Brisbane: An improper Indian map with parts of Jammu and Kashmir missing, put up during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) here yesterday, was drawn attention to by Indian officials accompanying the prime minister.
Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, accompanying the prime minister, “raised the issue and received an unqualified apology” from the university authorities, said a ministry of external affairs tweet. The issue figured prominently on Twitter.
The Samajwadi Party, with the photograph of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on its Twitter handle, asked external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin: “Kashmir missing in the Map shown during @PMOIndia visit to @QUT @MEAIndia any objection raised?,” asked @SamajwadiSocial.
The spokesperson tweeted back: “Yes, immediately lodged strong protest & received an unqualified regret from the organisers.” To more tweets from others as well as @SamajwadiSocial, the spokesperson said “Yes, immediately lodged strong protest & received an unqualified regret from the organisers.”
Modi visited the QUT in his first engagement after landing here yesterday. In Australia, Modi is to attend the G20 Summit in Brisbane Nov 15-16 and also hold talks with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Canberra during his five-day stay here.
Court extends Ma’dani’s bail
by four months
New Delhi: The Supreme Court yesterday extended the bail term of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader and an accused in the 2008 Bangalore serial blasts case, Abdul Nasser Ma’dani by four months on health grounds.
While hearing the case, the apex court also directed the Karnataka government to complete the trial in the case within four months. The court, however, rejected Ma’dani’s plea to shift him to a hospital in Kerala for his eye treatment
Earlier in the day, the Karnataka government, in an affidavit, urged the Supreme Court to cancel his conditional bail. The affidavit has also claimed Ma’dani has tried to influence the witnesses. Ma’dani was on July 14 released from jail after he was granted an interim bail by the apex court on health grounds. He has been suffering from various diseases, including diabetes and vision-threatening ailment.
Ma’dani was arrested Aug 17, 2010 in connection with the Bangalore bomb blast.
He had earlier undergone nine-year incarceration in the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blast case in which he was finally acquitted.
Agencies
