NEW DELHI: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money has found that less than half of the HSBC bank list of over 600 accounts did not have any money, while more than hundred names were a repeat, hampering the possibility of any action against them.

The Income Tax Department is now mulling prosecution against 300 entities figuring on the list of 628 entries in the HSBC Geneva list given to the Supreme Court recently, official sources said.

The SIT found and reported that there was no amount shown in almost 289 HSBC Geneva entries, while 122 of them were repeated twice in the same list.

"The SIT found that the biggest impediment in taking action against the people listed in this particular lot was that there were no details about the operations of these accounts. It was not reflected in the list as to when these accounts were opened and what was their transaction history," the sources said.

The report of the SIT, headed by retired Supreme Court Judge M.B. Shah with Justice (retd) Arijit Pasayat as its Vice-Chairman, said the I-T Department had undertaken 150 search or survey operations against those named in the list but prosecution proceedings were yet not final against them.

"Now that this list has been handed over to the apex Court and the cases are nearing time barring stage by the end of this fiscal, the department is mulling to launch prosecution in close to 300 cases," they said.

The SIT has also sought "renegotiation" of various tax information exchange treaties which India has with various countries and tax haven nations in order to effectively curb the menace of illegal funds stashed abroad. 

In the report submitted to the government early this year, the SIT has cited the areas of concern for the investigating and enforcement agencies which are tasked to keep a check on these 'black' funds and illegal economy.

"The SIT has asked the government to take up renegotiation of the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs) and the Tax Information Exchange Treaties (TIEAs) in context of some specific countries.

"This is a time-consuming affair but an early start would help the country in accomplishing its desire to crack down on illegal funds kept overseas by Indians," official sources said quoting the SIT report.

As a consequence of this specific request, the government told the SIT that the Finance Ministry has already begun the exercise in this direction.

"The government informed the SIT that out of the 78 DTAAs India had, renegotiation has been taken up with 75 countries for providing banking information under this legal mode of exchange of tax information. The other three countries-- Tajikistan, Iceland and Myanmar-- already have this arrangement," sources said.

The government also told the SIT, sources said, that it has completed renegotiations in approximately 31 cases, has sought the approval of the Cabinet for the same in about 30 cases while India is wanting to have new DTAAs, which will include banking related clauses, with over 50 countries.

In the same report, the SIT also noted an "innovative" method undertaken by the CBDT against these people by allowing them to seek details from Swiss banks themselves in lieu of which they will be allowed waiver in imposition of strict punishment under tax laws.

"The consent waiver was given to over 100 account holders so that they themselves seek information on their Swiss bank accounts and hand it over to the tax department following which they will be prosecuted under lighter degrees of law," they said.

The SIT has also desired that it would want the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to act as the nodal agency for its operations as it enforces the stringent criminal law of Prevention of Money Laundering Act against black money hoarders.

"It is being mulled that some bright officers will soon be deputed in the ED against existing vacancies who would exclusively handle cases entrusted by the SIT," they said.

The SIT has recently also announced that it would seek information against black money hoarders from the public and it will soon announce the communication channel to be used by the general public in this regard. — PTI

Al-Qaida training Indian militants for big
attacks: Intelligence officials

NEW DELHI: Decrypted communications between Indian Mujahideen (IM) and al-Qaida and testimony from suspects have triggered alarm among intelligence officials in New Delhi — the groups appear to be working together to launch major attacks in the region.

The officials said that plots they had uncovered included the kidnapping of foreigners and turning India into a "Syria and Iraq where violence is continuously happening".

Allegiances between Islamist militant groups can be murky and fleeting, and providing concrete proof of operational ties is notoriously difficult.

But Indian security agencies said evidence they had gathered pointed to growing ties between al-Qaida and IM, a home-grown movement hitherto known for low-level attacks on local targets using relatively crude weapons like pressure cooker bombs.

Weeks after al-Qaida announced the formation of a South Asia wing to strike across the subcontinent, agencies said they had discovered IM members were training with al-Qaida and other groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan for major attacks.

That increases the risk of a more dangerous form of militancy in the world's biggest democracy, which has been largely spared the kind of violence that regularly rocks its neighbour Pakistan and, beyond it, Afghanistan.

