Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama make remarks to reporters after their meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US on June 7. Reuters photo

Beijing, June 8

India cannot rise by “containing” China or picking one side against the other, a Chinese state-run paper said on Wednesday, taking note of the Indo-US ties which are being ramped up to an “unprecedented level”.“Four visits to the US and seven meetings with President Barack Obama in two years–Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ramped up the India-US relationship to an unprecedented level. How the two countries will engage with each other has raised heated discussions,” an op-ed article in state-run Global Times said.“Picking one side or camp against the other is not the way India will rise. New Delhi is looking into a multi-faceted diplomacy. The well-performing Indian economy will give incentives to the country to be more confident with multilateralism and to seek balanced international relations.“Although rivalling China in many aspects, India knows its great vision cannot be realised by bashing or containing China. Instead, they should expand cooperation, explore the potentials and build mutual trust for their own good. China is more of a help than a competitor for India. This will eventually constitute India’s fundamental understanding of China,” it said referring to Modi’s current visit to the US.With Modi’s visit, New Delhi hopes there will be breakthroughs in many aspects, especially business and trade, security cooperation and nuclear issues, the article titled ‘India’s vision cannot be realised by containing China’ said.“The transformation of the geopolitical landscape is the major driver drawing the US and India much closer.Washington’s rebalance to the Asia-Pacific makes the US realise India’s strategic significance, economic potential and ideological commonality,” it said.“India hopes that by consolidating its relationship with the US, it could gain leverage in development and forge an international status that is worthy of its potential. Modi has riveted his interactions with the US on this simple outlook to make India a veritable powerhouse. He was eager to boost a broader and better economic relationship with the US.“He urged the signing of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement, a landmark deal promoting logistics and defence cooperation with the US and he also expects an endorsement from the US to help India become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the last step to solidify India’s status as a nuclear powerhouse,” the article said.As for Washington, it is always hoping that India could serve as its right hand to counterbalance China’s rise. But so far, Washington’s calculations do not work well. Turning down Washington’s invitation to join a patrol in the South China Sea, New Delhi has no intention to cast away its founding principles: independence and non-alignment, it said.“In the process of fulfilling its ambition to be a major power, India has always employed independent and pragmatic approaches. A balance between other major powers will be its primary and optimal choice,” the article added. PTI

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, June 6

For those looking for solace, the Banjar valley is the perfect destination. Be it domestic tourists or foreigners, all make a beeline for the picturesque place. Rivers, lakes, waterfalls, mountain ranges, evergreen forest, grasslands, historic buildings and temples are a major tourist attraction here.The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) was declared a world heritage site in June 2014 and since then new avenues have opened up for entrepreneurs associated with tourism industry in the Banjar valley.Scenic Jibhi village and Shoja valley attract a large number of foreign and domestic tourists. The villages have witnessed an increase in the number of guest houses over the years.Pilgrims throng the temple and the lake at Seolsar in large numbers.Davinder, managing director, Jibhi Inn, said the best part was that the area was unexplored unlike other hill stations. “A traveller gets to see a lot of new places here,” he said.The Banjar valley can be approached from the Chandigarh-Manali highway. It is the ideal destination for nature lovers and trekkers. Davinder said: “The valley is surrounded by pine trees and snow-covered majestic peaks. There are various trekking routes, small streams and old temples. Water bodies are popular for various games and fishing. Picturesque spots like Sarehul Lake, Chaini Fort, Sharingi Bagi Temple and Shringa Rishi Temple delight the visitors.” Having splendid mountain ranges and forests, Jibhi is the unexplored heaven in the heart of the Himalayas.

