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Friday,
October 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Cracks appear in MMA alliance
Two arrested in US sniper case British Education Secy quits on moral grounds Asha to sing for aged in London SAARC summit from Jan 11: Pak Muslim’s right to sport
beard upheld |
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Cracks appear in MMA alliance Islamabad, October 24 Much to the surprise of the alliance partners, the Jamat Islami, has publicly expressed its opposition to the JUI’s nomination of its local leader Akram Khan Durrani as the NWFP Chief Minister. The JI, in a statement, said Durrani’s nomination was not valid till it was approved by the MMA’s central committee, which was scheduled to meet today. Voicing its reservations, the JI, however, did not outline its specific objections. The MMA is composed of six religious parties and factions. While the JI is the biggest among the six, the JUI faction led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman has emerged as the biggest party by winning a large number of seats for the national and provincial assemblies from its strongholds in the NWFP and Baluchistan provinces bordering Afghanistan. The JI has its strongholds in Punjab and Sindh, where the MMA fared moderately. The strength of the JUI in the provincial and national legislature parties of the MMA prompted the alliance to nominate Fazlur Rehman as its prime ministerial candidate. It appeared that the JI, which had proposed the name of Rehman to the post of the Prime Minister, wanted to get the Chief Minister’s post of the NWFP. This was not acceptable to the JUI as its candidates have won 29 out of the total 48 seats bagged by the alliance in the 99-member NWFP assembly. The JI, which won 20 seats in the provincial assembly, was offered the post of Speaker. The JI also objected to Durrani’s candidature as he was not an Islamic cleric, reports here said. “The JI leadership also appears unhappy that the beardless Durrani had been preferred to other capable but bearded contenders for the Chief Minister’s job”, the local daily The News, said commenting on the differences. His nomination was being interpreted as an attempt to appease the “powerful military-led Pakistani establishment as well as western countries”, it said. The MMA had hit the headlines all over the world after elections by demanding the closure of US airbases in Pakistan and calling for a halt to the crackdown on Taliban and Al-Qaida militants in Pakistan.
PTI |
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Two arrested in US sniper case
Frederick (USA), October 24 Members of the sniper task force arrested the men without incident at 3:19 a.m. (1249 IST) in Frederick county, Maryland, said Larry Scott, an agent for the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. A motorist and an attendant at the rest stop called the police at 1 a.m. after they spotted the men inside one of the cars sought in the sniper investigation. The police responded and took the men into custody. The car is a blue 1990 Chevrolet Caprice with New Jersey plates NDA-21Z. The arrests came amid a flurry of activity in the investigation of the sniper attacks that have killed 10 persons and wounded three others since October 2. Hours earlier, the police issued an arrest warrant for a man they believe may have information about the slayings. It had also issued an alert for the Caprice and another vehicle. A federal law enforcement official said the men taken into custody were two people that the police were seeking in the investigation, but did not give their names. Montgomery county police chief Charles Moose, who is leading the investigation, earlier listed John Allen Muhammad as a person they were seeking for questioning in the slayings. He was being sought on a federal weapons charge and was considered “armed and dangerous,” Moose said.
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British Education Secy quits on moral grounds London, October 24 Ms Morris quit after admitting that she felt that she had not done well enough in the job. Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid is to replace Mr Clarke as the party chairman. Welsh Secretary and former Northern Ireland Minister Paul Murphy steps into the role of the Northern Ireland secretary. Mr Peter Hain, currently Foreign Office and Europe minister, moves to the Welsh office as the Secretary of State. Mr Tony Blair’s official spokesman said the Prime Minister was “very confident” in Mr Clarke’s ability to manage a high-profile department. Reacting to Mr Clarke’s appointment, Liberal Democrat chairman Mark Oaten said it was an “interesting choice”. Mr Morris resigned after coming under sustained pressure following the debacle over A-level (equivalent to Indian Secondary School Leaving Certificate level) marking and delays in vetting teachers for the new school year. This week, the former teacher had faced more trouble over an apparent failure to honour her own promise to resign if the education targets were missed. In an interview with the BBC News, Ms Morris said she thought she had not been as good at the Cabinet post as in her old job as the Schools standards minister. Ms Morris said she had felt more comfortable before she became a Secretary of State who had to take strategic decisions and run a “huge” department. “If I’m really honest with myself I have not enjoyed it as much and I just do not think I’m as good as it as I was at my other job,” she said. In a letter to Ms Morris, the Prime Minister said he was certain that she would return to the government.
