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Transcript of Media Briefing by Official Spokesperson (February 04, 2016)

February 05, 2016

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Welcome to the weekly press briefing, I am going to begin with a series of statements and announcements and then we can dive into the Q&A.

Friends, I had to reschedule today’s press briefing because External Affair Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj just took a high level meeting to discuss the incident concerning the Tanzanian student in Bengaluru. In this high level meeting there was Foreign Secretary, there was Secretary (ER) Shri Amar Sinha and other senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs.

Let me state at the very outset, that we condemn this incident unequivocally. External Affairs Minister, in her tweets yesterday, had also said that we are deeply pained over the shameful incident. She immediately spoke to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka and sought an official report. Secretary (ER) Shri Amar Sinha spoke to the Tanzanian High Commissioner and expressed regret at the incident. The Joint Secretary of our State’s Division Mr. Partha Satpathy who happened to be in Bengaluru, liaised immediately with the state and local authorities.

We have now received a report from the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City, Mr. N. S. Megarikh. The Commissioner has assured us that stringent measures are being taken to prevent occurrence of such incidents in the future. We have assured our African friends that necessary legal actions will be taken and stringent punishment will be given to those involved in the attack and that we will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of African students in India. In fact, External Affairs Minister has been informed by the Chief Minister of Karnataka, that a criminal case has been registered and 5 accused have already been arrested.

A team is going to Bengaluru tomorrow which includes the High Commissioner of Tanzania who is also the Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps. The team also includes Join Secretary (States), Director (East & Southern Africa) in the Ministry of External Affairs and the Regional Director of ICCR which, as you know, liaises with the students who come here on ICCR scholarships. We will extend the full cooperation of both the State and the Central Government to the investigation of this case. The Ministry and the State Government will also be reaching out to African students in the State to reassure them that their security and well being is our primary concern.

My second announcement is regarding the visit by External Affairs Minister to Sri Lanka. EAM Smt. Sushma Swaraj will be visiting Sri Lanka from February 5-6 for the 9th session of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission. The Joint Commission co-chaired by the Minister of External Affairs of India and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka will be held on 5th February in Colombo. The India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission was established in 1992 as an effective mechanism to address matters pertaining to bilateral cooperation between the two countries. The discussions will cover the entire gamut of our relationship pertaining to economic cooperation, trade, power and energy, technical and maritime cooperation, social, cultural and educational matters, science and technology, defense cooperation, health, civil aviation, tourism and people to people contacts. During her visit EAM will call on President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wikremesinghe and Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga. She will also inaugurate a "Rise of Digital India” Exhibition on the 6thof February as part of "Sangam –The Festival of India in Sri Lanka 2015-16”. This exhibition will showcase the phenomenal rise of the computing sector and digital technologies in India which is positively impacting the everyday lives of people.

My next announcement is regarding Iran. The 13th Round of the India Iran Foreign Office consultations will be held later this evening. The delegation level talks will be co-chaired by Foreign Secretary from our side and Mr. Ebrahim Rahimpour, Deputy Minister for Asia and Pacific Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran. The two sides will do a review of India-Iran bilateral relations including a number of subjects such as connectivity and infrastructure, energy, economic relations, cultural and consular cooperation, defense and security cooperation. The two sides are also expected to discuss regional and security issues and developments in the region.

As you would know, India’s close and civilization ties with Iran, in the contemporary times have evolved where the two countries are close partners. Iran is an important economic and security space for us and it is also amongst our most important sources for energy. Recently India’s participation in the development of phase 1 of Chabahar Port has added another dimension to developing better connectivity not just with Iran but also with Afghanistan and Central Asia. After the intergovernmental MOU in 2014, a contract between an Indian entity and an Iranian entity for development of Phase 1 and its operations is in the final stages of negotiations. The Iranian dignitary addressed the Counter Terrorism Conference in Jaipur on February 2. He will also be calling on the External Affairs Minister.