About Banjar valley

• Banjar is situated at the height of 1,356 m (4515.48 feet) from the sea level
• The place lies on the alternative route to Kullu from Shimla
• The main route is via Bilaspur and Mandi. The alternative route goes from Theog, Aani, Jalori Pass, Banjar and joins the main route at Aut
• The valley is in the middle Himalayan range. Going towards east, the peaksprogressively get taller, finally giving way to the great Himalayan range, wherethe peaks are as high as 4,500 m and above

Islamabad, June 4

Pakistan has denied consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav arrested allegedly for spying and conducting subversive activities in Balochistan province and Karachi city of Pakistan.“After due consideration, it has been decided not to grant consular access to Jadhav,” Dawn online on Saturday quoted a top security source as saying. The reason behind the decision was cited as Jadhav’s involvement in “subversive activities” in Pakistan, the source said.Pakistani forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan province in March. It was said that the retired navy officer was “a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to Research and Analysis Wing ”.The External Affairs Ministry said Jadhav worked in the Indian Navy and Gautam Bambawale, Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad, sought consular access to him. “The said individual has no link with the government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy. We have sought consular access to him,” MEA spokesman Vikas Swarup said. —

Hyderabad, June 25

Noted scientist and Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) member M.R. Srinivasan on Saturday said the Centre’s push to gain Nuclear Suppliers Group membership was “unnecessary, unwarranted and ill-advised”, a day after India failed in its bid to clinch membership of the 48-member club.

The AEC, a body under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), would have advised the government to desist from such a move had it been consulted, he said.

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Srinivasan, a former Chairman of the AEC, which looks after atomic energy activities in the country, argued that NSG membership does not make a difference to India’s nuclear commerce as New Delhi has signed agreements with other countries for supply of reactors and uranium.

“Unnecessarily, India made a big hype about this admission into the NSG. It was completely unnecessary because the 2008 waiver was already enabling us to have nuclear commerce with nuclear advanced countries and we already have agreements with Russia, France and the United States for reactor projects…,” he said in an interview to PTI today.

India also has uranium-buying agreement with multiple countries, including Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia, Srinivasan noted, adding that it was an “unwarranted and ill-advised initiative” to seek entry into the group of nuclear-supplier countries set up in 1974.

The Padma Bhushan awardee said failure to get in the NSG would not have adverse impact on India’s nuclear programme as New Delhi has its own capability “for designing and building reactors and fuel manufacturing, reprocessing and so on.”

“On the ground, it won’t make any difference (on failure to get NSG membership). We already have a waiver. We are already having cooperation with important countries and countries who are able to supply uranium. There was no need for us to subject ourselves to embarrassment. Unfortunately, our (India’s) self-esteem has been dented (with this failure),” the well-known 86-year-old nuclear scientist said.

“(Had) the matter been initially brought to the Atomic Energy Commission, (of) which I am still a member, and if they (the Government) had asked if we (the Government) should proceed with this issue (seeking NSG entry), I would have said the same thing—‘don’t raise the issue’,” he said.

“But it was not brought to the Atomic Energy Commission. It’s unfortunate. It was thought to be the preserve of Foreign Office… Ministry of External Affairs… I do not know. Needless drama (India’s diplomatic push on NSG membership) has gone on for a number of days,” he said.

Srinivasan, who played a key role in the development of India’s nuclear power programme and Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR), said that no evaluation was made about the perceived benefits of NSG membership.

“…whether we should have put so much efforts… the Prime Minister going to so many countries, canvassing (for NSG entry). Somebody from Foreign Office who has done evaluation, either they did evaluation and their assumptions were not borne out or evaluation was not properly carried out. I am unhappy that we should put so much importance to this thing (NSG membership),” he said.

Needless expectations were raised on becoming part of the group and so much political capital at the highest level of the Government of India and Prime Minister was deployed for the purpose, the noted scientist said.

“It was a quest we could have well avoided and an embarrassment we could well have avoided,” he said, pointing out that India should have sensed the mood with China and some other countries raising objections to India’s membership.

He also found fault with the media’s description of the NSG as an “elite group”.

“How can a 48-member NSG be an elite group? It got members like New Zealand, Ireland… all these people who have no nuclear programme of any kind,” he said. — PTI

NEW DELHI: The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) kept on hold India’s request for membership on Friday after several countries led by China refused to adjust rules that require New Delhi to first sign a global arms control pact.

