No problem in holding talks with Hurriyat: Advani
*Peace package shouldn’t be taken as India’s weakness

NEW DELHI, Oct 24: Indicating that talks with the Hurriyat could be held on the lines of "decentralisation" of power, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today said the Government had no problems in holding parleys with anyone but made it clear that there would be no compromise on the "unity and integrity" of the country.

Advani also said India’s fresh peace package to Islamabad was in no way an indication of a change in Government’s policy on holding talks with Pakistan.

"Our stance is the same that Pakistan has to stop infiltration, destroy the terrorist infrastructure and build a congenial atmosphere before any talks can begin," the Deputy Prime Minister said addressing jawans at the 42nd Raising Day function of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police here.

On the talks with the separatist amalgam in Kashmir, he said "when we can hold talks with BODO and NAGA groups, we can as well do it with Hurriyat."

"We can talk on anything and have no problems to talk to anyone. But we will not compromise on the unity or integrity of the country. Talks can be held on decentralisation," Advani said without further elaboration.

Advani’s comments came a day after the Hurriyat had adopted a cautious approach to the Government’s initiative that Advani would be meeting Hurriyat chairman Maulana Abbas Ansari.

The separatist amalgam announced yesterday in Srinagar that it would be meeting a cross-section of people on the issue of dialogue and try to build a consensus.

Advani said the Centre’s interlocutor N N Vohra would continue to be the Government’s pointman on Kashmir.

"He (Vohra) has worked really very hard and done a wonderful job. We appreciate his vital inputs about Kashmir and let me make it clear that he will continue to be the Centre’s pointman on Kashmir".

Asserting that talks with Pakistan would begin only after it dismantled terrorist infrastructure and put an end to cross-border terrorism, Advani said India’s fresh peace package should not be construed as its weakness.

"The Cabinet Committee on Security announced fresh measures because we want peace with everyone. However, these measures should not be misunderstood as a prelude for talks with Pakistan. Talks are possible only after terrorist infrastructure is dismantled and infiltration of militants is ended," Advani said.

The Deputy Prime Minister termed Wednesday’s peace proposals as a move for building confidence. "It should not be seen as our weakness. We are a peace-loving country."

Advani said such steps were being taken because "India is a democratic country and we want to ensure prosperity of our people. But in Pakistan where democracy is missing, interests of a handful of Army officers are kept in mind."

He said India had time and again maintained that it was willing to talk on Kashmir issue. "The issue came into existence after the aggression of Pakistan in 1947. Hence whenever talks take place, it will be on entire Jammu and Kashmir including Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

The Deputy Prime Minister asked Pakistan to take confidence-building measures like ending cross border terrorism so both countries could concentrate on developmental activities.

"I am saying this despite the fact that 24 infiltration attempts were made in September only in which more than 200 militants were killed by our alert security forces," he said.

He said the Government offered fresh proposals despite the fact that nothing had changed from across the border. "Only the NDA Government has the courage to take such initiatives despite not much response from the neighbouring country," he said.

He referred to Pokhran test, Lahore bus visit, Agra summit, peace initiative in Kashmir and the latest 12-point initiatives and said "these things are to tell our neighbour and the world that India is a peace loving country...We want peace but not by sacrificing our national interest."

"When we conducted Pokhran test in 1998, we came under severe criticism from everyone. Let me make it clear that we conducted the test for the sovereignty of our country and that is why we made a decision of no first use," he said.

Dismissing the claim of some countries that nuclear weapons were their property, he said "we don’t want such weapons at all.... There should be a total dismantling of such weapons of mass destruction across the globe."

About infiltration from across the border, he said "we know victory will be ours but let me make it clear that no one is going to come and help us.We have to fight this battle all by ourselves." (PTI)

No parleys on power: Hurriyat

SRINAGAR, Oct 24: Shortly after Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani’s comments today that the proposed talks with Hurriyat Conference could be on "decentralisation" of power, the separatist amalgam said it would not have parleys on issues like power and they should focus on resolving the vexed Kashmir issue.

