Mujahid made the remarks during a wide-ranging interview with Pakistani TV channel ARY News.
On Jammu and Kashmir, Zabihullah said New Delhi needs to have a "positive attitude towards the disputed territory", ARY News reported.
About ties with countries, particularly India, Mujahid said the Taliban desires good ties with all nations, including India that is an important part of the region.
"Our desire is that India devise its policy as per the interests of Afghan people," he added.
He stated in clear terms that the Taliban won't allow Afghan soil to be used against any other country.
He was of the view that Pakistan and India should sit together to resolve all their outstanding issues because both are neighbours and their interests are linked to each other, ARY News reported.
Mujahid on Wednesday said that the group, which now rules Afghanistan, considers Pakistan as their second home and won't allow any activity on Afghan soil which goes against Pakistan's interests.
Guterres, through a spokesman, said that the UN is deeply concerned about the situation while offering to mediate if the two parties request it.
The head of the UN received on Wednesday the Pakistani ambassador, Maleeha Lodhi, whose government has asked the organization to intervene in the current crisis, Efe reported.
For now, Guterres calls on both sides to "exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps" to defuse the tension, spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
The historic tensions between the two nuclear nations skyrocketed in recent days after New Delhi accused Islamabad of supporting the terrorist group that killed 40 CRPF troopers in a suicide bombing with a vehicle loaded with explosives on February 14, the worst attack in the region in 30 years.
In addition, nine people, including five soldiers, were killed in a gunfight in the disputed Indian region of Kashmir on February 18.
Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said Tuesday in Geneva that the UN was also saddened by the further loss of life reported from the gun battles in Pulwama on February 18.
"We hope escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours will not add further to the insecurity in the region" he said.
Colville said the High Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, is also concerned about reports from India that some elements are using the Pulwama attack as justification for threats and potential acts of violence targeting Kashmiri and Muslim communities living in different parts of India.
"We acknowledge actions taken by the Indian authorities to tackle these incidents and we hope that the Government will continue to take steps to protect people from all forms of harm that may be directed at them on account of their ethnicity or identity," he stressed.
Following the February 14 attack, India announced that it will take all possible diplomatic measures to isolate Pakistan from the international community.
As a first step, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that his country had withdrawn Pakistan's "most-favoured-nation" economic status and raised taxes on Pakistani imports by 200 per cent.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan warned India on Tuesday that his country would respond if attacked, a statement that was immediately condemned by the neighbouring country.
"We have, I think, reasonably attractive news from Pakistan and India. We have been going at it and we have been involved in trying to have them stop and we have some reasonably decent news, hopefully that will be coming to an end," Trump said at a press conference on the sidelines of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the Vietnamese capital.
"It's been going on for a long time for decades and decades. There is a lot of dislike unfortunately, so we have been in the middle trying to help them both out, see if we can get some organisation and some peace. And I think that is probably going to be happening."
Trump's remarks at the start of the press conference came in the midst of escalating tensions after India carried out pre-dawn strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and killed a large number of terrorists and their trainers.
This was followed by an aerial engagement near the Line of Control (LoC) in which India lost one of its MiG-21s, with the pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in Pakistani custody.
Trump's statement could mark a defusing of tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. A tri services media briefing is scheduled in the evening in New Delhi, triggering speculation whether there could be an announcement that the pilot may be handed over to India.
Odisha Chief Secretary AP Padhi informed that in the wake of Pulwama attack and the recent turnout of events, the Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier issued an advisory.
“It has been decided to strengthen security at several vital installations in Odisha and adequate focus is laid on security along the vast coast line,” said Padhi after the review meeting.
Police DG RP Sharma today issued directives to all Superintendents of Police to remain alert to the situation. Special advisory has been issued to strengthen security measures in and around several strategic and key installations in different parts of Odisha.
“We had an important meeting and it has been decided to strengthen security at our vital installations with adequate focus on coordination with central agencies, state and defence forces. We also discussed about composite security response and timely sharing of intelligence,” said Sharma.
Frisking and patrolling by security personnel have started in the two ports. The authorities are extra vigilant keeping in mind that Pakistan-based terrorists had entered Mumbai via sea route in 2008 and unleashed terror in the city.
"We are keeping a constant vigil on the crew members of ships docking at the port here. The crew members who want to go outside the port area are being thoroughly checked," said immigration officer at Paradip port, Manas Ranjan Das.