Security officials cite last Sunday's deadly suicide bombing on the Pakistani side of a border crossing with India, and a terror alert on Tuesday at two eastern ports that forced the Indian navy to withdraw two ships, as evidence that militant coordination and activity are on the rise.

"The thing we are looking for is how al-Qaida/ISIS tie up with local groups, especially as the drawdown takes place in Afghanistan," said Sharad Kumar, head of the NIA (National Investigation Agency), the country's main counter-terrorism arm.

ISIS, also known as Islamic State, has carved out swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, but its influence over militant groups in South Asia is believed to be limited so far.

Al-Qaida is deeply entrenched, however, with leader Ayman al-Zawahri believed to be hiding near the Afghan-Pakistan border and its militants fighting Nato forces in Afghanistan. Foreign combat troops are due to withdraw at the end of the year.

Some members of IM are already fighting alongside al-Qaida in Afghanistan, according to an Indian government chargesheet against 11 suspected members of the group alleged to have plotted attacks in India.

The worry is that more battle hardened fighters could now turn their sights on their homeland.

Others have enlisted with al-Qaida to try to carry out kidnappings of Jews in India and Nepal to secure the release of Pakistani Aafia Siddiqui, a neuroscientist jailed for 86 years in the United States for attempting to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan.

Siddiqui is a cause-celebre among global militant groups, including Islamic State, which proposed swapping her for American journalist James Foley before executing him when its demands were not met.

IM has also been urged by al-Qaida to open a base in Myanmar to avenge attacks on Rohingya Muslims, said the chargesheet prepared by the NIA, which has gathered hundreds of pieces of evidence of internet conversations and meetings between militants in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The internet chats, which the United States helped Indian investigators to decipher, reveal tensions between IM and Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency, which India says has nurtured the group with finance and equipment.

In one conversation, Riaz Bhatkal, one of the founders of IM now based in the Pakistani city of Karachi, tells his men that it was important to build direct ties with al-Qaida, cutting out Pakistan agents whom he described as "dogs".

He talks about visiting al-Qaida leaders in the tribal belt on the Afghan-Pakistan border, despite ISI orders not to do so.

"It has been clear for some time that there is no group that is fully within ISI control. They are all itching for independent action, some want to have a go at us immediately," said an Indian security official.

Pakistani officials deny they have links with the militants.

"This is an outdated story. It does not serve any purpose for Pakistan to support such groups," said a senior intelligence official in Islamabad, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media about the issue.

"These terrorists are openly attacking us, the army, innocent civilians, everyone here is a target," he said. "Why would they do so if we were helping them in any way?"

On Sunday, at least 57 Pakistanis were killed in a suicide bombing at Wagah, near the Indian border, which the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat Ahrar group, whose leader has ties to al-Qaida, said was also aimed at India.

A spokesman issued a direct warning to PM Narendra Modi, saying his group would avenge the killings of Muslims in Gujarat, which Modi governed from 2001 to 2014.

Two Indian naval warships were abruptly ordered back to sea on Tuesday, a day after they docked at Kolkata port after intelligence agencies issued a terror alert.

On Wednesday the warning was widened to the neighbouring Haldia port, the site of a huge petrochemicals complex.

Kolkata Port Trust deputy chairman Manish Jain, who is also in charge of the Haldia port complex, said security had been enhanced several times over in both the ports.

He did not have more details, but a police officer in Kolkata said they had been warned of an attack by Pakistan-based militants.

"It is the Afghan drawdown, there is a competition to do something spectacular. Wagah was the first," the officer said. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: Day after a poll drubbing, US President Barack Obama struck a defiant tone saying he is ready to work with Republicans but could bypass Congress on issues like immigration reforms that would allow 11 million illegal immigrants, including 2.4 lakh Indians, to stay in the country.

Exuding full confidence in the future of America, Obama in his 90-minute speech said, "We have all the best cards relative to every other country on Earth." "I am really optimistic about America. I know that runs counter to the current mood, but when you look at the facts, our economy is stronger than just about anybody's," he said.

"The United States continues to be a magnet for the best and brightest from all around the world. My job over the next couple of years is to do some practical, concrete things -- as much as possible with Congress; where it's not possible with Congress, on my own -- to show people why we should be confident, and to give people a sense of progress and a sense of hope," Obama said.

