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Wednesday,
June 26, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Pak to lift ban on political activities Over 100
Al-Qaida supporters held in Pakistan Pak will lose war, says Pentagon assessment Graduation
clause for poll contestants decried |
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Russian
military choppers for Pakistan Kashmir:
USA to work behind scenes
Israeli troops kill four Palestinian cops Replace Arafat, says Bush
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Pak to lift ban on political activities Islamabad, June 25 “The government will announce schedule for general elections on July 12 with which the ban on political activities would go,” Law Minister Khalid Ranjha told reporters in Rawalpindi yesterday. Mr Ranjha’s announcement follow the decision by the 15-party umbrella group Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) to defy the ban and hold outdoor political rallies from July 15. the ARD announced that its first rally would be held in Queta on July 15 followed by Peshawar and other big towns. The ban on outdoor political activities was imposed soon after the military coup in October 1999. The political activities are expected to gather steam as and when exiled former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif return to contest the October elections. Both had said they would return to lead their parties during the poll. Mr Ranjha also said the government would release the package of controversial constitutional amendments in the first week of July for debate, media reports here said. The amendments, which were opposed by the country’s mainstream political parties, were aimed at strengthening the powers of the country’s President over Parliament and the Cabinet. The power to be vested on presidency included power to dismiss the elected governments and inviting unelected persons to form the governments with a provision to get elected later. The Pakistan Government has already banned the non-graduates from contesting the poll. The new rule was strongly opposed by the political parties. The new amendments also empower the military-dominated National Security Council (NSC) to have a permanent role in decision making. Political parties said it paved the way for imposing a permanent military rule in Pakistan.
PTI |
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Over 100 Al-Qaida supporters held in Pakistan Islamabad, June 25 The arrests were made yesterday in a joint operation carried out by the Punjab and Sindh police, Pakistani daily ‘Dawn’ said today. “The personnel of the American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are said to have supervised the crackdown,” it quoted sources as saying. But a senior Punjab police officer, however, denied the FBI’s involvement or supervision, saying: “There is nothing like that. We acted upon our own information and took into custody some dozen people belonging to the banned jehadi organisations.” The crackdown, launched on Sunday, was mainly aimed at two banned Sunni sectarian outfits, Sipha-e-Sehbha of Pakistan, (SSP) and its armed wing, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi which were believed to be close associates of the Al Qaida and the Taliban. The police said the raids were conducted on information gathered from some of the arrested leaders of the two outfits. The men arrested in Karachi had reportedly told the investigators about the links between the banned jehadi organisations and the Al-Qaida, the daily said. About 52 men, a majority of them belonging to the banned SSP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi were arrested in raids on 64 places in Lahore alone. Of them, 32 were taken into custody from city division police. The raids were conducted on seminaries, mosques, offices and residences of the activists and leaders of the banned militant groups. Those arrested were shifted to unknown places for interrogation.
PTI |
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Pak will lose war, says Pentagon assessment Chicago, June 25 Congressman Mark Kirk (Republican-Illinois), an unabashed India supporter, told IANS: "Pakistan has no chance of winning a war at any level with India." Kirk, who has served in the U.S. House International Relations Committee, blamed the present tensions that pushed the two countries to the brink of war squarely on Pakistan. "The present conflict (over Kashmir) has been encouraged by Pakistani generals to create tension and to unite their people. The crisis has been manufactured by Pakistani generals," he said. Referring to Pakistan-backed terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, Kirk said the USA should take stronger cognisance of it. "The USA fights strongest when terrorism strikes our country. But we should not ignore terrorism in Kashmir," he said. He said Pakistan-backed infiltration and violence was not a solution to the Kashmir problem. A Republican, Kirk said he saw a "dramatic US tilt towards India" in the future and better prospects of long-term military cooperation between the two countries. With the end of the Cold War, it would be to US advantage to promote India as a "counter-balance" to China, he said. India and the USA share a democratic heritage, which will force both countries together, he said. Kirk's constituency in Illinois has a large number of Indian Americans, and he said his agenda included trade ties between Chicago companies and India, and better defence relations between the two countries. As counsel in the US House International Relations Committee, he has worked with chairman Benjamin Gillman.
