Pakistan welcomes Modi's phone call to Imran Khan
Islamabad, Aug 2 : Pakistan on Thursday welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's congratulatory phone call to Prime Minister in-waiting Imran Khan earlier this week and said it hopes that the gesture will pave the way for bilateral talks.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Muhammad Faisal during a weekly briefing here said that he hoped the phone call will help improve ties with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) member states.
Modi, in his phone call, had told Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Khan that India was "ready to enter a new era of relations with Islamabad" and that both countries should adopt a joint strategy for progress in bilateral ties.
Islamabad's ties with Saarc member states have been tenuous since the 19th summit which was supposed to be held in Pakistan in 2016. It was cancelled after India boycotted the event, causing Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan to also pull out, according to Dawn newspaper.
Earlier this week, the PTI had been deliberating inviting foreign dignitaries including heads of Saarc member states to Khan's oath-taking ceremony, but decided against it on Thursday.
In earlier discussions with the Foreign Office, PTI leaders were told that extending invitations to heads of state was "a sensitive matter".
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
