Monday, February 11, 2002, Chandigarh, India
 Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Temple construction from March 15
PM rejects VHP plea on undisputed land
Ayodhya, February 10
Stepping up its offensive, the VHP today announced that the construction work of the Ram temple in Ayodhya would begin from March 15 with the carved stone pillars being moved to the site of the shrine from the workshop even as the Centre maintained that it would go by the Supreme Court order on the issue. 

Ansari has links with Pak
PM for global forum to fight terrorism
Bathinda, February 10
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said today that an international forum should be set up to fight global terrorism.

Punjab page: PM sharpens rhetoric on terrorism threat The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, waves to the crowd at an election rally at Bathinda on Sunday. Also in the picture are Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Mr Chiranji Lal Garg. — Tribune photo Karam Singh

Arrest unfolds Sept 11, Kolkata shootout links
New Delhi, February 10
Aftab Ansari, the prime suspect in the attack on the American Center in Kolkata, has admitted to the CBI about his involvement in the attack and has links with terrorists and jehadis in Pakistan especially with Omar Sheikh, one of the three terrorists released by India to end the 1999 hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane in Kandahar.
In video (28k, 56k)

Joint team to grill Aftab
New Delhi, February 10
The main suspect in the January 22 shootout case in Kolkata, Aftab Ansari, is to be interrogated by a joint team of Centre and state investigating agencies, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharyya said today. Ansari was brought here last evening from Dubai.

US pressure made UAE buckle
New Delhi, February 10
The UAE authorities took 18 days to deport a wanted criminal like Aftab Ansari, alias Farhan Ali, to India for the first time in 18 years and finally took the exceptional step of deporting, and not extraditing, Ansari because of intense American pressure.

No talks with Habibullah
Only PM’s confidant acceptable: APHC
New Delhi, February 10
Rejecting outright the possibility of negotiations with Mr Wajahat Habibullah — the Centre’s "unofficial’’ emissary on Kashmir — the Hurriyat Conference today said it was ready to hold talks only with "anyone having direct access to the Prime Minister’’ for finding a "lasting and permanent solution’’ to the lingering Kashmir issue.

2 more held in search for Pearl
Islamabad, February 10
The Pakistani police has made two more arrests in the search for kidnapped US journalist Daniel Pearl but the alleged mastermind, British-born Islamic extremist Sheikh Omar, remained at large today.