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Warm welcome to Saudi King

PM and President receiving the Saudi King

    New Delhi: The King of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud was on Wednesday given a formal ceremonial welcome in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. The King was received by President A P J Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh soon. He was escorted by Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, who was acting as the Minister of Protocol, to the ceremonial dais. Thereafter, he reviewed the inter-services guard of honour. After the ceremony, the Saudi King was introduced to members of the Indian Cabinet by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Dr. Singh was also introduced to the Saudi delegation accompanying the King.

    Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony, the King said that he was extremely happy to visit India and looked forward to attending the Republic Day celebrations of the country on Thursday, besides having fruitful discussions with the Indian leadership on ways to further enhance bilateral ties between the two countries. He then left with his entourage for Hyderabad House for a one-to- one discussion with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which was followed by delegation-level talks. King Abdullah arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday night on a landmark four-day visit, the first by a Saudi monarch in 51 years, signalling a major transformation in relations between oil rich Saudi Arabia and energy-seeking India. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, defying protocol, received the Saudi monarch at the Palam Technical Area. Several senior government functionaries were present. The Saudi Monarch, who came from Beijing, arrived at 7.15 p.m., about two hours late. King Abdullah will be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade.

     His talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are expected to focus on bilateral, regional and international issues which will be followed by the signing of several landmark agreements. India and Saudi Arabia will sign three agreements--a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on combating terrorism, a Double Taxation Avoidance Treaty and one for promoting bilateral investment. The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the signing of the treaties last week. The issue of hydrocarbon cooperation will also be a component of talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Saudi King. Officials said India has a strong assurance from Saudi Arabia that any incremental requirement will be met by them. Saudi Arabia accounts for almost a quarter of India's total imports of oil of 1.9 million barrels per day. King Abdullah, who is accompanied by a large delegation, including his Ministers and prominent Saudi businessmen, will also address a business summit. A special session of the India- Saudi Arabia Business Council will be held during the visit. The King will inaugurate a Saudi exhibition and witness the signing of Trade Agreements. He will call on President A P J Abdul Kalam on Wednesday evening. On January 27, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Opposition Leader in Lok Sabha L K Advani will call on him. This will be followed by a visit to the Jamia Milia Islamia University where the King will be conferred with an honorary Doctorate by the University. He will leave in the evening the same day. Saudi Arabia and the other five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member-states---United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait---have always been of great significance for India, located as they are in its immediate neighbourhood.

     The visit is also important as it is taking place about one and a half years after an agreement between India and the GCC countries to establish multi-dimensional economic partnership as a prelude to a free trade area between the two regions. The oil-rich region is one of India's most important sources of supply of crude oil and home to about 3.5 million Indians who send about six billion dollars back home every year in remittances. As a group, the GCC is India's second largest trading partner. It is the single largest origin of imports into India and the second largest destination for exports from India. Besides, India is home to the second largest population of Muslims after Indonesia while Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam.

India gears up for 57th Republic Day celebrations

    New Delhi: Indians are looking forward to celebrating the country's 57th Republic Day tomorrow. The parade will be commanded by General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area Major General P C Bhardwaj. Brigadier K M S Shergill will be the parade's second-in-command. The parade, which will showcase the country's military prowess, will see the Indian Army's Maratha Light Infantry Regiment, the Rajputana Rifles Regiment, the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment, the Garhwal Rifles Regiment, the Kumaon Regiment, the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and the Territorial Army (SIKH) marching down Rajpath in front of a distinguished gathering that will include the President of India A P J Abdul Kalam, the Chief Guest and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, the chiefs of the three defence services - Army, Navy and Air Force and others. The marching contingents of Navy and the Air Force will consist of 144 soldiers and four officers each. The para-military and other auxiliary civil forces contingents will include the Border Security Force, the Assam Rifles, the Coast Guard, the Central Reserve Police Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Central Industrial Security Force, the Sashastra Seema Bal, the Railway Protection Force, the Delhi Police, National Cadet Corps and the National Service Scheme. The Camel mounted Band and Contingent of the BSF will also participate.

