With racial attacks against Indian students continuing in Australia, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur on Saturday assured their parents back home that the Centre has strongly taken up the issue at various levels with the Australian Government.
Addressing a news conference after arriving in Patiala on Friday evening on her first visit after assuming office, she said while the Prime Minster Manmohan Singh has taken up the issue with his Australian Premier Kevin Rudd, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and Union Home Minster P Chidambaram have also taken it up with their Australian counterparts.
"We have been told by them that the state government of Victoria has taken a number of steps to ensure that these attacks do not take place again," Kaur said.
She said she was particularly concerned as over 5,000 children have gone from her constituency (Patiala) alone to pursue their studies in Australia.
The External Affairs Ministry has also conveyed its anxiety over the ongoing attacks to the Australian High Commissioner John McCarthy, She said, adding that the Ministry has sought assurance from the Australian authorities about the safety of Indian students in their country.
On the latest dossier of evidence handed over to Pakistan on the Mumbai terror attacks, She said, "India has given further evidence on the perpetrators of the carnage and now it is their (Pakistan's) duty to perform."
{{/usCountry}}On the latest dossier of evidence handed over to Pakistan on the Mumbai terror attacks, She said, "India has given further evidence on the perpetrators of the carnage and now it is their (Pakistan's) duty to perform."
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