The US leader stopped short of accepting direct responsibility for his Democratic party's defeat at the hands of Republicans who snatched control of the Senate, tightened its grip on the House of Representatives and won key Democrat governorships.

Obama said the US has made real progress since he took over.

"The fact is more Americans are working; unemployment has come down. More Americans have health insurance. Manufacturing has grown. Our deficits have shrunk. Our dependence on foreign oil is down, as are gas prices," he said.

Obama said he is ready to work with the Republican Party, which now controls the Congress, to advance the national agenda.

"I'm eager to work with the new Congress to make the next two years as productive as possible. I'm committed to making sure that I measure ideas not by whether they are from Democrats or Republicans, but whether they work for the American people," he said.

"Congress will pass some Bills I cannot sign. I'm pretty sure I'll take some actions that some in Congress will not like," he said.

But, in the absence of a strong legislative base for the remaining two years of his presidency, Obama said he would press ahead with plans on immigration reform.

He said he would take executive action this year, without waiting to see whether the new Congress makes progress toward a comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform bill.

"So before the end of the year, we're going to take whatever lawful actions that I can take that I believe will improve the functioning of our immigration system that will allow us to surge additional resources to the border, where I think the vast majority of Americans have the deepest concern," Obama said.

According to estimates, there are 11 million illegal immigrants in the US, including over 240,000 Indians.

A comprehensive immigration reform, he said, "would give an opportunity for folks who’ve lived here, in many cases, for a very long time, may have kids who are US citizens, but aren’t properly documented -- give them a chance to pay their back taxes, get in the back of the line, but get through a process that allows them to get legal".

Obama said he would be reaching out to both Mitch McConnell, the incoming Senate Majority Leader and John Boehner, Speaker of the US House of Representative and other Republican as well as Democratic leaders to find out how it is that they want to proceed.

He acknowledged that the Republicans won Tuesday's elections, but framed the results as a mandate for Republicans to work with him, instead of the other way around.

"But we can surely find ways to work together on issues where there's broad agreement among the American people," he said. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Sharing his anger and pain after being stripped of the captaincy in 1997, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that the "unceremonious" sacking was very "embarrassing" and "humiliating".

Writing in his autobiography 'Playing It My Way', published by Hachette India, Tendulkar recalled the drawn three-match series against Sri Lanka, which preceded his sacking.

"At the end of the series, I was unceremoniously sacked as skipper. No one from the BCCI managed to call me or inform me of my removal as captain before someone from the media called to say I was no longer captain," Tendulkar has written.

Tendulkar, 41, said the being removed from the position made him more determined to play better cricket.

"I was actually with my friends in Sahitya Sahawas. I felt extremely humiliated to hear this, but the manner in which the whole thing was handled strengthened my resolve to be a better cricketer in the years to come.

"I told myself that the BCCI mandarins might be able to take the captaincy away from me, but no one could do the same as far as my own cricket was concerned," he wrote.

Even as he vowed to do better, Tendulkar said the "sense of ignominy and the pain were still there".

"During my tenure as captain some of the players used to call me 'skip', so when one of the players shouted out 'skipper' in our next engagement in Dhaka, I automatically turned around to answer the call. That's when it really hit me that I was no longer the captain of the Indian cricket team.

"Now I simply had to focus on my batting and win some matches for the team. So that's what I did," he writes.

Tendulkar also revealed that he was "so focused on doing well" that after losing his wicket in one of the matches in Bangladesh due to distraction caused by movement around the sight-screen, he yelled at the then Bangladesh Cricket Board president Ashraful Haq on his way back to pavilion.

"I ended up shouting at someone who has since become a good friend. This incident, which has caused us both much embarrassment, took place in the second of the three finals of the Silver Jubilee Independence Cup in Dhaka in 1998.

"There was a lot of movement in front of and around the sight-screen and, despite my repeated complaints, things did not improve. I was distracted and lost my wicket soon after.

"On my way back to the pavilion I was livid and, when someone came across to apologise, I just screamed at him, saying Bangladesh did not deserve to host international cricket if the basic fundamentals were not in place.

"Only later did I realise that the man I had yelled at was Ashraful Haq, then president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board and currently chief executive of the Asian Cricket Council. Ever since, whenever we meet, we start by saying sorry to each other for what happened!," he said. — PTI