PTI |
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Asha to sing for aged in London London, October 24 “I am thrilled to be back in London performing for my fans and all those who love the great Indian songs of our time. And it is wonderful to know that the joy of this night will live on, in the help it will bring to thousands of older people in India who desperately need our support,” Asha told reporters here last night. Asha Bhosle’s glittering career spans over half a century in the music and film industry and her voice has been used for an astonishing 12,000 tracks. Famous for inspiring international artists ranging from Boy George to Cornershop, Asha is adored by billions of fans from around the world. Asha’s captivating singing style, embraces popular, classical and traditional Indian music and the Royal Albert Hall concert promises an eclectic range of songs spanning from the 1950s to the present day. This rare Bollywood extravaganza will also feature Sudesh Bhosle plus a twenty-three strong troupe of India’s most talented musicians and dancers direct from Mumbai. Stating that all proceeds from the concert and the after-show party will support the Mobile Medicare Units in India, Mike Lake, Director-General of Britain’s Help the Aged said, “this sell-out concert will raise the much needed funds to continue our work with the HelpAge India of bringing free medical care through the Mobile Medicare Units to the poor older people of India.”
PTI |
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SAARC summit from Jan 11: Pak Islamabad, October 24 The Pakistan Government said it had informed all SAARC members about the dates of the summit to be held here, The News reported today, quoting a foreign office spokesperson. “Obviously, the Indian officials were trying to create confusion in a matter which was quite clear,” the spokesperson said referring to reports in the Indian media that no dates had been proposed for the summit.
UNI |
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Muslim’s right to sport
beard upheld There have been instances in which Sikhs in the USA and Canada have had to seek judicial intervention to keep their turban at workplaces in conformity with their religion. Now a Muslim security guard at the Smithsonian institution in Washington has had a problem with his supervisors as he was asked to cut his beard to comply with staff grooming policies. Due to the intervention of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the security guard was allowed to wear his religiously-mandated beard. According to U.S. News Wire, the Muslim security officer was allegedly told by his supervisor that he had to cut his beard in accordance with staff grooming policies. Because he was on probation, the officer cut his beard, believing that non-compliance might prompt his dismissal. After cutting his beard more than two inches, the officer was again told by the supervisor that the beard had to be cut even shorter. He complied again, but contacted CAIR to clarify his right to religious accommodation at the workplace. After a discussion with CAIR, the Smithsonian allowed the security guard to keep his beard at the original length. In a letter to CAIR, an assistant general counsel from Smithsonian said: “The officer has been allowed to wear a beard as an accommodation to his religious beliefs. Supervisors will be reminded of the legal obligation to accommodate religious beliefs.” CAIR civil rights consultant Hassan Mirza, in a statement, expressed appreciation of the Smithsonian’s “concrete commitment” to creating and maintaining a workplace free from religious discrimination. CAIR has published a booklet called “An Employer’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices”, designed to prevent such incidents. |
2 AL-QAIDA SUSPECTS HELD IN PESHAWAR ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police and US intelligence officials have arrested two Al-Qaida suspects on the outskirts of Peshawar city, Capital of the Northwestern Frontier Province, Pakistani intelligence source in Peshawar confirmed on Thursday. Both suspects are Afghan nationals. DPA ARMY RULES OUT MARTIAL LAW PERVEZ TO REMAIN NEUTRAL |
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