With at least four new ships arriving at Paradip Port every day, the authorities are maintaining a close surveillance, he said.
The Indian Coast Guard has also intensified patrolling in the coast as well as in the deep sea since Tuesday as there is a possibility of entry of terrorists through sea route, a senior official said.
Odisha has a 480-km-long sea coast looked after by the Coast Guard based in Paradip.
"The state government has cancelled leave of all the personnel working in different Marine Police Stations along the Odisha coast," the official said.
Security has been tightened in the port and emphasis is being given on access control, Kolkata Port Trust Chairman, Vinit Kumar said.
(With PTI inputs)
The two youths, whose identities are yet to be established boarded the bus from Barpali in Bargarh district. But after travelling for some kilometers, the duo started misbehaving with the other passengers present inside the bus. When other passengers opposed, the two youths started shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and ‘Hindustan Murdabad’.
Later, the two were beaten black and blue by the irate co-passengers. Police rushed to the spot after getting information and rescued the youths.
“The two youths raised some anti-national slogans and also had altercations with other passengers inside the bus. An investigation is underway following which further action will be taken,” informed Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Sonepur, Mihir Kumar Panda.
Pakistan has banned Indian aircraft from using its airspace and Pakistan's Air Traffic Control (ATC) has banned flying of any aircraft below 32,000 feet.
However, the commercial airspace in Pakistan was partially opened on Friday.
Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said four Pakistani airports were resuming flight operations from Friday evening while the airspace in the rest of the country would remain closed until Monday.
According to people in the know, there is a fresh NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) for international flights having the air space restrictions over Pakistan which restricts flights until 1.30 p.m on March 4.
The original NOTAM issued on Wednesday said the restriction was applicable until Friday morning.
The air space restriction by Pakistan impacted traffic at the IGI Airport with 11 international cancellations -- 5 departures and 6 arrivals.
On Thursday, the restriction had resulted in cancellation of 24 flights -- 12 departures and 12 arrivals.
The development comes days after the IAF chased away intruding Pakistani fighter jets in the Jammu and Kashmir's Nowshera sector.
On their part, airlines like Lufthansa and Air India, however, said the restriction would not have any major impact on their operations.
Answering a query regarding India's participation at the OIC in Abu Dhabi and resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that India's stand on the issue was consistent and well-known.
"As regards the resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, our stand is consistent and well-known. We reaffirm that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and is a matter strictly internal to India," he said.
He said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had attended the OIC's plenary session at Abu Dhabi on Friday as the Guest of Honour at the invitation extended by the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates.
"We deeply appreciate this historic gesture on the 50th anniversary of their first meeting," the spokesperson said.
It was the first time that India had attended the plenary as guest of honour.
Earlier, the Pakistan Foreign Office claimed that the OIC Ministerial expressed "support" for Pakistan's position on the Kashmir issue.
It said the OIC member states reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir remains the core dispute between Pakistan and India and its resolution is indispensable for the dream for peace in South Asia.
The OIC resolution, it claimed, expressed concern over alleged human rights violations in Kashmir and reminded the international community of its obligation to ensure the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions.
The Pakistan Foreign Office statement also said that in the context of the current volatile situation in the region, the OIC member states adopted a new resolution sponsored by Pakistan, which "expressed grave concern over the Indian violation of Pakistani airspace, affirmed Pakistan's right to self-defence and urged India to refrain from the threat or use of force".
It said the OIC resolution on regional peace and security in South Asia also welcomed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's renewed offer of dialogue to India and the goodwill gesture of handing over the Indian pilot.
The resolution called for restraint and de-escalation as well as the need to resolve outstanding issues through peaceful means.
It said the OIC adopted two other resolutions sponsored by Pakistan on international disarmament and non-proliferation issues and reform of the UN Security Council.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi did not attend the plenary OIC event due to the presence of his Indian counterpart at the event.
Qureshi had told the Pakistan Parliament that he would skip the session due to the OIC's failure to rescind the invitation to India.
A letter signed by the Nobel laureates, under the aegis of the Laureates and Leaders for Children -- a platform founded by Nobel peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi -- was submitted to India and Pakistan's Permanent Representatives to the UN on Saturday, the statement said on Sunday.
"In the best interest of our children, we, the Laureates and Leaders for Children call upon the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to demonstrate wise leadership and exercise immediate restraint at this critical juncture, to avoid any escalation into a full-fledged war," the letter read.