"The Centre has expressed willingness to hold talks with Hurriyat. We make it clear that any dialogue process should be aimed at resolving the Kashmir issue," former Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Umer Farooq said addressing a Friday congregation at the historic Jamia Masjid here.

He said the Centre on Wednesday made an unconditional offer for talks. "But now we hear that Advani wants to talk on decentralisation of power. It seems the Government has not made up its mind. Let them decide whether they want to talk or not."

"We will not talk for power or Chief Minister’s chair or subsidy. Jammu and Kashmir is a half-a-century-old dispute which needs to be resolved according to the wishes and aspirations of its people."

Asserting that bilateral talks in the past have failed to yield any solution to Kashmir issue, he said Hurriyat Conference believed that tripartite talks involving Pakistan only could lead to a resolution.

Mirwaiz, however, said the talks need not to be tripartite rightaway but could be held in phases with India talking to Hurriyat and Islamabad simultaneously.

The former Hurriyat chairman said if the Centre was serious about the talks offer, the amalgam would

talk to other separatist groups for a broader consensus.

"Time has come for resolution of Kashmir issue and to put an end to the bloodshed....Please come forward to speak with one voice at this crucial juncture of history," Mirwaiz said apparently addressing the Hurriyat faction led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Welcoming the Centre’s offers to Pakistan, including opening of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, he said "there should be a positive response from the other side (Pakistan) also to make the proposal acceptable."

He said there should be no need for passport and visa for travelling across the Line of Control.

"Besides being a political problem, Kashmir is a human problem as well. The LoC is not a line drawn on the land but across the hearts of people of Jammu and Kashmir on either side. So many families are divided because of it," he added. (PTI)

India, China conclude two days talks

NEW DELHI, Oct 24: Special representatives of India and China today concluded their two-day talks aimed at giving a political direction to resolve the protracted boundary problem and agreed to meet again on mutually acceptable dates in Beijing.

"The meeting was held in a cordial, constructive and cooperative atmosphere," a brief official statement issued at the end of the first such meeting between senior Vice Minister in the Chinese Foreign Ministry Dai Binggao and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra, said.

It gave no details of the deliberations.

"The special representatives agreed to meet again on mutually acceptable dates in Beijing," the statement said.

The Chinese Minister called on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha.

Dai led a seven-member delegation for the parleys with Mishra which were spread over three sessions.

The special representatives of the two countries are expected to work out a pragmatic and mutually acceptable approach in dealing with the lingering issue.

The decision to appoint the special representatives was proposed by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee during his landmark visit to China in June and was promptly accepted by his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao.

It was felt that there had already been 14 rounds of the India-China joint working group on the boundary question and the movement had been painfully slow.

The Chinese delegation included its Ambassador here Hua Junduo, Director General from Asia Department Fu Ying and Director General from the policy study department Cui Tiantai, besides senior officials.

Mishra was assisted by senior officials of the PMO, External Affairs Ministry and concerned departments.

The Mishra-Dai talks come close on the heels of Vajpayee’s recent meetings with Wen which, officials said, took place in excellent and remarkable atmosphere both in terms of cordiality and friendliness and in tone and content.

Clearly sharing India’s desire to work on expeditious resolution of the boundary question, Wen had conveyed to Vajpayee that contentious issues needed to be put behind by the two countries.

Both sides seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary question through peaceful consultations.

As a step in the direction, they signed an agreement on the maintenance of peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas in 1993.

It was followed by a second accord three years later on confidence building measures in the military field along the LAC.

Though the process of clarification of the LAC has started within the existing mechanisms, leaders from the two sides feel the going is slow. While maps of the LAC in the middle sector have been exchanged, discussions have commenced on clarification of the LAC in the western sector of the Sino-India boundary. (PTI)

Kingpin arrested
Racket providing fake certificates busted

Excelsior Special Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 24: A racket operating in Jammu which was providing fake certificates to students and managing their admission on fraudulent certificates in Jammu University was busted by police with the arrest of its kingpin from a hotel premises.

Police sources said that Joginder, son of Prem Dass of Barsal in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh was running a well-knit racket under the name and style of Disha Educational Private Ltd at Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. Singh used to bring the students of that State to Jammu, who had a low merit there.

