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Quadrilateral group on Afghanistan meets minus Taliban; Doval arrives in Kabul (Second Lead)

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Muscat/New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Senior representatives from the US, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan met in Muscat, Oman, on Monday to revive stalled peace talks with the Taliban, but the insurgent group failed to participate in the meeting being held after a year. In the backdrop of the meeting, India, a close partner in Afghanistan’s rebuilding efforts, sent National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to Kabul to meet with the leadership.

The sixth round of Quadrilateral Coordination Group’s (QCG) meeting between the US, Pakistan, China and Afghanistan was being held in Muscat to revive peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The meeting was expected to focus on implementing commitments, especially Pakistan’s promises, regarding fighting terrorism in its tribal regions.

The Pakistan team was led by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua.

Ahead of the meet, Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Shekib Mustaghni said in addition to discussions on commitments, the delegates would share ideas on counter-terrorism efforts.

“The meeting (QCG) is aimed to review Pakistan’s commitments on (peace) talks that had been made at previous meetings,” said Mustaghni.

The peace talks on Afghanistan were halted last year in May after an American drone killed then Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in southern part of Balochistan bordering Iran.

From Afghanistan, in addition to the Deputy Foreign Minister, a representative from the High Peace Council (HPC) also attended the meeting.

A statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that NSA Ajit Doval paid a visit to Afghanistan at the invitation of his Afghan counterpart Hanif Atmar.

Doval called on President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. NSA Atmar hosted a working lunch for Doval where the Ministers of Defence, Interior, NDS, Chief of Army Staff, Independent Directorate of Local Governance and senior officials of the National Security Council were also present, the statement said.

Both sides exchanged views on various facets of the bilateral strategic partnership and regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Both sides emphasised that “bilateral and sincere regional cooperation is important for peace, security and stability in the region” and welcomed the opportunities created by the new US strategy for bringing peace and security in Afghanistan. It was agreed to further strengthen strategic dialogue and consultations for achieving the shared objectives, it said.

Doval on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited President Ghani to visit India. The invitation was accepted.

Meanwhile, a Pakistani media outlet said that Islamabad had approached the Taliban and asked it to prepare a team to participate in the peace negotiations.

The Taliban had earlier refused to accept Islamabad’s call to join the political dialogue.

According to TOLONews, the previous five quadrilateral meetings saw a roadmap outlined for peace, but after the meetings, Pakistan was accused of not fulfilling its promises and the follow up meeting was delayed.

Afghan Senate members said they were not hopeful of any positive result emerging from the meeting.

“(The Afghan) government should make it clear when we will see the results of such meetings,” Senator Abdul Rahman Achakzai said.

The first quadrilateral meet was held between Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and US on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Summit in 2015, and following that four other meetings were held in Kabul and Islamabad.

The talks in Oman come after Pakistan last week said that India’s “controversial role” in Afghanistan was not in the interest of regional stability and not acceptable to Pakistan.

The Muscat meeting also comes days after Pakistani authorities played an important role in securing the release of a Canadian-American couple from the Taliban-linked Haqqani network’s captivity — a development that was appreciated by the US.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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