A disappointed India said, in an unusual ly sharp but veiled reference to China, that one country persistently created “procedural hurdles”, a byword for Beijing’s insistence New Delhi sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

New Delhi had gone to Seoul without any certainty of victory. It had hoped intense lobbying, which included cross-continent diplomatic campaigns by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a last-minute meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, would help deal with the procedural necessities for a non-NPT member’s entry into the NSG.

But it was clear on Friday that the Chinese opposition had encouraged six others to also raise procedural points about India’s entry into the grouping that controls access to nuclear materials and technology. “We understand that despite procedural hurdles persistently raised by one country, a threehour-long discussion took place last night on the issue of future participation in the NSG,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

“The NSG plenary in Seoul earlier in the day decided against granting India membership of the grouping immediately and said it will continue to have discussions on participation of countries which have not signed the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty.”

China is leading opposition to a push by the United States to bring India into the NSG. Beijing’s all-weather ally, Pakistan, which hasn’t signed the NPT either, is also seeking membership.

THE United Kingdom has, by a narrow margin of 1,219,501, decided to leave the European Union. This is a deeply unsettling and disruptive vote and its consequences are already being felt across the world. It will be weeks of uncertainty and confusion before the British political establishment itself would be able to figure out how to proceed on the divorce. Details of the vote revealed a nation fractured and divided down the middle. The kind of anchored equilibrium that characterised the English society, politics and economics for a century appears to have dissolved within a fortnight. Prime Minister David Cameron, who led the ‘stay’ campaign, had taken a gamble in calling for the referendum — and, has, now, lost it. This man was voted back to power only a year ago and handed a sturdy mandate. He now stands rejected.  He has been left with no choice but to step down. Till the Conservative Party finds a new leader, Cameron would remain a wounded and crippled Prime Minister. The formal leadership of the Labour Party, too, stands diminished. The Labour Party also favoured a continuation in the European Union but it never demonstrated sufficient energy or verve in its advocacy. Its internal divisions and factionalism would get further aggravated. The two established parties should feel soundly rebuked by the voter. Thursday’s ‘out’ vote is deeply troubling because it represents a symbolically potent victory for politics of anger, hate and xenophobia. The ‘out’ campaign was openly nasty and ugly; it was directed at the average British voter’s fear of the immigrant. The ‘out’ success will give a decided fillip to all the right-wing political leaders and outfits in Europe and beyond. It would be noted that the British voter also spurned President Obama’s advice to ‘stay’, whereas the Republican presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, had championed an ‘out’ vote. The British voter had unwittingly bestowed some kind of respectability on all kinds of demagogues around the world, who would now feel emboldened enough to invoke narrow nationalism and isolationism to crank up a sectarian agenda in their respective domestic politics. The voices of openness, pluralism and tolerance have suffered a definite setback. It is a defining moment — and, not just in England.

India must brace for change

WITH Britain’s ‘Leave’ European Union vote, global financial markets got a nasty jolt, reviving bad memories of the Lehman moment. Its ramifications could be more complicated and even worse. The impact on India will be relatively limited largely because of our domestic-focused economy. The Britain and EU-centric export-led economies will feel the real heat. The reassuring words from Finance Minister Jaitley and RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan about India’s good fundamentals, low short-term external debt, and sizeable foreign reserves did soften the initial blow but long-term concerns remain. Remember after the Lehman collapse, capital outflows continued for five long years. The business sentiment here was just beginning to improve, economic growth was picking up and the government too opened up various sectors of the economy to woo foreign investment. All this would be in danger until stability returns. India’s exports, already shrinking, will suffer further. The $8.83 billion trade with Britain will be in jeopardy as also the auto and pharmaceutical exports to Europe. Foreign funding expected to pour in infrastructure, defence, civil aviation, real estate and other areas may get delayed or shelved.In turbulent times fund managers look for safe havens like the dollar and gold, which appreciated significantly on the very day the news of divorce came. But the other infected assets — stocks, currencies, commodities — could fall further, impacting the performance of economies and companies. A cheaper pound will make trips, holidays and education in Britain cheaper for Indians. A fall in oil prices is expected and it will benefit India. Low commodity prices, however, can also hit corporate performance and poor corporate earnings would derail the plans on managing bad loans of public sector banks and trigger capital outflows, weakening the rupee. How effectively the RBI handles the situation, how monetary policy is shaped and whether the new RBI Governor generates Rajan-like confidence in investors will decide the fate of India’s financial markets, businesses and economy.