"He used to manipulate the certificates of Himachal University, Shimla by raising of merit of such students having low percentage and offer them fake certificates accordingly, to enable them to get admission for BEd in Jammu Univesity", the sources said.

They said that Singh was also providing fake certificates of Shimla Board to those candidates who had not, infact, completed their graduation. For this, he was charging Rs 65,000 to Rs one lakh per student.

Sources said that Gandhi Nagar Police came to know about the racket through a student, who had come to get admission for BEd in Jammu University. "On the disclosure of the student, police team led by SHO S S Sambyal and Incharge Police Post Nehru Market Harminder Singh under the supervision of SSP Jammu Dr Kamal Saini, SPSouth Bhupinder Singh and DySP J S Johar raided Satya Hotel at Trikuta Nagar and arrested the kingpin", the sources said.

During sustained interrogation, the accused admitted that he was bringing the students from Shimla and managing their admission for BEd in Jammu University by preparing the fraudulent merit certificates of the students.

"Till today the accused had managed the admission of 11 students out of 14 which he had brought for the admission in Jammu University", the sources said and added that the 14 students included nine boys and five girls. According to sources, police also raided Jammu University and recovered a number of fake certificates of such students.

A team was also deputed to Shimla and from the premises of institution run by the accused fake stamps of Deputy Registrar Examination of Himachal University, Deputy Registrar Migration and Eligibility and Executive Magistrate Shimla were seized.

Another member of the racket—Balbir Singh had managed to escape from Shimla before police raided the institution. Investigation into the case was going on and involvement of some Jammu University officials cannot be ruled out.

Amount to the tune of Rs 75,000 was recovered from the possession of the arrested accused.

Two Afghan ultras among 5 killed

Excelsior Special Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 24: Five persons including two Afghan mercenaries of Al-Badr outfit, two army jawans and a civilian were killed in separate encounters across Jammu region since last night.

Army and police launched a joint search operation at Leeran Maloti under the jurisdiction of Darhal police station in Rajouri district this morning. The operation was launched after local people tipped off the security personnel that two Afghan mercenaries had taken shelter in an abandoned house, official sources said.

Hideouts of the foreign mercenaries was stormed by the troops at 7 AM and both the militants were eliminated after about 15 minutes exchange of firing, the sources said. They identified the militants as Umar Shaheen and Abu Sayeed, both Afghanis, affiliated with Al-Badr outfit.

Recoveries made from their possession included two AK-56 rifles, six magazines, 156 rounds, two pouches and three hand grenades.

Army or police didn’t suffer any casualties in the operation.

Both Afghan mercenaries were operating in Darhal for past three to four months after their infiltration from across the border. They were involved in a number of ambush against the security forces.

Another encounter took place between a group of militants and army personnel at Dungi Garati in Chingus area of Rajouri police station in early hours of this morning. While the militants escaped, a civilian Bhagat Ram son of Ram Ditta was trapped in cross-firing and got killed.

Body of the civilian was handed over to his family members after post-mortem this afternoon.

An army jawan was killed in heavy firing by Pakistan army on Line of Control (LoC) in Pallanwalla sector in Akhnoor tehsil this morning. He has been identified as Rajeev Singh.

Firing was replied by the troops from this side. Exchange of firing lasted about two hours, the sources said, adding Pak troops attempted to push a group of infiltrators into Indian territory under the cover of firing. However, retaliatory firing by the Army foiled Pakistan’s game-plan.

An Army Subedar Partap Singh Rana died under mysterious circumstances in his camp at Bhandarkot, Kishtwar in Doda district last night. Police was ascertaining reasons behind the death.

Security forces smashed a hideout of the militants, located in a field belonging to Mohd Aslam at village Balari in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district last night. Recoveries made from the hideout included 48 AK round, one antenna wireless set, two Chinese grenades, two pencil cells, 10 kg ration and Rs 550 Indian currency.

A sympathiser of militants Abdul Rashid son of Faiz Hussain R/o Kot Dhara, Rajouri has been arrested by security forces. Two AK magazines and 46 rounds were recovered from them.