My last announcement of the day is pertaining to the visit of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administration. The Hon’ble CY Leung is currently on a special visit to India. He visited Mumbai on February 2 and 3 at the invitation of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and arrived in Delhi today. He has already called on the Prime Minster and the Finance Minister and will be calling on the External Affairs Minister later in the evening. This is the first official visit of a Chief Executive of Hong Kong to India. He is accompanied by a high level multisectoral business delegation of 40 leading companies, the largest ever from Hong Kong in recent times. There were substantive business and economic interactions in Mumbai and Delhi including those facilitated by FICCI, CII and Hong Kong Trade Development Council. In Mumbai, the Chief Executive also visited the Bharat Diamond Bourse, Mumbai Stock Exchange and The Capitol which is a joint infrastructure project between India and HKSAR companies in Mumbai. In Delhi he visited IIT Delhi. Trade between Hong Kong and India reached $ 24.4 billion in 2014. The visit has provided Hong Kong companies an opportunity to actively explore partnerships in sectors such infrastructure, transport, financial services, logistics, gems and jewelry, research and innovation under initiatives such as Make in India, Startup India and Smart Cities. Hong Kong would be setting up a round table for business leaders from both sides.

So these were all the announcements I had and now as I said the floor is open for questions.

Question:
Sir as you said that you received the report from Commissioner, what is the conclusion sir? Does MEA see it as a racial attack?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Look, I mean as far as we are concerned this should be seen as an isolated incident related to a situation getting out of hand because of the road accident that happened. As you are also aware more than 5000 African students continue to study in various Indian educational institutions without any issues.

Question:
The Chabahar Port you said that there are 2 companies are in the final stage of the contract for phase 1. Are you able to identify these 2 companies?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Well, we won't be announcing that at this point in time but certainly negotiations are well on track.

Question: Are they private companies or state companies?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Well, they will be part of a Special Purpose Vehicle with the State as one partner.

Question: Sir could you please share the outcome of FS Level talks between India and Bangladesh?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Well, as you know, the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Mr. Md. Shahidul Haque visited India on February 1 and 2. Talks with Foreign Secretary Jaishankar were held on February 1 in which the entire gamut of the bilateral relation between the two countries was discussed. A review was undertaken of the progress on the decisions that were taken during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Dhaka in June last year. Both Foreign Secretaries felt that there was good progress in the implementation of the projects that were agreed during the Prime Minister’s visit to Bangladesh. The Foreign Secretaries emphasized the need for stepping up cooperation between the border security agencies so that no lives are lost along the border. The two Foreign Secretaries highlighted the need for strong maritime cooperation between the two countries. With the decision on the International Maritime Boundary Line between India and Bangladesh having being taken, it was suggested that both countries should be more proactive on the issues related to fishermen. In this context, it was felt that the fishermen should be sensitized so that incidents related to their straying are minimized. Considering the tremendous potential for making a difference in the lives of Indians and Bangladeshis, it was stated that shipping services should begin at the earliest. Cooperation in other sectors - power and water - was also discussed. Both sides agreed to scheduling a meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission for discussing water related issues. Logistical details regarding the scheduling of the same needs to be finalized. It was highlighted that the measures need to be taken to boost trade, improve people to people contacts and Visa facilitation. So I think this gives you a pretty comprehensive picture of the kind of discussion that were held.

Question: You would have seen Hafiz Saeed statement praising the Pathankot attack and then in a sense warning of more such attacks in the future. Is this something that the government of India will actually protest to Pakistan about… after Pathankot given that we want action against Masood Azhar. Why shouldn’t India then ask for action against Hafiz Saeed?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Well, as I think everybody in this room is aware, Hafiz Saeed is a globally designated international terrorist. His claim that his various front organizations are carrying out charitable work is a fig leaf, in fact is not even a fig leaf, I would say. They indulge in terrorist activities and terrorist financing. It should be a matter of grave concern to everyone that people like Hafiz Saeed and his associates continue to enjoy the freedom to indulge in their activities. In this context, I would also like to point out that in October we had seen reports that the Government of Pakistan had banned the coverage of some of these organizations including the one to which Hafiz Saeed belongs and that electronic media coverage of their rallies, etc. would not be permitted, but we are seeing now Hafiz Saeed making statement after statement and his rallies are being covered, so I think obviously the concerned individuals and organizations need to take action.

