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28 killed as Pak Taliban militants attack Karachi airport

Karachi: The brazen attack on Karachi international airport ended this afternoon after a 13-hour gun battle which left 28 people dead, including all the 10 terrorists.

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack which began just before midnight on Jinnah International Airport, the country's largest.

"We carried out this attack on the Karachi airport and it is a message to the Pakistani government that we are still alive to react over the killings of innocent people in bomb attacks on their villages," TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said in a statement to the media.

He said that the attack was also carried out to avenge the killing of former TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone strike.

The 10 militants divided into two groups of five attacked the airport, resulting in the 13-hour gun battle with security forces involving army, paramilitary Rangers, police and Airport Security Force (ASF).

Explosions and gunfire rang out as the attackers wearing military uniforms and suicide vests, and armed with grenades and rocket launchers attacked the airport in Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city and financial hub.

According to reports, 11 ASF personnel, two Rangers officials, one police officer and four Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) officials are among the dead.

"The attack is over and we have cleared the area of all militants," a spokesman for the paramilitary Rangers, Sibtain Rizvi, told reporters.

Twenty-eight people, including the 10 terrorists, were killed in the attack, one of the most daring in recent years in the port city. Twenty-four people have also been injured.

"The security forces killed seven terrorists while three blew themselves up during the fight," Director General, Rangers, Major General Rizwan Akhtar told media.

"Very soon we will hand over the airport to the civilian aviation authority to start its normal operations," he said.

Earlier, the military had declared an end to its operation to secure the airport but were forced to relaunch an assault after fresh firing erupted.

"All 10 terrorists have been killed, the airport secured and they were unable to damage any aircraft or installations," a spokesman of the military's Inter Services Pubic Relations (ISPR) said.

The terrorists were cornered and shot down after they stormed the old airport terminal building posing as Airport Security Force (ASF) personnel.

Sophisticated machine guns and rocket launchers were recovered from the slain terrorists who were being identified, he said. PTI

Life term for 7 cops in U'khand fake encounter case

New Delhi: Seventeen Uttarakhand police personnel, convicted of killing a 22-year-old MBA graduate in 2009 fake encounter, were today awarded life term by a Delhi court, a verdict which the victim's family received with disappointment saying death sentence should have given.

The life imprisonment was handed down by Special CBI Judge J P S Malik to the 17 policemen after having held them guilty on June six of involvement in the conspiracy to kidnap and kill Ghaziabad resident Ranbir Singh, who had gone to Dehradun to take up a job on July 3, 2009.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on seven cops--six Sub-Inspectors Santosh Kumar Jaiswal, Gopal Dutt Bhatt (SHO), Rajesh Bisht, Neeraj Kumar, Nitin Kumar Chauhan, Chander Mohan Singh Rawat and constable Ajit Singh--who were held guilty of killing the victim.

It has also directed 10 other policemen, convicted for conspiracy to kidnap and kill Ranbir, to furnish a fine of Rs 20,000 each.

The court asked the authorities concerned to give the collected fine as compensation to the family of Ranbir, who had graduated in MBA from Meerut University.

However, the family of the victim, which was present in the court, expressed unhappiness over the verdict and said they will appeal against it in the higher court.

The victim's mother, who was seen crying, said, "I want death for all the policemen who killed my younger son." Meanwhile, the wife of one of the convicts, Santosh Kumar Jaiswal, broke down in the courtroom, saying, "Where will we go? He (Santosh) is the only earning member in the family." The court, which had convicted policeman Jaspal Singh Gosain for the offence of a public servant framing incorrect record with an intention to save a person from punishment (section 218 IPC), however, awarded him two years imprisonment, which he has already undergone during the trial period.

Gosain, the then head operator at city control room, who was acquitted of all the other charges, was directed to furnish a bail bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of the like amount. — PTI

Beas tragedy: Bodies of 4 students and 24 survivors to be flown to Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Bodies of four students from a city-based engineering college, who were among their 24 classmates washed away in Beas river in Himachal Pradesh, will be flown to Hyderabad by tonight, Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma said.

The 24 other students, who were part of the 48-member group on tour, and survived the tragedy will also be flown in, he said.

"48 students had gone for the study tour and 24 of them washed away last evening in river Beas near Thalot on Manali-Kiratpur Highway, 40 kms from Mandi, and bodies of four students, three girls and a boy, were traced and their postmortem was also conducted," Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Sharma said here.

In Himachal Pradesh, the rescue teams comprising SSB, state police, homeguard and local divers are carrying out search to trace rest of the students who had washed away.

"Bodies of A Vijetha, Lakshmi Gayathri, G Aishwarya and B Rambabu will be flown by a helicopter from the incident site to Chandigarh from where they will be brought in a flight to Hyderabad. The 24 students who survived the incident will fly to Hyderabad by tonight," the Telangana police chief said.

