New Delhi, October 24
The induction of nuclear-capable short and medium range surface-to-surface missiles and the validation of the new warfare doctrine are expected to be on the agenda of the Combined Services Commanders Conference, which begins here tomorrow.

The conference will also review the overall security situation in the country, including a proposal for troop reduction in the Siachen Glacier.

The new Army doctrine, which addresses the changed battlefield scenario in a nuclear environment and need for rapid deployment of forces, is likely to be validated at the commanders' conference.

Army sources say the doctrine deals with the formation of smaller strike groups armed with higher firepower, new techniques to fight low intensity conflict and process of modernisation of the infantry, artillery and armoured formations.

The commanders are likely to dwell on the decision to raise two more missile groups for the artillery to be armed with Agni I and Agni II missiles and handing over the country's nuclear assets to the newly-raised Strategic Forces Command.

The conference may also discuss a proposal to turn the Army's Lucknow-based Central Command into a Logistics Command.

The commanders are likely to give final touches to the redeployment of the Army formations, including setting up of a new corp to look after the guarding of border with Pakistan in Jammu sector.

The redeployment will entail the formation of a new South-Western Command, which is likely to be given the country's first strike corp formation, at present under the Central Command.

The sources say approval has been sought for setting up a new 17 Corp, which will be deployed in guarding the Line of Control from Poonch to Chamb sectors.

The combined commanders conference comes days after a conclave of former Army chiefs in which they gave their views on the new Army doctrine and other security related issues. The conference will be attended, among others, by Defence Secretary Ajai Vikram Singh and Principal Staff Officers at the services headquarters. It will be addressed by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh, Finance Minister P. Chidabaram and Home Minister Shivraj Patil.

The conference will be the first opportunity for Dr Manmohan Singh to interact with the top brass of the services since assuming office.

Hyderabad, October 24
BJP President L.K. Advani today demanded that the UPA Government should review the ongoing talks between the Andhra Pradesh Government and Naxalites groups.

“I believe the present government’s approach in respect of the Naxal problem is not responsible. It can cost the country dearly,” he said.

Mr Advani was here to inaugurate the new office of the state unit of the party.

The former Deputy Prime Minister, who met former Chief Minister and TDP President N. Chandrababu Naidu at the latter’s residence, told reporters that the Centre’s ill-considered decision to allow negotiations with the Left extremist groups posed a grave danger to the internal security of the country.

Reiterating his allegation that the Congress had entered into an unholy alliance with the Naxalites to capture power in the state, Mr Advani questioned the Centre’s policy of allowing the states to deal with extremist problem individually.

“Extremism is not a problem specific to Andhra, it’s the country’s problem. The Union Government should have a clear and a coordinated approach to address the issue,” he remarked.

Dubbing the move to initiate dialogue with the People’s War and other Left-wing extremist groups as “retrograde,” the opposition leader said the step demonstrated Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s lack of understanding of internal security issues.

Charging the state and central governments with failure on the law and order front, Mr Advani maintained that Mr Naidu had tackled the Naxalite issue far more effectively.

Meanwhile, reacting to Mr Advani’s denunciation of the talks, People’s War spokesperson Varavara Rao recalled the Centre’s talks with Naga extremists during the NDA regime and wondered how the former Home Minister could object to the same by the UPA government.

Kolkata, October 24
The West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, has declared that he would not allow the RSS and the VHP to set up training camps in the state for creating communal unrest in the name of spreading Hindutva.

The CPM, which has fully endorsed Mr Bhattacharjee’s stand, also decided to engage its supporters to oppose the RSS and VHP attempt to disturb peace and harmony in the state.

Mr Bhattacharjee’s announcement and the CPM’s decision to deploy cadres against the RSS and the VHP, came within 48 hours after RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan’s public criticism of CPM-led Left Front Government at Nagpur.

Mr Sudarshan said the RSS had decided to set up special camps in all districts of Bengal, especially in the border areas, adjoining Bangladesh, for training young boys and girls to protect Hindus against the Marxist on-slaught.

The RSS chief alleged that Hindus in Bengal were now treated as second-class citizens while the Marxists there had been pampering Muslims for their narrow political gains.

