is from Mr.Ajay Bisaria, Indian Ambassador in Poland. @amit02A https://t.co/pjDLfpv6vo — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 31, 2017 × "... the person shouted at him (victim) and then start hitting," Agnihotri said, adding, "He has been badly beaten and is in ICU." "There was an incident of beating. Fortunately, he has survived. We are inquiring into all aspects of the incident," Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted. She later tweeted an update from the Indian high commissioner to Poland Ajay Bisaria, who said: "Prelim enquiry suggests student attacked in Poznan tram on Wed. Thank God, he survived. Getting details." (WION)

Indian student assaulted in Poland survives, is in ICU

<p>The top government official of Greater Noida, Nagendra Prasad Singh, Tuesday refused to declare the alleged attack on Nigerian students&nbsp;a hate crime.</p>

<p>&quot;It is absolutely not a hate crime, nor&nbsp;is it some kind of anger against a race. A few people have spread rumours regarding the death of a youth which gave rise to anger. The incident happened in continuity of that,&quot; District Magistrate Nagendra Prasad Singh said.</p>

<p>He added&nbsp;the district administration will ensure that such incidents do not get repeated in the future and that harmony prevails.</p>

<p>&quot;We will not let the nation&#39;s image get hampered,&quot; said the DM who met a Nigerian delegation regarding the attack.</p>

<p>The Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack in a statement and said the government was committed to ensuring safety of foreigners in India.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Union minister MJ Akbar said he had spoken to the acting high commissioner in Nigeria and apprised him of the steps being taken by local authorities for safety of Nigerian nationals.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Greater Noida incident wher people of African origin were injured,is deplorable.Govt committed to ensuring safety of foreigners in India:MEA</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/846699370212986881">March 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">MJ Akbar spoke to Acting High Comsnr of Nigeria,apprised him of steps being taken by local authorities for safety of Nigerian nationals:MEA</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/846698881031294976">March 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Three Nigerian students, who are currently hospitalised, were attacked by a mob of around 1000 Monday evening after a Class 12 student in their area died of drug overdose. His parents alleged he had accessed it from the Nigerians.</p>

<p>The crowd was holding a candlelight protest over the death of the student when they spotted the&nbsp;Nigerian students at Greater Noida&#39;s Ansal Plaza shopping mall.</p>

<p>A video of the attack on one of the students was subsequently posted by the African Students in India student group onto their Facebook page.</p>

<p>In the video, taken from a floor above, a man is lying helplessly on the ground, rolling around trying to shield himself,&nbsp;as the people surrounding him&nbsp;attack with a&nbsp;metal stool&nbsp;and a chair, a metal garbage can,&nbsp;and take turns&nbsp;pummelling him&nbsp;with kicks and closed fists.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister about the alleged attack on the African students after a foreign student pleaded with her for swift action, saying living in the area was becoming a &quot;life threatening&quot; issue.</p>

<p>Swaraj said the central government was taking immediate action and that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had assured her of a fair and impartial investigation into this &quot;unfortunate&quot; incident.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="videos-block">
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2UCU5G6q91E"></iframe></div>
</div>

<div class="media-description">
<p>Late Monday evening, the African Students in India student group posted a video of another attack on an African student on Monday night in Greater Noida&#39;s Ansal Plaza (WION)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>This is not the first time this has happened in India.&nbsp;</p>

<p>An attack on African students at a Metro station in Delhi in October 2014 culminated in the mob shouting &quot;Bharat mata ki jai&quot;, or &quot;Praise be to Mother India&quot;. &nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/facing-racist-abuse-africans-in-india-refuse-to-give-in-to-fear-2112" target="_blank">In May 2016</a> violence in New Delhi against Africans was in the spotlight after a brutal stoning to death of Congolese national Masunda Kitada Oliver in a dispute over an auto-rickshaw, while&nbsp;in&nbsp;July 2016, a New Delhi&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/facing-racist-abuse-africans-in-india-refuse-to-give-in-to-fear-2112" target="_blank">security guard</a>&nbsp;beat up a student from Congo.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And in February 2016, a Tanzanian student was stripped of her clothes and assaulted by a mob in Bengaluru.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Government of India is seized of the matter. We are taking immediate action: EAM Sushma Swaraj on African students attacked in Noida, UP</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/846565196969758724">March 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Sushma Swaraj&#39;s calling&nbsp;Yogi Adityanath this morning may take on even greater significance in light of this new attack.</p>

<p>&quot;I have spoken to Yogi Adityanath ji Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh about attack on African students in Greater Noida. He has assured that there will be a fair and impartial investigation into this unfortunate incident (sic),&quot; she said in a series of tweets.</p>

<p>Responding to a tweet from a student who requested her to &quot;act fast as living for us in Noida is becoming a life threatening issue&quot;, she said that the central government was seized of the matter.</p>

<p><br />
&quot;We are taking immediate action,&quot; she added.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="videos-block">
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QcWt7gZ-Ryc"></iframe></div>
</div>

<div class="media-description">
<p>Samuel T Jack, the president of the association of African students in India, spoke to WION on the recent attacks on African students in Greater Noida (WION)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>(WION)&nbsp;</p>


The Association of African Students in India posted a graphic video of an attack by a mob in Greater Noida

