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India joins UN in condemning terror attacks in Afghanistan

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India joins UN in condemning terror attacks in Afghanistan

UN chief say terrorists must not succeed in deterring Afghan citizens from taking part in forthcoming elections 

India has joined UN in condemning Sunday’s terror attacks in Afghanistan calling them “cowardly” and “barbaric” leading to the deaths of nearly 70 civilians.

The statement issued by Ministry of External Affairs Sunday evening said,What makes this attack particularly reprehensible is the fact that the terrorists and their backers chose to attack a voters’ registration centre for the upcoming parliamentary and district council elections.”

It further said, “The attack has resulted in the death of Afghans who firmly support and believe in the democratic process to empower themselves and make their voice heard. This is not only an attack on innocent civilians but also an attack on the democratic rights of the Afghan people.”

Read More: India succeeds hurting Pakistan’s trade interest in Afghanistan

At least 57 people were killed in Kabul by a suicide bomber who walked into the crowd at the doorway of an ID distribution centre and detonated his explosives. However, Doha based Al-Jazeera TV network has confirmed the death of 63 people and wounding of hundreds others.

India joins UN in condemning terror attacks in AfghanistanThe targeted election ID centre is situated in Dasht-e-Barchi area, a neighbourhood known for being dominated by Shia Hazara community.

Read More: IS target mosques to create Sunni-Shia violence in Afghanistan

Hours later, six more people, belonging to one family, were killed in Pul-e-Khumri city in Baghlan province, when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb near another voting centre.

The terrorist group Daesh (IS) has taken responsibility for the Kabul attack while no group has owned the attack in Baghlan province so far.

According to The Kabul Times, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and country’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah have condemned the heinous terrorist attacks in Kabul and Pul-e-Khumri.

Afghan President, in his statement, wished “Allah’s mercy upon those who martyred, speedy recovery to the wounded, and conveyed his deep condolences to the victims’ families”.

Abdullah Abdullah, said in his statement, “Our resolve for fair and transparent election will continue and terrorists won’t win against the will of Afghan people”.

Meanwhile Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, while condemning the attack said, “They must not be allowed to succeed in deterring Afghan citizens from carrying out their constitutional right to take part in forthcoming elections.”

India joins UN in condemning terror attacks in AfghanistanTolo news reports that exact figures on how many people had been waiting at the Kabul voter ID centre were not available but officials said that particular office had in recent days been processing about 100 ID applications a day.

Tolo news further reports that by Sunday mid-day, there had been five attacks in less than a week against the election process. Last week three other attacks took place. Media outlets in such terror-infected countries keep reporting hour by hour because of fragile situation and recurring attacks, sometimes many in a single day.

On Tuesday, unknown armed men attacked a voter registration center in Ghor province and kidnapped three Independent Election Commission (IEC) employees and two policemen. Ghor police spokesman had claimed that said the attackers were Taliban.

On Thursday, two policemen were killed in the ensuing gunfire when unknown armed men attacked them in Jalalabad City. The policemen were guarding a voter registration centre.

On Friday, a police officer was killed by unknown armed men at a voter registration centre in Qala-e-Naw, the center of Badghis province. The officer was deployed to secure the centre.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the parliament building in Kabul in December 2015. On that occasion he was quoted saying “We must support Afghanistan without timelines because new clouds of extremism are rising, even as the old ones continue to darken our skies”. The construction of building, conducted by India, began in 2009 and missed its completion deadlines at least three times since 2011.

The election for the Afghan parliament is now scheduled to be held on 20 October 2018. They were originally scheduled to be held in October 2016, but due to election reforms and security situation the parliamentary elections were postponed to July 2018 and then to October this year.

Read More: Trump meets Saudi Crown Prince MBS, sells weapons

Most of the terror outfits active in Africa, Middle East, Afghanistan and elsewhere, who are ideologically influenced by Saudi origin Wahabism, oppose democracy. They opposed elections in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein regime in 2003. This was confirmed by a minister in Saudi establishment who reportedly said that more than 2000 Saudi youth had entered into Iraqi territory for “jihad” who will pose danger if they return to the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia is the closest ally of United States and Israel in the region. This has been confirmed repeatedly by officials and leadership in all three countries. Saudi Arabia leads Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Arab League (AL).

Read More: Trump: Arab Monarchs wouldn’t survive for two weeks if US leaves

US President Donald Trump had chosen Saudi Arabia for his maiden foreign visit in May last year when Riyadh managed to gather more than 50 heads of Muslim states as audience. Major arms sale agreements were signed by Donald Trump in Riyadh.

