M A I N   N E W S

Pervez orders release of 83 detainees
Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Islamabad, March 15
Realising the genuineness of the issue of Indian civil detainees raised by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today ordered the immediate release of 83 detainees as a goodwill gesture. He also promised to release 150 more detainees of Indian Punjab by next week besides releasing 550 fishermen who had also been lodged in Pakistan prisons.

Disclosing this, a spokesman of the Punjab Government said President Musharraf asserted that once cross border trade was opened, both Punjab and Pakistani Punjab would immensely benefit from it.

The spokesman said the President lauded the contribution made by Capt Amarinder Singh and his counterpart from West Punjab, Mr Parvaiz Elahi, in carrying forward the peace process of people to people contact and confidence-building measures taken by the Indian Government led by Dr Manmohan Singh and the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, and the Federal Government of Pakistan.

Accompanied by the Indian High Commissioner, Mr Shiv Shankar Menon, Capt Amarinder Singh today called on the President at his official residence. Taking up the issue of civil detainees, Capt Amarinder Singh, told the President that they were wronged by the unscrupulous travel agents and had been languishing in Pakistani jails for long. The spokesman said that many of them had completed their sentence.

Commenting on the President’s gesture, Capt Amarinder Singh, said positive response and the magnanimity shown by Pervez Musharraf was a welcome step that would lead to further improvement of relations between India and Pakistan.

Mr Pervaiz Elahi , who was also present at the meeting, commended the President for taking a unique and prompt initiative said it would boost the relations between the two neighbouring countries in general and Punjabis in particular.

Among others who called on the President were Mr Lal Singh, Chowdhary Jagjit Singh, both Ministers, Rana K.P. Singh, Mr B.I.S. Chahal, Mr Jai Singh Gill, Mr Suresh Kumar, Mr Subodh Chander Aggarwal, all senior government officials, and Mr Rakesh Mittal, Mr Rajinder Gupta , Mr Suresh Neotia, all leading industrialists.

Musharraf visit on, but Kochi is out

New Delhi, March 15
India and Pakistan on Tuesday were working out mutually suitable dates for the visit by President Pervez Musharraf to watch a cricket match though Kolkata and Kochi have been ruled out for different reasons.

Although there is no official word yet as to which of the matches of the absorbing India-Pakistan cricket series Musharraf will choose to see, officials said the venue has to be a city that would be able to cope with the logistical pressures of such a high-profile visit and all that it entailed.

Musharraf told the Asia Today on BBC World that he has a “blank cheque” from India to watch any of the matches and he would like use the opportunity to meet Indian leaders.

With the Kolkata Test starting on Wednesday being ruled out for want of preparation time, Musharraf has communicated that he was not free on April 2, the day of the Kochi one-dayer, a date India had suggested to him.

Officials are now looking at a venue that would be logistically compatible and would suit both leaders.

The preferred choices, from the Indian viewpoint, are the third Test at Bangalore (March 24-28) or the sixth and final one-dayer in New Delhi on April 17.

“We have to see things from both the security and accommodation point of view among other things,” said an official source, pointing out that the venue must have enough hotel rooms to accommodate the hundreds of officials, security personnel and mediapersons expected to descend on the venue for the summit.

In his interview to BBC, Musharraf said: “More important than the match, I would like to meet Indian leaders and I know there is desire on the other side, and I look forward to making this meeting a little more concrete, to move the process forward.”

“More so, resolution is important to reinforce, to strengthen the moderates.”

“If we fail, we will have weakened the moderates and strengthened the extremists because the extremists don’t think that political solution is possible, while the moderates like I do say yes we will resolve it politically. The whole world should understand this.” — IANS

36 Pak visitors missing
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 15
The Centre today said that it was ascertaining reports that 47 Pakistanis, who had come for the cricket series, had overshot their visa period and were facing difficulties returning home.

“There is no request for an extension of visa,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna told newspersons when asked about these reports.

The visa was given as per the tickets for the particular match the visitor had and was for a stipulated period.

Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal maintained that only 36 Pakistani nationals were missing and said the Punjab Government had been asked to ensure that they were traced and sent to the home country.

Meanwhile, the BJP reacted sharply to the news reports that several Pakistani nationals, who were provided visas to witness the Mohali cricket Test, were missing.

“The reports about missing Pakistani nationals is quite disturbing, especially when the Centre has planned to operate bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad beginning next month,” BJP Parliamentary Party spokesperson V.K. Malhotra told newspersons here.

“We have been cautioning the Government against allowing travel on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad segment without visas. In the light of reports about missing Pakistanis we would once again urge the Centre to review its policy of extending visa free travel to Pakistanis in Srinagar-Muzaffarabad segment in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mr Malhotra said.

History invoked at Panja Sahib
Tribune News Service

Lahore, March 15
The Pakistan Punjab Government has been working hard to make Capt Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister of Indian Punjab, take pride in the historic deeds of his forefathers.

On the instructions of the Chief Minister, Mr Pervaiz Elahi, officials looked for historical documents, that are of importance to Capt Amarinder Singh.

Mr Elahi gave the copy of the first telegram made from the then Patiala state in 1872 to the then Governor-General of India at Lahore informing him about the starting of this service in Patiala state for the first time in the region.

A copy of the order issued by the Patiala state in 1873 granting scholarship to students has also been given to Capt Amarinder Singh. The then ruler of Patiala state had sanctioned Rs 5,000 as scholarship for students who wanted to study abroad. The state had authorised the Panjab University authorities at Lahore to select the students on merit.

The then Maharaja Bhupindra Singh gave Rs 2 lakh to the King Edward Medical College in 1915. This college is now one of the most respected institutions in Pakistan Punjab.

He was told that his father Tikka Yadvindra Singh had laid the foundation stone of the holy tank of Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib in 1932.

The granthi of Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib had an interesting story to tell. He said Bali Kandhari, who had fought with Guru Nanak Dev’s disciple, Mardana, had refused to give water to Mardana. And now Bali Kandhari’s dera gets water from the gurdwara, which had been built over the place where Guru Nanak Dev and Mardana had camped.

Pak Punjab Governor gives Rs 5 cr for
gurdwara renovation
Tribune News Service

Panja Sahib (Hassan Abdal), March 15
The main structure of the historic gurdwaras such as Sri Panja Sahib and Sri Nankana Sahib will not be altered. This was assured today by the Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Pervaiz Elahi.

He said the authorities concerned had been carrying out repairs and renovation of historic gurdwaras in Pakistan. Sri Panja Sahib Gurdwara was being given a facelift but there would be no change in the main building. Its historic character would be maintained. The government has also decided to give a new look to Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib.

The Indian Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, had made a request to Mr Elahi in this regard.

The Pakistan Punjab Governor, Lieut-General Khalid Maqbool (retd), has given Rs 5 crore for the renovation of Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib and the construction of a hostel for devotees, besides a road between the Hassan Abdal railway station and the gurdwara.

Mr Elahi and Capt Amarinder Singh, accompanied by Mr Lal Singh and Chowdhary Jagjit Singh, both ministers, among others paid obeisance at Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib. They were given siropas by the management of the gurdwara. Capt Amarinder Singh and others presented “romalas” there.

Tomorrow, Mr Elahi and Capt Amarinder Singh would lay the foundation stone of the Wagah-Nankana Sahib highway.

Responding to the demand by the Pakistani Sikhs for granting them visas to visit gurdwaras in India, Capt Amarinder Singh said he would take up the issue with the Indian Government.

Senior members of the Pakistan Gurdwara Management Committee, including Mr Bishan Singh and Mr Sham Singh, were present on the occasion.