The top government official of Greater Noida, Nagendra Prasad Singh, Tuesday refused to declare the alleged attack on Nigerian students a hate crime. "It is absolutely not a hate crime, nor is it some kind of anger against a race. A few people have spread rumours regarding the death of a youth which gave rise to anger. The incident happened in continuity of that," District Magistrate Nagendra Prasad Singh said. He added the district administration will ensure that such incidents do not get repeated in the future and that harmony prevails. "We will not let the nation's image get hampered," said the DM who met a Nigerian delegation regarding the attack. The Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack in a statement and said the government was committed to ensuring safety of foreigners in India. Union minister MJ Akbar said he had spoken to the acting high commissioner in Nigeria and apprised him of the steps being taken by local authorities for safety of Nigerian nationals. Greater Noida incident wher people of African origin were injured,is deplorable.Govt committed to ensuring safety of foreigners in India:MEA — ANI (@ANI_news) March 28, 2017 × MJ Akbar spoke to Acting High Comsnr of Nigeria,apprised him of steps being taken by local authorities for safety of Nigerian nationals:MEA — ANI (@ANI_news) March 28, 2017 × Three Nigerian students, who are currently hospitalised, were attacked by a mob of around 1000 Monday evening after a Class 12 student in their area died of drug overdose. His parents alleged he had accessed it from the Nigerians. The crowd was holding a candlelight protest over the death of the student when they spotted the Nigerian students at Greater Noida's Ansal Plaza shopping mall. A video of the attack on one of the students was subsequently posted by the African Students in India student group onto their Facebook page. In the video, taken from a floor above, a man is lying helplessly on the ground, rolling around trying to shield himself, as the people surrounding him attack with a metal stool and a chair, a metal garbage can, and take turns pummelling him with kicks and closed fists. Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister about the alleged attack on the African students after a foreign student pleaded with her for swift action, saying living in the area was becoming a "life threatening" issue. Swaraj said the central government was taking immediate action and that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had assured her of a fair and impartial investigation into this "unfortunate" incident. Late Monday evening, the African Students in India student group posted a video of another attack on an African student on Monday night in Greater Noida's Ansal Plaza (WION) × This is not the first time this has happened in India. An attack on African students at a Metro station in Delhi in October 2014 culminated in the mob shouting "Bharat mata ki jai", or "Praise be to Mother India". In May 2016 violence in New Delhi against Africans was in the spotlight after a brutal stoning to death of Congolese national Masunda Kitada Oliver in a dispute over an auto-rickshaw, while in July 2016, a New Delhi security guard beat up a student from Congo. And in February 2016, a Tanzanian student was stripped of her clothes and assaulted by a mob in Bengaluru. Government of India is seized of the matter. We are taking immediate action: EAM Sushma Swaraj on African students attacked in Noida, UP — ANI (@ANI_news) March 28, 2017 × Sushma Swaraj's calling Yogi Adityanath this morning may take on even greater significance in light of this new attack. "I have spoken to Yogi Adityanath ji Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh about attack on African students in Greater Noida. He has assured that there will be a fair and impartial investigation into this unfortunate incident (sic)," she said in a series of tweets. Responding to a tweet from a student who requested her to "act fast as living for us in Noida is becoming a life threatening issue", she said that the central government was seized of the matter. "We are taking immediate action," she added. Samuel T Jack, the president of the association of African students in India, spoke to WION on the recent attacks on African students in Greater Noida (WION) × (WION)

Attack on Nigerian nationals not a hate crime: Greater Noida District Magistrate

<p>The recent attacks on Indians in the US are &quot;hate crimes&quot; and not a simple law and order issue, the government said today with an assertion that national interest will not be compromised for the sake of Strategic Partnership with that country.</p>

<p>Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj expressed the confidence that the Trump Administration would not let these incidents become a trend and is keeping a close watch on them.</p>

<p>&quot;We do not treat these incidents as law and order matter. It is not as simple as that. From our side, we are saying that these are 100 per cent incidents of hate crime,&quot; she said, adding that the investigation should be carried out from such a perspective.</p>

<p>The minister was making statement on three incidents of attacks on Indians in the US. On February 22, 32-year old Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot dead by a US national in Kansas city, while on March 2 Harnish Patel, a US national of Indian origin, was shot dead.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>We are taking up this matter at the highest level. We are watching if there is any trend being set,&#39; Swaraj said</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=We are taking up this matter at the highest level. We are watching if there is any trend being set,' Swaraj said" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>On March 4, Deep Rai, a US national of Indian origin, was shot by an unknown person in Kent near Seattle.</p>

<p>&quot;We are taking up this matter at the highest level. We are watching if there is any trend being set,&quot; Swaraj said.</p>

<p>She said the US administration is saying that the attacks were individual acts of hate crimes and no trend should be seen in these incidents.</p>

<p>CPI leader D Raja voiced apprehension that the Strategic Partnership could come in the way of India taking up this issue with the US.</p>

<p>In her response, Swaraj said, &quot;Strategic Partnership does not mean that we will compromise with our national interest... Do not think that we will remain silent because of Strategic Partnership. The Strategic Partnership is secondary. First comes the security and safety of our nationals.&quot;</p>

<p>The minister said that the manner in which the US government has responded, India hopes that these incidents would not become a trend.</p>

<p>&quot;I want to assure the House that despite having a Strategic Partnership and good relations with the US, the safety and security of Indians remains our top priority. We will never ignore that,&quot; the minister said.</p>

<p>She said India is in &quot;continuous dialogue with the US government&quot; on this issue.</p>

<p>Through embassy and consulates, she said, close contacts are being maintained with the local Indian community groups to address any emergent issues.</p>

<p>&quot;We will remain vigilant to developments impacting the lives of Indian abroad and do everything possible to safeguard their interests and welfare,&quot; she said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(PTI)</p>


Strategic partnership with US secondary to the safety of our nationals, Sushma Swaraj said in Parliament

The recent attacks on Indians in the US are "hate crimes" and not a simple law and order issue, the government said today with an assertion that national interest will not be compromised for the sake of Strategic Partnership with that country. Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj expressed the confidence that the Trump Administration would not let these incidents become a trend and is keeping a close watch on them. "We do not treat these incidents as law and order matter. It is not as simple as that. From our side, we are saying that these are 100 per cent incidents of hate crime," she said, adding that the investigation should be carried out from such a perspective. The minister was making statement on three incidents of attacks on Indians in the US. On February 22, 32-year old Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot dead by a US national in Kansas city, while on March 2 Harnish Patel, a US national of Indian origin, was shot dead. We are taking up this matter at the highest level. We are watching if there is any trend being set,' Swaraj said × On March 4, Deep Rai, a US national of Indian origin, was shot by an unknown person in Kent near Seattle. "We are taking up this matter at the highest level. We are watching if there is any trend being set," Swaraj said. She said the US administration is saying that the attacks were individual acts of hate crimes and no trend should be seen in these incidents. CPI leader D Raja voiced apprehension that the Strategic Partnership could come in the way of India taking up this issue with the US. In her response, Swaraj said, "Strategic Partnership does not mean that we will compromise with our national interest... Do not think that we will remain silent because of Strategic Partnership. The Strategic Partnership is secondary. First comes the security and safety of our nationals." The minister said that the manner in which the US government has responded, India hopes that these incidents would not become a trend. "I want to assure the House that despite having a Strategic Partnership and good relations with the US, the safety and security of Indians remains our top priority. We will never ignore that," the minister said. She said India is in "continuous dialogue with the US government" on this issue. Through embassy and consulates, she said, close contacts are being maintained with the local Indian community groups to address any emergent issues. "We will remain vigilant to developments impacting the lives of Indian abroad and do everything possible to safeguard their interests and welfare," she said. (PTI)