"There is no place for violence, extremism and terrorism in a civilised world. This epidemic has to be uprooted through concrete and time-bound actions.
"We reiterate that children never create wars but are the worst sufferers. Therefore, we appeal to the two Prime Ministers, faith institutions, media, youth and the citizens of both India and Pakistan to work towards the restoration of peace in the region with utmost urgency," the letter stated.
The Nobel laureates who signed the appeal included Malala Yousafzai, Leyma Gbowee, Shirin Ebadi, Tawakkol Karman, Muhammad Yunus, José Ramos-Horta, Edvard Ingjald Moser and May-Britt Mose among others.
Dr C. Christine Fair from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at the Georgetown University said at a seminar here that Pakistan army will never let peace happen and whenever India and Pakistan come close to rapprochement, something bad happens.
The seminar was hosted on May 31 by the Democracy Forum at London University's Senate House and the topics for debate include the threat South Asia faces from cross-border terrorism and capacity for localised insurgencies to become widespread.
As per a release by The Democracy Forum, Fair said she examined Pakistan's enduring imperative to use cross-border terrorism to try and resolve its basic conundrum - to try and change maps, but "it has an army that cannot win wars and nuclear weapons it can't use".
"So it has settled upon a strategy of proxy war in Kashmir and elsewhere in India under the safety afforded by its nuclear arsenal."
Fair said that she looked at the Pakistan puzzle from the perspective of policy-makers, particularly the US, saying that although people talk about an India-Pakistan dispute, most people who are knowledgeable know that "this is really Pakistan's dispute with India" and how it is a revisionist power "obsessed with obtaining territory to which it was never entitled", eg Kashmir.
Fair also addressed how Pakistan's nuclear umbrella has enabled it to engage in sub-conventional warfare with India with impunity, and Pakistan's "geographic revisionism vis-a-vis India", having "located itself as only country to resist India's rise".
What explains the puzzle, said Fair, is that Pakistan is not a security-seeking state but rather an ideological one, as showed the examination of the strategic culture of the Pakistan army, which has a duty to defend Pakistan's ideology and geography and must defend two-nation theory or preside over a state that is a "failed version of India" nd not worth defending. Hence the insistence on Kashmir as the fulfilment of a two-nation theory.
The Pakistan army will never let peace happen, she insisted. "Whenever India and Pakistan come close to rapprochement, something bad happens. Talks are not only unproductive but also impose opportunity costs, as India could be spending that diplomatic capital on other bilateral relationships that could be more fruitful.
"We should not be afraid when Pakistan says 'I'm too dangerous to fail'. We should plan for day when Pakistan does fail so that we can handle the problem," she suggested.
Introducing the topic, seminar chair and former BBC Asia correspondent Humphrey Hawksley cited the "melee of insurgencies in South Asia" and how terrorism, wherever it happens is the world, is far bigger than its local elements.
Fatemeh Aman, non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center, focused on insurgencies in Iran's eastern and western border regions, considering how the Iranian authorities' responses to cross-border terrorism have impacted on both its internal politics and its relationships with its South Asian neighbours, especially Pakistan.
She discussed the root causes of terrorism in different regions of Iran and how some insurgent groups such as the Salaafis enjoy the support of the Iranian intelligence community to fight other insurgents.
"Can the Financial Action Task Force, the UN and other international bodies & governments compel Pakistan to give up its jihadi proxies in the South Asian region?" was the key question posed by Taha Siddiqui, a journalist in exile and founder of safenewsrooms.org.
Offering a brief history of Pakistan's "obsession with jihadi proxies in the region", he also said that the Pakistan military protects itself by keeping threat of India alive, and though Pakistan initiated conflicts with India, it told the public it is only countering Indian aggression.
For Bashir Ahmad Gwakh of RadioFree Europe/Radio Liberty, a cause for concern was Afghanistan's potential to become a terrorist hub again if US-Taliban peace negotiations are too desperate.
During the first Q & A, a heckler disrupted proceedings with aggressive behaviour and had to be removed. As a result, it was believed this individual set off a fire alarm, further disrupting the seminar for 20 minutes.
Fair said this was common at all such events, as Pakistan's agenda is typically to try and destabilise themes that experts know to be facts.
