W O R L D

India asks Pak to release 54 POWs
Islamabad, December 18
India has given a list of 54 Prisoners of War, who went missing during the 1971 war, to Pakistan and wants it to release them, a media report said today. Pakistan has been requested to release these prisoners so that they are reunited with their families, Pakistan daily ‘The News’ quoted Indian officials as telling a group of Pakistani journalists currently visiting India on a familiarisation tour.

Pak sees change in India’s Kashmir policy
Islamabad, December 18
Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri says there has been a “positive change” in India’s attitude towards Kashmir. In an interview with private television channel Geo TV, he said the fact that Kashmir had been included in the Indo-Pak peace dialogue showed that for the first time in 57 years, New Delhi recognised Pakistan as a party to the Kashmir issue.

Musharraf to stay as army chief
Karachi, December 18
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has declared he will remain the army chief despite his solemn pledge to relinquish the military post by the end of the year, an interview published here today said.

Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf speaks in Islamabad in this August 6, 2004, file photo. Musharraf told a Pakistani television network that he would continue to stay on as army chief. — Reuters photo

Hunt launched for key ultras
Islamabad, December 18
Military authorities in South Waziristan have launched a hunt for three top militants — Uzbek national Yaldeshev, Abdullah Mehsud, the self-proclaimed local leader, and Baitullah Mehsud, the commander of militant forces in Mehsud territory — sources told Dawn.

BRIEFLY

Peruvian Miss World contest winner Maria Julia Mantilla waves to reporters before a news conference in Lima, Peru, on Friday. Mantilla arrived in Peru on Friday after winning the Miss World contest in China’s tropical Hainan Island on December 5. — AP/PTI

	Zardari appeals for security, passport December 18, 2004
	India, South Korea finalise modalities on security December 17, 2004
	India, Pak make progress on nuke reduction proposals December 16, 2004
	Kashmiri leaders call for end to violence December 15, 2004
	Kashmiri leaders for more dialogue December 14, 2004
	Blast at Shah Rukh concert, 2 killed December 13, 2004
	Pak arrests Afghan militant group chief December 12, 2004
	Kashmir: Hizb ready to help December 11, 2004
	22 Filipinos found alive in rubble December 10, 2004
	Israel-Palestine pact on peace proposals December 9, 2004

6 killed as storm lashes France
Paris, December 18
Six persons died were killed when hurricane-strength winds lashed Paris and large areas of northern and eastern France, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of homes and disrupting air, rail and road traffic.

India asks Pak to release 54 POWs

Islamabad, December 18
India has given a list of 54 Prisoners of War, who went missing during the 1971 war, to Pakistan and wants it to release them, a media report said today. Pakistan has been requested to release these prisoners so that they are reunited with their families, Pakistan daily ‘The News’ quoted Indian officials as telling a group of Pakistani journalists currently visiting India on a familiarisation tour.

India may raise the issue with Pakistan during the second round of the Composite Dialogue process to be kick started by Foreign Secretaries of both countries to be held on December 27 and 28.

Pakistan has consistently denied the existence of 1971 Indian POWs. The issue figured prominently during President Pervez Musharraf’s visit to India in 2001, for the Agra summit during which he promised to launch a search for Indian POWs in Pakistan prisons.

Subsequently Pakistan has conveyed to India that a search of its prisons to locate the POWs drew a blank.

India and Pakistan exchanged prisoners recently, which included two Indian prisoners who went missing after the 1999 Kargil conflict.

Besides the 54 prisoners, India has given a list of 24 wanted persons, including leaders of militant groups who India accuses of being responsible for various terrorist attacks, including the December 2001, attack on Indian Parliament.

On its part, Pakistan has handed over a list of 57 wanted criminals to 
India. — PTI

Pak sees change in India’s Kashmir policy

Islamabad, December 18
Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri says there has been a “positive change” in India’s attitude towards Kashmir. In an interview with private television channel Geo TV, he said the fact that Kashmir had been included in the Indo-Pak peace dialogue showed that for the first time in 57 years, New Delhi recognised Pakistan as a party to the Kashmir issue.