India's foreign minister says attacks on its nationals in US are hate crimes

<p>External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tonight announced &quot;securing&quot; the release of five Indians who were jailed in Togo.</p>

<p>&quot;We have secured the release of 5 Indians from Kerala jailed in Togo. Good work by Indian mission in Accra and Consulate in Togo (sic),&quot; she tweeted.</p>

<p>They were in jail since 2013 for their suspected involvement in a piracy attack off the coast of Togo, according to reports.</p>

<p>The Indians were employees of a Merchant Navy firm and were sailing on board a ship to South Africa from Mumbai when they were arrested.</p>

<p>(PTI)</p>


They were in jail since 2013 for their suspected involvement in a piracy attack off the coast of Togo

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tonight announced "securing" the release of five Indians who were jailed in Togo. "We have secured the release of 5 Indians from Kerala jailed in Togo. Good work by Indian mission in Accra and Consulate in Togo (sic)," she tweeted. They were in jail since 2013 for their suspected involvement in a piracy attack off the coast of Togo, according to reports. The Indians were employees of a Merchant Navy firm and were sailing on board a ship to South Africa from Mumbai when they were arrested. (PTI)

Release of 5 Indians jailed on piracy charges in Togo secured, India's external affairs minister says

<p>External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has sought a report from the Indian ambassador in the US on the arrest of a Gujarat-based businessman at an airport in the American state of North Dakota.</p>

<p>&quot;I have asked for a report from Indian Ambassador in U.S. @IndianEmbassyUS,&quot; she tweeted in response to a tweet by the wife of the arrested Indian man.</p>

<p>&quot;Sushmaji, my husband Paraman Radhakrishnan is an honest man with a passion for energy conservation,&quot; the wife tweeted to the minister.</p>

<p>53-year-old Radhakrishnan was taken into custody at the Grand Forks International Airport by police for allegedly making a bomb threat at an airport as he told a travel agent that there was an explosive in his bag. He faces terrorism charges.</p>

<p>Congress chief Sonia Gandhi&#39;s political secretary Ahmed Patel also sought Swaraj&#39;s intervention for the release of Radhakrishnan.</p>

<p>(PTI)</p>


53-year-old Radhakrishnan was taken into custody at the Grand Forks International Airport by police for allegedly making a bomb threat

External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has sought a report from the Indian ambassador in the US on the arrest of a Gujarat-based businessman at an airport in the American state of North Dakota. "I have asked for a report from Indian Ambassador in U.S. @IndianEmbassyUS," she tweeted in response to a tweet by the wife of the arrested Indian man. "Sushmaji, my husband Paraman Radhakrishnan is an honest man with a passion for energy conservation," the wife tweeted to the minister. 53-year-old Radhakrishnan was taken into custody at the Grand Forks International Airport by police for allegedly making a bomb threat at an airport as he told a travel agent that there was an explosive in his bag. He faces terrorism charges. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel also sought Swaraj's intervention for the release of Radhakrishnan. (PTI)

Indian businessman arrested in US for making bomb threat, Sushma Swaraj seeks report

<p>External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has hit back against lesser-known outfit Hindu Jagaran Sangha for accusing her of taking care of visa requests &quot;by Muslims only&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;India is my country. Indians are my people. The caste, state, language or religion is not relevant for me,&quot; she said in her tweet.</p>

<p>The Minister&#39;s strong retort came to a tweet by Hindu Jagaran Sangha-- which posts at the twitter handle @HinduJagoran.</p>

<p>&quot;Modi Ji @narendramodi Your Sushma @SushmaSwaraj,Only take care Of Muslim Visa. But Hindus are getting harrased to get India Visa. VERY UPSET(sic),&quot; the Sangha had tweeted.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">India is my country. Indians are my people. The caste, state, language or religion is not relevant for me. <a href="https://t.co/z59339vjGt">https://t.co/z59339vjGt</a></p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/822488208034316289">January 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>(PTI)</p>


The minister's retort came to a tweet by Hindu Jagaran Sangha which had said that 'Hindus are getting harassed to get India visa'

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has hit back against lesser-known outfit Hindu Jagaran Sangha for accusing her of taking care of visa requests "by Muslims only". "India is my country. Indians are my people. The caste, state, language or religion is not relevant for me," she said in her tweet. The Minister's strong retort came to a tweet by Hindu Jagaran Sangha-- which posts at the twitter handle @HinduJagoran. "Modi Ji @narendramodi Your Sushma @SushmaSwaraj,Only take care Of Muslim Visa. But Hindus are getting harrased to get India Visa. VERY UPSET(sic)," the Sangha had tweeted. India is my country. Indians are my people. The caste, state, language or religion is not relevant for me. https://t.co/z59339vjGt — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 20, 2017 × (PTI)

Indian foreign minister hits back on visa bias row, says 'Indians are my people'

<p>Global e-tailing giant Amazon appears to be headed for another round of confrontation with the Indian government.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Days after it discontinued the&nbsp;sale of doormats with the Indian flag on them -- following an angry reaction from India&rsquo;s foreign minister -- the online retailer once again finds itself in the middle of a brewing controversy, this time over slippers that have a picture of Mahatma Gandhi on them.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Even as the dust had barely settled on the episode involving sale of doormats showing Indian flag on Amazon&rsquo;s Canada portal, flip-flops depicting Mahatma Gandhi&rsquo;s picture, split into two, being sold on Amazon.com for 16.99 US dollars has come as another shocker for India.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Shockingly, Cafepress&mdash;the third party vendor who is selling these flip-flops on Amazon&mdash;has, on its own web portal, a full line of such slippers having pictures that are sure to raise hackles in India.</p>

<p>Consider these:</p>

<p>&middot; In addition to several variants of Mahatma Gandhi&rsquo;s pictures on these flip-flops, the one which may be found even more offending is the one that shows the &nbsp; &nbsp;Mahatma sitting with a gun in his hand.</p>

<p>&middot; There&rsquo;s another pair of flip-flops that has Lord Shiva&rsquo;s picture on them.</p>

