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Jayanth Jacob

Jayanth Jacob writes on foreign policy and politics for Hindustan Times.

Articles by Jayanth Jacob

Cooperation and chemistry: What to expect from Modi and Xi’s Wuhan summit

Officials say PM Narendra Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping can cooperate in a host of areas such as economic relations, counter-terrorism efforts, regional security and climate change.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Tashkent on the sidelines of a summit.(PTI FILE)

india news

Updated on Apr 24, 2018 08:48 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

Key Opposition meet today to discuss motion to remove CJI Dipak Misra

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has called a meeting at 11am, which is likely to see the participation of CPM, CPI, RJD and NCP. Azad is also scheduled to meet vice president Venkaiah Naidu.

CJI Dipak Misra retires in October.(PTI File Photo)

india news

Updated on Apr 20, 2018 11:09 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAurangzeb Naqshbandi, Jayanth Jacob and Saubhadra Chatterji

India, Pakistan spar again over access to Sikh pilgrims

India lodged a protest with Pakistan on Sunday for not allowing its high commissioner and diplomats meet Sikh pilgrims visiting the neighbouring country.

Sikh pilgrims attend Baisakhi festival at the shrine of Gurdwara Punja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, some 50 kilometers from Islamabad, Pakistan, April 14, 2018.(AP Photo)

india news

Updated on Apr 16, 2018 10:56 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

NSA Ajit Doval to travel to Russia to boost ties with Moscow

India and Russia are working on ways to step up defence ties, too, particularly through the joint production of spare parts.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval(Ajay Aggarwal/HT File Photo)

india news

Updated on Apr 14, 2018 12:51 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByShishir Gupta and Jayanth Jacob

Foreign secretary in Bangladesh: Oil pipeline, Rohingya crisis discussed

India and Bangladesh on Monday signed six agreements, including one for a 129.5 km-long oil pipeline.

Foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale with Bangladesh foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali.(Picture courtesy: Twitter/MEA)

india news

Published on Apr 09, 2018 11:20 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

India to seek security commitments, up defence ties with Nepal in Modi-Oli meet

The geographical location of Nepal and a large and porous border with India mandates that the security concerns come upfront, said an official ahead of the Modi-Oli meet.

Nepalese Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli in New Delhi.(AP)

india news

Updated on Apr 07, 2018 02:10 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob, New Delhi

Nepal top recipient of India aid with ₹253 crore

Nepal topped the chart of three countries where India spends money on developmental grants under “rebuilding and reconstruction activities” in the last two years, ahead of both Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. KP Oli arrived in India on Friday for a three-day visit in his first foreign trip after being sworn as Prime Minister of Nepal for a second time in February 2018, a trip expected to steady the ties that remained wobbly in recent times.

Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Oli during a meeting with Indian industrialists in New Delhi on Friday.(PTI Photo)

india news

Updated on Apr 06, 2018 11:15 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

India-Maldives strain deepens as island nation steps up military ties with Pak

After the first visit ever to the Maldives last week by Pakistan’s army chief, General Qamar Bajwa , steps are taken to boost counter-terrorism cooperation that could help Pakistan gain a larger role in Indian Ocean region.

Foreign and special envoy of President of Maldives, Mohamed Asim, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in January.(PTI File Photo)

india news

Updated on Apr 05, 2018 08:19 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

India moves to strengthen relationship with Palestine

Implementation of all the 11 pacts signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former president Pranab Mukherjee’s visits to the West Asian country are a top priority with the government, officials say.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas following a joint statement at the end of their meeting at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah on February 10.(AP File Photo)

india news

Updated on Apr 02, 2018 11:17 PM IST

New Delhi, Hindustan Times | ByJayanth Jacob

President Kovind and V-P Venkaiah Naidu to head India’s Africa outreach with three-nation tour

The three-nation trips will take to 24 the number of African countries visited by the President, Vice-President and the Prime Minister. India has received 12 heads of government and state from Africa since it hosted the Africa Forum summit in October 2015.

President Ram Nath Kovind being received by Djibouti’s Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed during a 2017 visit.(HT File Photo)

india news

Updated on Mar 22, 2018 11:06 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByMoushumi Das Gupta & Jayanth Jacob

Pakistan makes first payment for South Asian University but raises issue of 10% student quota

The South Asian University is active since 2010 and Pakistan was the only nation in the eight-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation group which is yet to make any financial contribution.