At least three faculty members are also likely to be flown along with 24 survivors.

Telangana Police are in touch with their counterparts since the incident and a police team along with senior government officials and Home Minister Naini Narsimha Reddy had already gone to the spot and spoken to local authorities there to make necessary arrangements in this regard, Sharma said.

The DGP said he had already spoken to senior police officers of Himachal Pradesh and the search operations will be further intensified once the water level in the river subsidies.

"The water-level is more. We have to wait till the water subsidies. Extra boats and divers will also be pressed into service and with help from army, the rescue operation will be intensified once the water-level comes down," Sharma said.

On the state of anxious parents of the students, Sharma said "We are with them. They have to observe patience (during this difficult times)." PTI

Situation difficult; steps to revive economy on anvil: Pranab

NEW DELHI: Terming the current economic situation as "extremely difficult", President Pranab Mukherjee today expressed the government's commitment to put India back on high growth path, while containing inflation and making tax regime non-adversarial.

"...putting the Indian economy back on track is paramount for my government. We will work together to usher our economy into high growth path, rein in inflation, reignite the investment cycle, accelerate job creation and restore the confidence of domestic as well as international community in our economy," he said.

The President in his address to the joint sitting of Parliament unveiled the policies and priorities of the BJP - led NDA government which assumed power last month after elections to the 16th Lok Sabha.

The economy, Mukherjee said is "passing through an extremely difficult phase. For the two consecutive years, our GDP growth has been less than 5 per cent. Tax collection has declined. Inflation continues to be an at unacceptable level".

Referring to the high food inflation, he said the new government will give "top most priority" to contain it.

The government, he added, will take effective steps to prevent hoarding and black marketing and reform the public distribution system, incorporating best practices from the states.

The President further said the government is alert about the possibility of a subnormal monsoon this year and is in the process of preparing contingency plan to deal with the situation. - PTI

Beas tragedy: Bodies of 4 students and 24 survivors to be flown to Hyd 

Hyderabad, June 9
Bodies of four students from a city-based engineering college, who were among their 24 classmates washed away in Beas river in Himachal Pradesh, will be flown to Hyderabad by tonight, Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma said.

The 24 other students, who were part of the 48-member group on tour, and survived the tragedy will also be flown in, he said.

"48 students had gone for the study tour and 24 of them washed away last evening in river Beas near Thalot on Manali-Kiratpur Highway, 40 kms from Mandi, and bodies of four students, three girls and a boy, were traced and their postmortem was also conducted," Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Sharma said here.

In Himachal Pradesh, the rescue teams comprising SSB, state police, homeguard and local divers are carrying out search to trace rest of the students who had washed away.

"Bodies of A Vijetha, Lakshmi Gayathri, G Aishwarya and B Rambabu will be flown by a helicopter from the incident site to Chandigarh from where they will be brought in a flight to Hyderabad. The 24 students who survived the incident will fly to Hyderabad by tonight," the Telangana police chief said.

At least three faculty members are also likely to be flown along with 24 survivors.

Telangana Police are in touch with their counterparts since the incident and a police team along with senior government officials and Home Minister Naini Narsimha Reddy had already gone to the spot and spoken to local authorities there to make necessary arrangements in this regard, Sharma said.

The DGP said he had already spoken to senior police officers of Himachal Pradesh and the search operations will be further intensified once the water level in the river subsidies.

"The water-level is more. We have to wait till the water subsidies. Extra boats and divers will also be pressed into service and with help from army, the rescue operation will be intensified once the water-level comes down," Sharma said.

On the state of anxious parents of the students, Sharma said "We are with them. They have to observe patience (during this difficult times)." PTI

Security increased at IGIA after terrorist attack on 
Karachi airport

NEW DELHI: Security at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here has been tightened following a terrorist attack on Pakistan's largest airport in Karachi in which at least 28 people, including 10 terrorists, were killed.

"Security measures have been increased as per Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). Joint patrolling by Delhi Police and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel are being carried out. Security personnel have also been asked to be more cautious during checking and frisking of passengers," a senior Delhi Police officer said.

Security has been beefed up at both the terminals of the IGIA, the largest airport in the country, while additional barricades have been set up on roads leading to the airport and vehicles are being randomly checked.

While Delhi Police is responsible for the outer most security ring at the airport, around 3,000 CISF personnel are responsible for its internal security.

CISF is also on alert and the men have been asked to be extra vigilant and on the lookout for any suspicious activity, an official said.

In a brazen attack last night, heavily armed Pakistani Taliban militants launched a major assault on Pakistan's largest airport in Karachi in which at least 28 people, including 10 terrorists, were killed before security forces today eventually regained control over the key facility.

