L A T E S T      N E W S

India, Pak sign new liberalised visa agreement

Islamabad: India and Pakistan on Saturday signed the much-awaited liberalised visa agreement, introducing for the first time group tourist and pilgrim visas, separate visa for businessmen and visa on arrival for those over 65 years of age.

The new pact, signed between External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik, replaces a 38-year-old restrictive visa agreement and will pave the way for time-bound visa approval and greater people to people contacts and boost trade.

While there was no time-frame for issuance of non-diplomatic visas, the new pact says that visa has to be issued with a period of not exceeding 45 days of application.

Under the new regime, one can visit five places instead of the three at present and those above 65 years of age and children below 12 years of age and "eminent" businessmen are exempted from police reporting.

Under the category of visitor visa, earlier only single entry visa for three months used to be issued for meeting relatives, friends, business or other legitimate purpose. Moreover, visa could be only issued for longer period not exceeding one year if owing to the nature of work or business.

Under the new pact, single entry visa is to be issued for six months but stay should not exceed three months at a time and for five places.

Under a new Category II, a visitor visa for a maximum five specified places may be issued for a longer period, up to two years with multiple entries to senior citizens (those above 65 years), spouses of a national of one country married to a person of another country and children below 12 years of age accompanying parents as given earlier.

The new group tourist visa will be issued for not less than 10 people and not more than 50 people. This visa will be valid for 30 days and will have to be applied through tour operators, registered by the two governments. — PTI

It’s time for India, Pak to show greater understanding: Zardari

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has said the time has come for India and Pakistan to show greater understanding of each other’s concerns and sensitivities and to “move beyond reiteration of their positions to more substantive results” in the peace process.

Finding amicable and just solutions to resolve outstanding issues was important for Pakistan and India to ensure lasting peace and stability in the region, he said.

Zardari made the remarks during his meeting with visiting External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna at the presidency on Friday night.

Zardari “emphasised that it was time for the two countries to move beyond reiteration of their positions to more substantive results,” presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.

“Showing greater understanding of each other’s concerns and sensitivities would help in the solutions of mutual issues,” Zardari said.

He further said the two countries “must not allow the derailment of the normalisation process.”

In this regard, Zardari suggested the revival of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Mechanism comprising representatives of the foreign ministries, home and interior ministries and intelligence agencies of the two countries.

Multifaceted cooperation between the two sides is imperative for socio-economic development of people and to cope with the “common enemy” of terrorism, he said.

Pointing to the need to fight terrorism jointly, Zardari said Pakistan “stood resolute to fight it till the finish.”

Zardari renewed his call for India and Pakistan to make determined efforts for “friendly, cooperative and good neighbourly relations” and for “treading the path of productive and result-oriented dialogue.”

Zardari called for exchange of visits of businessmen and entrepreneurs to enhance bilateral trade.

He said frequent interactions of the leadership of the two countries will help provide impetus to efforts for ensuring peace and creating better understanding on various issues.

“We have great respect for Sonia Gandhi and hold Dr Manmohan Singh in high esteem. We appreciate (the Indian) Prime Minister’s vision for peace in South Asia,” he said.

Pakistan has an abiding interest in promoting regional peace and stability that would enable people to exploit “enormous opportunities available in South Asia,” the President remarked.

In a separate meeting with Krishna, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf expressed confidence that bilateral relations will improve and move forward “as we have set a direction.” Noting that both countries desire good relations, Ashraf said: “We must learn from the past. We cannot change neighbours.”

“No doubt Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek and other issues need to be resolved” but we need to have a positive approach to resolve them, he said. Ashraf too said terrorism is a “common enemy” of both countries.

He said there is political consensus in Pakistan on having good relations with India.

Ashraf also extended an invitation to the Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan.

Krishna told Ashraf that India is “committed to the stability, peace and prosperity of Pakistan,” said a statement issued by the Premier’s office.

He said he agreed with the Premier’s assessment that the current atmosphere between the two countries was good and added that both sides “need to create the right kind of atmosphere for creating a feel good factor.”

Krishna further said both Ashraf and Dr Manmohan Singh hail from the same region and this would help solve issues that haunt the two countries. — PTI

Terror groups may use sea route, warns PM

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday pitched for a comprehensive maritime domain awareness scheme as there were indications that terrorist groups are maintaining their ability to use the sea route. 

On the concluding day of a three-day long meeting of Directors and Inspectors General of Police here, Singh also said that there were increasing infiltration attempts in Jammu and Kashmir 

“In Jammu and Kashmir, we are beginning to see increasing infiltration attempts, across the Line of Control and even the International Border. There are also indications about terrorist groups maintaining their ability to use the sea route. 

“Vigilance, therefore, needs to be exercised not only on our land borders but along the coast line as well. The comprehensive scheme of Maritime Domain Awareness to be led by the Navy would help strengthen coastal vigilance, whereas deployment of more permanent border obstacles and better sensors could improve the situation along the land borders,” he said at the conference organised by Intelligence Bureau. 

Though the Prime Minister did not name any terror outfit, the Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba terror outfit had used the sea route to infiltrate into Mumbai in November 2008 and went on a shooting spree killing over 160 people. 

