M A I N   N E W S

Dawood-ISI nexus in Nepal
Mumbai bhai is South Asian don
From Santosh Jha

PATNA, Dec 30 — Even as the million-dollar question of what triggered this unprecedented anti-Indian upsurge in a notionally India-friendly Nepal hides behind the veil of mystery, the incidents exposed not only loopholes in the “friendly neighbourhood” clichéd back home but also layed bare the new and dangerous constraints in the historical Indo-Nepal friendship in the light of the reaction and the behaviour pattern of the ‘young social layers’ of the Himalayan kingdom.

The Nepal watchers’ concern over the tiny nation playing a “dummy” in the hands of a ‘foe’ and being hijacked by an anti-Indian group of mercenaries does not seem a long drawn one.

The Indians in Nepal have had the feel of it in the last few months and they had been telling it to their families back home but they never knew their nightmares would come true. Not that the Indian Intelligence had not informed the Internal Security Department of the Union Home ministry. It is reported that the known India-baiter and international smuggler Dawood Ibrahim has been gearing up to make Nepal his headquarters. In league with the Pak Intelligence ISI, he is said to have been spearheading the anti-India campaign in the Himalayan kingdom. The local Indians in Nepal blame it on Dawood for all the Hrithik-trouble. It is said that the Nepalese Maoists, ISI and Dawood have formed a nexus to use Nepal as a platform for “Destroy-India” campaign. The youth have been conditioned over the months against India and that is why the small rumour spread by the media snowballed into a major anti-India upsurge. The locals in Nepal admit that in the last few months, Dawood has purchased huge assets in Nepal. The once upon a time ‘bhai’ of Mumbai underworld is popularly known as “SAD” in Nepal. SAD is the abbreviation of South Asian Don. Even the Indian Intelligence had informed of the growing presence of ISI in Nepal and the links of Dawood with ISI is now established. After the Don settled in Pakistan and invested his thousands of crores in Pakistan, he is been the blue eyed boy of ISI. However his antics have earned the wrath of the Pak army for him. That is why he has been advised to timely branch off to Nepal in case the military regime turns hostile and finally is taken over by a semi-civilian regime.

Dawood is learnt to have bought enough space around Kathmandu and is visiting the place quite too often. He has been, in nexus with ISI, propagating the anti-Indian feelings in Nepal. 

Screening of Manisha’s film prevented

indore, Dec 30 (pti) — In a tit for tat, nsui activists today prevented screening of a film starring Nepal-born Manisha Koirala here in the wake of anti-India violence in Kathmandu against the alleged remarks of Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan.

The activists took out a procession to the theatre and stalled screening of “Champion”, starring Manisha. In a related incident, college students in Pithoragarh blocked the bridge linking Mahakali region of Nepal with Pithoragarh district in Uttaranchal preventing Nepalese citizens from entering Indian territory for about two hours yesterday.

They demanded banning of anti-India organisations, including Pakistan’s isi, active in the Himalayan kingdom. 

Hindi films back on Nepal TV

KATHMANDU, Dec 30 (Reuters) — Nepal’s cable television operators today said they had resumed broadcasting channels showing Indian programmes, suspended after violent protests over alleged anti-Nepal comments by Indian movie star Hrithik Roshan.

“Yes, we have resumed all our channels,” an official at private cable operator, Space Times Network, told Reuters.

Protesters clashed with the police and attacked shops, including ones owned by Indians, in riots that broke out in Kathmandu on Tuesday after rumours spread that Hrithik had said in an interview he did not like Nepal or its people.

Four persons were killed and dozens injured in the violence.

Hrithik denied making any negative comments about Nepal. After the violence, private cable operators switched off television channels showing Hindi movies and other Indian programmes and cinemas across Nepal stopped screening Hindi films.