IANS |
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Graduation clause for poll contestants decried Islamabad, June 25 The PPP is considering to contest the move in court, a senior party leader said. The amendment was also a move to undermine the office of the Prime Minister and the first step towards pre-poll rigging, “The Nation’’ daily quoted leaders of both parties as telling the BBC and Voice of America (VoA) in separate interviews. According to the Conduct of General Election Order-2002 by Chief Executive and President Pervez Musharraf, graduation is a must for candidates of Parliament or Provincial Assembly elections. Senior PML (N) leader Raja Zafarul Haq said his party felt that giving an individual the right to introduce amendments in the Constitution was wrong, it was the prerogative of Parliament. “In the name of reforms, he (Gen Musharraf) is trying to render Parliament and Prime Minister powerless, which will be very dangerous for the country because national democratic institutions are already weak,’’ he added. He opined the “graduate’’ clause would not bring in a revolution to improve quality of education in the country. “Only about two per cent of the population is graduates. Will it be appropriate to keep 98 per cent away from the process of elections?’’ he asked. In an interview with the BBC, PPP Secretary-General Raza Rabbani also denounced the amendment order citing similar reasons. In a separate interview with the VoA, he said the graduation clause was the first step towards pre-poll rigging in a society where the number of graduates was below five per cent, adding that the move was aimed at barring the candidates of major political parties from contesting the elections. He said the amendment was a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights, but since his party had done its “homework’’ well while preparing the list of candidates, the amendment would not have any impact on it.
UNI |
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Russian military choppers for Pakistan Moscow, June 25 Four helicopters, made at a plant in the Siberian republic of Buryatia, were delivered on June 14 and another four will be received by Pakistan by the end of the month, an industry source told the newspaper. The total contract, worth $ 50 M, is for 12 helicopters, the source added. In 1996, Islamabad bought a dozen Mi-17 transport choppers from Russia but halted military cooperation with Moscow because of the close Russian ties with India, Vedemosti said. The latest contract generated disagreement in Russia, with Russia’s Industry and Science Minister Ilya Klebanov opposing it on the grounds that it would jeopardise Moscow’s weapons sales to India, according to the paper’s sources.
AFP |
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Kashmir: USA to work behind scenes New York, June 25 "The USA is going to stay involved and I trust our good friends from Britain are as well," US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said in an interview with The Financial Times here. "But at this point of time the US Government has no plans to become a formal mediator in the long-running dispute between India and Pakistan," Mr Armitage said. "I don’t want to rule anything in or out but we have no plans to mediate right now," he added. Mr Armitage said he was planning to visit India and Pakistan again in August, following a trip earlier this month in which he extracted a pledge from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to put a "permanent" end to cross-border terrorism. He said there were signs that "the alleged terrorist infiltration" from Pakistan into India had fallen sharply in the past few weeks. However, the recent easing of tensions between India and Pakistan remained vulnerable to another terrorist attack within India. The USA had "snippets" of information that suggested that the Al-Qaida could be operating in Kashmir.
UNI |
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Ex-Pak minister found dead Islamabad, June 25 He was the elder son of Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan, a veteran politician. The father-son duo had recently formed the Awami Democratic Party. The body was found hanging from the ceiling fan in the room where he was staying, an official said.
UNI |
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Israeli troops kill four Palestinian cops Hebron (West Bank), June 25 Policemen Ashraf
Deib, Khaled al-Tmizi, and intelligence officer Mohammed Abu Awad were in the local headquarters of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat when Israeli troops opened fire. At least five other Palestinians were injured in the assault on the compound with only one of them able to reach a local hospital, the sources said. Arafat himself is bottled up in his main West Bank headquarters in
Ramallah, which was surrounded by Isreali tanks yesterday. Israeli forces arrested more than 100 Palestinian policemen who were in the building that houses various Palestinian security services and the offices of Hebron’s Governor, Palestinian security officials said. Among them was the head of intelligence service the Herbon district, Nizam
al-Jaabari, the sources said. Besides Ramallah and Hebron, Israeli troops have occupied
Nablus, Jenin, Qalqilya, Tulkarem and Bethlehem, leaving only Jericho untouched in their week-old operation, code-named Determined Path.
