Cong team meets PM, seeks Joshi govt's sack
Prosecute Thackeray,demands SP

NEW DELHI, Aug 8 (PTI) — A high-level Congress delegation met Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, this evening and demanded immediate dismissal of the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra following the findings of Srikrishna Commission.

The delegation, which included Leader of the Opposition, Sharad Pawar, told the Prime Minister that continuance of the state government had become "untenable" as the Chief Minister as also several others in Shiv Sena including its chief, Bal Thackeray, had been indicted for their role in the 1992-93 Mumbai riots.

Briefing reporters after the 20-minute meeting, AICC general secretary, Madhavrao Scindia, said in the wake of the findings of the commission and the way the government had rejected the panel’s report "the government cannot be allowed to continue".

He said the party leaders also demanded stern action against those found guilty by the commission.

Asked whether the Prime Minister gave any assurance to the delegation, Mr Scindia replied in the negative. "the Prime Minister told us that he would go into the matter."

Besides Mr Pawar and Mr Scindia, the delegation included Mr Manmohan Singh, Mr P.A. Sangma, Mr A.K. Antony, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mr Ahmed Patel.

The leaders met Mr Vajpayee a day after the CWC deliberated on the issue and demanded immediate resignation of Mr Manohar Joshi "as the first step" and appropriate action against those indicted.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) demanded stern action against those indicted by the Srikrishna Commission of Inquiry into the Mumbai riots and dismissal of the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra.

RJD spokesman Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told reporters that rejection of the report by the Manohar Joshi government was "highly objectionable and condemnable".

He said Samata Party president George Fernandes, who was very keen on setting up the commission to probe the 1992-93 riots after demolition of Babri mosque, should now clarify his stand on the findings of the panel.

MUMBAI (PTI): The Samajwadi Party today threatened that its legislators and corporators in Maharashtra would submit their resignations en-masse to the President K.R. Narayanan on October 3 if the state Governor Dr P.C. Alexander did not sanction prosecution of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray in the wake of his indictment by The Srikrishna Commission.

“If the Governor fails to initiate action on the recommendations of the Srikrishna Commission and direct the Sena-BJP government to prosecute Thackeray and other Sena leaders for their criminal acts by October 2, then we will submit resignation en-masse to the president,” Samajwadi Party MP Raj Babbar told reporters here.

Babbar indicated that Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav would coordinate similar mass resignations by the party’s elected representatives all over the country on the issue.

“Nobody is above law in the country and if a person says there will be trouble if he is arrested. Then this spells the end of civilisation,” Babbar said reiterating his party’s demand for the arrest of Thackeray who stood indicted by the commission for organising retaliatory attacks on Muslims during the January 1993 riots here.

Flanked by senior state party leaders, Babbar said his party’s delegation had submitted a memorandum to the Governor at Raj Bhavan earlier today demanding dismissal of the Sena-BJP alliance government for rejecting the Srikrishna Commission findings.

Babbar announced that a task force headed by the party’s Mumbai unit vice-president Tushar Gandhi had been formed to coordinate legal action to ensure implementation of the Srikrishna Commission recommendations.

Mazar-e-Sharif captured: Taliban

KABUL, Aug 8 (Reuters, AFP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban Islamic Movement said its forces had captured the Opposition Alliance’s northern capital of Mazar-e-Sharif today in the latest of a series of spectacular victories.

But the Opposition Alliance said its forces had pushed back the Taliban militia from the city after two hours of heavy fighting.

Taliban spokesmen said their purist Islamic militia captured Mazar-e-Sharif, capital of Balkh province that borders Uzbekistan, without much resistance.

"Mazar has been taken completely and there is no fighting now," a Taliban spokesman, Abdul Ahad Jahangirwal, told Reuters.

Opposition forces were besieged at Daraye Suf to the south of Mazar while retreating from the city, he said.

The official news agency of Iran, which has provided humanitarian and political support to the opposition, also reported the fall of the last major opposition-held city.

"The Taliban a few minutes ago captured Mazar-e-Sharif," Irna said in a report from the city.

An opposition spokesman, Dr Adbullah, later told reporters in Kabul by telephone from the north: "after launching an offensive at 1 O’clock local time, we managed to clear the Taliban from the city and now we are locked in fighting in the area of a fertiliser factory to the west of the city."

Dr Abdullah said many Taliban militia men were killed during the fighting in Mazar and that the opposition forces controlled the city’s airport as well as a strategic fort.

His statement could not be independently confirmed.

A Taliban official told Reuters that Mazar-e-Sharif and its airport were under full Taliban control.

"The Taliban (forces) have taken control of Mazar-e-Sharif and there is complete peace and stability," the Taliban-controlled Voice of Shariat radio said.

Earlier, an opposition spokesman who did not want to be identified said by satellite telephone that heavy fighting was raging inside Mazar-e-Sharif for its defence.