The BJP’s newly appointed President, Mr L.K. Advani, had not only endorsed Mr Sudarshan’s view but also assured full support and co-operation in their fight against the Marxists.

New Delhi, October 24
The Journalists for Animals (JFA) today issued an appeal, signed by over 160 print and television journalists of Delhi, to the residents of the National Capital Region to cooperate in the implementation of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s path-breaking Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. The New Delhi Municipal Corporation and several NGOs also participate in the programme, which has gained considerable momentum since April 2003.

As explained in the appeal, the ABC programme is the only effective and humane way of controlling Delhi’s stray dog population and eradicating the incidence of rabies. The killing of stray dogs has not helped in the past, nor will it help in future because dogs are territorial and soon after one group is removed, another group will take its place.

The signatories also deplored the attacks on and ill treatment of stray dogs reported from several parts of New Delhi. Most affectionate and friendly animals that respond to kindness with the utmost gratitude and loyalty, they generally stay away from human beings they are not familiar with. They bite only when they are their puppies and attacked or threatened.

The signatories also point out that the number of dog bites is declining and also that in the bulk of the cases, it is pet dogs that are to blame. Besides, sterilisation programmes steeply reduce the incidence of dog-bites by lowering the aggression level in dogs.

The signatories include some of the top personalities like Mr Khushwant Singh, noted writer and columnist, Sir William Mark Tully, writer and television personality, Mr Shekhar Gupta, Editor and Chief Executive of The Indian Express, Dr Chandan Mitra, Editor of The Pioneer and MP, Mr M.J. Akbar, Editor-in-Chief of The Asian Age, Mr T.N. Ninan, Editor of the Business Standard, Mr H.K. Dua, Editor-in-Chief of The Tribune, and Mr Vinod Mehta, Editor of the Outlook.

The appeal was issued on behalf of the JFA by Mr Hiranmay Karlekar and Mr Jug Suraiya.

New Delhi, October 24
Two interesting developments took place in Pakistan on October 19 which tell a tale about the jigsaw puzzle called Osama bin Laden.

One was the unannounced visit of US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca to the Northern Areas and the second a statement by Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Safdar Hussain that Bin Laden was in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

There have been lots of speculation about Ms Rocca’s four-day visit to Pakistan (October 17-20). Intriguingly, during her stay in Pakistan, one of the areas she visited was the Northern Areas.

Ms Rocca became the first senior American official to visit Northern Areas.

The question arises: Why would a senior US Administration official visit the far-flung Northern Areas, especially when the region is reeling under heavy rain and snow? Most probably, Ms Rocca’s visit to Pakistan was to camouflage her travel to the Northern Areas. Her Northern Areas visit was kept a closely guarded secret.

Interestingly, the US Embassy in Islamabad came out with a public statement that not much should be read in Ms Rocca’s visit. But her visit to the Northern Areas is certainly a piece of a jigsaw puzzle which is rapidly falling in place.

There have been reports in Pakistani media about the possibility of bin Laden hiding in Northern Areas. In fact, bin Laden and his men were used by the Pakistan Army, some say, by General Musharraf when he was a Brigadier, to put down ruthlessly a revolt by Shias in Northern Areas.

No less significant is the remark of the Peshawar Corps Commander who has unwittingly revealed a few facts on the status of terrorist networks in Pakistan when he, in a briefing to the media on October 19, categorically stated that Osama bin Laden was in the tribal areas.

There are two ways to interpret the denial.

First is that the denial was a betrayal of nervousness which the Pakistan establishment was feeling over Bin Laden. President Pervez Musharraf has been under tremendous pressure from the Bush Administration to deliver Bin Laden dead or alive before the November 2 US elections.

With less than a fortnight left for the elections, General Musharraf is faced with a situation where he is bound to face the ire of the US administration if Bin Laden is not produced. The denial, therefore, could be a way of building up a case of helplessness and the failure to nab Bin Laden.

The second possibility is that Bin Laden might have been caught or killed by Pakistan security forces, not in the tribal areas but elsewhere. One possible location could be Northern Areas.

