 |
|
|
Musharraf a liar: Washington Post
Differences on terrorism and Kashmir
Bomb blasts rip open gas pipelines in Pak
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Palestinian cops break into Parliament
6 Indians in list for
top intellectuals
Finally, a new ‘biodegradable’ plastic
Indian kills Israeli girlfriend
500 students, teachers abducted in Nepal
|
|
Musharraf a liar: Washington Post
Washington, October 3 Entitled ‘‘Gen Musharraf’s lies,’’ the Post says the General’s claim that his country was being portrayed unfairly on rape was incorrect. According to news reports, Islamabad has been claiming that the paper wrongfully quoted Musharraf following an editorial board meeting he had early September. ‘‘In fact, it (Pakistan) deserves such a reputation,’’ says the paper that partly influences legislators and policymakers in the US capital, citing human rights groups that for years have reported annually on gang rapes and ‘‘honour killings’’, most of which go unpunished. ‘‘So retrograde are Pakistan’s laws that there are more than 1,500 women in prison as a result of rapes - they were prosecuted for adultery - while arrests of men occur in only about 15 per cent of reported cases,’’ noted the Post. ‘‘Gen Musharraf, too, deserves the reputation he is earning as a ruler who cares more about how he is perceived in the west than in implementing the policies he claims to espouse, or even in speaking the truth,’’ lashed the editorial. ‘‘The general, who seized power in a coup six years ago, has reneged on promises to retire from the army or restore democracy. He has not carried out the reform of Islamic religious schools that he promised in 2001. He has allowed the extremist Afghan Taliban movement to base itself in Pakistan’s western provinces with virtual impunity. ‘‘He has repeatedly insisted, almost certainly falsely, that Osama bin Laden is not in Pakistan. All the while he has gone on collecting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid each year from the Bush administration, which accepts his words and ignores most of his actions,’’ said the editorial, obliquely blaming the Bush administration for ostensibly turning a blind eye. Drawing attention to Musharraf’s claims to champion a ‘‘moderate Islam that respects the rights of women,’’ the paper cited the latest most publicised incident of Mukhtar Mai, a victim of a gang rape whose attackers were yet to be punished and who tried to visit the US earlier this year. ‘‘The President barred her from leaving the country,’’ it asserted. ‘‘In an interview with The Post last month, he claimed that he had relented. But then he said: ‘You must understand the environment in Pakistan. This has become a moneymaking concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped’. ‘‘This statement was, as Pakistani activists and the Canadian government soon pointed out, an outrageous lie,’’ the Post asserted. ‘‘There is only one known case of a rape victim moving to Canada, a doctor who was assaulted by a military officer. A far more common outcome for rape victims is to be ostracised by their communities or jailed,’’ it said. ‘‘When Musharraf’s statement provoked an uproar, he responded with another lie: He claimed that he had never made it,’’ said the Post, which has put up the recording of his words on its website. ‘‘His words are quite clear. ‘These are not my words, and I would go to the extent of saying I am not so silly and stupid to make comments of this sort,’ the General said. Well, yes, he is,’’ insists the Post.
— IANS |
|
Differences on terrorism and Kashmir
Islamabad, October 3 Pakistani Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammed Khan, at his separate briefing said Kashmir was the Central issue in the first two rounds of the Composite Dialogue Process. He said the visiting External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri today discussed the Siachen issue in detail. Mr Khan made the following three categoric
points:
Mr Khan's averments were in stark contrast to his Indian counterpart Shyam Saran's remarks who said it was a process — not an event — in which both sides were advancing. The issues of Kashmir and terrorism dominated the Foreign Ministers' talks even at the private lunch which Mr Kasuri hosted for Mr Natwar Singh at
Nathiagali, a colonial era haveli near the famous Pakistani hill resort of
Murree. The two Foreign Ministers, Foreign Secretaries and High Commissioners were present at the private lunch which overshot its allocated time of two hours. The two Foreign Ministers flew to Natrhiagali — a 13-minute flight — after an hour-long delegation-to-delegation level and 15-minute-long one-to-one talks. |
|
|
Bomb blasts rip open gas pipelines in Pak
Quetta, October 3 There are no reports of injuries. The explosions occurred 30 km south-east of Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province. Authorities have blamed similar bombings at gas pipelines and railroads, on local tribesmen. Ethnic Balch groups are suspected of staging such attacks because they believe the central government is siphoning off their natural resources without providing enough compensation to the local population. These groups also oppose plans by the central government to set up new military garrisons in the province, and say money earmarked for the bases should instead be spent on development projects in impoverished Baluchistan. Pakistan’s main gas fields which supply most parts of the country, are located in Sui, a tribal town south-east of Quetta.
