W O R L D

Kashmir is Pakistan’s jugular vein: Gilani
Islamabad, August 14
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today said that Kashmir was Pakistan’s “jugular vein”, even as he vowed to resolve all issues with India through dialogue so that both countries can get rid of the blights of poverty, illiteracy and backwardness.

Pakistan PM Yusuf Raza Gilani delivers a speech at the flag-hoisting ceremony during the Independence Day celebrations in Islamabad on Sunday. — AFP

Suu Kyi calls for unity on first political trip
Bago, August 14
Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi called for unity in her country today, as she addressed crowds on her first political trip outside her home city since her release from house arrest.

Aung San Suu Kyi waves during the opening ceremony of Aungsan Jar-mon Library at Thanatpin township near Bago on Sunday. — Reuters

Kashmir is Pakistan’s jugular vein: Gilani

Islamabad, August 14
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today said that Kashmir was Pakistan’s “jugular vein”, even as he vowed to resolve all issues with India through dialogue so that both countries can get rid of the blights of poverty, illiteracy and backwardness.

In an address to the nation on Pakistan’s Independence Day here, he said, “Nobody can deny the reality that Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan and the international community has accepted the right of self-determination of Kashmiris.”

“Pakistan will continue to provide unhindered moral, diplomatic and political support to Kashmiris so that they can get their rights,” Gilani said at a ceremony held at the Convention Centre here.

At the same time, he said, Pakistan “wants to resolve issues with its neighbour India through the process of dialogue so that both countries can get rid of the blights of poverty, illiteracy and backwardness”.

Touching on foreign policy issues, Gilani said Pakistan was committed to peaceful co-existence and mutual harmony and understanding. “We want to promote relations with all countries on the basis of goodwill and equality,” he said.

In an apparent reference to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s call for India to take the lead in Asia, Gilani said: “We are ever ready for cooperation with our friends but we will not accept hegemony of anybody.”

He described Pakistan’s relations with the US as vital. Pakistan sincerely desires the restoration of peace in Afghanistan and wants to see it as a prosperous, stable and independent country, he said.

Pakistan’s relations with China are of historic importance and friendship with it is “an important pillar of the country’s foreign policy”, he said.

Relations were being promoted with all Islamic countries while Pakistan has historic and geographical ties with Iran, Gilani said.

Implementation will soon start on an agreement on the gas pipeline project with Iran, he added. — PTI

Suu Kyi calls for unity on first political trip

Bago, August 14
Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi called for unity in her country today, as she addressed crowds on her first political trip outside her home city since her release from house arrest.

Suu Kyi, who was released from seven straight years of detention days after an election last November, has defied a government security warning with a visit to the Bago region, about 80 km north of Yangon.

The police tried to clear supporters off the roads as hundreds of people lined the streets to greet Suu Kyi as she travelled between towns in the area, many of them shouting and waving small banners saying: “We love Mother Suu!”

The 66-year-old began the one-day trip with a visit to a pagoda in the town of Bago before opening a library in nearby Tha Nat Pin, where she delivered a speech to a crowd of around 600. “We can develop this country only when we all work together,” she said.

“Unity is a strength, unity is needed everywhere and it is needed especially in our country.” She said she had always “tried her best” since she joined politics more than 20 years ago, and would “continue as much as I can”.

A convoy of about 30 cars left Yangon early in the morning, also carrying members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party, journalists and diplomats.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner told AFP as she embarked on the trip that she was reliant “on the support of the people”-which appeared to be much in evidence in Bago. — AFP

Republican race to White House heats up with Bachmann win, Perry entry

Washington, August 14
In a politically significant vote, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann took an early lead in the crowded 2012 Republican presidential hopefuls list, winning the Iowa straw polls on a day Texas governor Rick Perry too formally jumped into the fray, asking people to give a 'pink slip' to President Barack Obama.

"This is the first step toward taking the White House in 2012," Bachmann, an Iowa-born social conservative, a favourite of the ultra conservative Tea Party movement, told her supporters.

"And you have sent a message that Barack Obama will be a one-term President. This is a wonderful down payment on taking the country back and it started in Iowa." The Iowa Straw Poll held in Ames attracted about 17,000 voters and is considered the first big test of the 2012 presidential race.

Nearly a dozen Republicans are seeking an opportunity to challenge Obama next year for the country's leadership at a time when America is in the midst of an economic mess, with high unemployment rates and an unprecedented downgrade in its credit rating by S&P's.

Bachmann secured 4,823 votes, narrowly besting Texas Representative Ron Paul who had 4,671 votes. Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was chosen on 2,293 ballots, placing him third.

Launching his presidential ambitions, Texas Governor Rick Perry attacked Obama for his failure to address the worsening unemployment problem and foreign policy setbacks and urged Americans to "give pink slip" to the current president.

"Our nation cannot and it must not endure four more years of aimless foreign policy. We cannot and must not endure four more years of rising unemployment, rising taxes, rising debt, rising energy dependence on nations that intend us harm," Perry said while announcing his candidacy.

"It's time to get America working again," Perry said amidst applause in South Carolina. Perry still has a long way to go before he can contest against Obama in the November 2012 presidential elections.

Perry, who is often credited with creating jobs even during a time of recession, boasted of turning around the economic fortunes of Texas.

"In 2003, and again this year, my state faced billions of dollars in budget shortfalls. But we worked hard, we made tough decisions, we balanced our budget, not by raising taxes, but by setting priorities and cutting government spending. It can and it must be done in Washington, DC," Perry said.