   The function will commence with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leading the nation in paying homage to the country's martyrs by laying a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate. An eternal flame burns at the Amar Jawan Jyoti to commemorate the indomitable courage of our Armed Forces personnel who have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the motherland. The Amar Jawan the immortal soldier, is symbolised by a reversed rifle topped by a helmet. The parade will commence at 9.50 am after President Kalam unfurls the Indian tricolour and takes the salute. The country's Armed Forces will also showcase the Brahmos Supersonic Cruise Missiles, Agni-I, Agni-II and Prithvi II Surface-to-Surface Missiles, MBT Arjun, 155/45 mm E1 Soltam Artillery guns, Tunguska and Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocket Launching System, AN/TPQ - 37 Weapon Locating Radars, Network Operations Centre, Mobile Communication Node (ASCON), Bridge Layer Tank on Arjun chassis, Amphibious Floating Bridge and Ferry System, Hydrema demining vehicle, Mobile , Infantry Combat Vehicles - BMP-II and BRDM - II (STRIKER), Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (Tracked), INDRA MK-II (PC) Radars will be some of the major attractions of this year's Republic Day Parade. On the cultural front, tableaux from 24 states and central ministries will present the varied historical, architectural and cultural heritage of the country. They will also showcase countrys progress in different fields. Seventeen children, who have been selected for the National Bravery Award, 2006 will also participate in the parade riding atop caparisoned elephants. In the children's pageant section, 1500 boys and girls drawn from different school of the country will present dances and other programmes. The motorcycle display by the Jaanbaz of the Border Security Force will be a major attraction of the parade. With 124 Riders and 24 silver Motor cycles will perform breathtaking stunts in a synchronised and synergistic display of mind, body and machine coordination. The grand finale of the parade will be a spectacular flypast by the IL-78 Air-to-Air Refuellers and Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft in Tanker formation, followed by series of Jaguar and MIG 29 fighter aircraft in Arrowhead formation.

Security tighted along Indian borders ahead of Republic Day
by Peter Alex Todd/Vipul Goyal/Bilal Butt

     Guwahati/Siddarthnagar/Gorakhpur/Srinagar: India has tightened security along all of its international borders, including in several strife-torn northern and northeastern states ahead of the 57th Republic Day celebrations to be held on Thursday. In recent years, celebrations around the country have been targeted by Islamic militants opposed to Indian rule in Kashmir, Maoists rebels fighting a class war in some poorer states, and separatist insurgents from the troubled northeast. They have blown up railway lines, attacked key economic infrastructure and raised tensions across the country. A security ring has been thrown around Assam capital Guwahati after four persons were grievously wounded in an explosion on Tuesday. Police said that the rebel United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) had killed two policemen and blown oil and gas pipelines in the region in the run up to the celebrations. The ULFA has called for a general strike across the region to boycott Republic Day. "In Guwahti city itself, we have divided the city into sectors and sub sectors. All senior officers are on the street carrying out intensive searches at suspected places. Other measures have also been taken. We have decided to remove all unauthorized vehicles (from roads) specially buses and other abandoned vehicles," D.K.Bora, Inspector General of Police, Guwahati. Sniffer dogs have been deployed in India's northern border town of Siddharthnagar to check movements along the Indo-Nepal Border. BSF personnel have been deployed in extra numbers after recent reports that Maoists operating in the area were planning attacks during the Republic Day celebrations. "We have deployed extra troops along the international border with Nepal. Along with this, we have involved the dog squad for patrolling," H.S. Dev, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Gorakhpur, said.

    Meanwhile, the paramilitary Border Security Force is carrying out intensive patrolling in Tripura capital Agartala and along the state's international border with Bangladesh. In Jammu and Kashmir, separatist groups observe the day as a "Black Day" and normally busy streets are deserted as a strike takes hold. Soldiers in the state's summer capital, Srinagar, have stepped up identification checks, especially outside the Bakshi stadium, which is venue of the Republic Day celebrations. "Sometimes the threat perception is more and sometimes it can be less. Currently, we percieve a very high threat perception. So accordingly, we have deployed more personnel to rule out any problems," Farooq Ahmed, Deputy Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, said. Indians celebrate Republic Day in style every January 26, with lavish parades in all major cities marking the founding of the Republic in 1950. The main event though is held in New Delhi, where the president takes the salute from the armed forces amid much pomp and ceremony. Adding to the jitters this year are "certain intelligence inputs" about threats to the security of the ceremony's chief guest, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, police said. Security will be especially tight in New Delhi with one of the worst terror strikes the capital still fresh in the memory. On October 29, 2005, 66 people were killed in three bombings, two at popular markets. The attacks were blamed on a Pakistan-based militant group. Major airports in the country have also been put on high alert. India gained independence from Britain in 1947 and officially became a republic three years later when the Constitution was ratified and its first president sworn in.
Jan 25, 2006

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