Britain leaves EU

S Nihal Singh
Time to fix a broken institution

happy hour: The ‘greatness’ of Britain weighed heavy.

BRITAIN’s decision to leave the EU after a bitter and divisive campaign symbolised by the murder of the British MP Jo Cox has roiled world markets and posed the most serious crisis for the 28-nation group since its inception. The post-World War II idealism that brought warring nations together has undergone a dramatic change. Britain must now begin the process of formalising the divorce over two years and sort out the ramifications of separating from the EU, most notably in its relation to the common market, and possible domestic fallout in terms of Scotland that largely voted to remain in the EU seeking another referendum to seek independence from the UK. It is indicative of the joy of supporters of Brexit that the leader of the UK Independence Party, Mr Nigel Farage, should declare the referendum result as independence day. And far right leaders in France and the Netherlands, Ms Marine Le Pen, and Mr Geert Wilders, have been quick to call for votes in their countries to leave the EU.The major European members, Germany and France, must now act quickly to steady the EU ship by calling an early summit to reassure members that the British act is not contagious. There are good reasons for the rest to stay together, despite dissension.   The EU is facing three kinds of crisis: a large dose of Euroscepticism, inability to act together in the face of a major crisis such as the flood of refugees and the still shaky foundations of the common currency, the euro, with its members in an unequal relationship.Beyond these crises looms the central question that was not resolved through two world wars: how to tame the power of Germany? Britain, together with such countries as France, was a balancer, but since the UK has opted out, it will disturb this balance.Ironically, the very evils of nationalism the EU and its earlier avatars were meant to banish are raising their heads again. In the case of Hungary and Poland in particular, nationalistic and nativist tendencies are being blatantly promoted and the rise of the right and anti-EU rhetoric in major member states are ominous signs. It is ironic that Germany, which dominates EU policy-making, should host an Alternative for Germany party which has gained strength in the face of the unique welcome Chancellor Angela Merkel gave Syrian refugees.Ms Le Pen’s National Front has never been shy in proclaiming its Euroscepticism and is now considered a likely run-off candidate in next year’s French presidential election. Italy, Greece and Spain have their own anti-establishment parties, with anti-establishment candidate winning Rome and Turin mayoral contests against a once anti-establishment party candidates, now ruling dispensation.Where does the task of fixing a broken EU begin? The idealism that built the EU vanished in the 2008 recession and the feeble growth of most member states. The young, of course, take for granted the great benefits of visa-free travel and the ability to work anywhere in the EU. There are other tangible benefits of a common market in boosting trade. Yet the deep shoots of nationalism are negating the very rationale of a group like the EU.The most shameful aspect of the EU in recent times has been the refusal of many members to share the burden of hundreds of thousands of refugees from war-torn Middle East, some signifying their Muslim faith in refusing to give them asylum. Ms Merkel was left holding the baby. She paid a political price at home and completed a shady deal with Turkey for stemming the flow of refugees.Many critics of the EU decry the bureaucracy of Brussels, the group’s headquarters. Like all large organisations, the EU has its share of bureaucrats who guard their turf and take rigid positions. It is the task of the leadership to undertake spring cleaning. But the more immediate problem is of fixing the major fault lines that have emerged.Germany must take the lead because it is the largest aid-giver while Greece is at the other end of the scale. Apart from Athens’ continuing economic woes, there is widespread dissatisfaction with the traditional Berlin cure of following austerity policies for debt-ridden economies. Perhaps it is time to loosen the purse strings, although German hesitation is understandable, given that it is the main banker in doling out money, which comes from the country’s taxpayers.The present state of the EU highlighted by Britain’s own problem of reconciling itself to the fall from a once Great Britain to its present more humble status, poses a broader question: how to make the group useful and beneficial as it is in so many ways, more attractive and sexy to the young?The turn to the far right and nationalist jingoism are expressions of the citizens’ search for something they are missing in the EU. Tawdry deal-making at interminable summits are no substitute for enthusing EU citizens.Besides, the virtual common membership of the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has given a new twist to a problem familiar to all in the days of the Cold War. We are not quite in a new Cold War but Russia’s understandable resentment over the West’s attempt to swing Ukraine to its side has raised knotty questions.Despite Russia’s reduced status, Ukraine is the cradle of Russian roots in the Orthodox faith, with eastern parts of the country, largely Russian speaking, still attached to what many view as their motherland. The events on the Maidan in Kiev that led to regime change and an aggressive swing to the EU encouraged by Washington resulted in Moscow’s backing for pro-Russian rebels in the east, leading to two Minsk agreements with Western powers with an imperfect peace in place. It did not make sense for the EU to assume that Moscow would accept a country with a vast population so intimately connected with Mother Russia and sharing borders with it to be hived off.In any event, Moscow’s relations with the West have entered a turbulent phase with NATO gearing for reinforcing troops and equipment on states bordering Russia to reassure nervous neighbours such as Poland and the Baltic states. These moves detract from the central purpose of the EU.Britain’s exit gives an opportunity to EU members to revisit their organisation to correct its deficiencies in order to return it to the outlook of its founders in a vastly changed Europe and world. It would be a pity if the opportunity were lost. 