Question: Sir now Sri Lanka is reframing its constitution, there are a lot of demands making the… reframing the constitution and that should be ensured the right of the Tamil People. So tomorrow Sushma Ji is going to visit Sri Lanka. Will she ask the Sri Lanka Government for the ensuring of the rights of Tamil People?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Well, that is something which we have always taken up with the government of Sri Lanka. We want all sections of the Sri Lankan population to live in peace and harmony. And I am sure this will also figure during External Affairs Minister’s visit to Sri Lanka.

Question: Sir, will they discuss about the Sri Lankan Tamil issue and fishermen issue?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Well, the fishermen issue certainly is an ongoing issue. Every time, you know, we have fishermen straying into each other’s water’s and being arrested. So this is something which we want a long term solution to and it is not something that we want to just fester for all time to come. The two Fishermen’s Associations are in regular touch with each other, unfortunately so far they have not been able to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution which can end this problem once and for all.

Question: Mr. Vikas, back to the Bengaluru incident, just for your information there are about 3000 students especially in the state of Karnataka from Malaysia.

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): From Malaysia?

Question:
Yes.

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Okay.

Question:
You are saying that local officials will engage more with African students and all that. How about all the across the border, all the foreign students?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): No, no… I mean what I have said is in response to the specific incident that has come to light pertaining to this Tanzanian girl. And that is why the Tanzanian High Commissioner reached out to us and he is also the Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps and the immediate steps that we have taken are to assure the African students studying there, that their safety and their security is our primary concern but that doesn’t mean that we neglect other students. Of course all the international students studying in India are our valued guests, we very much welcome their presence in our country, we hope that they also benefit from their presence in India and availing of the excellent expertise available in our educational institutions. And if any untoward incident like this happens, you can rest assured that we will take all necessary action to ensure that they do not happen in future.

Question: Sir, is it just Tanzania that has taken up the matter or other African countries taken it up as well and also the African Union. And this report that you have received from the Karnataka Government, can you tell us what it says? What exactly happened?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Yes, I mean they have given their version of events as to what happened, how the initial road accident happened and, a chain reaction was set off in terms of subsequent developments. And also that there was a delay in lodging of this particular complaint, it came to light only two days later and things like that. But be that as it may, we are not going to get into the details of that particular report. For us the important thing is to assure our African friends that they remain safe and secure in India and that we care about their well being and that is why the actions that I have outlined are geared in that particular direction.

Question: Sir, India has said in Pathankot case that we have given actionable evidence to Pakistan. And Pakistan also promised to take actions on them but now it’s over one month and there has not been any FIR launched. Has Pakistan asked for any fresh evidence from India?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): See both National Security Advisors and both Foreign Secretaries are in contact with each other and our main effort is that Pakistan should take action and proceed further, so that we see progress against all the terrorist groups and individuals related to Pathankot.

Question: Vikas, what is the total number of foreign students studying across India?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): We are trying to collate this… you see even the list of African students is not complete because everybody is not registered with us. We know those who come on our sponsored programs but those who come on self financing basis, for instance this girl in Bengaluru came on a self financing basis. So we do not have a very accurate figure but we are trying to collate that and hopefully, at my next briefing, I can let you know.

Question: Vikas, can you give us some updates on Nepal?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Okay and in what sense? I mean on Nepal there are a lot of things to update you on…

Question: The situations in Nepal and India’s concern.