"Fighters loyal to the (opposition) alliance will fight to the last drop of their blood for the city’s control," he said.

ISLAMABAD (PTI): Pakistan foreign affairs officials went into emergency consultations on Afghanistan, official sources said.

Officials, dealing with Afghanistan, discussed the situation arising out of Taliban's dramatic victories, the sources said. The meeting was attended by Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmed and other senior officials.

Pakistan was the first country to recognise the Taliban government when they briefly entered Mazar-i-Sharif in May 1997 after they struck a deal with Opposition Commander General Abdul Malik.

However, the ethnic Hazara flushed the student militia out of the northern town killing hundreds of Taliban. The Opposition alliance accused Pakistan of backing the Taliban militia, the charges always denied by Islamabad.

Taliban envoy-designate to the United Nations Abdul Hakim Mujahid told reporters in Islamabad that Taliban leadership in the southern town of Kandhar has confirmed the fall of the town.

"I have received congratulations from Kandahar, Taliban headquarters, on the full control of the northern town," Mujahid said.

Islamic group 'behind attacks on US missions'

DUBAI, Aug 8 (Reuters) — A previously unknown Islamic group has claimed responsibility for the twin bombings at the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and vowed more attacks to drive American and western troops from Muslim countries.

A series of statements sent to Qatar’s Al-Jazirah satellite channel today said the Nairobi bombing was carried out by two men from Mecca in Saudi Arabia while an Egyptian staged the Dar-es-Salaam attack.

"The Islamic army for the Liberation of holy places announces responsibility for the Nairobi bombing under the name operation 'holy Kaaba,' one of three statements said.

Another statement said the attack in Tanzania was codenamed the "operation Al-Aqsa mosque".

The group, identifying itself as "Islamic holy warriors from all countries of the world and who belong to all Muslim people", said it was compelled to carry out the attacks by what it called the occupation of Islamic holy sites in the Arabian peninsula by the US forces.

CAIRO: The death toll in the powerful bomb explosion in Nairobi reached 141 with fears that it could rise further as hospitals treating more than 4200 injured face severe shortage of syringes, blood and needles.

An Israeli team with sniffer dogs has arrived in Nairobi to help track people still buried under the debris of concrete at the bomb site, just a building away from the Indian embassy which was considerably damaged in the accident.

US ambassador to Kenya Prudence Rushnell, who suffered a minor injury, told a news conference that the investigation into the cause of the bombing would take some time, adding that "it's in everybody's interest to find out who is behind this evil", she said.

In neighbouring Dar-es-Selaam, in Tanzania, the powerful blast outside the US Embassy has claimed eight lives and left over 75 injured. Though it was not officially known about the group behind the simultaneous blasts, the Al-Hayat Arabic daily from London said that an unknown group the "Liberation Army of Islamic Sanctuaries" phoned the paper’s Cairo office and claimed responsibility for the twin explosions.

A virtually simultaneous blast beside the US Embassy in Tanzanian capital Dar Es Salaam yesterday claimed eight lives and injured 74.

Mr Clinton vowed to punish the attackers as a horde of US medical and forensic experts and FBI sleuths landed at Nairobi and Tanzania to help rescue works and find clues. About 140 Israeli experts also joined them.

A C-130 aircraft carrying 44 personnel with medical supplies, food and communication equipment, and a C-141 carrying medical equipment arrived at Nairobi. Washington also sent about 40 FBI investigators and a 40-member US marine anti-terrorism team to Nairobi while another marine team has been dispatched to Dar-es-Salaam.

Kenya, whose President Daniel Arap Moi pledged allout efforts to nab the attackers, announced a five-day mourning while Mr Clinton ordered US flags at diplomatic missions around the world to be flown at half mast. Condolences poured into Nairobi from across the world with many countries offering their help in rescue operations.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan described the blasts as "indiscriminate terrorism" whereas Britain’s Queen Elizabeth sent a message of support. Engineers were still trying to reach at least five persons believed to be alive under the rubble.

Meanwhile, four staff members of the Indian High Commission in Nairobi and four children of the Indian origin were among the more than 1700 persons injured in yesterday's blast in the Kenyan capital.

The embassy building, just one building away from the blown up Cooperative Tower, also suffered considerable damage, Indian Ambassador to Kenya Rajiv Bhatia said adding the four staffers — one Indian and three local Kenyans — were slightly hurt whereas the children, who were travelling in a bus at the time of the blast, were hospitalised.

"It was a miracle we all escaped," said Mr Bhatia.

There are 100,000 Indians and people of the Indian origin in Kenya, 50 per cent of whom stay in Nairobi.

In New Delhi India today condemned the blasts leading to tragic loss of life, injuries to innocent people and widespread damage to property.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has despatched messages to the Presidents of Kenya, Tanzania and the USA expressing deep shock and sorrow over the incidents.