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Centre mishandled sale of F-16s: BJP
Govt withdraws tsunami warning
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PM leaves for Mauritius today
No security threat to bus service: Mufti
Pak schoolgirls meet Kalam
Kalam’s help sought for scientist
Send report on thrashing of schoolboy: NHRC
SC seeks details of accused in case against Taslimuddin
ICHR reconstituted
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Centre mishandled sale of F-16s: BJP
New Delhi, March 29 Briefing mediapersons at a specially convened press conference at party headquarter, senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh said "the government's handling of the issue has much to be desired. The government is speaking in discordant voices and does not have a well considered approach". While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had expressed "great disappointment" on F-16 deal to Pakistan, the External Affairs Ministry had conveyed a different message, Mr Jaswant Singh pointed out. Even yesterday, Mr Jaswant Singh claimed that the Prime Minister said he "did not know what is being offered to India" and added that "This amounts to saying 'I don't know what is happening'." On the contrary, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said the government was considering the US proposal, Mr Jaswant Singh said and added that Mr Mukherjee should state "how, when and why was the decision to consider F-16s as an option taken". On the US offer to India Mr Jaswant Singh said there was no logic in US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's statement that her country was offering F-18 because of improvement in relations between the two countries. Even while offering nuclear technology, Ms Rice had said the US was 'one step away' from offering technological cooperation and not 'one step near', Mr Jaswant Singh said making a semantic distinction. Mr Jaswant Singh who had held the portfolios of External Affairs and Defence Ministries in the previous NDA government said India was not begging for arms. "India has emerged as a power to reckon with on its own strength and not because of any patronage or sponsor. It will be a super power because of its own efforts, talents and genuineness of its citizens," he asserted. "I find it patronising that any country should make such a statement", he said. He said the US announcement resuming supply of F-16s to Pakistan had generated predictable controversy and invited adverse comments. Stating that Washington and Islamabad were free to develop military relationship and sell or buy any military hardware, Mr Jaswant Singh, however, asked the US to explain to the world as to what had changed to make it resume supplies of the F-16 to Pakistan which were withheld by the US mainly on the grounds of "weapons of mass destruction proliferation and "terrorism-promotion" by Pakistan. Asked whether BJP's change in approach towards the US has anything to do with the denial of visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Jaswant Singh said he had stated the party's view points in Parliament that the issue was an 'internal affair' in the country and nobody had any right to teach lessons on human rights to India. Denying visa to a serving Chief Minister is a serious issue for the country notwithstanding the differences among the parties, the BJP leader said. He said denial of visa or sending back Muslim clergy Kalbe Sadiq from the US stemmed from the fact that there was 'lack of communication' between the two countries. "If the two countries were talking, such an awkward situation would not have arisen," , he said adding that for this there should be efforts from both countries. |
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Govt withdraws tsunami warning
New Delhi, March 29 "The possibility of danger has passed and people may go back to their homes wherever they have moved on their own or at places moved by the administration," said the advisory issued today by Director (Disaster Management) S.K. Swami in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. "The earthquake does not appear to have generated tsunamis over the Indian region and, in view of this, the advice issued earlier by the Indian Meteorological Department regarding possibility of tsunami stands cancelled," Mr Swami said. Late last night, light tremors were experienced in Andaman and Nicobar Islands although no casualties or loss of property were reported. People along the coasts of Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Yesterday's quakes were experienced on the same Pacific
faultline, where a similar tremor on December 26 last year had triggered massive tsunamis killing over 10,000 persons in India and over two lakh lives in Indonesia and other Indian Ocean countries. Within hours of receiving information about the earthquake, officials in the disaster management cell of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had begun monitoring sea conditions. They alerted the agencies and the state governments concerned. |
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War no longer an option, says former Pak PM
New Delhi, March 29 In the first party-to-party contact between the Congress and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, Mr Hussain stressed that there can also be no political supremacy or hegemony. “Political supremacy is as bad as any war,” he observed at a reception here by the Indian chapter of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA). He had no doubt that if both Pakistan and India did not learn from their past mistakes, “our people will be doomed as evidenced during the three wars between the two countries.” Stressing that the policy-makers of the two countries have to move forward “on a fast track”, he said the reality that India is a big country cannot be wished away. Therefore, New Delhi must display what he described as the “big heart”. Mr Hussain said that the mandate of the Opposition must be respected and the media has a vital role in promoting good neighbourliness and peace. Politicians and the media have to be in the frontline of telling the truth, which is not often the case. Intellectuals must play their part because of their ability to influence the leadership. He expressed happiness that the ruling Congress party is continuing the same policy towards Pakistan as the previous BJP-led NDA government. He desired more party-to-party exchanges and continuing these contacts. “Our struggle for peace must continue and when the big powers talk of peace it should encompass India-Pakistan as indeed the whole world,” he added. He claimed credit for establishing contacts with the Congress party when he wrote a letter in August 2001 to Sonia Gandhi. Senators Mushahid Hussain, S.M. Zafar and Waseem Sajjad who also spoke briefly drew attention to the changing mindset even in the military establishment of Pakistan and that every effort must be made in speeding up the composite dialogue process. Earlier, K.K. Katyal, President of SAFMA (India Chapter), welcomed the guests and SAFMA secretary general Imtiaz Alam announced that a conference of parliamentarians from South Asia will be held in Islamabad in May. This will be followed by an Indo-Pak parliamentary conference in October to give an added push to the peace process between the two countries. |
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PM leaves for Mauritius today
