Russia, Iran confirm participation at dialogue on Afghanistan to be hosted by India
New Delhi(PTI): Russia, Iran and almost all central Asian countries have confirmed their participation at a regional security dialogue on Afghanistan to be hosted by India on November 10, official sources said on Friday.
Pakistan's media comments to not participate in the dialogue is unfortunate but not surprising and it reflected Islamabad's mindset of viewing Afghanistan as its "protectorate", they said.
The sources said Pakistan's comments against India on the matter are an unsuccessful attempt to deflect attention from its "pernicious role" in Afghanistan.
India is hosting the dialogue to discuss the overall security situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban's capture of power in the country.
The meeting will be held at the level of the national security advisers of the participating countries. India's NSA Ajit Doval will chair the dialogue.
Two earlier meetings in this format have been held in Iran in September 2018 and December 2019, the sources said adding the third meeting in India could not be held earlier due to the pandemic.
"There has been an overwhelming response to India's invitation. Central Asian countries as well as Russia and Iran have confirmed participation. The enthusiastic response is a manifestation of the importance attached to India's role in regional efforts to promote peace and security in Afghanistan," said a source.
It is for the first time that all Central Asian countries and not just Afghanistan's immediate land neighbours are participating in this format, the sources said.
They said invitations for the dialogue have been extended to China and Pakistan too, and formal responses are awaited.
"However, Pakistan has indicated through the media that it will not attend. Pakistan's decision is unfortunate, but not surprising. It reflects its mindset of viewing Afghanistan as its protectorate," the source said.
"Pakistan has not attended the previous meetings of this format. Its media comments against India are an unsuccessful attempt to deflect attention from its pernicious role in Afghanistan," it said.
The sources said the high-level participation in next week's meeting hosted by India reflects the widespread and growing concern of regional countries about the situation in Afghanistan and their desire to consult and coordinate with each other.
India has an important role to play in this process, they said.
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Congress protests at Utkal Bhavan over killing of Bengali migrant worker in Odisha
Kolkata (PTI): The Congress on Tuesday staged a protest in front of Utkal Bhavan here against the killing of a migrant worker from Murshidabad district in Odisha, alleging a growing pattern of violence against Bengali-speaking workers across several states.
The demonstration was led by Congress leader Manoj Chakraborty, who said the latest incident in Odisha, where a young man from Murshidabad was allegedly beaten to death, reflected an alarming trend of harassment and attacks on Bengali migrant workers.
Chakraborty claimed that workers from West Bengal were being targeted and "tortured" in states such as Odisha, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, often merely for speaking the Bengali language.
"The workers are forced to leave their homes because there is no livelihood, no jobs, in their areas. When they go outside the state to earn a living, they are attacked for their identity," Chakraborty told reporters during the protest.
Demanding immediate government intervention, the Congress leader said the safety of migrant workers must be ensured through institutional measures. He urged the government to issue official identity cards to all migrant workers at the earliest.
"These identity cards should clearly mention the worker's home district, the local police station and the contact number of a police officer so that they can seek immediate help while working outside the state," he said.
The Congress leader said that such incidents would continue unless concrete steps were taken to protect migrant workers.
A 30-year-old migrant worker from West Bengal was allegedly killed in Odisha's Sambalpur district following an altercation over a bidi recently, police said.
Juel Sheikh was working, along with a few others from West Bengal, in the construction of a building in Shanti Nagar in the Ainthapalli police station area.
They were returning from work when a group of six men stopped them and asked for a bidi. An altercation broke out, leading to a scuffle between the two sides, police said.
Juel was thrashed severely, and he died while undergoing treatment at the Sambalpur hospital. The six accused persons have been arrested by the police.
West Bengal's ruling TMC claimed that Juel was beaten to death over suspicion that he was an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant.