Mr Kasuri said a joint statement issued after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meeting with President Pervez Musharraf on September 20 this year on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly clearly stated that talks would include considering various options to resolve the Kashmir issue.

The Foreign Minister said the Kashmiris were a party to the issue and that durable peace could only be established once they were included in the dialogue process.

He made it clear that if India and Pakistan were not able to resolve the dispute over the Balihar Dam bilaterally, Islamabad would take the issue to the international tribunal. — UNI

Musharraf to stay as army chief

Karachi, December 18
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has declared he will remain the army chief despite his solemn pledge to relinquish the military post by the end of the year, an interview published here today said.

“I will remain in uniform,” he told domestic Sindhi language television channel KTN yesterday. The interview was carried today by national dailies, including daily Jang.

General-Musharraf said he would “soon” explain his reasons for retaining the powerful military post, which he had promised to quit by December 31 in an address to the nation last year.

“I will tell the nation where we were in the past; where we stand today and where we are headed in the future,” he said without elaborating.

General-Musharraf said his decision was in the interest of political stability and national solidarity.

The first categorical statement comes amid ongoing public protest, mainly by opposition Islamists, calling on the President to honour his commitment to step down as head of the military. — AFP

Hunt launched for key ultras
Qudssia Akhlaque
By arrangement with The Dawn

Islamabad, December 18
Military authorities in South Waziristan have launched a hunt for three top militants — Uzbek national Yaldeshev, Abdullah Mehsud, the self-proclaimed local leader, and Baitullah Mehsud, the commander of militant forces in Mehsud territory — sources told Dawn.

They said that after dismantling militant camps, gaining control of the area and seizing tons of ammunition in South Waziristan — the troops in the region were now looking for the three key men.

The authorities are confident that the three and other militants on the run will be captured soon, as they are facing an acute shortage of ammunition. The sources claim that Abdullah Mehsud, 29, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, is now left with only about 15 hardcore militants around him.

Mehsud, a graduate of Gomal University, is the alleged mastermind of the Oct 9 kidnapping of two Chinese engineers working on a dam in South Waziristan which ended in the death of one of the engineers.

His brother is a serving major in the Pakistan army who is apparently helping the security forces in tracing him. It is learnt that an attempt made by the security forces last month for a truce with Mehsud did not succeed.

The sources said that in the first week of October, Rs 60 million was distributed through the Al Qaida network to its three key operatives in the area. One of the recipients was Abdullah Mehsud, the sources maintained.

According to the sources, the cash, mostly in dollars, comes generally from countries in the Middle East and Central Asia and large amounts are distributed among local people to provide refuge to foreign militants. It was found that in one particular case a Madarsa was paid Rs100,000 for providing shelter to militants for one month.

A series of raids and search operations conducted by the security forces and communication intercepts have uncovered a racket of human smuggling, particularly child-trafficking, in the area. 

6 killed as storm lashes France

Paris, December 18
Six persons died were killed when hurricane-strength winds lashed Paris and large areas of northern and eastern France, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of homes and disrupting air, rail and road traffic.

Gusts of up to 130 km per hour blew through the region, prompting the national weather service Meteo France to issue its second-highest alert and warning against people using their cars. — AFP

BRIEFLY

UN officials face sex scandal
UNITED NATIONS: Two UN peacekeepers serving in Burundi have been suspended because of allegations of sexual misconduct, the United Nations has announced. — AFP

Beatles guitar sold for $ 567,500
NEW YORK: A guitar played by George Harrison of the Beatles was sold for $ 567,500 on Friday, topping the bill at what auction house Christie’s said was its biggest ever sale of show business memorabilia.— Reuters


A 1964 Gibson SG Standard guitar once owned and played by George Harrison of the Beatles is seen in this undated handout photo. It was auctioned by Christie's in partnership with Julien's at their Rock and Roll and Entertainment Memorabilia auction in New York on Friday. The sale of over 400 items of various owner rock and roll and Hollywood memorabilia is expected to realize about $3 million.