Pakistan trying to malign India, material seized in Bokaro not uranium: MEA
NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in G7 outreach sessions on June 12 and 13 in a virtual format.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at the weekly press conference that it had been decided earlier that the Prime Minister will not attend the G-7 Summit in person due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation.
“In accordance with the G7 invitation of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in outreach sessions on June 12 and 13, in virtual format,” he said.
The UK holds the presidency of G7 and has invited India, Australia, South Africa and South Korea to the upcoming summit.
The theme for this year’s G7 summit is ‘Build Back Better’ and the UK has outlined four priority areas for its presidency – leading the global recovery from coronavirus while strengthening resilience against future pandemics, promoting future prosperity by championing free and fair trade, tackling climate change and preserving the planet’s biodiversity and championing shared values and open societies.
“The leaders are expected to exchange views on the way forward and on global recovery from the pandemic with a focus on health and climate change,” Bagchi said.
He said this is the second time PM Modi is participating in the G7 meeting.
“India had been invited by the G7 French presidency in 2019 to the summit as a goodwill partner and the PM participated in these sessions on climate, biodiversity on oceans as well as on digital transformation,” he added.
Meanwhile The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday hit out at Pakistan for its disposition to malign India “without caring to verify facts” and stated that the unidentified material seized in Jharkhand’s Bokaro recently was not uranium or radioactive in nature.
“The material seized in Bokaro is not Uranium and not radioactive. The comment about India by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry drawing upon a media report indicates their disposition to malign India without caring to verify facts,” MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said while addressing a press briefing here today.
Bokaro Police had arrested 7 persons with six kg of an unknown material, which the arrested in their confession to the police said was uranium.
Pakistan had in the meantime expressed its concerns about the recovery of “uranium.”
The MEA spokesperson clarified that the Department of Atomic Energy under the central government had after due evaluation and laboratory analysis of the material sample of the substance seized in Bokaro, stated that it was not Uranium and not radioactive.
Last week, Pakistan called for investigating repeated incidents of ‘illicit uranium possession’ and sales in India and emphasised the need for identifying the end-users of the material, according to Dawn.
“Pakistan reiterates its call for a thorough investigation into such incidents and measures for strengthening the security of nuclear materials to prevent their diversion,” said Foreign Office spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri.
Responding to this Bagchi said: “The gratuitous remarks on India by the Pakistan Foreign Ministry growing upon a media report, indicate the disposition to malign India without caring to check and verify facts.”
He also affirmed that India maintains a stringent law-based regulatory system for internationally controlled items which is reflected in our impeccable non-proliferation system recognised by the international community. (AGENCY)
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