Pakistan not paying the agreed share of SAU’s operational cost was a bone of contention between the two countries and New Delhi had sent two diplomatic communications urging Pakistan to pay up in the last year.

india news

Updated on Mar 18, 2018 11:11 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

Government looks to reset China ties with a Modi-Xi summit

An informal summit will give Modi and Xi an opportunity for a face-to-face discussion on various issues without aides being present. Only interpreters would be in attendance.

Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China.(PIB File Photo)

india news

Updated on Mar 17, 2018 07:58 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

India details harassment of diplomats, kin in Pakistan

India and Pakistan have in recent days accused each other of ill-treating diplomats and their families.

The note said that an Indian diplomat was harassed even on March 16, the day Indian high commissioner Ajay Bisaria met Pakistan foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua to raise the issue.(HT FILE PHOTO)

india news

Updated on Mar 16, 2018 11:28 PM IST

New Delhi, Hindustan Times | ByShishir Gupta and Jayanth Jacob

India’s outbound blue-collar workforce halved between 2015 and 2017

Saudi Arabia is home to over 3.2 million Indian workers and was for long the top destination for Indian workers but in 2017, only 78,611 Indians found jobs there, as compared to 3,06,642 in 2015.

Several factors have led to the fall , one of which is the slowing construction business in most West Asian countries.(HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Mar 16, 2018 07:37 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

India, Pakistan trade charges on harassment of diplomats, their families

Two Indian officials pointed to a series of incidents allegedly indicating harassment of Indian diplomats in Islamabad. Pakistan, too, threatened to pull out the families of diplomats from India.

Ties between India and Pakistan have been particularly strained over the last few months over increased ceasefire violations across the Line of Control and the treatment meted out to an Indian prisoner in Pakistan Kulbhushan Jadhav.(Raj K Raj/HT File Photo)

india news

Updated on Mar 12, 2018 07:31 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi/Islamabad | ByJayanth Jacob and Imtiaz Ahmad

On India visit, French President Macron pledges 700 million euros for new solar projects

France had already committed 300 million euros to the initiative when it co-founded with India a global alliance in 2015 to unlock new cash for solar projects in sunny yet poor nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron at the International Solar Alliance Founding Conference in New Delhi on March 11.(PTI Photo)

india news

Updated on Mar 11, 2018 11:09 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

Doklam issue: Bhutan, China to hold fresh round of boundary talks

The 25th round of boundary talks between Bhutan and China, of great interest to India and deferred on account of last year’s Doklam standoff

(FILES) This file photo taken on July 10, 2008 shows a Chinese soldier (L) next to an Indian soldier at the Nathu La border crossing between India and China in Sikkim.(AFP)

india news

Updated on Mar 10, 2018 11:15 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

India-France strengthen 20-year-old partnership, sign key security deal with China in mind

China’s territorial ambitions in the South China Sea already worry world powers, and its move into the vast Indian Ocean — stretching from the Suez Canal to the Malacca Strait — has heightened that concern.

French president Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a photo opportunity ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, on March 10, 2018.(Reuters)

india news

Updated on Mar 11, 2018 07:24 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

After Doklam standoff, India to focus on Bhutan ties

Bhutan was also the first foreign port of call for Modi after he took over as prime minister in May 2014.

Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay (left) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet each other at the inaugural function of Advantage Assam Global Investor's Summit 2018 in Guwahati.(AP File Photo)

india news

Updated on Mar 10, 2018 07:09 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

Macron’s India visit: India, France to unveil Pacific cooperation plan

A pact between the national security councils of India and France to protect the security and sanctity of documents pertaining to national security will also be signed after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Macron on March 10.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) says goodbye to French President Emmanuel Macron after a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe on the last leg of his four-nation visit in Paris, on June 3, 2017.(AFP File Photo)

india news

Updated on Mar 09, 2018 07:27 AM IST

ByShishir Gupta and Jayanth Jacob, New Delhi

India and Pakistan agree to exchange elderly, mentally challenged and female prisoners

Forward movement on the humanitarian proposals came against the backdrop of bilateral ties strained by cross-border terrorism and fierce exchanges of fire on the Line of Control.