<p>&middot; Similar flip-flops having India&rsquo;s tricolor are also up for sale on Cafepress portal.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Only a few days back, Amazon&#39;s Canada portal was in soup for selling doormats depicting the Indian flag, causing India&rsquo;s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj to take to Twitter seeking an unconditional apology and withdrawal of all products insulting India&rsquo;s national flag. &ldquo;If this is not done forthwith, we will not grant Indian visa to any amazon official. We will also rescind the visas issued earlier,&rdquo; Swaraj had warned.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Within hours of Swaraj&rsquo;s warning, Amazon&rsquo;s top brass wrote to her expressing regrets &amp; indicating that the item had been pulled from the website.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But this latest episode appears to have once again ignited the discussion over disrespect to India&rsquo;s national symbols and leaders.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Ever since news of these slippers with Mahatma Gandhi&rsquo;s pictures surfaced, the Amazon page selling these slippers has been flooded with comments from users, mostly Indian, seeking removal and banning of such products.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;Amazon please ban this seller (and take further action if possible) for spreading hate and hurting sentiments of people of India and his followers around the world. MK Gandhi is a very respected figure in India and around the world, and having flip flops with his face, shows the disgusting and dangerous precedence this seller (sick minded and arrogant ) is setting,&rdquo; one Rahul Lokare wrote on the amazon webpage selling these slippers.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Amazon&rsquo;s Canada portal has been selling doormats depicting flags of Canada, the United States and Britain. Its portals in the US, UK, Germany and France have also been selling doormats depicting the American and British flags. But curiously enough, none of these countries have raised much objection to the sale of these products so far.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The only other case to have surfaced recently is that of a California-based company recalling a model of military-style boots after a customer pointed out that the soles leave imprints of &ldquo;swastika&rdquo;&mdash;a sacred religious symbol in Hinduism and several other religions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Amazon, where these boots were being sold, has since then removed the product from its listings.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Following the Indian flag doormat episode, India has directed its ambassador in Washington to convey to Amazon that while providing a platform for third-party vendors they should respect Indian sensitivities and sentiments.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
A formal reaction on the Gandhi flip-flops from India&rsquo;s Ministry of External Affairs is expected soon.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Amazon, too, is yet to clear the air on the matter.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The last on this, clearly, has not been heard yet.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Amazon finds itself in the middle of another controversy, this time over selling slippers that have the picture of Mahatma Gandhi on them

Global e-tailing giant Amazon appears to be headed for another round of confrontation with the Indian government. Days after it discontinued the sale of doormats with the Indian flag on them -- following an angry reaction from India’s foreign minister -- the online retailer once again finds itself in the middle of a brewing controversy, this time over slippers that have a picture of Mahatma Gandhi on them. Even as the dust had barely settled on the episode involving sale of doormats showing Indian flag on Amazon’s Canada portal, flip-flops depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s picture, split into two, being sold on Amazon.com for 16.99 US dollars has come as another shocker for India. Shockingly, Cafepress—the third party vendor who is selling these flip-flops on Amazon—has, on its own web portal, a full line of such slippers having pictures that are sure to raise hackles in India. Consider these: · In addition to several variants of Mahatma Gandhi’s pictures on these flip-flops, the one which may be found even more offending is the one that shows the Mahatma sitting with a gun in his hand. · There’s another pair of flip-flops that has Lord Shiva’s picture on them. · Similar flip-flops having India’s tricolor are also up for sale on Cafepress portal. Only a few days back, Amazon's Canada portal was in soup for selling doormats depicting the Indian flag, causing India’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj to take to Twitter seeking an unconditional apology and withdrawal of all products insulting India’s national flag. “If this is not done forthwith, we will not grant Indian visa to any amazon official. We will also rescind the visas issued earlier,” Swaraj had warned. Within hours of Swaraj’s warning, Amazon’s top brass wrote to her expressing regrets & indicating that the item had been pulled from the website. But this latest episode appears to have once again ignited the discussion over disrespect to India’s national symbols and leaders. Ever since news of these slippers with Mahatma Gandhi’s pictures surfaced, the Amazon page selling these slippers has been flooded with comments from users, mostly Indian, seeking removal and banning of such products. “Amazon please ban this seller (and take further action if possible) for spreading hate and hurting sentiments of people of India and his followers around the world. MK Gandhi is a very respected figure in India and around the world, and having flip flops with his face, shows the disgusting and dangerous precedence this seller (sick minded and arrogant ) is setting,” one Rahul Lokare wrote on the amazon webpage selling these slippers. Amazon’s Canada portal has been selling doormats depicting flags of Canada, the United States and Britain. Its portals in the US, UK, Germany and France have also been selling doormats depicting the American and British flags. But curiously enough, none of these countries have raised much objection to the sale of these products so far. The only other case to have surfaced recently is that of a California-based company recalling a model of military-style boots after a customer pointed out that the soles leave imprints of “swastika”—a sacred religious symbol in Hinduism and several other religions. Amazon, where these boots were being sold, has since then removed the product from its listings. Following the Indian flag doormat episode, India has directed its ambassador in Washington to convey to Amazon that while providing a platform for third-party vendors they should respect Indian sensitivities and sentiments. A formal reaction on the Gandhi flip-flops from India’s Ministry of External Affairs is expected soon. Amazon, too, is yet to clear the air on the matter. The last on this, clearly, has not been heard yet. (WION)

Another bout of confrontation with Indian govt likely as Amazon hosts slippers with pictures of Gandhi

<p>Days after the Indian government took umbrage at Amazon over India&#39;s tricolour flag-themed doormats,&nbsp;the retail giant&#39;s American website has been found selling flip flops with Mahatma Gandhi&#39;s face on it.</p>

<p>The flip flops are being sold for $17 under its &#39;fashion&#39; segment, risking a repeat of censure from the Indian government.</p>

<p>On January 10, India&#39;s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj lashed out at the retail giants for selling doormats similar to India&#39;s national flag in a series of tweets. She even threatened Amazon that&nbsp;none of their employees would be granted visa to India if the product wasn&#39;t taken off the website.</p>

<p>Many countries have different laws to deal with national symbols. Indian symbols, both contemporary and modern, are viewed by the public as a manifestation of national identity. But very often, these symbols have been usurped by western retailers without understanding their contemporary political and cultural relevance.</p>