AFP |
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Replace Arafat, says Bush Washington, June 25 “Peace requires a new and different Palestinian leadership so that a Palestinian state can be born,” Mr Bush said at the White House. In his long-anticipated speech, Mr Bush said “reform must be more than cosmetic changes or a veiled attempt to preserve the status quo” if the Palestinians are to fulfill their aspirations for a state alongside Israel. Elections should be held by the end of the year for a legislature with normal authority and there also must be a constitution, Mr Bush said as he set stiff conditions for a Palestinian state. “When the Palestinian people have new leaders, new institutions and new security arrangements with their neighbours, the USA will support the creation of a Palestinian state, whose borders and certain aspects of its sovereignty will be provisional until resolved as part of a final settlement in West Asia, Mr Bush said. Senior administration officials said they
envisioned the Palestinians being able to reach provisional statehood within 18 months and full permanent statehood in as soon as three years. “With a determined effort, this state can rise rapidly — as it comes to terms with its neighbours on practical issues, such as security,” Mr Bush said. Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called for new Palestinian leadership, echoing Mr Bush, but senior Palestinian officials insisted that was a decision only the Palestinian people could make. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat welcomed Mr Bush’s speech as a “serious effort to push the peace process forward” in an official statement that ignored the US President’s call for a new Palestinian leadership. Israel praised Mr Bush’s speech yesterday calling for a new Palestinian leadership, but senior Palestinian officials insisted that was a decision only the Palestinian people could make. Mr Saeb Erekat, an aide to Mr Arafat, said, “President Arafat was elected by the Palestinian people in a direct election ... and President Bush must respect the choice of the Palestinian people.” RAMALLAH:
Mr Arafat has “approved” the principle of having presidential and legislative elections next January, and local elections in March throughout the West Bank, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Tuesday. Contrary to what he said in a televised interview last night, Mr Erekat said Mr Arafat had not yet signed the document confirming the date of the elections, but simply had “approved the recommendations” of a ministerial committee.
AP, AFP |
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LONDON
DIARY London,
June 25 Is it because Indian freedom hero Bhagat Singh had fought against the British and was hanged by them? Is it to make that point to the British? If so, the point was quite lost. The only people involved with the film’s premiere were not even Indians who think of India. It was the party circuit in London who care little about Bhagat Singh, or India, or history, or for that matter, even Britain. It was a pity that in the name of Bhagat Singh, the occasion had become a who-is-wearing-what and who-is-being-seen-with-who. Of course, this is not the only film to have come out. There is the other film on Bhagat Singh — “23rd March 1931 Shaheed” — starring Bobby and Sunny Deol. Ajay Devgan plays Bhagat Singh in “The Legend of Bhagat Singh”. Bhagat Singh was martyred on March 23, 1931. It was hardly a coincidence that both films were premiered on the same night in London. So now two producers and companies, not to mention stars, are all in competition with one another in the name of Bhagat Singh. What a shame. Sunny Deol produces his film and his brother Bobby plays Bhagat Singh in it. Tips produced the other movie. This group claims they were advised on its making by Bhagat Singh’s brother. And these are just two. There are three other Bhagat Singh films. But if through all this mess, some people can go back to think of the original and great Bhagat Singh, at least some good will have come from this cheap competition. * * * COPS WANTED: The decision of the Commissioner of Police for London, Sir John Stevens, that the city’s police will recruit many officers from the Indian subcontinent has generated a great deal of interest among Sikhs here, and they say, within Punjab as well. Suddenly, everyone from the Doaba region is calling up relatives in Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur who got left behind in the first wave of migration saying this is their big chance. There are frantic inquiries with the police whether experience is needed, or whether Scotland Yard will train the police officers they recruit. If the record of the Punjab Police is anything to go by, experience would be a distinct disadvantage. The ways of the Punjab Police would hardly work in London. The word “encounter” means very different to the police in London than to the police in Punjab. In London, these are more likely to be encounters with women police officers or with residents complaining that music from the neighbours’ house is too loud. But Sikhs expect to score a victory over Gujaratis here. Somehow nobody seems to think that Gujaratis would make convincing policemen. The policeman from Punjab may not be allowed to baton-charge someone he does not like, but at least he will look imposing and convincing. * * * PUNJABI GUTS: Kamlesh Bahl who was sacked as president of the influential Law Society has shown her Punjabi guts by declaring she will contest for the post again. Bahl was sacked after an internal inquiry faulted her for arrogant behaviour with colleagues. She hit back saying she was ousted by a racist campaign. She will contest for elections to the post of president of the governing body, the very body that had sacked her. Among those to come out strongly in her support is Imran Khan, an influential lawyer of Pakistani origin. Another contender for the post is Maria Fernandes, wife of the MP Keith Vaz, the former minister for Europe who was axed in disgrace and suspended from Parliament for a month. * * * SOUTHALL TUSSLE: Just as India and Pakistan were on the brink of a war, which many feared would turn out to be a nuclear war, another kind of tussle was going on in Southall, an area with a large concentration of South Asians. Whether she actually believed it or was taken for a ride by someone, we will never know, but the lady entered the shop and asked for the new cream on the market to remove her pimples. She was told it was called ‘New Clear’.
IANS |
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