‘Exclusive talks with tailor-made Hurriyat will prove counter-productive’
Omar stresses on Ramzan cease-fire, Geelani’s involvement with peace process

From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Oct 24: National Conference (NC) president, Omar Abdullah, has expressed his apprehensions that restricting the Centre’s offer of talks to Abbas Ansari faction of the Hurriyat Conference would prove counter-productive. He laid considerable emphasis on his suggestion that all sections of the separatist leadership, particularly the Hurriyat’s faction led by hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, should be involved with the fresh initiative announced by the Government of India.

While addressing a crowded news conference at his residence here today, Omar Abdullah suggested that in league with the Centre Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had engineered a split in the Hurriyat Conference. He claimed that real purpose of breaking up the separatist conglomerate was to create "a tailor-made Hurriyat" which would accept the Centre’s offer of talks and associate itself with the new peace process. He cautioned that confining the political initiative to the Ansari faction alone would facilitate the saboteurs to discredit the moderate Hurriyat and label its leaders as Indian agents. Omar insisted that the fathers of two separatist leaders—Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Bilal Gani Lone—had got killed due to such kind of a mistake by the Government of India.

"This, we believe, is damaging. It makes the peace process exclusive rather than inclusive. It makes it look as if we are picking and choosing (men of our own choice), rather than making the process available to all. It also puts at risk lives of those moderate separatist leaders who are being invited. It leads them open to criticism and allegation that they are either sold out or bought agents", Omar elaborated.

The young NC supremo specified that the Centre should immediately extend its offer of dialogue to all other separatist leaders, particularly Syed Ali Shah Geelani, JKLF leader Yaseen Malik and the Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabir Ahmed Shah. He stressed that Advani’s invite must go to Geelani and it was neither the concern of the Government of India nor that of the Government of Jammu & Kashmir whether he accepts it or not. He said it was still a matter of speculation whether Advani himself would carry forward the process or hand over the same back to an interlocutor like N N Vohra.

Ceasefire

Omar believed that certain confidence building measures had to be taken in order to facilitate the dialogue with Kashmiri separatists and take it to a logical conclusion. He conveyed NC’s earnest appeal to the Prime Minister that the roaring guns must be silenced with a Ramzan ceasefire. He, however, admitted that earlier Ramzan ceasefire, announced in November 2001, had failed but made a point that the first failure was not necessarily the second failure. "We have also failed in talks with Pakistan twice. Does that mean we should never initiate a dialogue with that country?", he asked.

Omar contended that the ceasefire of security forces with militants could help in associating more separatists and militant leaders with the peace process. He also stressed on the need to review the cases of all those detenues who had either mild charges against them or had completed major part of their term of detention. "It must permeate and percolate down to the ground level that the Centre was serious in the process. Therefore, it is necessary to give it a humane and healing touch by releasing such detenues", he asserted. He said that earlier too prisoners had been set free around the festivals of Idd and Diwali and with regard to the holy month of Ramzan.

He lamented that the Mufti Government had wound up the National Conference government’s District Screening Committees and complicated the process of reviewing the cases of the political detenues. "Now, they require a Centre’s representative to attend these meetings. I don’t remember whether their reviewing committee has met even twice in one year", he said.

Talk to Pak

Omar argued that simply an internal dialogue with Kashmiri separatist leadership would neither solve the Kashmir problem nor bring out the lasting peace. He recognised Pakistan as an important party to the Kashmir imbroglio, saying that most of the foreign militants and material support to insurgency came from that country alone. "Merely addressing the internal dimension of the problem will not solve it. Addressing its external dimension alone will not do either. We have seen Tashkent talks, Simla Agreement, Lahore Declaration fail. It is necessary that both the processes must go side-by-side", Omar said without suggesting tripartite talks between New Delhi, Islamabad and the people of Jammu & Kashmir.

