Sunday, February 17, 2002, Chandigarh, India
 Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

India rejects Pak plea on list of 20
New Delhi, February 16
Home Minister L.K. Advani today virtually rejected Pakistan’s plea that the issue of 20 terrorists and criminals demanded by India be negotiated, saying that New Delhi no longer believes in “big” announcements emanating from Islamabad and would judge the neighbour’s sincerity by assessing the ground situation.

• Pak refuses to hand over 20 ultras to India

• USA ‘making efforts’ for Indo-Pak talks

The Mughal Garden of Rashtrapati Bhavan is now a riot of colours with flowers in full bloom. The garden will be thrown open to the public on Sunday.  — Tribune photo Mukesh Aggarwal

Ansari sent to CBI custody
Ahmedabad, February 16
First Class Judicial Magistrate B.N. Modi today remanded Aftab Ansari, prime accused in the attack on American Information Center in Kolkata, in CBI custody till February 22 in connection with two different cases of RDX seizure and kidnapping.

• Kolkata attack: 2 more suspects remanded

Pearl case: hunt on for middleman
Karachi, February 16
The Pakistani police was today hunting for the alleged go-between in a network of kidnappers said to have abducted US reporter Daniel Pearl more than three weeks ago.

I have failed on Ayodhya: PM
Lucknow, February 16
In a significant statement on the Ayodhya issue, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today conceded that his efforts to finding a solution had failed and the only course open now was to await a court verdict for which two more judges would be appointed soon.

UP phase 2 poll campaign ends
Lucknow, February 16
Campaigning for the second phase of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, which will see 145 seats in the state’s central districts going to the polls on Monday, ended at 5 p.m. this evening. Among crucial segments in the second phase are the five Assembly constituencies of the state Capital, which is represented by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in the Lok Sabha.

• Repolling peaceful in Manipur, Punjab
• Nation page: Cong playing double or quits in UP?

APHC strike hits life in valley
Srinagar, February 16
Life was disrupted in Srinagar and other major towns of the Kashmir valley today following a general strike by the All-Party Hurriyat Conference in protest against the killing of a government employee, Abdul Ahad Bhat, allegedly by the security forces, three days ago.

Indian, Pak troops exchange fire
Jammu, February 16
Indian and Pakistani border guards exchanged heavy machine-gun fire at various border out posts (along the international border in Jammu and Kathua districts overnight, official sources said today.

Minister buried amid security
Kabul, February 16
Assassinated Afghan Minister Abdul Rahman was buried today after a sombre funeral procession led by interim leader Hamid Karzai as fresh violence in the Capital raised new fears about the country’s fragile security.

Plague fear keeps people in Shimla, February 16 Rohru town wears a deserted look with hardly any activity on the otherwise busy streets although no fresh case of suspected pneumonic plague was reported except admission of a woman, Jolawati (60), to hospital last night with fever. Jolawati is the first such patient to have come to the hospital from Sari village which is just near Gallu where two persons have died of the disease. ‘Plague’ patients stable at PGI