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Look, if you are talking about the so called blockade then let me reiterate for the umpteenth time that there is no blockade by India. In fact now about 1300 trucks are passing daily. The waiting is down to about 300 to 400 trucks, so earlier you know before this whole log jam started about 1500 trucks used to go. So now about 1300 trucks are going and this is despite Raxaul-Birgunj being blocked by protesters on the Nepalese side. So this tells you the situation has normalized to a large extent. As far as the constitutional talks are concerned as you know two amendments have been passed. We have welcomed those as good positive steps and we hope that the remaining issues which the Madhesis have with the Nepalese Government can also now be sorted out in a spirit of reconciliation, flexibility, compromise and dialogue. And we are hopeful that things will remain on track. As you know, there is also a proposal for Prime Minister Oli to visit India and in fact in this context, let me give you news. The Finance Minister of Nepal Mr. Bishnu Poudel is scheduled to visit India on February 7 and 8 to discuss reconstruction assistance projects. FM Poudel is scheduled to meet our External Affairs Minister and our Finance Minister and we are very hopeful that after this visit there will also be a concrete discussion on the dates for Prime Minister Oli’s visit to India.

Question: Sir what are the plans regarding The Make in India Week?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup):
Well, as most you would know, the government is organizing a landmark event titled "Make In India Week” from February 13th to 18thin Mumbai. The main purpose of this Make In India Week is to showcase the potential of design, innovations and sustainability across India’s manufacturing sector in the coming decades. The event will be inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister. I am happy to also inform you that the confirmed list of government delegates now includes the Prime Ministers of Sweden, Finland and Lithuania and prominent foreign dignitaries from a large number of countries including Poland, Japan, Indonesia, Columbia, United Kingdom, Belgium, Mexico, Germany and South Korea. The week-long event will offer foreign investors and businesses unprecedented access, insights and opportunities to showcase, connect and collaborate with young Indian entrepreneurs, industry leaders, academicians and government officials at the central and state levels. Key opportunities in sectors like auto and auto components, defense and aerospace, food processing, chemicals and petrochemicals, electronics and IT, pharmaceuticals, textiles, industrial equipment manufacturing, construction equipment and infrastructure will be showcased through seminars and discussions among the major stakeholders. Some of the highlights of the Make In India Week would be the inauguration of the Make In India Center at the Bandra Kurla Complex by the Hon’ble Prime Minister and an intensive 24 hour hackathon featuring cooperation between coders, engineers and designers for creative solutions to urban design problems. A CNN-Asia Business Forum anchored by Fareed Zakaria featuring global visionaries and leaders from the fields of finance, industry and design. And finally recognition of excellence in the world of manufacturing by instituting the Time India Awards. So, as you can see, the Make in India Event promises to be really the flagship event to showcase not only Make in India but also promote very-very important partnerships between Indian and foreign companies.

Question:
Vikas you have expressed your concerns regarding Hafiz Saeed, so have you made any decision of taking this issue at an appropriate level or will you wait for the Foreign Secretary level talks? And your statement of near future, so when will it happen?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): See, if you want to know whether there is an agreement between both the parties on the date for the talks, I would say there is no agreement on that situation. The two Foreign Secretaries are in touch with each other, but a mutually convenient date has not been found so far. And Pakistan knows our thoughts very well on Hafiz Saeed and even the international community knows our thoughts on Hafiz Saeed very well. As I said, Hafiz Saeed is an internationally designated global terrorist confirmed by the 1267 Committee, so now it’s up to Pakistan to control or restrict his activities.

Question:
Sir as you said that both the foreign secretaries are in touch with each other from last one month. So what are they talking about and the date has not been confirmed yet? And on which topics are they discussing about? Can you focus on that?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): See you don’t have to guess what is going on between the National Security Advisors and you and we all know very well what they are talking or discussing about. They are talking about the actionable intelligence and the leads we provided to Pakistan on the Pathankot terrorist attack and what kind of action Pakistan is taking on that. And the Foreign Secretaries will talk about and decide the date when their dialogue will start but we haven’t decided that date yet.

Question: There was one team from Pakistan was about to come in NSD Theatre Festival. Have the issues cleared regarding their Visas?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): I haven’t heard anything.

Question: The team will perform on 20ththis month.

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): But today we are on 4th of February… see we have always believed in promoting people to people contact. Pakistan’s squad which is coming for the South Asian Games, we have facilitated it and similarly we will facilitate this group.

