Pak keen on MFN status to India
Agrees to work out power sale details

Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 10 — The Indo-Pak talks on economic and commercial cooperation, the sixth issue on the composite dialogue process started between the two countries began last month in Islamabad, also failed to register much progress as very limited understanding on sale of power to India and improving rail linkages between the two neighbours could be arrived at.

While the Commerce Secretary, Mr P.P. Prabhu, said a formal invitation would be extended soon to an Indian technical delegation to visit Pakistan to discuss the sale of power, a Pakistani High Commission official said they had set up a special team to study the feasibility of sale of power and only after that an invitation would be extended.

Pakistan agreed to ensure that visa is issued to Indian nationals within six weeks and there is no delay on this count, Mr Prabhu said. This assurance came after New Delhi noted that visa to Pakistani nationals were issued within 15 days of the application and that Pakistani authorities took unusually long time.

"We have made good progress" in this direction, Mr Prabhu said.

On the issue of granting of the most favoured nation (MFN) status to India by Pakistan, which New Delhi had already granted to Islamabad in the seventies, Mr Prabhu said Pakistan for a change did not link Kashmir issue to it.

At the same time, Pakistani officials, briefing the media at their High Commission later, said the building of environment of durable peace and stability between the two countries was very important for improving trade and economic ties.

Stressing that Kashmir was a "core issue" which impinges on all other issues, a Pakistani High Commission official said that unless disputes like Kashmir, Sir Creek, Siachen and Tulbul Navigation Project was not resolved "it is very very difficult to conduct unfettered trade and commerce".

Earlier, Mr Prabhu said Islamabad had assured that it would grant MFN status to India in due course. New Delhi suggested to Pakistan that in case Islamabad had difficulties in formally according the MFN status forthwith, it could in the interim period consider allowing imports from India of such commodities which Pakistan was anyway importing from other countries in addition to the list of 600 allowed to be imported to India.

Asked as to why India was not moving the WTO’s dispute settlement body in this regard, Mr Prabhu said India would decide on the matter after Pakistan’s response over the issue of preferential trade treatment during the third round of SAPTA negotiations to be held in Kathmandu in two weeks time.

The Commerce Secretary said the two countries had decided that the existing difficulties in the Railway sector should be discussed at the technical level so that the movement of freight by rail was facilitated.

A joint statement was issued after the talks which said that the talks were held in a "frank and cordial" atmosphere during which the two sides decided to continue discussions at the next round of the dialogue process.

The Pakistani High Commission official said that they had drawn the attention of India to the difficulties faced by Pakistani sugar exporters. Sugar was stranded at the border as there was a considerable delay in the unloading of railway wagons which was causing immense problems to the sugar exporters. "Indian authorities are not unloading sugar fast enough", he said.

Pakistan said that India could buy from Pakistan as much as it wanted since there was no restriction on exports from Pakistan.

The Pakistan Commerce Secretary, Mr Mohammed Sulaiman, who led a seven-member delegation from Islamabad, declined to say anything on the outcome of the three and a half hour talks. When asked if any progress had been made on according the MFN status to India, a Pakistani official said: "We are here to improve things". He, however, declined to give details.

Commerce Ministry sources said the two sides exchanged views on various aspects of economic and commercial cooperation including possibilities of buying power from Pakistan.

Pakistan also raised the issue of problems in operating the "Samjhauta Express" between both the countries, especially due to security reasons, Commerce Ministry sources said.

Both sides agreed to discuss the issue from "time to time" and the Pakistan team even insisted on a dialogue between both Railway Secretaries today. Since the Indian Railway Secretary was not in the Capital, the meeting could not take place, sources said.

Pakistan also raised the issue of India settling some of its dues with regard to the telecom services. Both sides agreed to settle all pending accounts relating to different services.

During 1996-97, bilateral trade between both countries was about $ 170 million but unofficial business turnover is estimated to be around $ 1.5 billion.

In the power sector, India has already set up a high level committee headed by Special Secretary, Power, Pradip Baijal, to work out the modalities of importing power from Pakistan.

PM: Pak creating fear psychosis

NEW DELHI, Nov 10 (PTI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today charged Pakistan with attempting to internationalise the Jammu and Kashmir issue disregarding the 1972 bilateral Simla agreement and creating fear psychosis through targeted killings and propaganda.

Mr Vajpayee said certain hostile forces and a neighbouring country seemed intent on sparing no effort to destabilise India through subversion of its polity by jeopardising its economy and through attacks on its social fabric in the form of unabashed terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing the 33rd conference of Directors-General and Inspectors-General of police here, organised by the Intelligence Bureau, the Prime Minister said, "security for development" should become the watchword of the nation.