<p>In this case, selling Mahatma Gandhi&#39;s face on flip flops is likely to raise the hackles of the public, and political parties across the spectrum have angrily reacted to the latest discovery.</p>

<p>When WION contacted ruling Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nalin Kohli, the response was: &quot;Gandhi is an ideal in the world and it is not something which can be trampled around. This should be brought to the notice of the authorities.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Former diplomat and Janata Dal (United) lawmaker Pawan Verma told WION: &quot;This is unacceptable. The government must show annoyance. I congratulate Sushma Swaraj for her intervention on the flag issue but this too should be taken up.&rdquo;</p>

<p>The sentiment was echoed by the Congress. &ldquo;This matter should be resolved immediately like the Indian flag doormat issue. The government needs to intervene,&rdquo; said Congress spokesperson RPN Singh.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Flip flops with Mahatma Gandhi's face on it is likely to wrack India's sacrosanct attitude towards their national icons

Days after the Indian government took umbrage at Amazon over India's tricolour flag-themed doormats, the retail giant's American website has been found selling flip flops with Mahatma Gandhi's face on it. The flip flops are being sold for $17 under its 'fashion' segment, risking a repeat of censure from the Indian government. On January 10, India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj lashed out at the retail giants for selling doormats similar to India's national flag in a series of tweets. She even threatened Amazon that none of their employees would be granted visa to India if the product wasn't taken off the website. Many countries have different laws to deal with national symbols. Indian symbols, both contemporary and modern, are viewed by the public as a manifestation of national identity. But very often, these symbols have been usurped by western retailers without understanding their contemporary political and cultural relevance. In this case, selling Mahatma Gandhi's face on flip flops is likely to raise the hackles of the public, and political parties across the spectrum have angrily reacted to the latest discovery. When WION contacted ruling Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nalin Kohli, the response was: "Gandhi is an ideal in the world and it is not something which can be trampled around. This should be brought to the notice of the authorities.” Former diplomat and Janata Dal (United) lawmaker Pawan Verma told WION: "This is unacceptable. The government must show annoyance. I congratulate Sushma Swaraj for her intervention on the flag issue but this too should be taken up.” The sentiment was echoed by the Congress. “This matter should be resolved immediately like the Indian flag doormat issue. The government needs to intervene,” said Congress spokesperson RPN Singh. (WION)

Amazon's 'Gandhi flip flops' reignite India's national symbols ire

<p>India threatened to revoke Amazon&#39;s employees visa over the sale of Indian flag on its Canadian website on Wednesday.&nbsp;India&#39;s foreign&nbsp;minister Sushma Swaraj said on Twitter &quot;Amazon must tender unconditional apology&quot;.</p>

<p>&nbsp;&quot;They must withdraw all products insulting our national flag immediately.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;If this is not done forthwith, we will not grant Indian Visa to any Amazon official,&quot; she added. &quot;We will also rescind the Visas issued earlier.&quot;</p>

<p>After the threat was made, Amazon took down the product from the website. A spokeswoman for Amazon said in an email, &quot;The item is no longer available for sale on the site&quot;.</p>

<p>Amazon&#39;s official&nbsp;account on Twitter had earlier responded to angry customers on Twitter, saying the mats were not being sold on their Indian portal.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This was brought to the attention of Swaraj who said she had asked the Indian High Commission in Canada to get in touch with Amazon.</p>

<p>Amazon&#39;s Canadian website sells doormats styled like countrie&#39;s flag&nbsp;but under Indian law&nbsp;desecration of the&nbsp;flag is punishable with fines and imprisonment.&nbsp;Amazon Canada was not in breach of any Canadian law, under which all doormats are allowed.</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from Reuters)</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Amazon's Canadian portal sells doormats styled like national flags,?but under Indian law?desecration of the?flag is a punishable offence

India threatened to revoke Amazon's employees visa over the sale of Indian flag on its Canadian website on Wednesday. India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said on Twitter "Amazon must tender unconditional apology". "They must withdraw all products insulting our national flag immediately." "If this is not done forthwith, we will not grant Indian Visa to any Amazon official," she added. "We will also rescind the Visas issued earlier." After the threat was made, Amazon took down the product from the website. A spokeswoman for Amazon said in an email, "The item is no longer available for sale on the site". Amazon's official account on Twitter had earlier responded to angry customers on Twitter, saying the mats were not being sold on their Indian portal. This was brought to the attention of Swaraj who said she had asked the Indian High Commission in Canada to get in touch with Amazon. Amazon's Canadian website sells doormats styled like countrie's flag but under Indian law desecration of the flag is punishable with fines and imprisonment. Amazon Canada was not in breach of any Canadian law, under which all doormats are allowed. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Amazon stops sales of India flag doormat in Canadian website after visa threat

<p>India&#39;s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj will undergo kidney transplant at New Delhi&#39;s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Saturday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Swaraj, who suffers from diabetes was admitted to AIIMS for kidney failure on November 7.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She has been on dialysis for weeks and tweeted about her condition from the hospital.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The minister, who is known for her quick response on Twitter is still reaching out to the public and trying to help.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Geeta - You have been issued Visa for Australia. <a href="https://t.co/kB3biWWCNu">https://t.co/kB3biWWCNu</a></p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/805655861280411648">December 5, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>AIIMS recieved numerous offers to donate a kidney to Swaraj.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Some friends have also offered their kidneys for my transplant. I have no words to express my deep sense of gratitude towards them.</p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/799210118382370816">November 17, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>(WION with inputs from ANI)</p>


Swaraj, who suffers from diabetes was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences for kidney failure on November 7

India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj will undergo kidney transplant at New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Saturday. Swaraj, who suffers from diabetes was admitted to AIIMS for kidney failure on November 7. She has been on dialysis for weeks and tweeted about her condition from the hospital. The minister, who is known for her quick response on Twitter is still reaching out to the public and trying to help. Geeta - You have been issued Visa for Australia. https://t.co/kB3biWWCNu — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 5, 2016 × AIIMS recieved numerous offers to donate a kidney to Swaraj. Some friends have also offered their kidneys for my transplant. I have no words to express my deep sense of gratitude towards them. — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 17, 2016 × (WION with inputs from ANI)

India: Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj to undergo kidney transplant today

<p>Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj underwent a kidney transplant Saturday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.</p>