General Hussain’s statement about not finding Osama bin Laden in the tribal areas of south Waziristan could also be looked at from a different angle. He has not denied that Bin Laden is not in Pakistan. This could be a significant statement.

The recent kidnapping of the Chinese engineers and subsequent operations to free them further strengthens the view that terrorists have successfully managed to take over a small but substantial part of Pakistan for recouping and regrouping to launch fresh attacks. This could not have been possible without the help of the Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies.

But a clear inference that can be drawn from Lt General Hussain’s statement is the possibility of Osama bin Laden and members of his Al Qaida hiding in Pakistan. The General says bin Laden is not in the tribal areas. He doesn’t deny the existence of Al Qaida cadres or its leader in Pakistan. In fact, even President Musharraf of late has never actually denied that Al Qaida has not taken shelter in Pakistan.

New Delhi, October 24
When today’s generation sees the sheesh mahal (glass palace) in glittering colours in the song ‘Pyar kiya to darna kya’, it often wonders why the film ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ was produced in black and white, little realising that making films in technicolour in those days was a very expensive affair.

Realising that today’s viewers — except those of the old school who are nostalgic about old black and white cinema — will generally not accept films that are not in colour, this film which was the most opulent production when released in 1960 is being re-released in colour.

And though viewers even today wonder about Madhubala’s extraordinary beauty and inscrutable smile, few know that the re-release of this K Asif epic will be the first-ever time that Madhubala will be seen in colour throughout the film, apart from the famous sheesh mahal song.

Clearly the most expensive Bollywood film of its time, this love saga of Salim and Anarkali will be the first-ever 35-mm film in the history of world cinema to be turned into colour. The coloured version of this classic starring thespian Dilip Kumar and Madhubala along with the late Prithviraj Kapoor was made possible through the initiative of one-time financier Shapoorji Pallonji, who holds the rights for the negative of the film.

Pallonjis spokesperson Suryavanshi said the colour version, where an old mixed sound track has been re-recorded and digitally re-mastered for a Dolby 6.1 Mix for the first time in the world, will be released all over India around Divali.

Veteran music maestro Naushad who had composed the music of the film was also involved in the digital re-mixing.

On seeing the coloured version, Dilip Kumar remarked that he looked much younger in it, Suryavanshi said. — UNI

New Delhi, October 24
Myanmar's top leader Than Shwe arrived here today on a six-day state visit to India. During the visit the two countries will sign economic pacts and hold talks on issues covering security and culture.

Senior General Than Shwe, the first head of state to visit India in the past 24 years, is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including eight cabinet ministers. He was received by Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed and Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran.

The Myanmar leader will be accorded a ceremonial welcome tomorrow morning at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Later in the day, he will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The two countries will sign accord in the field of non-traditional security. An agreement on cultural exchange programme for 2004-06 and an MoU on the Tamanthi hydroelectric project in Myanmar will also be signed.

During the talks, New Delhi is likely to convey its serious concern over reports about certain Northeastern insurgent groups operating from Myanmar.

General Than, who is the Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), will meet Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. The Myanmar leader will also have meetings with External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh and Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani.

Bilateral meetings between ministers of both countries will be held simultaneously to discuss specific areas of cooperation. General Than will also visit Agra, Bangalore, Sarnath, Bodhgaya and Kolkata before returning home on October 29.

The visit is significant from both trade and security point of view as Myanmar is the only ASEAN country that shares a land as well as maritime border with India. Officials here said India had friendly relations with Myanmar and the relationship had diversified in recent years.

Lucknow, October 24
Vijaydashmi occurring in Ramzan took its toll in UP as at least one person was killed and several were injured as violence erupted between two communities spread over three districts of eastern UP yesterday.

The clashes occurred following a dispute on the route of the procession for the immersion of Goddess Durga’s idol on Vijaydashmi, said Home Secretary Alok Sinha.

The matter was most serious in Sant Kabir Nagar, the historical town from where the saint-poet left for his heavenly abode. Here a long-standing dispute over the ‘visarjan’ route having a madarsa en route has often created tension. In the Bakheera area of the district this year the SO, in consultation with the “pratima sanchalak”, had decided the route and the immersion was carried out peacefully.