SNAPSHOT
PM Modi is setting the stage for India’s outreach to a region to which connectivity has been denied for the last 25 years

Much against what may be imagined, China is actually keen on India’s entry into SCO because it will expand the scope of the club
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is once again visiting Central Asia – Tashkent to be specific, and will be attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. If one traces on a map most of the routes of his foreign visits over the last one year or so, and then observes where the common point of interjection is, it will emerge somewhere in Central Asia or nearabout.

Modi is doing something which is of critical importance to India’s strategic dynamics. He is setting the stage for India’s outreach to a region to which connectivity has been denied to it for the last 25 years.

Those who follow the happenings in and around this region are also aware that a ‘New Great Game’ is being played there – a game often revolving around connectivity, infrastructure, energy and ideology. India is a part of that game without being an effective player because of its lack of connectivity. Without commensurate influence arising out of either common borders or connectivity it could at best be a bit player.

The US being a superpower does not require that criteria to be a major player.

Observers and analysts also sometimes forget that the hinge for the US rebalancing and pivot to Asia remains embedded there in Central Asia. The front edge of the swinging door is simply inching from South West and West Asia towards the Indo-Pacific but nothing changes in Central Asia as far as the US interests go, hence the hinge.

Before coming to the SCO itself, it may also be pertinent to point out that the strategic balance in the region of the New Great Game is changing with the emerging return of Iran to mainstream international politics.

Modi was well advised and his focus on Iran emerges from a sense of pragmatism and opportunity. The trilateral transport and transit corridor agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan is a potential game changer, providing India the opportunity in two fields denied thus far – first an outreach to the Central Asian region and second a chance to partake in the game of infrastructure, trade and transit. Suddenly, it turns on its head the complete concept of Pakistan’s denial to India of the natural outreach to its near abroad region.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Tashkent may carry some symbolic value of 50 years of the Tashkent Agreement between India and Pakistan, signed on 10 January 1966. It isn’t also just about the NSG issue and an opportunity to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. These are just contextual issues because the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meets at Seoul on 24 June, a day after the SCO meeting. No doubt India has invested a lot in the campaign to become a member of the NSG but SCO is something quite different.