In a letter to Modi congratulating him on his second term as the Prime Minister, Khan wrote that Pakistan desires the resolution of all problems, including that of the disputed Kashmir region, the Geo TV reported.
He further added that talks between the two nations were the only solution to help both countries' people overcome poverty and that it was important to work together for regional development.
Pakistan, Khan wrote, wished for peace in the South Asian region and that, alongside stability, were required for the states as well as the region to move forward, the report said.
Modi had assumed prime ministership for the second time on May 30.
On Thursday, the Foreign Ministry had said no meeting between PM Khan and Modi was scheduled on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.
"To the best of my knowledge, no meeting is being arranged between Prime Minister Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the SCO meet," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said.
Talks about dialogue between Pakistan and India started gaining momentum after Khan had earlier congratulated Modi on the Bharatiya Janata Party's electoral victory in the Lok Sabha elections.
Khan had expressed his desire for the two countries to work together for the betterment of their people. In a tweet earlier, he had congratulated Modi, saying he looked forward to working for "peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia".
Modi had responded in a Twitter post, thanking PM Khan for his "good wishes" and saying he, too, wanted peace in the region.
The messages came just hours after Pakistan said it tested a surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads.
India tested its latest supersonic cruise missile on Wednesday.
The bus service was first started in February 1999 but suspended after the 2001 Parliament attack. It was restarted in July 2003.
The move is in line with the decisions taken during a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) held on Wednesday, Pakistan Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed said.
"In line with the decisions of NSC Pak-India bus service is suspended," Saeed tweeted on Friday.
The Lahore-Delhi bus service is operated from Ambedkar Stadium terminal near Delhi Gate. DTC buses ply every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) buses every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday, from Delhi to Lahore.
For the return trip, DTC buses leave Lahore every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday whereas the PTDC buses are available every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Earlier, Pakistan Minister of Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad had announced on Friday that it will suspend the Thar Express train service with India which links the two countries across the Rajasthan border, a day after it stopped the Samjhauta Express following its decision to downgrade bilateral ties.
Rasheed announced to suspend the services of Thar Express and said that the last train would leave for India late Friday night, the official APP news agency reported.
The Thar Express has been running between Jodhpur's Bhagat ki Kothi station to Karachi every Friday night since services resumed on February 18, 2006 after a 41-year suspension.
He said the 133 km new track was built with the cost of Rs 13 billion for Thar Express and now the track would be used for Thar coal project.
On Thursday, Pakistan suspended the Samjhauta Express train service with India.
Rasheed said that the train service will not operate till he is the Railways minister and the bogies of the train will now be used for passengers travelling on the occasion of Eid.
The Samjhauta Express, named after the Hindi word for "agreement", comprises six sleeper coaches and an AC 3-tier coach. The train service was started on July 22, 1976 under the Simla Agreement that settled the 1971 war between the two nations.
On the Indian side, the train runs from Delhi to Attari and from Lahore to Wagah on the Pakistan side.
Pakistan's decision to suspended the services of the two trains came after it expelled Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria on Wednesday and decided to downgrade the diplomatic ties with India over what it called New Delhi's "unilateral and illegal" move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
India on Monday revoked Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The phone conversation between Trump and Khan took place before the close-door-consultation of the 15 members of the UN Security Council in New York. The White House readout of the call was issued after the meeting concluded at the UN headquarters in New York.
The President conveyed the importance of India and Pakistan reducing tensions through bilateral dialogue regarding the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement.
The White House said Trump spoke with Khan to discuss regional developments and to follow up on latter's visit to Washington, DC, last month.
The two leaders further discussed how they will continue to build on the growing relationship between the United States and Pakistan and the momentum created during their recent meeting at the White House, Gidley said.
In Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Khan took the US President "into confidence" regarding the UN Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters after the Indian government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Prime Minister Khan conveyed Pakistan's concern on recent developments in Kashmir and the threat they pose to the regional peace," Qureshi was quoted as saying by state-run Radio Pakistan.
The Foreign Minister said the conversation between the two leaders was held in a "cordial environment". They also agreed to remain in contact over the Kashmir issue, he said.
They also discussed the situation in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Khan said Pakistan has been playing a "constructive role to bring peace in Afghanistan and it made efforts in past and will do so in future too."
Qureshi said Pakistan has contacted four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and are "also trying to contact French President so that his country understands our position".