<p>ANI reported that the surgery was successful. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The organ was harvested from a living unrelated donor, PTI reported.</p>

<p>The surgery was conducted at the hospital&#39;s cardio-thoracic centre by a team of doctors including AIIMS director MC Mishra, surgeons VK Bansal, V Seenu, and nephrologist Sandeep Mahajan, PTI reported.</p>

<p>&quot;The surgery started at 9 am and ended at 2:30 pm following which the minister has been shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the same building,&quot; PTI quoted sources at AIIMS as saying.</p>

<p>Swaraj was admitted to AIIMS on November 7 and after a diagnosis of kidney failure, was put on maintenance dialysis.On November 16, Swaraj made her condition public.</p>

<p>&quot;I am in AIIMS because of kidney failure. Presently, I am on dialysis. I am undergoing tests for a kidney transplant. Lord Krishna will bless,&quot; she tweeted.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I am in AIIMS because of kidney failure. Presently, I am on dialysis. I am undergoing tests for a Kidney transplant. Lord Krishna will bless</p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/798744535782166528">November 16, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Following her tweet, a number of people had offered her their kidneys.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from agencies)</p>


The surgery, which took five-and-a-half hours, starting at 9 am and ending at 2:30 pm, was successful

Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj underwent a kidney transplant Saturday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. ANI reported that the surgery was successful. The organ was harvested from a living unrelated donor, PTI reported. The surgery was conducted at the hospital's cardio-thoracic centre by a team of doctors including AIIMS director MC Mishra, surgeons VK Bansal, V Seenu, and nephrologist Sandeep Mahajan, PTI reported. "The surgery started at 9 am and ended at 2:30 pm following which the minister has been shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the same building," PTI quoted sources at AIIMS as saying. Swaraj was admitted to AIIMS on November 7 and after a diagnosis of kidney failure, was put on maintenance dialysis.On November 16, Swaraj made her condition public. "I am in AIIMS because of kidney failure. Presently, I am on dialysis. I am undergoing tests for a kidney transplant. Lord Krishna will bless," she tweeted. I am in AIIMS because of kidney failure. Presently, I am on dialysis. I am undergoing tests for a Kidney transplant. Lord Krishna will bless — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 16, 2016 × Following her tweet, a number of people had offered her their kidneys. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India: Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj undergoes kidney transplant

<p>India&#39;s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, known for assisting Indians in trouble on foreign land, has helped an Indian man who walked 1,000 kms to attend court proceedings in Dubai to return to his home.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Even as she undergoes treatment at New Delhi&#39;s AIIMS for kidney failure, Swaraj last week sought a report from the Indian Consulate in Dubai following media reports about Jagannathan Selvaraj, who hails from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu.</p>

<p>The minister tweeted, &quot;We have brought him back to India and sent him to his village. He went up and down to the court 20 times over a year. That made it 1000 km.&quot;</p>

<p>Braving the Dubai heat, sandstorms and traffic, Selvaraj walked a distance of 1,000 km over a period of two years to attend the labour court proceedings.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A bus trip to the court in Karama area costs a few dirhams, but Selvaraj did not have money to travel by bus and was forced to spend two hours for a one-way trip and another two hours for the return journey after every court hearing.</p>

<p>He had been living in a public park in Sonapur for several months.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from PTI)&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Sushma Swaraj helped bring home an Indian who walked 1,000 km in Dubai to attend court proceedings

India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, known for assisting Indians in trouble on foreign land, has helped an Indian man who walked 1,000 kms to attend court proceedings in Dubai to return to his home. Even as she undergoes treatment at New Delhi's AIIMS for kidney failure, Swaraj last week sought a report from the Indian Consulate in Dubai following media reports about Jagannathan Selvaraj, who hails from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu. The minister tweeted, "We have brought him back to India and sent him to his village. He went up and down to the court 20 times over a year. That made it 1000 km." Braving the Dubai heat, sandstorms and traffic, Selvaraj walked a distance of 1,000 km over a period of two years to attend the labour court proceedings. A bus trip to the court in Karama area costs a few dirhams, but Selvaraj did not have money to travel by bus and was forced to spend two hours for a one-way trip and another two hours for the return journey after every court hearing. He had been living in a public park in Sonapur for several months. (WION with inputs from PTI)

India: Ailing foreign minister helps Indian man get justice in Dubai

<p>India&#39;s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is undergoing treatment for a kidney-related ailment in New Delhi&#39;s AIIMS hospital. Her condition is said to be stable and she is likely to remain in hospital for a few more days, news agency PTI reported.</p>

<p>&quot;Her condition is stable. Her history of chronic diabetes has affected her kidney functioning. She is on maintenance dialysis,&quot; sources at AIIMS said.</p>

<p>The senior BJP leader, 64, admitted to the hospital&#39;s cardio-neuro centre on November 7 and is being monitored by a team of doctors led by the unit&#39;s chief Balram Airan.</p>

<p>She has been suffering from diabetes for almost 20 years, PTI reported.</p>

<p>The external affairs minister was previously hospitalised at AIIMS in April for pneumonia and other health issues.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from PTI)</p>


Her condition is stable, sources at the AIIMS hospital said

India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is undergoing treatment for a kidney-related ailment in New Delhi's AIIMS hospital. Her condition is said to be stable and she is likely to remain in hospital for a few more days, news agency PTI reported. "Her condition is stable. Her history of chronic diabetes has affected her kidney functioning. She is on maintenance dialysis," sources at AIIMS said. The senior BJP leader, 64, admitted to the hospital's cardio-neuro centre on November 7 and is being monitored by a team of doctors led by the unit's chief Balram Airan. She has been suffering from diabetes for almost 20 years, PTI reported. The external affairs minister was previously hospitalised at AIIMS in April for pneumonia and other health issues. (WION with inputs from PTI)

India: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in hospital for kidney ailment