The Judicial Committee on Prisoners has been inactive for more than four years.(Representational Photo/Reuters)

world news

Updated on Mar 07, 2018 11:34 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi/Islamabad | ByImtiaz Ahmad and Jayanth Jacob

India takes note as Pak PM visits Nepal with China on mind

An Indian official said the visit could be of some importance because Nepal is the current chair of the SAARC and Pakistan is looking ways to explore the possibility of holding the summit of the grouping at an early date.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi spoke at length about the importance of One Road One Belt project of Chinese government, an ambitious project of promising more than $1 trillion in infrastructure and that span through more than 60 countries.(Reuters File Photo)

india news

Updated on Mar 07, 2018 07:33 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

The verdict in Tripura is a clear setback for us: Sitaram Yechury

Riding the crest of a Modi wave, the BJP on Saturday demolished the communist citadel of Tripura, winning a two-third majority with ally IPFT and ending 25 years of uninterrupted rule of the CPI(M)-led Left Front.

CPI-M MP Sitaram Yechury talks to the media at Parliament House in New Delhi.(PTI File Photo)

india news

Updated on Mar 03, 2018 11:45 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

Tripura election: Left faces existential crisis as BJP brings it to its weakest in 4 decades

Tripura was the CPI(M)’s citadel for 25 successive years, 20 of which saw Manik Sarkar at the helm. However, in the latest electoral round, the BJP and its ally shot ahead in their tally, leaving the Communist party far behind.

india news

Updated on Jul 26, 2019 12:45 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

Campaign against terror not aimed at any religion: PM Modi

Every religion promotes human values, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address at a conference on ‘Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding & Moderation’, where Jordan’s King Abdullah II was also present.

President Ram Nath Kovind with Jordan King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.(Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Mar 01, 2018 10:36 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal got an e-visa to India

Citizens of Canada, like Atwal are eligible for an India e-visa, a facility India extends to nationals of some 150 countries.

Since Atwal’s name was removed from the list of blacklisted Sikh militants by India’s home ministry in 2016, there was nothing that could have possibly prevented him from getting an e-visa.(Screengrab)

india news

Updated on Feb 28, 2018 11:19 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

MEA to appoint six envoys under new foreign secy Vijay Gokhale, more changes on the anvil

Sripriya Ranganathan, who currently heads the territorial division of Bangladesh and Myanmar, is slated to be the country’s next envoy to South Korea. Vinay Kumar, joint secretary (south) in the headquarters, will head to Afghanistan as its next envoy

Foreign secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale at his office in New Delhi.(PTI File Photo)

india news

Updated on Feb 27, 2018 11:15 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

33 illegal Indian immigrants, 121 Pakistanis sent back on US flight

An officer of Delhi Police corroborated the information, and said that no case has been registered against any of the Indians.

A view of the domestic arrival gate at IGI’s T3. The flight proceeded to Islamabad from New Delhi to drop off the Pakistani nationals, a CISF official said.(File Photo)

india news

Updated on Feb 28, 2018 07:53 AM IST

New Delhi, Hindustan Times | ByFaizan Haidar and Jayanth Jacob

Foreign secy Vijay Gokhale may meet Pakistan counterpart Tehmina Janjua in Kabul this week

This meeting, if it materialises, would the first such contact between India and Pakistan since National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met his Pakistan counterpart on December 26, 2017 in Bangkok.

In this file photo, Vijay Keshav Gokhale can be seen in his office as he takes over as the foreign secretary of India, in New Delhi on Monday.(PTI)

india news

Updated on Feb 26, 2018 11:37 PM IST

New Delhi, Hindustan Times | ByJayanth Jacob

India, Pakistan plan to exchange elderly, mentally ill and female prisoners

Also under consideration is the revival of Indian and Pakistani joint judicial committees on prisoners that were established in 2008 but eventually became defunct.

The issue of the elderly, mentally challenged and female prisoners languishing in jails was first discussed when Pakistan envoy Sohail Mahmood met external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in October 2017. The issue cropped up again in a subsequent meeting between the two.(Representational Photo/Reuters)

india news

Updated on Feb 27, 2018 09:00 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayanth Jacob

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Jayanth Jacob

Jayanth Jacob writes on foreign policy and politics for Hindustan Times.