The Prime Minister also said that terror threat in the hinterland continues to be a cause for worry. 

“Although 19 interdictions have taken place, terrorists were able to strike in Mumbai and Delhi last year and in Pune this year. Investigations in these cases are yet to conclude,” Singh said. 

The Prime Minister said that his government was working on a robust cyber security structure that addresses threat management and mitigation, assurance and certification, specially building capacity and enhancing research. 

Calling upon private players to join in the plan of the government, Singh said, “Our country’s vulnerability to cyber crime is escalating as our economy and critical infrastructure become increasingly reliant on interdependent computer networks and the Internet. 

“Large-scale computer attacks on our critical infrastructure and economy can have potentially devastating results,” he said 

He also called for devising a strategy to counter the propaganda carried out in social networking sites and said, while working on a plan to counter it, a careful examination needs to be done that it does not infringe on the rights of freedom of expression of the people. 

“The use of bulk SMSes and social media to aggravate the communal situation is a new challenge that the recent disturbances have thrown before us. We need to fully understand how these new media are used by miscreants. 

“We also need to devise strategies to counter the propaganda that is carried out by these new means. Any measure to control the use of such media must be carefully weighed against the need for the freedom to express and communicate,” he said. 

He expressed hope that police forces would be able to work out effective strategies to deal with these tendencies and asked the top brass of the police to dedicate themselves to planned technological upgradation of their forces. 

There are many emerging areas where the police forces need to develop new expertise which include controlling use of new media by miscreants to spread rumours and falsehood. — PTI

Odisha violence: Tytler booked, 34 Cong workers arrested

BHUBANESWAR: Senior Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler, Niranjan Patnaik and several others were on Saturday booked by police in connection with a clash between party supporters and policemen during a rally that left over 260 people injured here.

"Different cases have been registered against several Congress leaders including state Congress in-charge Jagdish Tytler and Niranjan Patnaik on various charges pertaining to Thursday's violence," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Nitinjeet Singh said.

Welcoming the government's decision, Niranjan Patnaik, who is Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president, said, "Though police is acting at the behest of BJD government headed by Naveen Patnaik, we are ready to face the police case."

Singh said five cases have so far been registered at Capital Police Station and Kharavel Nagar police station while police intensified efforts to identify and arrest those responsible for the violence.

Cases were filed for various offences like criminal conspiracy, rioting, causing grievous injury, endangering lives of others, outraging modesty and mischief to destroy under different sections of IPC and Prevention of Destruction of Public Property Act, police said.

While over 34 persons have so far been arrested for the violence and attack on a woman constable, who was critically injured, more arrests are likely after identification of culprits with the help of CCTV footage, according to Assistant Commissioner of Police Nihar Das.

Thousands of Congress workers clashed with police on MG Road on Thursday while trying to picket the state Assembly building demanding resignation of Patnaik over the Coalgate row leaving around 260 people, including 60 police personnel injured. — PTI

China earthquake death toll 89

SHANGHAI: Rescuers in southwestern China tried on Saturday to reach remote communities rocked by back-to-back earthquakes that killed at least 89 persons and damaged thousands of buildings, state media reported. Shallow 5.6 magnitude quakes struck an impoverished, mountainous part of the country with poor infrastructure and communications on Friday and the death toll could rise as news trickled in from cut-off areas, the Xinhua news agency said.

The quakes cut off electricity and triggered landslides that blocked roads, hampering rescue efforts. Adding to rescuers' difficulties was rain which forecasters said was expected for the next three days.

State television showed crumbled walls and roads strewn with rubble and rocks.

More than 200,000 people in Yunnan province were relocated after the quakes leveled more than 6,600 houses and damaged many more thousands of buildings. Up to 740,000 people had been affected in Yunnan's six worst-hit counties, officials said.

In neighbouring Guizhou province, more than 11,700 houses were damaged and the lives of nearly 28,000 people were disrupted, the state news agency and officials said.

Buildings in China's less developed regions are often built with little regard for construction standards, making them susceptible to earthquakes.

Xinhua said more than 800 people were injured.

Most of the victims were from Yiliang county in Yunnan province, near the epicentre.

Premier Wen Jiabao held an emergency meeting on his plane as he flew to the disaster zone late on Friday. He reached Yiliang just after midnight and spent the night visiting quake survivors in villages and hospitals, Xinhua said.

State broadcaster CCTV also showed Wen talking to victims in a tent settlement set up for the displaced.

Rescuers in Yunnan said they had reached most of the worst-hit areas and the province's civil affairs department was quoted as putting direct economic losses at 3.5 billion yuan ($552 million).

The first quake hit at 11.19am (0319 GMT) on Friday and the second one about 45 minutes later at a depth of about 10km (6 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.

Earthquakes with an epicentre less than 70 km (45 miles) below the surface are considered shallow and can cause significant damage, even at lower magnitudes.

In 2008, about 87,600 people were killed in the southwestern province of Sichuan when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit. Many of the victims died in the rubble of homes and schools built without adequate steel reinforcement. — Reuters