He said crucial principles that have allowed Texas to overcome the deficits are not spending all of the money and keeping taxes low and under control, accompanied by reform of the the legal system so that frivolous lawsuits do not paralyse employers trying to create jobs. — PTI

Suicide attack on Afghan guv’s house; 22 killed

Charikar, August 14
A team of six suicide bombers some wearing explosive vests stormed a provincial governor's compound in eastern Afghanistan today, killing 22 people in the latest high-profile attack to target prominent Afghan government officials, authorities said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in the Parwan provincial capital of Charikar, some 50 km north of Kabul. The province is home to Bagram Air Field, a sprawling base for US and NATO troops.

The coordinated assault is the most recent in a string of spectacular Taliban attacks within an hour's drive of Kabul, a worrying sign of the insurgency's strength near the heart of the country and its determination to target Afghanistan's nascent leadership.

Early this month, the Taliban shot down a helicopter in a province on the western border of the capital, killing 38 American and Afghan troops. In late June, gunmen killed at least 21 people in an attack on the Inter-Continental hotel in Kabul itself.

The violence is a sign of NATO's broader struggles in the east, where persistent insurgent attacks forced the alliance to pull forces back from outlying patrol bases and outposts. — AP

16 killed in Balochistan violence

Islamabad, August 14
Sixteen persons were killed and dozens injured as the restive Balochistan province was rocked by bomb blasts and incidents of violence as Pakistan celebrated its Independence Day today.

At least 14 persons were killed and 30 others were injured when a bomb blast ripped through a roadside hotel in Dera Allah Yar city in the southwestern province, police and witnesses said.

The hotel was destroyed by the blast, which damaged nearby shops and buildings. Police officials said eight to 10 people could still be buried under the rubble.

Footage on television showed local residents digging through the debris with their hands to pull out the bodies and the injured. The powerful explosion was heard from several kilometres away. No group claimed responsibility for the blast.

In a separate incident, unidentified gunmen killed two labourers from Punjab province in Lasbella district of Balochistan. — PTI

Fai ran Kashmir propaganda in UK also: Report

London, August 14
Kashmiri separatist Ghulam Nabi Fai, who has been charged with being an undeclared agent of ISI in the US, was also a director of a UK-based organisation, promoting Pakistani interest on Kashmir, a media report said.

Fai, who heads the Washington-based Kashmiri American Council (KAC) was arrested by the FBI for allegedly collaborating with Pakistan’s spy agency by “clandestinely” funnelling hundreds and thousands of dollars to change the view of American lawmakers on Kashmir.

Fai, 62, was also a director of the Justice Foundation based in Bloomsbury, which hosted events for British lawmakers to promote Pakistani interests on Kashmir, using millions of dollars of covert funding, the Daily Telegraph said.

“MPs hosted events in Parliament for an organistation which has been accused of being a front for Pakistani spies, it can be disclosed,” it reported.

The Justice Foundation is alleged to have been promoting Pakistani interests over Kashmir, using millions of dollars of covert funding, it said. The executive director of the foundation in London is Nazir Ahmad Shawl.

The scandal follows the arrest last year of Katia Zatuliveter, a House of Commons researcher accused of being a Russian spy. — PTI

Nepal PM Khanal quits

Kathmandu, August 14
Nepal’s embattled Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal resigned today, succumbing to intense pressure from the main opposition Nepali Congress and his key ally Maoists, throwing the country into a fresh political crisis.

“The Prime Minister has tendered his resignation and the President has asked him to serve as the caretaker after accepting the resignation,” President Ram Baran Yadav’s press adviser Rajendra Dahal said.

The process of electing a new Prime Minister will start on Monday, the President’s office said. — PTI

China deploys elite anti-terror unit in Xinjiang

Beijing, August 14
China has deployed an elite counter terrorism unit in the country's restive western Xinjiang province where attacks by East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) militants last month left at least 22 people dead.

The Snow Leopard Commando unit has moved into southern Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region to make the region more secure following a terrorist attack last month, local armed police was quoted as saying by government-run China Daily newspaper today.

A spokesperson on condition of anonymity said the Snow Leopard Commando unit is expected to carry out anti-terrorism missions in both Kashgar and Hotan, the scene of other recent violence, ahead of the five day China-Eurasia Expo from September 1.

The anti-terrorism force is being stationed at Aksu, some 460-km from Kashgar, where some 22 people, including two ETIM suspects, were killed in different attacks on Han settlers in the region located close to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). — PTI

India to get five Russian fighters

Moscow, August 14
Russian MiG aircraft makers will hand over the remaining five MiG-29K/KUB carrier-based fighters to the Indian Navy by the closing stages of this year. "We will fulfil the 2004 contract by the end of this year. We have already delivered 11 out of 16 aircraft," MiG CEO Sergei Korotkov said.

The contract, a to be a part of USD 1.5 billion Gorshkov aircraft carrier deal inked in January 2004 provides for the deliveries of 12 single-seat MiG-29Ks and four two-seat MiG-29KUBs for the Indian Navy, reported RIA Novosti.

The 11 fighters have already joined the Indian Navy's "Black Panthers" squadron, based in Goa, training pilots for subsequent deployment on INS Vikramaditya which is expected to be delivered by Russia in December 2012.

In March 2010, another USD 1.5-billion deal was signed for the acquisition of 29 additional MiG-29K Fulcrum-D carrier-based fighter jets. The deliveries are scheduled to commence next year. The INS Vikramaditya is expected to carry up to 24 MiG-29K/KUB fighters and the indigenous aircraft carrier ‘Vikrant’, which is under construction, is also likely to carry the fighters. — PTI