W O R L D

Joint control may be solution
to Kashmir issue: Hayat
Islamabad, October 6
India and Pakistan are considering three options, including joint control of Kashmir for an amicable solution to the issue, Pakistan Minister for Kashmir Affairs Faisal Saleh Hayat has said. Besides joint control, the options under consideration are limited sovereignty formula and the devolution system formula, he said in an interview to ‘The News’ daily.

Nepalese journalist dies in prison
Kathmandu, October 6
A Nepalese journalist, imprisoned since the last two years for his alleged involvement in Maoist activities, has died in detention, Federation of Nepalese Journalists sources have said.

16 killed in Baghdad car bomb blast
Baghdad, October 6
Sixteen people were killed in a car bombing near the oil ministry in Baghdad, adding to fears of spiralling violence in the run-up to the October 15 referendum on Iraq’s new constitution.

Pak not to shed claim on Jinnah House
Islamabad, October 6
Pakistan today said it has not given up its “claim” on the Jinnah House in Mumbai and wanted the Indian government to hand it over to Islamabad to reopen its Consulate there as people of the country have “sentimental attachment” with that place.

Oxford student murdered in ‘honour killing’
London, October 6
An Oxford University student was murdered by a Bangladeshi immigrant to ‘vindicate the honour of his family’ after the student fell in love with his daughter and made her pregnant, a court has been told.

Despite ban, Hindi movies a craze in Pakistan
Islamabad, October 6
A Bollywood craze is sweeping Pakistan. Pakistan’s flirtation with the Hindi film industry is not new. But thanks to a liberalised cable network that is taking the movies to Pakistani fans, Bollywood productions are inundating the country.

Pentagon analyst pleads guilty to US info leak
Alexandria, Va., October 6
A former Pentagon analyst pleaded guilty to conspiring to divulge US defense information to two pro-Israel lobbyists and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors.

Protesters chant anti-government slogans during a rally demanding the resignation of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Manila on Thursday. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to march to the Presidential Palace but were blocked by policemen.— Reuters

Joint control may be solution to Kashmir issue: Hayat

Islamabad, October 6
India and Pakistan are considering three options, including joint control of Kashmir for an amicable solution to the issue, Pakistan Minister for Kashmir Affairs Faisal Saleh Hayat has said.

Besides joint control, the options under consideration are limited sovereignty formula and the devolution system formula, he said in an interview to ‘The News’ daily.

He claimed that the leaders, foreign ministers, foreign secretaries and even officials involved in the backdoor diplomacy have discussed these options, and Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) are being taken into confidence in this regard.

Under the ‘joint control formula’, Pakistan and India could jointly control the Jammu and Kashmir region while the ‘limited sovereignty formula’ suggests that Kashmiris would be provided all the financial, local government budget and other powers of a provincial government, while the defence, currency and foreign affairs would be the joint responsibility of the two countries.

The third option of ‘devolution system’ has provision for expansion of the local government system in a way that the Kashmiri people get right to self-determination type powers, he said. Under this option, the currencies of both Pakistan and India would be recognised in Jammu and Kashmir. — PTI

Nepalese journalist dies in prison

Kathmandu, October 6
A Nepalese journalist, imprisoned since the last two years for his alleged involvement in Maoist activities, has died in detention, Federation of Nepalese Journalists sources have said.

Mahesh Pahari, 30, editor of the Rastriya Swabhiman weekly, had been ill since the last two months and died while he was admitted to a regional hospital in Pokhara for treatment, the sources said.

FNJ general secretary Mahendra Bista has asked the government to pay compensation to his family members.

The deceased journalist is survived by two minor children and his wife. — PTI

16 killed in Baghdad car bomb blast

Baghdad, October 6
Sixteen people were killed in a car bombing near the oil ministry in Baghdad, adding to fears of spiralling violence in the run-up to the October 15 referendum on Iraq’s new constitution.

The bombings and shootings came a day after another bomb attack in the town of Hilla, south of Baghdad, that killed 25 persons, as Shiite Muslims gathered for prayers at the end of the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.

In London, Iraq’s Kurdish President Jalal Talabani was meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss Iraq ahead of the referendum, a key phase in the country’s transition following the toppling of Saddam Hussein.

Their talks follow British accusations that Iran was supplying explosives’ technology to rebels, who killed British soldiers in southern Iraq, an area usually free of violence.

US President George W Bush was preparing to address the nation, to defend his strategy in Iraq, while warning that a quick exit for US troops could sow a deadly harvest of future terror attacks on the US soil.

The latest violence came after Iraq’s Parliament, yesterday bowed to UN and US pressure by reversing changes to the referendum, that critics deemed were unfair to opponents of the divisive new constitution.

Many Sunnis, believed to be the backbone of the raging insurgency, object to the charter on the grounds that its federalist principles will pave the way for the break-up of the country by handing over oil-rich provinces to Kurds and Shiites. — AFP

Pak not to shed claim on Jinnah House

Islamabad, October 6
Pakistan today said it has not given up its “claim” on the Jinnah House in Mumbai and wanted the Indian government to hand it over to Islamabad to reopen its Consulate there as people of the country have “sentimental attachment” with that place.