He emphasised that a dialogue with Pakistan must be triggered off without the preconditions of ending the cross-border terrorism and silencing the last gun in Jammu & Kashmir. "National Conference is now convinced that it is neither practicable and feasible. Talks must begin at the lower level and the same should be upgraded with regard to possible reduction in violence", Omar proposed. He made a fervent appeal to the Governments of India and Pakistan to budge from their stated positions and kickstart the process. He also urged Islamabad to stop shelling over border areas of Jammu & Kashmir as it had damaged none other than the poor, innocent civilians.

"Let it really be a new beginning rather than a start-stop approach, which will only do more damage", Omar said while warning against the perils of shaking the confidence of the people of Jammu & Kashmir. He said that if this opportunity was lost, it would get very difficult to enthuse a Kashmiri individual with any peace process in future.

Asked whether he was accepting the separatists as representatives of Kashmiri people by stressing their inclusion in the peace process, Omar said that they were definitely representing a particular section of the people "may be 5%, may be 10%". He claimed that with 28 members in Assembly and cadres throughout the State, NC was the largest political party with mass support structure in all the three regions of the State. "It is very much clear that separatists are for pre-1947 position; NC is for post-47, pre-53. That’s clearly autonomy for the State", he clarified.

Farooq sounded

Omar disclosed that on occasion of his arrival from London last fortnight, Dr Farooq Abdullah had been called by the Prime Minister and other Central leaders and taken into confidence with regard to the fresh peace process. "They desired to know whether NC would oppose talks with the Hurriyat. He said no, it won’t", Omar revealed. He, however, added that his father would have objected had he known at that time that the offer of talks was being extended to a particular faction of the Hurriyat alone.

NC patron and the former Chief Minister, Dr Abdullah, too joined the news conference before its conclusion. He, however, declined to speak and said that the occasion was Omar’s alone.

5 militants killed in Valley

Excelsior Special Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Oct 24: While as security forces today claimed to have killed at least five militants in three separate gunbattles in Kashmir valley, militants have left two Police and BSF constables injured in two attacks.

Informed sources told EXCELSIOR that over a specific information security forces raided a militant hideout at Wheel Chatwani in Shopian area of south Kashmir. According to the tip off, some mlitants of Lashkar-e-Toiba or Harkatul Mujahideen were present at the house of one Sulaiman Khan. During the operation, holed up militants opened gunfire and the encounter went on for several hours.

Finally, troops destroyed the target house and two militants got killed. They were identified as Abu Hamas of Pakistan and Fareed Ahmed of Nasnoor, Kulgam. Two AK-56 rifles were recovered from the site of encounter.

Sources said that another gunbattle took place between security forces and militants at Kumkadi, Haihama, in Kupwara district. Even as one soldier sustained injuries, troops gunned down two militants of the group. They were both unidentified till late this evening.

In an encounter with militants at Kollar in Pahalgam-Sallar area, security forces have killed a local militant. He has been identified as Aijaz Ahmed of Katsu.

In Kupwara district again, militants fired upon constable Mohammad Ismail Peer at Teng Muqam. He was left wounded. Later, residents rushed him to hospital. Militants also lobbed a hand grenade near DC office in Anantnag. It exploded, causing injuries to a BSF constable.

Meanwhile, selection grade constable Bikram Singh of SOG Srinagar, who had sustained critical injuries in the militant-Police clash at Dr Ali Jan Complex on Maulana Azad Road (near Chief MInister’s house) on October 17th, has succumbed to injuries at a hospital.

Cong to retain Delhi, Rajasthan *BJP to wrest MP

NEW DELHI, Oct 24: Congress is all set to retain Rajasthan and Delhi but lose Madhya Pradesh while the party ties with BJP in Chhattisgarh in the coming assembly elections in the four states, according to an India Today-Aaj Tak-Marg opinion poll.

Congress is projected to win 110-120 seats out of the 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan leaving 73-83 for the opposition BJP while the latter is shown as wresting Madhya Pradesh with 115-135 seats much ahead of incumbent Digvijay Singh’s 75-95 constituencies out of the total 230, says the poll.

In Delhi, the Congress under Sheila Dikshit is projected to retain its majority in the assembly with 45-55 seats, leaving BJP with only 10-20 members in the 70-member House.

