India's condemnation of Bucha atrocities was strongest, says Boris Johnson :::: India slams US congresswoman Ilhan Omar's visit to Pak-occupied J&K

On request, India allows Japan to pick up supplies from Mumbai for Ukraine

New Delhi 

India on Thursday said that it had received a formal request from Japan for 'permission to land in Mumbai' to pick up humanitarian supplies from the UNHCR depot for Ukraine and its neighbouring countries, and the plea was accepted.

"We have conveyed our approval for picking of such supplies from India using commercial aircraft," MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi told reporters here.

 

He also said, "We had also received a request for overflight clearance for Japanese SDF aircraft 

carrying humanitarian cargo for Ukraine. This was processed and approved as per established norms".

Reports in a section of the media claimed quoting political leaders that 

Japan’s plan to deliver relief supplies to Ukrainian refugees has been "delayed because of inadequate planning 

with other governments". 

A Japanese ruling party senior functionary and 'policy chief' Sanae Takaichi reportedly said:

“A situation has arisen in which India has refused to allow a Self-Defense Forces plane to land and pick up 

supplies".

Takaichi reportedly made the remarks at a meeting of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers. 

“This is a clear case of insufficient preliminary coordination on the part of the government," he had said.

Meanwhile, issues related to reports that some academics of the Australia India Institute at the Melbourne 

University have 'quit' due to alleged interference by the Indian High Commission in the institute’s work 

also figured at the media briefing.

 

"As far as academic freedom in Australia is concerned, this is for the Australian authorities to respond to. 

I do believe that the authorities of the Institute of Melbourne have made their position clear to it,"

MEA spokesperson said. 

He also said that the reports of 'dragging' the Indian High Commission to Australia into this is unjustified.

Mr Bagchi also pointed out that, "The institute was set up by the Australian government in partnership with 

the University of Melbourne and funded by Australian government and institutions. The 

Government (of India) has no say in decision-making of this institute".

“Some events relating to India” have been “discouraged or not supported on the grounds (by the institute) as they 

were likely to be controversial”, the scholars had written, according to reports.

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India's condemnation of Bucha atrocities was strongest, says Boris Johnson 

New Delhi

On the backdrop of efforts made by western players to push India to take a tougher stance against Russia, visiting UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday, April 21, said the world understands "different relationship" between New Delhi and Moscow.

"Actually, if you look at what the Indians have said, they were very strong in their condemnation of the atrocities in Bucha," said Johnson in PM Narendra Modi's native state of Gujarat.

"As I think everybody understands, India and Russia have historically very different a relationship, perhaps, than Russia and the UK have had over the last couple of decades. We have to reflect that reality.....But clearly I will be talking about it to Narendra Modi," the British Prime Minister said.

"India and the UK both share anxieties about autocracies around the world, we are both democracies and we want to stick together," he emphasized. 

Mr Johnson also said that the two countries are "hoping to complete another free trade agreement" with India by the end of the year or by the autumn". 

Johnson and PM Modi will hold bilateral talks in New Delhi on Friday, April 22.

"There's also the opportunity for us to deepen our security and defence partnership," the British PM said.

" The UK is making an Indo-Pacific tilt in our integrated review of our national defence and security strategy," he maintained. 

Western media reports quoting the British Prime Minister claimed that he was "ready to offer more visas to India" in return for this year clinching a free-trade deal.

Speaking on the flight to Gujarat, he told journalists - "I have always been in favour of talented people coming to this country (Britain)....We are short to the tune of hundreds of thousands of people in our economy and we need to have a progressive approach and we will."

Britain has made getting a trade deal with India one of its post-Brexit priorities as ministers, free from the European Union's common trade policy, look to gear policy towards faster-growing economies around the Indo-Pacific region.

India also wants greater opportunities for Indians to live and work in Britain. 

It is understood that Britain also wants to tap into the wealth of India's middle classes and their appetite for premium British products.

Britain hopes that India can become a customer of its green technology and that service trade can also be strengthened.

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India slams US congresswoman Ilhan Omar's visit to Pak-occupied J&K 

New Delhi 

India on Thursday slammed US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's visit to Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. 
"This visit is condemnable," MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi told reporters here. 

"We have noted that US Representative Ilhan Omar has visited a part of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that is currently illegally occupied by Pakistan," he said adding, if such a politician wishes to practice "her narrow-minded politics at home, that may be her business". 

But, the MEA spokesman made it clear - "....violating our territorial integrity and sovereignty in its pursuit makes it ours. This visit is condemnable".

The MEA spokesman also condemned all terrorist attacks such as the one in Afghanistan.

"We are looking at the developments there," he said. 

Omar was born in Somalia and she represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives as a Democrat.

An experienced Twin Cities policy analyst, organiser, public speaker and advocate, Omar was sworn into office in January 2019, making her the first African refugee to become a Member of Congress, the first woman of colour to represent Minnesota, and one of the first two Muslim-American women elected to Congress.

She has attracted controversies for her remarks and tweets on Kashmir earlier also.

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