Officials say PM Narendra Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping can cooperate in a host of areas such as economic relations, counter-terrorism efforts, regional security and climate change.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has called a meeting at 11am, which is likely to see the participation of CPM, CPI, RJD and NCP. Azad is also scheduled to meet vice president Venkaiah Naidu.

India lodged a protest with Pakistan on Sunday for not allowing its high commissioner and diplomats meet Sikh pilgrims visiting the neighbouring country.

India and Russia are working on ways to step up defence ties, too, particularly through the joint production of spare parts.

India and Bangladesh on Monday signed six agreements, including one for a 129.5 km-long oil pipeline.

The geographical location of Nepal and a large and porous border with India mandates that the security concerns come upfront, said an official ahead of the Modi-Oli meet.

After the first visit ever to the Maldives last week by Pakistan’s army chief, General Qamar Bajwa , steps are taken to boost counter-terrorism cooperation that could help Pakistan gain a larger role in Indian Ocean region.

Implementation of all the 11 pacts signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former president Pranab Mukherjee’s visits to the West Asian country are a top priority with the government, officials say.

The three-nation trips will take to 24 the number of African countries visited by the President, Vice-President and the Prime Minister. India has received 12 heads of government and state from Africa since it hosted the Africa Forum summit in October 2015.

The South Asian University is active since 2010 and Pakistan was the only nation in the eight-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation group which is yet to make any financial contribution.

An informal summit will give Modi and Xi an opportunity for a face-to-face discussion on various issues without aides being present. Only interpreters would be in attendance.

India and Pakistan have in recent days accused each other of ill-treating diplomats and their families.

Saudi Arabia is home to over 3.2 million Indian workers and was for long the top destination for Indian workers but in 2017, only 78,611 Indians found jobs there, as compared to 3,06,642 in 2015.

Two Indian officials pointed to a series of incidents allegedly indicating harassment of Indian diplomats in Islamabad. Pakistan, too, threatened to pull out the families of diplomats from India.

France had already committed 300 million euros to the initiative when it co-founded with India a global alliance in 2015 to unlock new cash for solar projects in sunny yet poor nations.

The 25th round of boundary talks between Bhutan and China, of great interest to India and deferred on account of last year’s Doklam standoff

China’s territorial ambitions in the South China Sea already worry world powers, and its move into the vast Indian Ocean — stretching from the Suez Canal to the Malacca Strait — has heightened that concern.

Bhutan was also the first foreign port of call for Modi after he took over as prime minister in May 2014.

A pact between the national security councils of India and France to protect the security and sanctity of documents pertaining to national security will also be signed after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Macron on March 10.

Forward movement on the humanitarian proposals came against the backdrop of bilateral ties strained by cross-border terrorism and fierce exchanges of fire on the Line of Control.

An Indian official said the visit could be of some importance because Nepal is the current chair of the SAARC and Pakistan is looking ways to explore the possibility of holding the summit of the grouping at an early date.

Riding the crest of a Modi wave, the BJP on Saturday demolished the communist citadel of Tripura, winning a two-third majority with ally IPFT and ending 25 years of uninterrupted rule of the CPI(M)-led Left Front.

Tripura was the CPI(M)’s citadel for 25 successive years, 20 of which saw Manik Sarkar at the helm. However, in the latest electoral round, the BJP and its ally shot ahead in their tally, leaving the Communist party far behind.

Every religion promotes human values, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address at a conference on ‘Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding & Moderation’, where Jordan’s King Abdullah II was also present.

Citizens of Canada, like Atwal are eligible for an India e-visa, a facility India extends to nationals of some 150 countries.

Sripriya Ranganathan, who currently heads the territorial division of Bangladesh and Myanmar, is slated to be the country’s next envoy to South Korea. Vinay Kumar, joint secretary (south) in the headquarters, will head to Afghanistan as its next envoy

An officer of Delhi Police corroborated the information, and said that no case has been registered against any of the Indians.

This meeting, if it materialises, would the first such contact between India and Pakistan since National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met his Pakistan counterpart on December 26, 2017 in Bangkok.

Also under consideration is the revival of Indian and Pakistani joint judicial committees on prisoners that were established in 2008 but eventually became defunct.

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