India rebuts Pakistan's stand on Kashmir at Commonwealth meet

India on Saturday strongly criticised Pakistan's stand on the Kashmir issue as "propaganda" at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Uganda. India in an official statement said that military rule is the tradition of Islamabad. The Pakistani delegation raised the heavy presence of security forces in the Valley at the 64th meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Kampala, which the Indian side countered. The Indian delegation, which included MPs Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Roopa Ganguly and L Hanumanthaiah, said the tradition of military rule is prevalent in Pakistan. It also said that the country has been under such rule for 33 years, according to a statement issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat. "Pakistani propaganda was strongly opposed by Roopa Ganguly, MP and other Members of Indian Parliamentary Delegation, " it said.

The Indian delegation led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is taking part in the conference which will conclude on Sunday. The presiding officers and secretaries of state legislatures, who are members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, are participating in the conference. Earlier this month, Pakistan also raised the Kashmir issue during the South Asian Speakers' Summit in the Maldives. But it was rejected in the Male declaration after India's strong opposition.

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PM Modi returns after a successful US visit

Meanwhile, PM Modi on September 28 returned after a successful US visit. Delhi BJP welcomed PM Modi in truly 'Howdy Modi' style outside Delhi's Palam Airport. Prior to his address, on landing at Delhi's Palam Technical Airport PM Modi was greeted by top BJP leaders as he walked down the stairs from the Air India One aircraft. Among those present in his welcome party were working President of BJP- JP Nadda, Delhi BJP leaders and Members of Parliament such as Hans Raj Hans, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Manoj Tiwari, Ramesh Bidhuri, Vijay Goel and Satish Upadhyay. Earlier, his aircraft had a technical stop at Frankfurt. His convoy then proceeded to the stage erected 500 metres away from the airport, to address the gathering. 

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PM Modi in the US

Prime Minister Modi has just completed his six-day US visit. He attended the mega Howdy Modi event on the first day and addressed 50,000 Indian Americans at the NRG Stadium in Houston. US President Donald Trump also made his appearance at the event. The very next day, on September 23, the Prime Minister addressed the UN Climate Summit at the UN headquarters in New York. On September 24, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Gandhi Solar park and spoke at a special program to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary. He also met US president for bilateral talks. He addressed the GBF on Wednesday and culminated in the trip by addressing the UNGA on September 27.

(with PTI inputs)

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