New Delhi, March 29 The JWG on terrorism with Mauritius is rather inexplicable as Mauritius has so far not emerged on the radar screen of international terrorism. Moreover, Mauritius is also not a key transit country for terrorists and terror arsenal. Ms Shashi
Tripathi, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, when quizzed about this aspect by this correspondent, justified the JWG on terrorism with Mauritius saying that no place was safe from terrorists these days. She said: “These days terrorism has lost that concept of boundaries. You cannot any more say that this place is safe and this is not. These days there are pan-terrorist organisations which are spreading all over and there are branches which may function under separate names but they are present. So, suffice it to say that no place is safe from the scourge of terrorism any more.” The significance India attaches to Mauritius is obvious from the fact that this is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s first bilateral visit — 68 per cent of Mauritius’s population is of Indian origin. Mauritian Prime Minister Paul Berenger also had paid his first bilateral visit to India after he became Prime Minister. Interestingly, the PM’s visit to Mauritius, originally due to take place last December, is taking place at a time when the Indian Ocean island country is months away from general elections. The MEA, however, strongly asserts that there is nothing partisan about the PM’s visit. The MEA’s point of view is that the PM’s visit is totally non-partisan because India-Mauritius relations are much larger and go beyond politics. Therefore, no nuances should be seen in the visit or extra meanings should be read into the visit, the MEA contends. One of the main objectives of the PM’s visit is to inaugurate the cyber tower in Mauritius which was built with Indian assistance. The tower was built with a line of credit from India to the tune of $ 100 million. The tower itself cost about $ 45 million. It was constructed in the record time of 18 months by two Indian construction companies — Larsen & Toubro and Shapurji
Peronji. The cyber tower is an intelligent, state-of-the-art building. During the March 30-April 2 visit, the Prime Minister would also be addressing the National Assembly, which is the Parliament of Mauritius. He will also pay homage at the Apravasi Ghat, and the Memorial to the Father of Mauritian Nation Shiv Sagar
Ramgoolam. Dr Manmohan Singh would have talks with his Mauritian counterpart, Mr Paul
Berenger. Dr Manmohan Singh will also meet with the Leader of the Opposition Naveen
Ramgoolam. |
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No security threat to bus service: Mufti
New Delhi, March 29 “There is no threat to India’s security due to the permit system agreed to between India and Pakistan for running the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service,” Mr Sayeed told newspersons here after attending the 10th meeting of the standing committee of the Inter-State Council
(ISC) here. “The misgivings and apprehensions in the mind of some people would vanish after the bus service actually begins, as the permit system adopted for running this bus service is foolproof,” he said. The Chief Minister said as per the agreement, Indian authorities would get from their Pakistani counterpart an advance list of passengers, with complete detail and travel plan, to be on board each bus. “So we will have the complete details about the in-bound passengers to verify their credentials...likewise the Pakistani authorities will also have that privilege,” he said. Asked whether the Hurriyat leaders will be allowed to take the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus, Mr Sayeed, with a smile said “may be they will make use of the bus service...may be they would be provided with an exclusive coach.” |
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Pak schoolgirls meet Kalam
New Delhi, March 29 The President stressed the need for both countries to unite in their fight against poverty. “When relations between India and Pakistan were improving, the neighbours should strive to fight the common devil, poverty.”
— TNS |
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Kalam’s help sought for scientist
New Delhi, March 29 According to NCPEDP, Dr S.K. Jain's services were abruptly terminated in 2000 on some "very frivolous excuse." In a letter to Dr Kalam, NCPEDP Executive Director Javed Abidi has said Dr Jain moved the Delhi High Court and was granted a stay against the discontinuation of his services. The University Grants Commission (UGC) reinstated him with full financial benefits. The NCPEDP has alleged that IIT has still not allowed Dr Jain access to his office and laboratory and have withdrawn all medical facilities. |
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Send report on thrashing of schoolboy: NHRC
New Delhi, March 29 The commission's directions have come on a news report that described how Sahil Bansal, a class VI student of Government School in Goniana, Bathinda, suffered a backbone injury after his teacher thrashed him for not sitting properly in the class. The commission has directed that a copy of the news story be sent to the Principal Secretary, Education Department, the Punjab Government and Senior Superintendent of Police, Bathinda, for their comments. According to the news story, the Principal of the school was persuading the teacher and the guardian to reach a compromise. The Principal told the newspaper that his inquiry showed that the boy had only been chided and not thrashed. The report further stated that the guardian had lodged a complaint at the Nehianwla police station and the boy's medical report showed that his backbone had been injured. The NHRC has observed that if the contents of the report are true, the incident raises a serious issue of violation of human rights. |
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SC seeks details of accused in case against Taslimuddin
New Delhi, March 29 A Bench of Mr Justice N Santosh Hegde, Mr Justice D.M. Dharmadhikari and Mr Justice S.B. Sinha sought the details on the petition of an NGO, challenging the August 14 application of the Bihar Government filed in the trial court for the withdrawal of the case against the minister. The NGO, Delhi Study Group (DSG), had also sought transfer of the case outside Bihar. Asking the Bihar Government to submit the details within four weeks, the Bench said the details of other accused were necessary in the event of the court “allowing” the transfer prayer of the NGO. Bihar Government counsel B.B. Singh informed the court that there were 13 other accused in the case. On being specifically asked by the court as how many criminal cases were pending against the minister, Mr B.B. Singh said he was facing trial in seven cases in various courts. DSG’s counsel D.N. Goburdhan said in the ‘attempt to murder’ case of 1996, the minister was the ‘prime’ accused and it would not have much effect on other accused persons. |
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ICHR reconstituted
New Delhi, March 29 Professor D.N. Tripathi, former Head of the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, Gorakhpur University will continue as the Chairman of the ICHR, according to a press note issued here on Monday. |
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