The militants attacked the Jinnah International Airport late last night, resulting in a six-hour gun battle with security forces involving army, paramilitary Rangers, police and Airport Security Force.

Explosions and gunfire rang out as the attackers wearing military uniforms and suicide vests, and armed with grenades and rocket launchers attacked the airport in Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city and financial hub. - PTI 

Lokpal important to curb corruption: President

NEW DELHI: Lokpal Act is important to curb corruption and rules will be formulated under it, Government asserted today while promising to provide a "clean and efficient" administration.

"My government is committed to providing a clean and efficient administration focused on delivery. The institution of Lokpal is important to curb corruption and my government will endeavour to formulate rules in conformity with the Act," President Pranab Mukherjee said while outlining the Narendra Modi government's roadmap in his address to the joint sitting of Parliament.

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act provides for the establishment of a Lokpal for the Union and Lokayuktas for the states to inquire into corruption charges against public functionaries.

Mukherjee had given his assent to this Act on January 1 this year.

The last UPA government could not go ahead with the much-touted appointment of Lokpal due to objection raised by BJP in the selection procedure of the anti-corruption body.

Mukherjee, in his address today, said government will take various measures to build confidence and morale of bureaucrats.

"My government will take steps to build the confidence and morale of our bureaucracy; enabling it with the freedom to work, and welcoming innovative ideas," he said.

There are about 4,619 officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), who are considered as backbone of government decision-making, working across the country.

Mukherjee said the government will stress on putting in place transparent systems and time-bound delivery of government services.

"Government systems and processes will be revisited to make them citizen-friendly, corruption-free and accountable.

Efforts will be made to eliminate obsolete laws, regulations, administrative structures and practices," he said.

The President said rationalization and convergence among ministries, departments and other arms of the government will be ensured to have focused delivery. "Digitization of government records will be done for improving accessibility," said Mukherjee.

He said e-governance brings empowerment, equity and efficiency and has the power to transform peoples' lives.

"The backbone of my government's new ways of working will be a Digital India. Information Technology will be used to drive re-engineering of government processes to improve service delivery and programme implementation," he said.- PTI

Modi govt promises zero tolerance towards communal violence

NEW DELHI: Promising zero tolerance towards communal violence, the Narendra Modi government today said a national policy will be framed in consultation with states to curb the menace.

Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament after the recent Lok Sabha polls, President Pranab Mukherjee said the new government will ensure utmost vigil in the area of internal security.

"A policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, extremism, riots and crime will be pursued... A national plan will be chalked out in consultation with the state governments to effectively curb incidents of communal violence and the challenges posed by left wing extremism," he said.

BJP had earlier opposed the UPA government's move to enact a stringent Communal Violence Bill, terming it as "the most obnoxious piece of legislation in independent India".

The party was maintaining that the proposed legislation would hurt the federal structure of the country as it provides for direct central intervention in case of riots.

The President said states will be assisted for modernisation of police infrastructure and equipment to tackle new forms of terrorism, including narco-terrorism and cyber threats.

Mukherjee said the government will take steps to equip the security forces with the latest technology and to improve their working conditions. - PTI

RCom launches roaming plan 'One India One Rate'

NEW DELHI: Reliance Communications (RCom) today launched 'One India One Rate Plans' that will allow customers to pay the same rate for local, STD and roaming calls from anywhere in the country.

The telecom operator has introduced two plans of Rs 599 and Rs 350 for its post-paid users and pack of Rs 45 for its pre-paid customers which will have free incoming calls while roaming and same rate as home network for outgoing calls.

"We are delighted to launch the One India, One Rate Plans in the country, which abolish differentiated tariffs for roaming, STD and local calls in India," Reliance Communications Chief Executive Officer (Consumer Business) Gurdeep Singh said in a statement.

He added the plans will help the company to attract customers in the high-value corporate and SME roaming segments.

The company said for Rs 599 plan, users will get 1,200 minutes of free outgoing calls (roaming, STD, local), unlimited national incoming roaming free, 2 GB data and 100 SMSes free whereas a flat outgoing rate of 30 paisa/min will be applied for calls after the free minutes are used up.

For Rs 350, the users will get 700 minutes of free outgoing calls (roaming, STD, local), 200 free incoming national roaming minutes, 1 GB data and 100 SMSes free and subsequently a flat rate of 40 paisa/min applies after the free minutes are used up.

The pre-paid users will get free incoming calls while roaming with a pack of Rs 45 with validity of one month and outgoing calls will be charged 40 paisa/min.

"This unique offer is meant not just for frequent roamers, but also for infrequent roamers who can subscribe to these plans and have peace of mind without having to worry when they roam or make STD calls," the company said. - PTI