The UN Security Council on Friday held a rare closed door meeting to discuss India revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir after Pakistan, backed by its all-weather ally, China, requested "closed consultations" on the issue.
The meeting was open only to the five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.
China, a permanent member of the UNSC and close ally of Pakistan, had asked for "closed consultations" in the Council.
On August 5, India revoked Article 370 of the Constitution removing special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and also bifurcated the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Reacting to India's decision, Pakistan expelled the Indian High Commissioner soon after deciding to downgrade diplomatic ties with New Delhi.
India has categorically told the international community that its move to scrap Article 370 of the Constitution revoking the special status to Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter and has also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.
At his news conference here, he stepped away from the podium and walked up to the senior Pakistani journalist who asked, "When will you begin a dialogue with Pakistan?"
"So let me begin by coming across to you," Akbaruddin told him. "Give me your hand."
"Let me tell you we have already extended our hand of friendship by saying we are committed to the Simla agreement," he said.
"Let us wait for a response on that from the Pakistani side," he said with a pause.
For Akbaruddin, who had earlier been the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson and also Prime Minister Narendra Modi's spokesperson on his foreign travels, this was his first encounter with the rambunctious UN press corps.
He disarmed them with his openness, informality and humour.
He took a dig at the Permanent Representatives - Zhang Jun of China and Maleeha Lodhi of Pakistan - who refused to answer questions from reporters after reading their statement.
"People who came here, just walked off. (But) as the representative of an open democracy, I am ready to answer (your questions.)"
He first asked three Pakistani journalists to shoot their questions to him, surprising them as they were worked up, before turning to an Indian correspondent and two from other countries.
A Pakistani reporter had earlier asked why there was no contacts between the neighbours and why India had not responded to requests for talks.
"Stop terror to start talks," Akbaruddin replied.
He said, "There are normal diplomatic ways of dealing with the countries when countries deal with each other. But using terror to try and push your goals is not the way that normal states behave in. No democracy will acknowledge or accept talks when terror thrives."
He recalled his experiences from his diplomatic career in dealing with Pakistan.
"I have been a member of many delegations to Islamabad. I myself served as an Indian diplomat in Islamabad," he said.
Akbaruddin caught his first Pakistani questioner's slip in admitting that Kashmir was an internal affair of India, thanking him.
Referring to Article 370, the journalist said, "That could be an internal matter of India."
Akbaruddin immediately jumped in confounding him by saying, "Thank you for accepting that."A
The journalist continued, "Article 370 was enshrined in the Indian constitution." Akbaruddin again acknowledged it, saying, "Thank you, (enshrined) by India."
When a reporter said that the restrictions placed on Kashmir undermined India's image as an open democracy, Akbaruddin said, "Public order is integral to ensuring that democracy prospers. Without public order no democracy can function. There are reasonable restrictions and we acknowledge there are restrictions and we are easing them."
Days after the UN Security Council backed India in its efforts to bring in development in Kashmir after revoking its special status, Modi held a 30-minute call with Trump on Monday.
While the MEA statement or the White House readout did not say which leader made the call, according to Radio Pakistan, the US President called up Modi and later spoke with Pakistan PM Imran Khan.
In his conversation with Trump, PM Modi, speaking in the context of the regional situation, said that the extreme rhetoric and incitement to anti-India violence by certain leaders in the region was not conducive to peace.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been regularly taking to Twitter to attack Modi, calling him a fascist and racist. Imran Khan has also been alleging that Modi is turning India into a Hindu supremacist country, and that Muslims in India were being disenfranchised and "RSS goons were on the rampage".
PM Modi also highlighted the importance of creating an environment free from terror and violence and eschewing cross-border terrorism without exception, the MEA statement said.
Modi reiterated India's commitment to cooperate with anyone who followed this path, in fighting poverty, illiteracy and disease.
According to a White House readout of the conversation, President Trump spoke with Prime Minister Modi to discuss regional developments and the US-India strategic partnership. He conveyed the importance of reducing tensions between India and Pakistan and maintaining peace in the region.
The two leaders further discussed how they will continue to strengthen US-India economic ties through increased trade, and they look forward to meeting again soon, the statement said.
Later, Trump called up Imran Khan.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said US President Trump made a call to Imran Khan after his talk with Modi on the prevailing situation in Kashmir.
In a press briefing in Islamabad on Monday, Qureshi said that in response to Imran Khan's call on 16 August, Donald Trump made a call to Narendra Modi and expressed desire in lowering tensions between Pakistan and India.