Read More: Saudi Crown Prince recognise Israelis right to their own land

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India envoy Dinesh Trivedi meets PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman 

India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman amid diplomatic tensions.

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India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after his meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka.

According to the High Commission of India in Bangladesh, Trivedi sought PM Modi’s guidance on further strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh through a constructive and people-centric approach.

The meeting came a day after Trivedi held discussions with Tarique Rahman on matters of mutual interest and ways to advance ties between the two neighbouring countries.

Dinesh Trivedi Meets Bangladesh PM

During his meeting with Tarique Rahman on Monday, Trivedi conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Modi and reiterated India’s commitment to working with the Bangladeshi administration and its people in a positive, constructive and forward-looking manner.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest and explored avenues for strengthening India-Bangladesh relations with a people-centric approach.

The engagement took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Trivedi also shared his experience of serving in Dhaka over the previous two months.

Sheikh Hasina Extradition Request

The meeting assumed significance as Bangladesh has expressed hope that India will expedite the extradition process involving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted following a student-led uprising in 2024.

According to a statement issued by the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office, Dhaka also reiterated its request for India to return individuals it alleges were involved in the killing of Shahid Osman Hadi, a prominent figure associated with the July uprising who was shot on December 12, 2025.

Tarique Rahman stressed the need to create a suitable environment to take forward relations between Bangladesh and India.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and other officials attended the meeting.

India-Bangladesh Ties Amid Diplomatic Friction

The latest high-level engagements come amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries following a virtual press interaction by Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on August 5.

The event, organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia to mark the second anniversary of her ouster, prompted strong objections from Dhaka.

During the interaction, Hasina said she remained determined to return to Bangladesh in December and restore democracy, while acknowledging the possibility of imprisonment or a death sentence upon her return.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently registered a strong protest and said the development had affected public sentiment and complicated efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

India has said the government had no involvement in the event. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it was organised by a private media entity and clarified that New Delhi did not endorse views expressed at the forum.

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Trump, PM Modi will resolve tariff issue over Russian oil trade, says US official

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue over US tariff threats linked to India’s Russian oil trade.

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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue surrounding the threat of US tariffs linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said on Tuesday.

Navarro’s remarks came days after the US Senate passed a bill authorising the US President to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five purchasers of Russian oil. The measure argues that such purchases directly contribute to financing Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Navarro comments on India’s Russian oil trade

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Navarro said India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia before the Ukraine war began in 2022.

He alleged that India became heavily involved in the trade after Russia’s invasion and sold refined products on behalf of Russia, which he said helped support the Russian war effort.

“Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia, but afterwards it got heavily involved,” Navarro said.

The White House adviser also claimed that the issue had since been resolved and attributed some of the shift in India’s Russian oil trade to an opinion article he recently wrote in the Financial Times.

Trump and Modi will resolve issue, Navarro says

Navarro said the relationship between Trump and Modi would help address the tariff-related issue.

“The president and your prime minister have a very good working relationship. They are going to work that out amongst themselves,” he said, adding that it was not his place to intervene.

His comments come amid US concerns over countries purchasing Russian oil and proposed measures aimed at imposing additional tariffs on major buyers.

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US Senate passes Russia sanctions bill, India-China face 100% tariff risk

The US Senate has passed a Russia sanctions bill that could allow 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India and China.

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Donald Trump

The US Senate has approved a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that could allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil or natural gas, including India and China.

The legislation was passed by an 86-11 vote and will now move to the US House of Representatives, which is scheduled to reconvene on August 31.

The bill is named in honour of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of Ukraine who died on July 11. Graham had pushed for tougher sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.

India and China among major Russian energy buyers

The legislation gives the US president the power to impose tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas.

India and China are among those countries, along with Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia.

The bill also contains an exception for countries importing less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and taking steps to reduce their dependence on Russian supplies.

What does the Russia sanctions bill contain?

Apart from the proposed tariffs, the legislation includes sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian political and military officials, financial institutions and energy projects.

The bill would also expand US sanctions to older and reflagged oil tankers allegedly used by Moscow to bypass existing restrictions on Russian oil and energy revenues.

At the same time, the White House would have the option to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest.

Bill also extends Iran sanctions law

The legislation also contains a provision related to Iran. It would extend the expiration date of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 until 2031.

The law penalises companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector.

The bill’s passage in the Senate marks the next step in the US legislative process, but it still needs approval from the House of Representatives before it can move forward.

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