Urging both the nuclear states to &quot;ease it off&quot; as war of words rages between India and Pakistan, &nbsp;Britain has raised serious concerns over increasing tensions the two neighbouring nations following September 18 attack on Indian Army base in Uri sector of Kashmir.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&quot;Britain wants easing of tension between Pakistan and India as it is concerned over the current situation (in the wake of Uri attack),&quot; British high commissioner in Pakistan Thomas Drew said on Saturday, according to Pakistan daily Dawn.<br />
<br />
The British high commissioner met with Pakistan&#39;s Punjab province chief minister, Shahbaz Sharif, on Saturday to &quot;discuss matters of mutual interest, bilateral relations and situation in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir,&quot; The Dawn reported.<br />
<br />
As Drew &quot;lauded&quot; Pakistan for its &quot;responsible attitude in the current situation&quot;, according to the daily, he added that Britain is against violation of human rights anywhere in the world.<br />
<br />
Both India and Pakistan have accused each other of indulging into human rights violations in Kashmir Valley and Balochistan, respectively, drawing the&nbsp;attention of world leaders in the recent weeks.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Shahbaz Sharif has asked Britain to help resolve the Kashmir issue in the wake of the UN resolution, Indian news agency, Press Trust of India, reported.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
<strong>India&#39;s external affairs minister to address UN over Kashmir issue</strong><br />
<br />
India&#39;s external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, will be addressing the UN General Assembly on Monday and is expected to respond to Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif&#39;s &quot;diatribe&quot; on Kashmir, said official sources.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The Pakistan Prime Minister said on Saturday that the Uri attack could have been a response to the human rights violations in Kashmir.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/000_fq3a0-20160925031607.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>India&#39;s external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj in her address to the UNGA on Monday, is expected to offer a stinging response to Pakistan PM&#39;s Kashmir speech.</p>
</div>
<br />
First secretary in the permanent mission of India to the UN Eenam Gambhir, within hours of Sharif&#39;s speech hit back saying, &quot;the worst violation of human rights is terrorism&quot;.<br />
<br />
India sees in Pakistan as &quot; &#39;a terrorist state&#39; which uses billions of Dollars from international&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, &nbsp;&quot;terrorism&quot; will be the main focus of Swaraj&#39;s address, &quot;reform of the UN Security Council, sustainable development, climate change and peacekeeping&quot; are some issues which will be discussed in the UNGA, India&#39;s envoy to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, said.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Swaraj will discuss India&#39;s &quot;vision document&quot;, whose contents have not been disclosed but according to Vikas Swaroop, spokersperson for the ministry of external affairs, said &quot;the whole world and the entire country is waiting to hear what the external affairs minister has to say but I think the broad themes that Akbaruddin has outlined are definitely going to be a part of our presentation at this most important forum in the international community&quot;.<br />
<br />
(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

British high commissioner in Pakistan has asked both the nuclear states to 'ease it off' as war of words rages on in the wake of Uri attack

Urging both the nuclear states to "ease it off" as war of words rages between India and Pakistan, Britain has raised serious concerns over increasing tensions the two neighbouring nations following September 18 attack on Indian Army base in Uri sector of Kashmir. "Britain wants easing of tension between Pakistan and India as it is concerned over the current situation (in the wake of Uri attack)," British high commissioner in Pakistan Thomas Drew said on Saturday, according to Pakistan daily Dawn. The British high commissioner met with Pakistan's Punjab province chief minister, Shahbaz Sharif, on Saturday to "discuss matters of mutual interest, bilateral relations and situation in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir," The Dawn reported. As Drew "lauded" Pakistan for its "responsible attitude in the current situation", according to the daily, he added that Britain is against violation of human rights anywhere in the world. Both India and Pakistan have accused each other of indulging into human rights violations in Kashmir Valley and Balochistan, respectively, drawing the attention of world leaders in the recent weeks. Meanwhile, Shahbaz Sharif has asked Britain to help resolve the Kashmir issue in the wake of the UN resolution, Indian news agency, Press Trust of India, reported. India's external affairs minister to address UN over Kashmir issue India's external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, will be addressing the UN General Assembly on Monday and is expected to respond to Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif's "diatribe" on Kashmir, said official sources. The Pakistan Prime Minister said on Saturday that the Uri attack could have been a response to the human rights violations in Kashmir. India's external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj in her address to the UNGA on Monday, is expected to offer a stinging response to Pakistan PM's Kashmir speech. First secretary in the permanent mission of India to the UN Eenam Gambhir, within hours of Sharif's speech hit back saying, "the worst violation of human rights is terrorism". India sees in Pakistan as " 'a terrorist state' which uses billions of Dollars from international Meanwhile, "terrorism" will be the main focus of Swaraj's address, "reform of the UN Security Council, sustainable development, climate change and peacekeeping" are some issues which will be discussed in the UNGA, India's envoy to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, said. Swaraj will discuss India's "vision document", whose contents have not been disclosed but according to Vikas Swaroop, spokersperson for the ministry of external affairs, said "the whole world and the entire country is waiting to hear what the external affairs minister has to say but I think the broad themes that Akbaruddin has outlined are definitely going to be a part of our presentation at this most important forum in the international community". (WION with inputs from agencies)

Britain 'worried' over Indo-Pak strain

<p>India and Pakistan are gearing up for a stormy debate on Kashmir during a United Nations session on Wednesday (September 21).<br />
<br />
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif plans to make the Kashmir issue central to&nbsp;his address next week&nbsp;at the&nbsp;United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The Indian delegation, headed by foreign&nbsp;minister Sushma Swaraj, is expected to give a &quot;befitting&quot; reply to Pakistan&#39;s concerns.<br />
<br />
Kashmir has been on the boil ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was gunned down by Indian security forces on July 8. Hizbul Mujahideen is deemed as a terrorist organisation in India.<br />
<br />
Violent protests erupted across the India-administered&nbsp;Kashmir valley in the aftermath of Wani&#39;s killing.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
So far, 81 people have died during the unrest in the valley. A teenager named&nbsp;Momin Altaf Ganai became the latest casualty in the ongoing crisis, with&nbsp;Indian reports suggesting he succumbed to pellet injuries.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
On Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif vowed to &quot;highlight&quot; the Kashmir issue after meeting Kashmiri leaders in Muzaffarabad.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Office reasserted Sharif&#39;s intent to &quot;focus on the the continuing grave violations of human rights by Indian occupation forces&quot; in Kashmir.<br />
<br />
&ldquo;He (PM Sharif) will call upon the international community and the United Nations to live up to their promise [about] the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,&rdquo; the Foreign Office further said, according to Pakistani media.<br />
<br />
The Indian side, meanwhile, expects Pakistan to make &quot;provocative&quot; statements at the world meet but they are confident of &quot;effectively&quot; countering their claims.<br />
<br />
(WION)</p>


Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif is expected to make the Kashmir issue central to his address, India is preparing a 'befitting' reply

India and Pakistan are gearing up for a stormy debate on Kashmir during a United Nations session on Wednesday (September 21). Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif plans to make the Kashmir issue central to his address next week at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The Indian delegation, headed by foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, is expected to give a "befitting" reply to Pakistan's concerns. Kashmir has been on the boil ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was gunned down by Indian security forces on July 8. Hizbul Mujahideen is deemed as a terrorist organisation in India. Violent protests erupted across the India-administered Kashmir valley in the aftermath of Wani's killing. So far, 81 people have died during the unrest in the valley. A teenager named Momin Altaf Ganai became the latest casualty in the ongoing crisis, with Indian reports suggesting he succumbed to pellet injuries. On Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif vowed to "highlight" the Kashmir issue after meeting Kashmiri leaders in Muzaffarabad. Pakistan's Foreign Office reasserted Sharif's intent to "focus on the the continuing grave violations of human rights by Indian occupation forces" in Kashmir. “He (PM Sharif) will call upon the international community and the United Nations to live up to their promise [about] the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” the Foreign Office further said, according to Pakistani media. The Indian side, meanwhile, expects Pakistan to make "provocative" statements at the world meet but they are confident of "effectively" countering their claims. (WION)

India-Pak set for showdown over Kashmir at UN General Assembly

There&#39;s an &quot;urgent necessity&quot; for Pakistan to &quot;dismantle safe havens for terrorists and criminal networks&quot;, including Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Dawood Ibrahim gang, operating from its territory. India and the United States reaffirmed this in a joint press conference after the second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&amp;CD).<br />
<br />
Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said, &quot;Secretary Kerry and I also agreed on the need for Pakistan to do more to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice quickly.&quot; Swaraj and US secretary of state John Kerry addressed the press conference together. Kerry referred to the Indian minister using her first name several times.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Swaraj said she and secretary Kerry &quot;discussed at length the issue of terrorism, which is the key challenge to the international community, and the foremost threat to international peace and security&quot;.<br />
<br />
&quot;I am happy to note that there was a &#39;meeting of minds&#39; on this issue.&quot;<br />
<br />
&quot;We both agreed that nations must not maintain double standards, such as the categorisation of good and bad terrorists, nor must they act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations, &quot; Swaraj said.<br />
<br />
The Indian external affairs minister also briefed secretary Kerry on the problem of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan that India and the neighbourhood faces.<br />
<br />
&quot;It is vital that Pakistan joins with other nations in fighting this challenge,&quot; Kerry said. He said he was noting progress in counter-terrorism operations in the west of the country and was in touch with Pakistan&#39;s civilian and military leaders on terrorism.<br />
<br />
&quot;My hope is that Pakistan as a country is not isolated by this, but is encouraged by this,&quot; Kerry said, referring to the planned US-India-Afghan talks that would be held at the annual UN meetings in New York.<br />
<br />
&quot;I thanked Secretary Kerry for the US constant support for India&#39;s membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). This interaction has strengthened the US-India relationship, and I hope it contributes to the world at large,&quot; she added.<br />
<br />
&quot;For this, we need to define the benefits associated with India`s designation as a &#39;Major Defence Partner&#39; of the US during the Prime Minister&#39;s visit in June. This would spur defence industry collaboration between India and the US and help India play the desired role as a net provider of security in the region,&quot; Swaraj said.<br />
<br />
Pointing out that both countries share the same democratic ethos of freedom, equality, pluralism and rule of law, she said, &quot;India&#39;s enhanced global role is in our mutual interest. It is in this context, we look forward to continue working closely with the U.S. to secure our membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).&quot;<br />
<br />
&quot;In view of the rapidly evolving regional and global situation,&quot; said Swaraj, &quot;we look forward to resuming the meeting of the Trilateral with Afghanistan; consultations on Africa and on multilateral issues within this year.&quot;<br />
<br />
(WION with inputs from ANI)

Swaraj stressed on the need for Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice

There's an "urgent necessity" for Pakistan to "dismantle safe havens for terrorists and criminal networks", including Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Dawood Ibrahim gang, operating from its territory. India and the United States reaffirmed this in a joint press conference after the second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD). Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said, "Secretary Kerry and I also agreed on the need for Pakistan to do more to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice quickly." Swaraj and US secretary of state John Kerry addressed the press conference together. Kerry referred to the Indian minister using her first name several times. Swaraj said she and secretary Kerry "discussed at length the issue of terrorism, which is the key challenge to the international community, and the foremost threat to international peace and security". "I am happy to note that there was a 'meeting of minds' on this issue." "We both agreed that nations must not maintain double standards, such as the categorisation of good and bad terrorists, nor must they act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations, " Swaraj said. The Indian external affairs minister also briefed secretary Kerry on the problem of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan that India and the neighbourhood faces. "It is vital that Pakistan joins with other nations in fighting this challenge," Kerry said. He said he was noting progress in counter-terrorism operations in the west of the country and was in touch with Pakistan's civilian and military leaders on terrorism. "My hope is that Pakistan as a country is not isolated by this, but is encouraged by this," Kerry said, referring to the planned US-India-Afghan talks that would be held at the annual UN meetings in New York. "I thanked Secretary Kerry for the US constant support for India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). This interaction has strengthened the US-India relationship, and I hope it contributes to the world at large," she added. "For this, we need to define the benefits associated with India`s designation as a 'Major Defence Partner' of the US during the Prime Minister's visit in June. This would spur defence industry collaboration between India and the US and help India play the desired role as a net provider of security in the region," Swaraj said. Pointing out that both countries share the same democratic ethos of freedom, equality, pluralism and rule of law, she said, "India's enhanced global role is in our mutual interest. It is in this context, we look forward to continue working closely with the U.S. to secure our membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)." "In view of the rapidly evolving regional and global situation," said Swaraj, "we look forward to resuming the meeting of the Trilateral with Afghanistan; consultations on Africa and on multilateral issues within this year." (WION with inputs from ANI)

Pakistan must dismantle terrorist safe havens, assert India, US

sushma-swaraj

Sushma Swaraj, News on Sushma Swaraj, stories on Sushma Swaraj, articles on Sushma Swaraj, Sushma Swaraj stories at Wion, Sushma Swaraj news, Sushma Swaraj latest news

sushma swaraj