M A I N   N E W S

Hijackers’ case to figure in Indo-Pak talks
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 29
Although the forthcoming Indo-Pak summit will mainly revolve around the vexed Kashmir issue, New Delhi is likely to take up with Islamabad the issue of extradition of five hijackers of the Indian Airlines plane in December 1999 and two of their accomplices to India.

This issue is likely to figure prominently when New Delhi raises the issue of cross-border terrorism and infiltration from the other side, highly placed official sources told The Tribune here today.

More than one year has elapsed since an extradition request was routed by the CBI through the Ministry of External Affairs and Islamabad had not responded to it.

The Indian authorities made a formal request to the Pakistan Government for extradition of seven persons — Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter Sayed and Shakir and two accomplices Yusuf Azhar and Abdul Rauf — under the SAARC and the Hague agreements under which Pakistan has the obligation to extradite them.

The CBI on its part has also issued a “red corner” notice against the seven accused through the Interpol. However, the Pakistan authorities have been feigning ignorance about the presence of the accused in their country, despite India’s premier investigating agency furnishing their addresses.

Yusuf Azhar and Abdul Rauf are believed to be key conspirators behind the hijacking of the Indian Airlines IC-814 aircraft from Kathmandu to Kandahar in Afghanistan on December 24, 1999.

The CBI on June 21, last year, had filed a charge-sheet against 10 persons in the hijacking case, which included these seven and three Indian nationals.

The three Indians chargesheeted are Abdul Latif, Bhupalmar Damai and Dilip Kumar Bhujel.

With Pakistan not cooperating on the extradition process, the Indian agency has secured court permission for a separate trial of the three accused in the IC-814 hijacking case.

The USA Federal Bureau of Investigations has also filed a case in the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane as one US national was also on board the ill-fated plane.

India, Pakistan urged to freeze N-weapons
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 29
The Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) and Pakistan Peace Coalition (PPC) have both appealed to India and Pakistan for complete freeze on nuclear weapons and missile development and decommissioning of preparations in this regard.

The CNDP and PCC, which comprises prominent civil society groups in both countries, are planning to have a joint meeting on July 12 — two days before the summit between Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

Releasing the 12-point joint appeal prepared before the joint meeting by the CNDP and PCC here today, Admiral L. Ramdas (retd) said both India and Pakistan must return to the global nuclear disarmament agenda rather than seek legitimisation and enhancement of their nuclear-weapons status.

He said there should not be further development of nuclear weapons, designs and related technologies.

The CNDP demanded an end to stockpiling and reprocessing of plutonium or enriched uranium.

It sought stopping of missile test flights and non-deployment of short or medium-range missiles and other nuclear weapon delivery systems. The CNDP emphasised a bilateral test ban without conditions and qualifications and dismantling of test sites, including Pokhran and Chagai.

Suggesting that there should not be an offensive or provocative military exercises, the CNDP said full prior information should be given to the other side before conducting conventional military exercises.

Seeking decommissioning of nuclear weapons and missiles by both sides, it sought a no-first-use pledge by both sides till such decommissioning is achieved.

It demanded strengthening confidence-building measures, including activation of hot-lines and other modes of regular communication between the DGMOs on both sides.

The CNDP has also demanded putting into place the apparatus for verification and compliance of various denuclearisation measures.