Question: Can you brief us about the events about Gurpreet landing on Airport?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup):
I have been told that she was made to wait for a few hours at the Airport because you all know that she went abroad through a rather complicated process and there were issues regarding her old passport. But now she has come to India on an emergency certificate. An emergency certificate is for one way travel and our Consulates and our Embassies provide it to our citizens to return to India. So the good thing about it is that within two days…within two and a half days of Gurpreet tweeting her video to EAM, we have been able to rescue her and her eight year old daughter from the refugee camp and to bring her back to India through our Consulate in Frankfurt.

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Well, it will be held now and that decision has been taken.

Question: Any decision or any time frame has been decided yet?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): No time frame but the very fact that the two foreign secretaries have now agreed to call for that, means that very shortly we will be having a meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission.

Question: On the Tanzanian case again, Vikas I just want to know that Tanzanian High Commissioner has called it a racial attack and he also said that he approached the Ministry of External Affairs to sensitize students and people of African students which just goes to show that their concern is bigger than just this being an isolated incident and they are actually looking at it as a racist attack.

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): No, as far as we are concerned we have condemned this incident, we have done all we could do reassure the African students in Bengaluru that their safety and security is our primary concern and the team that is going now, as I said, we are facilitating it. The Joint Secretary (States) will be joining the Tanzanian HC. Our director in the East & Southern Africa Region will be joining him, Director of ICCR will be there and the primary purpose of this visit is really to assure the African students, that look, please don’t fear. In particular I would say that Bangalore has a very cosmopolitan culture, so actually I would really look at this as a very-very regrettable incident. And let’s not generalize this to mean what we are seeing on some of the TV debates.

Question: This Gurpreet incident again, how did she land up in a refugee in the first place? Can you just explain this?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Because what happened was, she was searching for her husband for the past five years and more. And all she knew was that her husband and her husband’s family is in Germany, so somehow or the other she had to reach Germany. So she reached Germany but then I think she was presented as some kind of refugee from Afghanistan and she was really duped into this. So that is why it was a distress call from the refugee camp, I mean it was not as if she wanted to go and settle down in Germany. Why would she then send a video message to the External Affairs Minister? So basically she was duped, let’s put it this way that she was duped by whoever people and we will get to the bottom of that. She sent out a distress signal to the External Affairs Minister that please rescue me and my daughter. We are suffering in a refugee camp, so External Affairs Minister immediately instructed our Ambassador in Germany & our Consul General in Frankfurt, then the Consul General in Frankfurt went and met her, he rescued her from the refugee camp and managed to put her on the first available flight to India.

Question: You have told us about India Iran foreign office consultations that we talked on defense and security cooperation.

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Correct.

Question: So between both the countries in early 90s there were too many exchanges and naval exercises used to be done. Will all those activities be resumed once again?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup):
See, Iran is emerging from sanctions and you know sanctions have just been sort of lifted and only the nuclear related sanctions have just been lifted. All sanctions have not been yet lifted. We have been a long standing partner of Iran, even during the sanction regime whatever was permissible you know those activities were happening. So now I think the relationship will have to be re-energized and that is why we think that this particular meeting is very-very significant because it provides us an opportunity to discuss with Iran, what are the new and emerging areas of cooperation in which we can participate actively?

Question:
Vikas, this refugee from the Middle East Europe has become a bit crisis. Has there been any increase in the number of people coming to India seeking refugee status in the country? Do we have a policy of accepting any refugee?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup):
No, not that I am aware of… certainly I am not aware of any increase because most of the refugees as you know are seeking refuge in Europe. I mean that is why the crisis is really a European crises. So I don’t think this is a problem that concerns us directly. Yes the issue of those who are going to Syria and other places and returning back is something on which our security agencies always keep a close watch and we try to ensure that radicalization doesn’t happen.

