Indian president to visit Tajikistan

September 29th, 2009 BEIJING - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will visit China Oct 12-14 to meet Chinese leaders and attend a Central Asian security summit, China's foreign ministry said Tuesday. Putin's visit was timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, and with a council of heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told reporters.

September 28th, 2009 DUSHANBE - Tajikistan is planning to build the world's largest mosque here by 2014 with help from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a presidential spokesman said Monday. UAE firm Adnan Saffarini will construct the mosque, while Qatar will finance the project.

September 9th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Despite the country's struggle against the existential threat posed by the Taliban and other extremist groups and the economy in shambles, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has been busy in touring the world. According to a report, Zardari has spent almost 94 days out of Pakistan.

September 7th, 2009 DUSHANBE - Visiting Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Monday underlined the need for countering the threat posed by terrorists, and lauded the Government of Tajikistan's support to India in the fight against terrorism. In a statement issued after delegation-level talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, President Patil also underlined the importance of Indo-Tajik friendship.

September 7th, 2009 DUSHANBE - Expressing her happiness over the regular meetings of the India-Tajikistan Joint Commission, visiting Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Monday emphasised the need for both countries and the rest of the international community to make a concerted effort to cooperate and combat the menace of terrorism. During her talks with the Tajik leadership, President Patil mentioned the Mumbai attack and said that the menace of terrorism needed to be countered to ensure peace and prosperity in the region.

August 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - President Pratibha Patil leaves Wednesday on a week-long visit to Russia and Tajikistan that is set to boost India's time-tested relations with Moscow and the energy-rich Central Asian republic. Patil will be accompanied by Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, two members of parliament and senior officials.

July 27th, 2009 Blasts hit Tajikistan ahead of high-profile summitDUSHANBE, Tajikistan — Two small explosions have hit the Tajik capital before a high-profile meeting between the leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Russia, highlighting security concerns in the impoverished Central Asian nation. One explosion occurred Sunday outside a hotel just blocks away from the presidential palace in Dushanbe and another went off near the luggage storage at the airport, the Prosecutor General's office said Monday.

July 20th, 2009 Tajikistan says 5 militants killed at checkpointDUSHANBE, Tajikistan — Authorities in Tajikistan say five militants have been killed in a gunfight at a remote military checkpoint near the border with Afghanistan. Police and security services said in statement released Monday that the men had Russian citizenship and were members of a terrorist group.

July 17th, 2009 DHAKA - Former Indian president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will head to Bangladesh next week to interact with the leadership here and visit educational institutions.

July 7th, 2009 ASTANA - Kazakhstan is "very keen" on Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari visiting the Central Asian republic and is waiting for its next big international event that would give him an opportunity to do so, a top official said. Ansari, in fact, had been personally invited by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev to attend a just-concluded global faith meet here but could not make it because of his commitments in the Indian parliament, where he is chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the legislature.

July 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Against the backdrop of continuing attacks on Indian students in Australia, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Wednesday announced he would be travelling to that country on a bilateral visit soon.

June 29th, 2009 LONDON - President Pratibha Patil will visit Britain Oct 27-29 in a state visit showcasing the close ties between India and Britain, officials said. This is a visit that will reinforce the point that our relations are excellent, said Indian High Commissioner Shiv Shankar Mukherjee after the government and the royal family announced the visit.

June 24th, 2009 Tajiks arrest alleged Islamic group membersDUSHANBE, Tajikistan — Tajikistan said Wednesday that the alleged leader of a banned Islamic movement and dozens of followers have been arrested on charges of inciting religious hatred. The arrests reflect mounting concern over the persistent popularity of radical Islamic groups in this poor ex-Soviet nation, which shares a porous 830-mile (1,300-kilometer) border with Afghanistan.

April 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called on President Pratibha Devisingh Patil at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Friday. The meeting lasted for about 50 minutes.

January 26th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav's visit to India has been put off indefinitely following the recent heart surgery of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Though no official dates had been announced for the India visit, Nepal's head of state was to have left for New Delhi on Feb 2, according to media reports.