However, Chhattisgarh is expected to witness a neck-to-neck contest with both the parties hovering around the 38-48 figure out of the total 90 seats at stake, the poll predicts.

Interestingly, BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate in Madhya Pradesh Uma Bharti is the only challenger ahead of the incumbent with a popularity rating of 33 per cent, two per cent above Digvijay Singh.

The poll covered 17, 413 respondents among eligible voters spread across 115 Assembly constituencies in the four states scheduled to go to polls on December one.

Responding to a question on ‘who will make the best CM’, people in Delhi gave an impressive 48 per cent to incumbent Dikshit leaving former Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana with a meagre 20 per cent.

Employment opportunities remained the most important issue in all the four states with potholed roads and lack of power being the second biggest problem in MP and Rajasthan, according to the polls.

A whopping 73 per cent respondents blamed the Digvijay Singh Government for the poor roads and power failure and 61 per cent said they did not benefit from the state’s education guarantee scheme, belying Singh’s claim that he is the model Chief Minister in education.

In Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was 11 per cent ahead of BJP’s Vasundhara Raje in popularity ratings.

Interestingly, 34 per cent of the respondents in the state disapproved the Gehlot Government’s action in arresting VHP leader Pravin Togadia and 41 per cent approved of reservations for jats and economically backward people, the poll says.

Only 20 per cent rated the Government’s performance as poor while 45 termed it as good.

Despite the tie between the two parties in Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Ajit Jogi tops the popularity chart in the State with 38 per cent votes leaving BJP’s Chief Minister probable way behind with 13 per cent. (PTI)

BJP to campaign with 16 aircrafts

NEW DELHI, Oct 24: The Bharatiya Janata Party will campaign in the four states with a fleet of 16 aircraft and helicopters in the three states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

Party sources say the central leadership will use 10 aircraft while the State leadership will requisition two aircraft each for the poll campaign slated to be held between November 18 and November 29.

The party aircraft will not be required for Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani since they are entitled to travel on official planes.

Delhi, the fourth state to go to the December one polls, will not require air campaigning. (UNI)

Morphine not RDX seized near JIC

Excelsior Special Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 24: Police had last night recovered one kg morphine from a scooter near Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) at Talab Tillo and not RDX. The scooter was abandoned by its driver and pillion rider when it was subjected to a search operation by a police naka party.

Police said the morphine, a drug made from opium, was being smuggled for Ashok Khajuria, an old narcotics smuggler of Satwari.

Both occupants of scooter as well as Ashok Khajuria were absconding, police said, adding a hunt was on to apprehend them.

Police denied as baseless a news report that RDX laden scooter was seized near JIC last night. He also described as mischievous a statement quoting police that the scooter was to be planted at Ragunath Bazaar. "It was just a figment of imagination that after recovery of RDX (which infact was morphine) police had rounded up several suspects from Bhatindi and Janipura", they said, adding when there was no recovery of RDX there was no question of detaining the suspects.

‘Pak hasn’t given negative reaction’

ISLAMABAD, Oct 24: Promising to consider the latest Indian peace package "seriously" and "cautiously," Pakistan has said that it has not given any "negative" reaction to any of the 12 proposals.

"We have noted the proposals which were announced by the Indian External Affairs Minister and each of these proposals will have to be considered very seriously and very cautiously," Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Masood Khan told BBC in an interview.

"We did not demonstrate any negative reaction," he said adding that the proposals suggested talks between India and Pakistan.

"It is quite obvious that these talks can be held only when the two countries sit together," he said.

Khan said the Indian Government insists on holding talks and consultation only on these proposals. "We are ready for that and we have always been ready for that but at the same time we also say that negotiations should be held between Pakistan and India".

"There should be composite dialogue and both the countries must discuss all the matters".

Khan said that when the Indian Prime Minister made the earlier offer of talks, Pakistan made several offers in response to his proposals.

"We have presented these proposals in the past also. For example, restoration of air and rail links. Besides, we made proposal to increase the number of staff in the High Commissions," he said.

On India’s proposals to enhance people-to-people contacts, he said "we do favour the increase in these contacts and we also want to make efforts for that." (PTI)
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

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