Question: Do you get anything on Afghanistan, the prime minister visiting there? Can you give us some details about it?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): yes I think I may have something on Afghanistan. So you want me to give you a read out on the visit of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah? Well his Excellency Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan visited India from 31st January to 4th of February. During the visit he met Prime Minister on February 1 and held discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest including the security situation and peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. EAM and National Security Advisor called on Dr. Abdullah on February 1 and 4 respectively. India reiterated its abiding commitment to stand by Afghanistan in all possible ways during the latter’s ongoing political, security and economic transitions. The two sides strongly condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and Pathankot in India and stress the need to fully eliminate all forms and manifestations of terrorism as well as support to it for peace and stability in the region. In the context of continued bilateral development cooperation, the decision of the Government of India to approve the third phase of small development projects comprising of 92 projects in Afghanistan was conveyed. Both sides agreed to developed connectivity through Chabahar Port in Iran on a priority basisand an agreement on exemption from Visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports was signed. On the 3rd of February Dr. Abdullah addressed the joint interaction with the 3 leading Chambers of Commerce in industry in India namely ASSOCHAM, CII and FICCI. Dr. Abdullah also delivered the key note address at the counter terrorism conference organized by the India Foundation in Jaipur on February 2 where the inaugural address was by the President of India.

I was also there in the meeting with the External Affairs Minister. And basically the discussion on the bilateral side covered issues like vocational trainings for Afghans in Indian institutions, renewable energy, public transportations and capacity building. We also discussed the completion of the Parliament Building which has been built with Indian assistance and the imminent completion of the Salma Dam Project.

Question: 94 projects will be new…?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): 92 will be new projects and the total value would, I think, be in the region of 16 to 17 million dollars.

Question:
Sir, can you tell us something about dates of Prime Minister tour of Saudi Arab?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup):
No, there is no upcoming tour of the Prime Minister and also we don’t provide such information in advance. Of course, Saudi Arabia is an important partner of India, so I am sure Prime Minister will, at some point, visit Saudi Arabia in the future but till now no dates have been determined yet.

Question:
Sir going back to Indo Bangladesh foreign secretary talks, we understand that joint task force and military cooperation has been set up which will be meeting very soon. So can you throw some light on what sort of cooperation is being envisaged in this sector?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): On the sector of the joint task force on maritime cooperation?

Question: Yes.

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup):
Well the first meeting will be held in March, on the 1stof March in fact in Dhaka and that will basically take forward the MoU that was signed between the two sides during Prime Minster Modi’s visit to Dhaka.

Question: Sir considering the delay in the legal process, is there any fresh request from the government of Italy for an out of court settlement of this Marines issues?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): No, I mean, looks like you have not been following developments. Now both sides are pursuing arbitration through the International Tribunal formed under the under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). So once you agree to the arbitration, then you basically foreclose all other options. That is the processes, and the international tribunal is now going to adjudicate on who has jurisdiction on this particular matter.

Question: Sir going back to the Tanzanian girl incident in Bengaluru, has the government report made any mention of why the police took 48 hours to register her complaint?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Well according to that particular report, the complaint on this particular incident was lodged only 2 days later, on the 3rd.

Question: Do you have any information because she had been running from….? (Not clearly audible)

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Now as I said we don’t want to speculate, maybe she was traumatized and did not come forward that time or whatever. As I said I am not going to get into the why and what. For us the important thing is that an event has happened, a very shameful, regrettable incident has happened, we are dealing with that incident and we are making sure that such an incident does not happen in the future.

Question: We just received information that the Pakistan DGMO has approached India and said that Pakistan is willing to assess the missing soldier in Siachen, whatever cooperation…?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): From where have you received this information?

Question: From the Pakistan Government. The ISPR has tweeted.

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): No, I do not have any such information. I will see if we get some input on this.

Question: Sir where has Pakistan investigation reached regarding Pathankot attack yet? Is India satisfied with it or is Masood Azhar in the custody of Pakistan?

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): See my position on Masood Azhar is still the same as I said in my previous press conferences that we don’t have any information about him. And as far as the investigation of the terrorist attack on the Pathankot Air Base is concerned, the two NSA’s are in contact with each other and on that basis matters will be taken forward.

With this I think we have finally exhausted all the questions. So thank you all.

(Concluded)

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