Vajpayee responding to treatment; Bhagwat, Manmohan visit AIIMS
New Delhi, June 12: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was on Tuesday responding well to his treatment for urinary tract infection at the AIIMS, which is seeing a beeline of leaders from various political parties wanting to enquire about his health.
"His condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till the infection is controlled," AIIMS media and protocol division Chairperson Aarti Vij said on Tuesday.
Vajpayee was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Monday. His hospitalisation triggered VIP visits including that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday.
The news of Vajpayee's condition being stable did little to slow the flow of prominent leaders to the hospital. Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and H.D. Deve Gowda, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat visited him on Tuesday.
Among other leaders who made a visit to the hospital are Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai, veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, MDMK leader Vaiko and Union Ministers Ashwini Choubey, Vijay Goel and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti.
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu enquired about Vajpayee's health. Health Minister J.P. Nadda, who visited AIIMS on Monday, was again at the hospital on Tuesday. Another BJP stalwart L.K. Advani also visited the hospital on Monday.
A team of senior doctors under the supervision of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria is conducting the tests on Vajpayee, who is bed-ridden for many years. Guleria, a pulmonologist, has been a personal physician to Vajpayee for long.
Modi called on Vajpayee on Monday evening and interacted with his family. He spoke to doctors and enquired about the former Prime Minister's health. Modi was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes.
Several leaders across the country wished Vajpayee a speedy recovery.
"Prayers for a speedy and complete recovery of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. A gentle and a fine person that he is, he continues to motivate us through his timeless speeches and poems," Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav said: "I prayed for the fast recovery of Vajpayeeji. May God keep him healthy and give him a long life." Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also prayed for his good health.
Union Minister Arun Jaitley tweeted: "We pray for speedy recovery of Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji, he has been a guiding light for the whole country."
Vajpayees' admirers and BJP activists held prayers at different places in Uttar Pradesh. A special 'havan' was conducted in Kanpur by party workers. BJP and Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh members took part in a 'Deerghayu Yagya' at Gonda.
Vajpayee, 93, who was Prime Minister briefly in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004, retreated from active politics over the last decade due to failing health.
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Next round of Iran-US negotiations expected soon: Pak's Defence Minister
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Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said that the next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon.
Asif made these remarks on Monday, a day after the Islamabad talks failed to clinch a deal.
The 21-hour talks between the US and Iran on Saturday were the first of their kind since 1979 due to the involvement of top-level officials from both sides. The two sides, however, failed to secure a lasting peace deal to end hostilities following their talks in Pakistan over the weekend.
Speaking to the media outside Parliament House, Asif said there had been a sense of satisfaction after the talks that there were no negative developments so far.
“Only positive progress has been observed,” he said, indicating that the ongoing diplomatic efforts were moving in a constructive direction.
The next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon, he added.
The Express Tribune reported that responding to a question about whether Pakistan would play a decisive role in shaping the region’s future, Asif said that ultimate decisions rest with Allah.
Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation at the negotiations in Islamabad, said the Iranian side did not accept Washington's terms for ending the war even as the US presented its "final and best offer".
Hours after the talks collapsed, US President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations with Iran failed as "Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions."
Pakistan led the diplomatic push to bring the two sides to the table, which became possible after an appeal by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier this week, leading to a pause in the fighting.
The conflict began after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, paralysing global energy markets and disrupting trade.
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