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Javed Miandad cancels visit to India

LAHORE: Javed Miandad, whose son is married to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s daughter, on Friday cancelled his visit to Delhi in the wake of a raging controversy in India over giving him visa for the trip. 

Former Pakistan captain Miandad, who was to watch the third and final ODI in Delhi, cancelled his visit to avoid a controversy, a PCB official said on condition of anonymity. 

The official said the PCB did not want the focus to move away from cricket to other matters. 

Ever since news came out that Miandad, whose son Junaid married the fugitive Mumbai don’s daughter Mahrukh in Dubai in 2009, a controversy broke out in India over government giving him visa for the visit. 

The Indian government, however, justified the decision saying Miandad was not on the ‘negative list’ of those not to be given visas. 

BJP and Shiv Sena had on Thursday lashed out at the Government for granting visa to Miandad, asking how allowing a person related to Ibrahim would help improve bilateral ties. 

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Friday said there are four categories of people who have been given visas. 

“People who have return ticket and want to watch the match. People who are players. People who are on (Pakistan Cricket) Board,” he said. 

Khurshid had on Thursday said, “It’s a decision that has been taken by the Home Ministry. And I am sure they would have taken inputs from all concerned agencies and from our mission in Pakistan. I am sure they would have followed all procedures.” 

Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh had said, “He is a well known cricketer. His visa application papers were in order and valid and that is why the government has decided to give him visa.” 

There had been reports before a series in 2005 that a request for a visa by the batting great was turned down by the Indian government. 

The former captain was also granted visa to visit India in March, 2011 to witness the World Cup semifinal match between the arch-rivals at Mohali but he cancelled it due to some personal commitments. 

Interestingly, the PCB had not included Miandad’s name in a list of former captains and greats it had prepared for a felicitation in Kolkata during the second ODI on Thursday. 

The list included Intikhab Alam, Imtiaz Ahmed, Hanif Muhammad, Wasim Bari and Sadiq Muhammad. 

Former Pakistan captain, Imran Khan and his cousins, Majid Khan and Javed Burki had declined invitations from the PCB to go to India for the series. — PTI

Can’t disqualify MPs, MLAs facing criminal cases: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear a plea for disqualification of MPs and MLAs charge-sheeted for crime against women but agreed to go into issues of fast-track trial of rape cases and implementation of laws for safety of women.

The apex court, which was hearing two PILs filed after the December 16 gang-rape incident, said it can only give notice to the government on limited issues as some of the prayers made in the petitions were beyond its jurisdiction.

“The issue of disqualification of MPs and MLAs is not in our jurisdiction,” a Bench comprising justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra said.

“What is our power on MPs and MLAs. Obviously, such a sweeping relief can’t be sought,” the Bench said referring to the prayer made for a direction for suspension of MPs and MLAs who have been charge-sheeted for crime against women.

The Bench, during the hearing, suggested that the PIL petitioners should have taken a ground that if the investigation into the cases was not up to the mark, it should be treated as “misconduct” on the part of the Investigating Officer.

The Bench also asked the government to apprise it about the terms and references of justice J.S. Verma committee which was set up to review and strengthen the existing law on rape and offences against women.

While the submission was made about the disqualification of politicians facing criminal cases, the Bench observed that without going into the status of a person in life, they should be put on fast-track trial.

The Bench was told that out of 4,835 MPs and MLAs in the country, 1,448 are facing criminal cases.

However, the Bench said at the moment it was not concerned with the issue and decided to hear the PIL on the limited issues. — PTI

Police issues notice to Owaisi to appear for questioning

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh police on Friday issued notices to MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi to appear before it for questioning, a day after registering FIR against him for allegedly making “hate speech” against a particular community.

As part of further probe into the two cases, the MIM legislator was directed to appear before Investigation Officers of Nirmal (Rural) police in Adilabad district on January 7 and before the Nizambad II Town police on January 8.