SCO, initially an exclusive club formed in 2001, comprising China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, was apparently China’s attempt to influence its near abroad. In due course other countries – India, Mongolia, Iran and Pakistan – joined in 2005 with observer status.

Since 2010, efforts have been on to admit India and Pakistan as full-fledged members. However, as in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, other countries are usually apprehensive of India and Pakistan being together in any organisation fearing that their rivalry will dominate proceedings. In 2014, the mechanism for the induction of India and Pakistan was drawn up. It was expected that at the Russian city of Ufa, the final welcome would be made but that did not happen due to the devil of detail.

Much against what may be imagined, China is actually keen on India’s entry into SCO because it will expand the scope of the club and three major economies that of Russia, China and India will push the worth of the organisation manifold. It must be remembered that while China has been pushing relationships with all the member countries on a bilateral basis a multilateral organisation always adds to credibility and opportunities, especially as Beijing seeks certain specific outputs from this.

Firstly, it hopes to get greater substance from President Xi Jinping’s initiative of the One Belt One Road, a development strategy and framework that focuses on connectivity and cooperation between China and countries from Eurasia.

Secondly, the creeping radical ideology into the Central Asian region worries China due to the proximity of Xinjiang, where a restive Islamic Uyghur population resides. China hopes that inclusion of India and Pakistan will assist in greater efforts towards finding ways in diluting radical influence. This may sound a bit of an oxymoron considering that Pakistan itself is the core centre of radicalism.

However, China still believes in Pakistan’s ability to influence a more positive outcome. It cannot push for Pakistan’s full membership and has to per force include India. Russia anyway would look towards full membership for India.

Full membership of SCO for India and Pakistan may yet not materialise at Tashkent. However, the opportunity to engage through a forum which seems to have every nation involved in the New Great Game (dialogue partners included) is a temptation. Even with full membership the sensitivity of the region is such that it will yet take many years for the potential of partnerships to be realised. What India is doing is the right thing, seeking opportunity in the rapidly changing strategic environment and projecting its own relevance now that it has an opening, emerging in the form of connectivity to the region.

Will India’s visibly strengthening relationship with the US be a liability in this group where two US adversaries – China and Russia – hold sway? In fact, SCO would probably welcome India’s presence to forum as it would probably bring far more balance without losing focus.

Lastly, the focus on the actuals should not be lost sight of. SCO’s composition is the only real forum which brings the issues of the New Great Game to the table. Energy, trade, infrastructure, connectivity, ideology or terror, all play a role here. There are politics involved in each. What better way of reducing risk, providing opportunity and ensuring engagement than by being a full-fledged and involved member of this grouping.

Modi’s travel may be with focus on the tactical

purpose of engagement prior to the NSG decision. Yet, the larger picture still revolves around India’s interests in the Central Asian region and the New Great Game which now have a different dimension after the PM’s visit to Iran.

Syed Ata Hasnain

NUCLEAR CLUB Modi meets Xi in Tashkent; decision on India’s entry likely today

NEW DELHI: China’s great wall appeared to be crumbling before Indian diplomacy on Thursday. Beijing was left isolated as every other government of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) spoke at the opening of the Seoul plenary in favour of accepting India into the elite international nuclear technology club.

At the end of the first tense session of the two-day meeting, China found itself isolated over its call for a criteria-based membership that would allow Pakistan to also join the NSG, official sources told Hindustan Times.

China has been trying to block India’s membership by saying entry into the NSG should be limited to countries that have signed the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty (NPT), a global nuclear arms control pact. India and China’s “allweather ally”, Pakistan, which too is seeking membership of the NSG, have not signed the NPT.

As the NSG works by consensus, China has the ability to veto India’s entry. Even as the Seoul meeting was taking place, on the other side of Asia in Uzbekistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was making a direct appeal to Chinese President Xi Jinping to support India’s entry to the NSG, saying China should make a “fair and objective” assessment of India’s candidature. Modi’s message was described as “very direct.”