Monday's developments come three days after Imran Khan dialled Trump to voice his concerns over India's "illegal" move in Kashmir, hours ahead of a UNSC closed-door discussion on Kashmir.
Imran Khan told Trump that New Delhi's moves on Kashmir posed a threat to regional peace. Trump conveyed to Imran the importance of India and Pakistan reducing tension through bilateral dialogue.
The talks between Trump and Modi come days after US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan held talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi to take forward the "deep convergences" in the India-US strategic ties, with both sides focussing on a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, where China has increased its footprint.
The US has reaffirmed that there was no change in its Kashmir policy, that it is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.
The Modi-Trump phone call was marked by the warmth and cordiality which characterises the relations between the two leaders, an MEA statement said.
The Prime Minister recalled their meeting in Japan's Osaka on the margins of G-20 summit in end-June earlier this year.
Referring to their bilateral discussions in Osaka, he expressed the hope that the Commerce Minister of India and the US Trade Representative would meet at an early date to discuss bilateral trade prospects for mutual benefit.
Recalling that Monday marked 100 years of the Independence of Afghanistan, he reiterated India's longstanding and unwavering commitment to work for a united, secure, democratic and truly independent Afghanistan, the statement said.
Modi also said that he appreciated remaining in regular touch with the US President.
The Modi-Trump conversation in Osaka on the sidelines of the G20 had been the subject of much speculation last month after Trump told visiting Pakistan PM Imran Khan on July 22 that PM Modi had asked him to mediate in the Kashmir issue. India had strongly denied the statement, while Pakistan had warmly welcomed it. The US immediately clarified Washington's stand on the Kashmir issue, that it was a bilateral issue between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Movie and music enthusiasts are well aware that Punjabi singer Mika Singh has been recently banned after performing at the wedding of the daughter of former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s cousin in Pakistan's Karachi. The All India Cine Workers Association and Federation of Western India Cine Employees association (FWICE) also announced that if any artist works with Mika then he or she will face a similar ban.
According to a report published by Mid-Day, the association has made the announcement in reference to an upcoming six-city gig in the US. Dabangg star Salman Khan is also slated to perform at the event with Mika Singh. The US event is just a week away and Mika is expected to join the event in Houston on August 28, but there is no confirmation about Mika and Salman joining the concert.
FWICE had declared the ban commenting on Mika Singh that it was unfortunate that the singer considered money over nation's pride.
The General Secretary of FWICE, Ashok Dubey informed to Mid-Day, "If we impose a ban, it means all our technicians -- including actors, directors and even spot boys -- will not work with Mika. If someone works with Mika during this ban, say Salman or anyone else, then he too will be banned."
Dubey also made it clear that the ban applies to the artists irrespective to the place of work.
FWICE on Monday stated that Mika wants to apologise as the singer had tweeted on his Twitter handle.
I would like to sincerely thank Mr. BN Tiwari and #FWICE for being so understanding towards me and my sentiments. As I always have done, I will continue to do good for my society and the people of my Country. JaiHind ??.. #Supportindiansingers #Banpaksitanisingers ... pic.twitter.com/Zsj3uHi2uU
— King Mika Singh (@MikaSingh) August 18, 2019
Post ban, Mika had shared a video on his Twitter handle, where he can be seen giving slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' from the Wagah border and also chanted 'Vande Mataram'.
Bharat Mata ki Jai! Thank you everyone for such a warm welcome. Happy Independence Day once again and salute to our jawans. They aren’t able to celebrate any festival, all to make our lives better. Jai hind.. pic.twitter.com/cY7lQx7VUw
— King Mika Singh (@MikaSingh) August 15, 2019
Salman Khan has not yet reacted to the statement and even has not extended his support for the singer. Currently, Salman Khan is busy in shooting for his upcoming venture- The third instalment of Dabangg- Dabangg 3. Salman has been sharing photos and videos from the shooting sets on his social media handles.
Mika Singh has lend his voice for several hit songs in Salman Khan's movies including Bodyguard, Ready, Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Race 3. Well, time will reveal how Salman Khan supports his long-time friend and how he saves himself.
We hope everything normalises soon and no other artist should act as Mika which would hamper the nation's interests and sentiments of the countrymen as the tension between the two neighbouring countries is escalating with each passing day.