New Delhi: India on Thursday dismissed reports that it has proposed a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Maldives.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "No proposal has been made by the Government of India to Maldives for a bilateral free trade agreement. If the Maldives government shows any interest in an FTA with India, India will give it due consideration."

It is noteworthy that last week Maldives Economic Development and Trade Minister Mohammed Saeed had said in a press conference in Male, 'They (India) want to do an FTA with Maldives in addition to SAFTA (South Asia Free Trade Agreement).'

Said this on Kyrgyzstan

When asked about the violent incidents with foreign students in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, Jaiswal said, "The situation is normal there. About two weeks ago, there were some incidents in which foreign students were involved, but not Indians. Because of this, Indian students got upset. They were really worried. The Indian Embassy immediately contacted the students of their country to ensure their safety. A 24-hour helpline was also started to help them."

He said that the Embassy of India also raised the matter with the local authorities and the university administration to ensure the safety of Indian students. The spokesperson said, 'For students who want to come home during summer vacation, daily direct flights are available between Delhi-Bishkek and flights via Almaty. Our embassy is committed to helping Indian students.' It is worth mentioning that currently about 17 thousand Indian students are studying in Kyrgyzstan and most of them are in Bishkek.

Investigation into Bangladeshi MP case continues

Regarding the murder of Bangladesh MP Mohammad Anwarul Azim Anar in Kolkata this month, Jaiswal said, "The case of the Bangladesh MP is being investigated. The law enforcement agencies of both the countries are coordinating and necessary information is being exchanged in the case. The government from our side is providing necessary and full help to Bangladesh as part of the investigation."

Constitutional court upheld the decision on Nikhil Gupta

Regarding Nikhil Gupta, accused in the US in the case of attempted murder of pro-Khalistan terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, Randhir Jaiswal said that India is not aware of any new action.

He said, 'With regard to Nikhil Gupta, we understand that the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic has given a decision upholding the earlier decisions of the courts on the admissibility of the extradition request.' Nikhil is currently in the custody of the Czech Republic. Earlier, the Czech court had ruled that he could be extradited to the US. However, the approval of the Justice Minister of the Czech Republic will still be necessary for this.

India eager to participate in BRICS meeting

Jaiswal said that BRICS is an important forum and India is looking forward to participating in the meeting to be held under the chairmanship of Russia this year. As far as membership in BRICS is concerned, it is for the group to decide and the group takes a decision based on certain criteria set by itself. So if the group decides to consider a particular membership or a particular country for expansion, the group will do so as per the guidelines of the BRICS group.