At the Seoul meeting, Japan led the way by first raising India’s membership at the NSG meeting. It was seconded by Argentina which presented a report praising India’s nuclear nonproliferation record.

China found itself left high and dry as, one by one, more than 30 NSG members declared their support for India’s joining the group. Contrary to initial reports, Brazil and South Africa were strong backers of India’s membership.

PIB HANDOUTPrime Minister Narendra Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Thursday.

Austria, Ireland, Switzerland and a few others said they supported Indian membership but wanted to know how the induction process would take place. Turkey, seen as Pakistan’s closest friend in the NSG after China, said it supported membership for both countries. However, Pakistan’s application was not even taken up by the other members.

Beijing used a procedural block to hold up the meeting for five hours in the morning. It conceded after an additional clause, separate from the one about India, that the NSG should consider the “political, technical and legal issues” regarding non-NPT members was added. This is seen as a possible fig-leaf for Beijing to take back to Islamabad.

The representatives, after another post-dinner round, broke for the night and contacted their respective governments for further instructions. The formal plenary begins on Friday.

In Tashkent, during his 45-minute meeting with Xi, Modi said China should “join and contribute” to the emerging consensus among NSG members on India’s candidature, according to the external affairs ministry.

Sources said Modi spoke about how India’s entry into the NSG will strengthen the global non-proliferation regime. His meeting with Xi was his first engagement in Tashkent.

There was no official word on the response from Xi, who assured Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain shortly before the meeting with Modi that China will adopt a “criteria-based approach” for NSG membership that will support Islamabad’s application.

Continued Chinese opposition to India’s membership in the NSG could threaten bilateral relations between the two Asian giants, especially in fora like BRICS, the RussiaIndia-China triangle and even the climate change bloc BASIC.

But officially Beijing has sought to de-link its position on NSG membership from its ties with India.

“We believe that with regard to the admission of new members a decision shall be made with through discussion within the group,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said ahead of Modi’s meeting with Xi.

“We do not believe that it (Beijing’s position on admitting new members to the NSG) is an issue concerning the bilateral relationship between China and India.”

New Delhi, June 20

The tenure of the committee formed on implementation of the “one rank, one pension” (OROP) scheme has been extended by six months up to the middle of December.The government recently amended the gazette notification issued last year under which the committee headed by former Chief Justice of Patna High Court Justice (Retd) L Narasimha Reddy was scheduled to submit its report by June 14. With the extension, the implementation of OROP may take more time as the panel can submit its report by December 14, official sources said.The government had announced implementation of OROP on November 7, 2015 to benefit over 25 lakh ex-servicemen and war widows. The OROP mandates payment of uniform pension to the armed forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement, which implies that bridging the gap between the rate of pension of current and past pensioners at periodic intervals. The other Terms of Reference of the Committee will continue which include measures for the removal of anomalies that may arise in the implementation of the OROP as notified by the government.The panel is also looking into the measures for the removal of anomalies that may arise out of inter-services issues of the three forces due to implementation of OROP besides implications on service matters. The committee is examining all other matter referred to it by the central government on implementation of the OROP or related issues. In making its recommendations, the committee will take into account the financial impact of its recommendations, as per its Terms of Reference. — PTI

Six-month lease

• The govt had announced implementation of OROP on November 7, 2015, to benefit over 25 lakh ex-servicemen and war widows
• A committee headed by former CJ of Patna HC Justice (retd) L Narasimha Reddy was scheduled to submit its report by June 14
• The panel has now got an extension up to December 14, thus pushing implementation date a little further

A Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd-designed Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) aircraft flies during its inaugural flight in Bengaluru. REUTERS

• Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday said Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) was better than the existing Swiss propeller driven Pilatus, whose purchase will now be restricted to just 38
• HTT-40 could still land in case of engine failure and the pilot could eject even when the plane was in a stationary position, he stressed, praising the basic trainer
• He said the aircraft was 80 per cent indigenous with about 75 plus systems out of the total 90 of the aircraft sourced locally. HAL was free to export HTT-40, he added