Deploring Pakistan’s attempts to support insurgent movements in the North-East, he commended the significant contribution of the police in turning the tide of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and preventing the revival of terrorism in Punjab.

He said for Pakistan the focal point of its India-centric policies remained Jammu and Kashmir. Islamabad, he said, was seeking to internationalise the issue and even raising voices for third-party intervention.

Mr Vajpayee expressed confidence that remnants of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir would be wiped out soon through the continued efforts of the security forces.

Referring to the problems in the North-East, he said a holistic approach was required in consonance with local sensibilities since it was not merely a law and order problem.

"What is required there is fast economic and infrastructural development," he said.

The Prime Minister said all efforts were being made to modernise police forces and hoped that the decision to set up a committee under the chairmanship of former Punjab police chief J.F. Ribeiro to suggest modalities to implement the recommendations of the National Police Commission, the Law Commission and the National Human Rights Commission will go a long way in improving the efficiency of the police.

Mr Vajpayee said the issue of policing ought to be addressed in a broad framework which encompassed economic development, social peace and the rule of law.

Stressing the importance of human rights in a democratic society, he said this issue ought to be addressed in a harmonised manner so that no atrocities were allowed to be perpetrated against innocent people.

He said there should be adequate sensitisation and training of police personnel to ingrain among them respect for human rights.

Pointing to the scourge of drug trafficking, Mr Vajpayee said the fight against this menace had seriously challenged the wherewithal and ingenuity of the police forces. Serious attention to this problem had to be paid at the top level of law enforcing authorities, he said.

The Prime Minister also asked for sensitising the force to protect weaker sections of society, including women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and nip in the bud forces of communalism and caste violence.

Congratulating 14 officers of the Intelligence Bureau for receiving President’s Police Medals for distinguished services, Mr Vajpayee underlined the importance of maintaining stability and internal security of the nation. He also welcomed the efforts to construct a national police memorial in Delhi.

The three-day conference was inaugurated yesterday by Home Minister L.K. Advani. It is being attended by Intelligence Bureau Director Shyamal Dutta and the top brass of the police in the country.

The IB Director gave a brief account of the deliberations of the conference so far, including detailed discussions on crime against women and children.

Pak hockey team denied visas
From Amardeep Bhattal
Tribune News Service

JALANDHAR, Nov 10 — Denial of visas to members of the Allied Bank of Pakistan hockey team by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad has not only robbed the 15th All-India Surjit Memorial Hockey Tournament of the much-publicised glamour but has also jeopardised the sporting relations between the two countries.

The Pakistani outfit, comprising as many as five Olympians, including K.M. Junaid, Asif Bajwa, Mohammed Sarwar, Aleem Raza and Naveed Alam and seven internationals could not make it to the prestigious tournament despite hectic efforts by the organisers at the highest level to ensure their participation.

Billed as the star attraction of the tournament, Allied Bank of Pakistan were to play their first match against Army XI on November 8. The match was later rescheduled for today. However, it was finally called off when the organisers realised that the visit of the team would not materialise.

According to the joint organising secretary of the tournament, Mr Iqbal Singh Sandhu, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, had already cleared the visit of the team vide letter no F 32-16/98-SP.III dated November 2, 1998, after due sanction by the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Indian High Commission in Islamabad was duly informed about it vide file no 022 dated November 6 but for some strange reason the visa officer failed to do the needful thereby denying the team a chance to exhibit their skill on Indian soil.

It may be recalled that the India-Pakistan hockey ties were revived after more than a decade in February-March this year when the two countries played an eight-match series on a reciprocal basis. This was preceded by a visit of Punjab XI from Pakistan comprising top players like Tahir Zaman and Shahbaz Ahmed (senior). The series played in various cities of India and Pakistan generated a lot of interest among hockey enthusiasts on either side of the border.

The president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, Mr Akhtar Rasool, and the Indian Hockey Federation chief, Mr K.P.S. Gill, had also welcomed the revival of the ties and had hoped that these would be further strengthened in the near future.

However, the cancellation of Allied Bank's visit may lead to similar action from the other side in future thereby stalling the process of mutual exchanges in the arena of sports.

"We would have loved to watch the Pakistani team in action here" was the common refrain at the sprawling Surjit Hockey Stadium today even as a couple of banners saying "A hearty welcome to Allied Bank of Pakistan" fluttered gently in the breeze.

The denial of visas to the Pakistani team had drawn widespread criticism from various quarters.