However, members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini protested and alleged that the route had arbitrarily been shifted without their consent. Angry protesters attacked the Bakheera police station 4 am today and set it on fire, the Home Secretary said.

As the crowd started swelling the police resorted to firing in self-defence in which four persons were wounded. Later one of them, a youth named Dharmendra, succumbed to his injuries.

In Bhadohi, a virtual one-street town, the two communities came to blows as the ‘pratima visarjan’ route had a masjid en route. The procession was carried out under heavy police bandobust. There was no problem and 34 idols passed the route peacefully, informed Mr Sinha. While the 35th idol was to pass the route it was time for the evening prayers at the masjid. Impatient parties refused to accommodate each other and in no time arguments turned to physical violence. No casualties were, however, reported.

As the town is situated on the main railway line steps were immediately taken to prevent any disruption of railway traffic. A company, each of the PAC and the RAF have been moved there. The Commissioner, Varanasi zone, and the IG were on the spot during the night to monitor the situation.

Saharanpur, October 24
Two separate medical teams from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), New Delhi, has arrived here to study the alarming epidemic-like situation of acute viral infections in the district that has so far claimed 45 lives of children during the past few weeks.

Revealing this to The Tribune, the Civil Surgeon here, Dr D.C. Saxena said 54 patients suffering from acute viral infections were still admitted in the district hospital. “Five child specialists have been put on duty around the clock in the district Civil Hospital to provide treatment to the patients,” he said. He said the Civil Hospital was fully equipped to meet any emergency situation.

He said during the preliminary study conducted by the NIV experts it was found that the most of deaths were due to encephalitis. The arbo virus transmitted through a particular female mosquito namely ‘culex’ from the bishnoi group of mosquitoes was responsible for the deaths.

Another main reason for deaths in some cases was the ‘reye’ syndrome that first damages the lever and then affects the functioning of the brain. “reye syndrome is spread through a fungus recently detected from the clinical tests as ‘aflatoxin P’ that is carried into the human body through contaminated food or water”, he added. Interestingly, in the cases of ‘reye’ syndrome the patients did not suffer from high fever.

Dr Saxena said, “The ‘culex’ mosquito reproduce and multiply in fresh water and then take shelter in the piggery and animal sheds. Here, the female mosquito sucks the blood from pigs and other animals.

The ‘arbo’ virus multiplies in these mosquitoes carrying the blood of these animals”. He said these female ‘culex’ mosquitoes mostly attack children. The blood enters the human body from these female mosquitoes spreading the arbo virus.

Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Superintendent here, Dr M.K. Gupta said two cases of Japanese Encephalitis and 11 cases of simple Encephalitis had been detected and confirmed in the clinical tests, this week. As many as 45 blood samples were collected and sent to the State Laboratory at Lucknow for clinical examination.

He said that two more deaths were reported in the district during the past 24 hours taking the total death toll to 45. “Out of this, 37 children had died in the district hospital while eight children died in different hospitals in the district”, he added.

It may be mentioned that at least 80 deaths due to acute viral infections were reported in the district hospital here, last year. As many as 120 children suffering from high fever due to viral infections were admitted at the district hospital, last year, while eight deaths were due to Japanese encephalitis.

Jaipur, October 24
A five-star hotel here has been charged with “hurting religious sentiments” after waiters in its bar allegedly served liquor wearing “saffron clothes with the word Ram inscribed on them” on the day of Ramnavmi festival, an official said today.

The incident has drawn strong condemnation from the Congress and the VHP.

“A case of ‘hurting the religious sentiments with malice’ has been lodged against Rambagh Palace (of Taj group of hotels) in the Ashok Nagar area, and the probe has begun,” Superintendent of Police Sanjay Agarwal said.

The case was registered following complaints by public based on a media report that the waiter and waitresses “wearing saffron-coloured clothes with Ram inscribed on them and Rudrakash necklace” served drinks to foreigners at the hotel’s bar, the SP said.

When contacted Dilip Puri, General Manager of the hotel, said on telephone that the event hosted on Friday was based on the Bollywood theme of ‘Dum maro dum’ (a song in Dev Anand’s movie ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ and was not a religious one. — PTI