N A T I O N

Chavan to remain M’rashtra CM: Cong
New Delhi, July 10
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will continue in his post and lead Congress in the upcoming Assembly elections, the party’s high command said today as it put an end to the suspense over the issue of change of leadership in the state.

Zohra Sehgal dies at 102
New Delhi, July 10
Legendary actress Zohra Sehgal, who essayed character roles with aplomb in a career spanning both theatre and cinema, died here today at the age of 102. A Padma Vibhushan awardee, Sehgal breathed her last at Max Hospital here at around 4:30 pm.

India, Pak Foreign Secys to meet soon
Islamabad, July 10
The Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet soon to determine the process of dialogue between the two countries, the Foreign Office said here today.

Chavan to remain M’rashtra CM: Cong

New Delhi, July 10
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will continue in his post and lead Congress in the upcoming Assembly elections, the party’s high command said today as it put an end to the suspense over the issue of change of leadership in the state.

“Chavan will continue as Maharashtra Chief Minister and the coming Assembly elections will be fought under his leadership,” said AICC General Secretary Mohan Prakash, in charge of party affairs for the state.

Prakash’s statement puts to rest the speculation over Chavan’s fate in the wake of Congress’s dismal showing in the recent Lok Sabha elections. The signal from the AICC came after Chavan met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today. Sources said there was a growing feeling within a section of the party that any leadership change at the eleventh hour would prove counter-productive in the poll-bound state.

Chavan had yesterday called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and later said he had had a “very good meeting” with her during which he discussed the party’s readiness for the October Assembly elections in Maharashtra.

In the wake of the party’s rout in the General Election, a section of its leaders in Maharashtra had sought Chavan’s removal from the post of chief minister.

Congress secured just two of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in the recent elections. One of the winners is former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, a known detractor of Chavan. —PTI

Zohra Sehgal dies at 102

New Delhi, July 10
Legendary actress Zohra Sehgal, who essayed character roles with aplomb in a career spanning both theatre and cinema, died here today at the age of 102.

A Padma Vibhushan awardee, Sehgal breathed her last at Max Hospital here at around 4:30 pm.

"She died of a cardiac arrest. She was unwell for the last three-four days," her daughter, Kiran, said. Sehgal will be cremated tomorrow at 11 am at the Lodhi Road crematorium. The news was broken in the night by historian Irfan Habib who tweeted, "Just confirmed that Zohra Aapa is no more..."

In another tweet, he said, "Extremely sad to know about d passing away of Zohra Sehgal, a woman who lived a full life on her own terms. Great loss to art and culture. RIP." Sehgal, a vivacious personality, started her career as a dancer with Uday Shankar in 1935. — PTI

India, Pak Foreign Secys to meet soon

Islamabad, July 10
The Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet soon to determine the process of dialogue between the two countries, the Foreign Office said here today.

A meeting between the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries was agreed upon when Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited India in May to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said.

“They (Sharif and Modi) directed the two Foreign Secretaries to meet and look at how the process of dialogue is to be taken forward. That meeting would take place in not very distant future, though I cannot give you the exact date. That meeting would give indication where this process is headed. So we won’t like to pass a judgment right now,” she said.

During their bilateral meeting, Modi and Sharif had agreed that the Foreign Secretaries would remain in touch and explore how to move forward. — PTI