The FIRs were registered suo moto at Adilabad and Nizamabad districts after the legislator had allegedly used inflammatory and derogatory language against a particular community during his public speeches last month.

The notices issued under section 41(A) of CrPC were pasted outside the residence of Akbaruddin in Banjara Hills, as he is reportedly in London for treatment and asked him to appear before police as part of further probe into the cases.

The MLA from Chandrayangutta here has been booked under IPC Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).

He has also been booked under IPC Section 121 (waging or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India).

Prima facie there seems to be evidence against the MLA, Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) V. Dinesh Reddy had earlier said, adding the MIM leader could be arrested if the charges against him were established during the probe.

“It is learnt that he is out of the country and if he fails to appear, then we will have to call him back and if necessary Interpol’s assistance will be taken,” the DGP had said. — PTI

India’s Mars exploration mission by Oct

KOLKATA: India’s tryst with Mars will begin in October to explore the red planet’s atmosphere and search for life-sustaining elements, a top space official said on Friday.

“We are trying very hard and by mid-October we are expecting to launch the Mars mission,” said J.N. Goswami, in charge of the exploration mission.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Indian Science Congress in Kolkata, Goswami said the mission is yet to get an official name.

The Rs 470-crore mission will demonstrate India’s capability to launch a spacecraft on a 55 million km journey from earth and look for life-sustaining elements from 500 km over the Martian surface.

“The mission has a very specific science objective as we want to study the atmosphere of Mars. This mission will explore things which have not been done previously by other countries,” said Goswami, director of Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad.

The Indian space agency plans to use a high-end rocket (PSLV-XL) to launch the 1.4-tonne Martian spacecraft from its Sriharikota spaceport, about 80 km northeast of Chennai, with five instruments to study various aspects of the red planet.

The Mars mission will allow India to join the elite club of five top nations comprising the US, Russia, Europe, China and Japan which have launched similar missions.

As the fourth planet from the Sun and smallest celestial object in the solar system, Mars is terrestrial with breath-taking valleys, deserts, craters and volcanoes in a thin atmosphere.

Named after the Roman god of war, the red planet has many similarities with Earth, like the rotation period and seasonal cycles. — IANS

Delhi shivers at 2.7 degrees C

New Delhi: Delhiites today pulled put more woollens from their winter wardrobe as morning temperature plummeted to the season's lowest of 2.7 degrees Celsius.
Today's minimum is four degree Celsius below normal and down from yesterday's 4.4 degrees Celsius. Yesterday, the maximum was 12.7 degrees Celsius.

Fog in the early morning hours slowed down traffic. On Tuesday, the minimum had dipped to four degree Celsius, the previous lowest for the season. On Wednesday, the city witnessed the coldest day in 44 years when maximum plummeted to 9.8 degrees.

The weatherman has predicted similar weather conditions for tomorrow with temperature between four and 15 degrees. 

Malala discharged from UK hospital

LONDON: The Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban as punishment for campaigning for girls' education has been discharged from the British hospital treating her, but will return soon for more surgery, the hospital said Friday. 

Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, central England, said 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai would continue her rehabilitation at her family's temporary English home before undergoing major reconstructive surgery in a few weeks. 

"Malala Yousufzai was discharged from Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) as an inpatient yesterday (3 January 2012) to continue her rehabilitation at her family's temporary home in the West Midlands," its statement said. 

"The 15-year-old, who was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' education, is well enough to be treated by the hospital as an outpatient for the next few weeks." 

Malala was shot on her school bus by a Taliban gunman in October, in an attack that shocked the world. 

The bullet grazed her brain, coming within centimetres of killing her, and she was airlifted from Pakistan to the specialist Queen Elizabeth Hospital days after the attack. 

"She is still due to be re-admitted in late January or early February to undergo cranial reconstructive surgery as part of her long-term recovery. and in the meantime she will visit the hospital regularly to attend clinical appointments," the hospital said. — AFP