— AP |
|
Palestinian cops break into Parliament
Gaza City, October 3 In clashes between the police and Hamas in Gaza City and the nearby Shati refugee camp yesterday, Hamas gunmen attacked the local police station with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. The camp’s deputy police chief, Ali Makawi, was killed in the fighting. The clashes raged for about six hours, and subsided only around midnight yesterday, after Egyptian mediators stepped in. It was the fiercest internal fighting since 1996. “Yesterday, we did not have enough bullets,” said one of the protesting policemen today. “We had nothing to protect ourselves. “Give us as least bullets to protect people and to protect our stations,’’ he said. “Our commander died in front of us, and we were running out of bullets.’’
— AP |
|
6 Indians in list for top intellectuals
London, October 3 The list which has only 10 women, includes Sunita Narain, developmental environmentalist. The readers’ opinion poll, published by British magazine ‘Prospect’ and American global affairs magazine ‘Foreign Policy’ closes October 10 and results will be declared in November. In its poll definition of public intellectuals Prospect and Foreign Policy say it is “someone who has shown distinction in their own field along with the ability to communicate ideas and influence debate outside of it.” “This list is about public influence, not intrinsic achievement. And that is where things get really tricky. Judging influence is hard enough inside one’s own culture, but when you are peering across cultures and languages, the problem becomes far harder.
— UNI |
|
Finally, a new ‘biodegradable’ plastic
Sydney, October 3 While you are mourning your expanding waistline, how often do you spare a thought for the Earth’s “waste line?” But a small Australian company called Plantic says it has a solution - just add water and the problem will disappear. The patented formula comprises 90 per cent corn starch and other organic materials like water, fatty acid and oil. Starch-based plastics are not new, but Plantic is different , says Plantic’s business development manager Mark Fink says, . Plantic conforms to European standards of biodegradability and when placed on the compost heap, it will disappear within three months - releasing water into the soil and carbon dioxide into the air. A disappearing, environmentally friendly plastic may be enough to attract media attention, but it is not the real “wow factor” for companies. The real surprise is its price, and that is where Plantic is ahead of all competition, according to Greg Lonergan, Professor of biotechnology at Swinburne University in Melbourne. Only 10 grams of corn kernels are needed to make a standard 10 gram biscuit tray and this is good news for Plantic because they need not worry about the rise of oil prices as do producers of petrochemical-based plastics. “The long-term pricing of petrochemical (plastics) is slowly increasing over time. It’s a finite resource. The long-term pricing of crops, starch, is always decreasing,” Fink says.
— Kyodo |
|
Indian kills Israeli girlfriend
Jerusalem, October 3 He told the police that an argument broke out between them over his suspicion that she “betrayed” him, to which she denied, a media report said. During the noisy scuffle, he said that he caught Shlomit by her neck and kept her in his grip till she was dead, daily Ma’ariv said. The police chief said Kansal re-enacted the whole scene after they arrived at the scene. Kansal came to Israel in April last year from Mumbai and met Shlomit about a year back when she was staying at the luxury hotel as a guest.
— PTI |
|
500 students, teachers abducted in Nepal
Kathmandu, October 3
They were forcibly taken away to make them participate in a district-level political training campaign launched by the Maoists, it added.
The abductes are mainly between 17 and 35 years of age and have been taken to unidentified locations. |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Washington, October 3