Denying a report in the local daily here today that the India-Pak agreement to reopen the Consulates in Karachi and Mumbai in January, 2006, was made possible after Islamabad dropped its demand on the Jinnah House, Pakistan’s new spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said that the country has not given up its “claim” on the Jinnah House.

“The spokesperson clarified that Pakistan has not given up its claim that the Jinnah House should be handed over to Pakistan for its Consulate-General in Mumbai. The people of Pakistan have sentimental attachment with the Jinnah House,” said a brief statement from Aslam who took over charge from Naeem Khan, who has been appointed as the Ambassador to Philippines.

The statement, however, was silent on External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh’s remarks during his visit to Karachi yesterday that the consulates would be opened by January next. — PTI

Oxford student murdered in ‘honour killing’

London, October 6
An Oxford University student was murdered by a Bangladeshi immigrant to ‘vindicate the honour of his family’ after the student fell in love with his daughter and made her pregnant, a court has been told.

Forty-four-year-old Chomir Ali, working as a waiter in an Indian restaurant in Oxford, ordered his son, Mohammed Mujibar Rahman, to kill Arash Ghorbani-Zarin, an Iranian for the “shame and dishonour” brought on their family by his relationship with his daughter, Manna Begum, it was alleged at the Oxford Crown Court yesterday.

Julian Baughan, the lawyer for the prosecution, said that Ali became “angry” in summer 2003 when his 19-year-old daughter began going out with Ghorbani-Zarin, 19, an electronic engineering student at Oxford Brookes University. — PTI

Despite ban, Hindi movies a craze in Pakistan
M.R. Narayan Swamy

Islamabad, October 6
A Bollywood craze is sweeping Pakistan. Pakistan’s flirtation with the Hindi film industry is not new. But thanks to a liberalised cable network that is taking the movies to Pakistani fans, Bollywood productions are inundating the country.

Popular Bollywood numbers, particularly those of Kishore Kumar, blare out at paan shops and food courts as never before. The ever-popular Shah Rukh Khan, Pakistanis say, has assumed the status of a national icon.

‘‘There is not a single town, a single village, a single mohalla where Indian films and television programmes are not being seen,’’ says Aijaz Gul, a leading movie critic in Pakistan.

‘‘Believe it or not,’’ Gul told IANS, ‘‘some Hindi movies are seen here on DVDs and CDs even before they get released in Mumbai!’’ The Pakistan Government still does not permit Indian films to be imported and Indian movies are not shown in the rapidly declining cinema theatres in the country as Islamabad feels Indian films would have a ‘‘corrupting influence’’ on Islamic culture and overwhelm the local film industry.

But that in no way has diminished the popularity or appeal of Hindi movies — and their easy availability.

‘‘This is hypocritical,’’ said Gul, who writes extensively on Pakistani and Indian cinema and visited New Delhi in July. ‘‘Why can’t the government allow Indian films to be imported legally and earn tax?’’

In recent times, cable network operators have begun beaming Hindi films on television. This, people here say, has contributed enormously to their popularity.

A family subscribing to cable television, for Rs 300 rupees a month, gets to watch over a dozen Hindi movies during the period.

Such is the craze for Bollywood that two Pakistani FM channels broadcast Hindi film songs every day.

‘‘There are no musical barriers when it comes to films and music,’’ said Wasim Ahmed, whose family operates the Power FM 99 radio network. ‘‘People always like good music, and we provide good music.’’ Amitabh Bachchan still remains the darling of millions of Pakistanis, though Shah Rukh Khan is undoubtedly the hero in the eyes of most of the young.

Sunny Deol, Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan are other favourites. Aishwarya Rai, Juhi Chawla and Rani Mukherjee come on the favourite list of female Bollywood stars.

‘‘I love Hindi films and everyone in my family also likes to watch Hindi films,’’ said Imtiaz Ahmed, a young assistant in a textile shop who hails from Abbottabad town in the North West Frontier Province.

Added Gul: ‘‘Even the Indian TV operas are a big craze here. In my house, I cannot watch TV when I want. Come evenings, and my wife and daughter get glued to programmes like ‘Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’.’’

Sameena Ahmed of the International Crisis Group (Pakistan chapter) explained the situation. ‘‘India and Pakistan enjoy two distinct identities. There is no doubt about that. But it does not mean people cannot appreciate each other’s culture. Indeed, this is a very healthy sign,’’ she said. — IANS

Pentagon analyst pleads guilty to US info leak

Alexandria, Va., October 6
A former Pentagon analyst pleaded guilty to conspiring to divulge US defense information to two pro-Israel lobbyists and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors.

Lawrence Franklin, who previously worked as an analyst in the office of the Secretary of Defense, also pleaded guilty to conspiring to communicate classified information to an Israeli Embassy official and illegally possessing classified documents at his West Virginia home. — Reuters