Sunday, June 27, 1999
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Tilt in US policy |
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Pawar for RS session on Kargil
issue Thakre blames Cong for Kargil
crisis SC/ST body meets President 1490 custody deaths since March
’98 IA offers lowest-ever fares Conflict may escalate: Shekhar Remove Advani, Joshi, says Jaya Medical care poor: ex-servicemen Phone rates slashed for Kargil
jawans George denies Army Chief’s
‘suggestion’ VC held in B.Ed degree scam ‘Taal’ first Hindi movie
on net Colonel’s cremation at
Selayur today Letters to soldiers will be
displayed Delhi takes steps to tackle floods |
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Tilt in US policy NEW DELHI, June 26 — Washington’s support to India on the Kargil conflict reflects a clear tilt in the pro-Pakistan policy pursued by the USA since the Nixon-Kissinger days in the seventies. Marking an end to the pro-Pakistan policy drafted by the former US Secretary of State, Mr Henry Kissinger, the US President, Mr Bill Clinton, by holding Pakistan responsible for escalating tension with India has clearly demonstrated Washington’s changing perception of the conflict in the Indian subcontinent. The tilt in the US policy has been evident for sometime now as Washington has been calling for a bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir dispute, officials of the Ministry of External Affairs said. The rising Islamic fundamentalism in the world and Pakistan’s clear association with it is perhaps one of the main reasons for the changing US perception, analysts say. The US President has also evinced keen interest in visiting India and Pakistan before the end of his presidency and this has been made possible due to the efforts of several key officials in the Clinton Administration. A discernible change in the US policy towards India was evident during Mr Clinton’s first term itself with the late Ron Brown, who was then the Commerce Secretary, playing a key role in plugging the holes in the Indo-US relationship. Mr Brown’s efforts have been pursued further by Mr Bruce Reidel, Senior Director of South Asia at the White House, and Mr Karl Inderfurth, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia. According to reports, Mr Reidel has been responsible for firming up the US stand on Kargil and had taken a strong stand on respecting the Line of Control (LoC) during his briefing to top officials involved in diplomacy. It may be recalled that Mr Reidel was the first to state that the LoC was well demarcated and that neither India nor Pakistan had any problems with regard to that in the past. Pentagon, too, has appreciated India’s stand as it has all along believed that Pakistan is directly involved in the conflict. Mr Karl Inderfurth, who was appointed Secretary of State for South Asia in the Clinton Administration three years ago, has strengthened India’s cause. The New York Times recently quoted him as saying that the intruders had only two choices: either they could leave or they would be thrown out by India. Mr Inderfurth, who is considered close to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, has been at the forefront of redrafting the US policy on India. Pakistan’s apparent
blackmail of using the nuclear option in the absence of
international mediation has also made it lose more
friends. Non-proliferation hardliners, too, are looking
more kindly at India. India’s declaration of
"no first use" has also won it many admirers in
the Clinton Administration. |
Cong leaders donate blood NEW DELHI, June 26 — A blood donation camp was organised today by the AICC relief committee and the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee at Talkatora Stadium here for soldiers of the Indian armed forces, fighting at Kargil. The President of the Indian National Congresses, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, inaugurated the camp and also donated blood. Prominent amongst those who also donated blood were Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijay Singh, CWC member Jitendra Prasada, AICC Treasurer Ahmed Patel, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mr Oscar Fernandes, Mr R K Dhawan, Ms Ambika Soni, all General Secretaries of the AICC, spokesman of AICC Ajit Jogi, Dr S.C. Vats, Mr V Narayansamy, Mr Mukal Wasnik, Mr Imran Kidwai, Maj Sudhir Sawant, all Secretaries of the AICC, Mrs Meira Kumar M.P., DPCC President Subhash Chopra, General Secretary of the DPCC Romesh Sabharwal, All-India Mahila Congress President Chandresh Kumari, office-bearers of the Mahila Congress Jaya Shukla and Capt Sangeeta Parmar. Those present on the occasion included, Mr Sitaram Kesri, Mr Arjun Singh, Mr Shiv Raj Patil, Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit, Chief of the Indian Youth Congress Manish Tiwari, ministers of the Delhi government, MLAs and Municipal Councillors of Delhi. More than 500 activists
of the Congress donated blood and more than 9000 donors
were enlisted for meeting any future blood requirement
for the Indian armed forces. |
Pawar for RS session on Kargil
issue NEW DELHI, June 26 — The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today said it favoured a Rajya Sabha session on a limited agenda of expressing solidarity with the armed forces who were engaged in a battle to evict the intruders in Kargil sector. "If there is any need, it is to express solidarity with the armed forces and not debate who is at fault. That can be done later on. Now is the time to save the nation and stand behind the defence forces," the NCP President, Mr Sharad Pawar said today. Mr Pawar said in case there is a full-fledged discussion, then the NCP preferred that the session be behind closed-doors. He also said the government should ignore suggestions from international community to resume talks with Pakistan till the Army action to evict the intruders was over. He said it would not be proper to hold talks with Pakistan when action was on in Kargil. "Kashmir and Kargil cannot be discussed simultaneously", he said. Mr Pawar said his party’s working committee, which met today, took stock of the political situation and decided to hold negotiations with like-minded parties for alliances. He said the NCP would prefer to have tie-up with those outfits that were eager to prevent the advent of either the BJP or Congress government at the Centre. The NCP, he said, would talk to parties like the Janata Dal, the CPI and regional parties like the Republican Party of India. To a question if the NCP would contact the Sarb Hind SAD of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, he said his party had received suggestions to this effect and it would be considered. Mr Pawar also discounted reports that a former Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhajan Lal, was in touch with him or there was any contact with a former Union Minister, Mr H.K.L.Bhagat. However, he said, there were many Congress members who were unhappy with the Indian National Congress (I). "But Congressmen take time to decide," he quipped. To a question, whether
there has been any dilution in the stand of a
Constitutional amendment to prevent any foreign born
becoming the Prime Minister of the country, Mr Pawar said
there was an opinion that amendment in the Citizenship
Act could result in the objective being achieved. |
Thakre blames Cong for Kargil crisis AHMEDABAD, June 26 (PTI) — BJP President Kushabhau Thakre today blamed the Congress for the Kargil crisis saying the recent incursion would not have taken place had the then Nehru government succeeded in checking the annexation of one-thirds of Kashmir by Pakistan in 1948. Addressing a press conference here Mr Thakre lambasted the Congress for trying to show the intrusion in the Kargil, Batalik and Dras sectors of Jammu and Kashmir by militants and Pakistani army regulars as the BJP-led government’s failure. "We did not internationalise the Kargil issue. Rather it was Pandit Nehru who did it by allowing the Kashmir issue to be taken to the UN in 1948 after one-thirds of Kashmir was overrun by Pakistani soldiers in the garb of tribals. "Though then Home Minister Sardar Patel was against the idea of taking the Kashmir issue to the UN Pandit Nehru was adamant. The ceasefire was called and the issue taken before the UN for arbitration at a critical time when the Indian armed forces were very close to vanquishing the invaders from Kashmir." he said. "Then, who can
forget the Himalayan blunder of the Nehru government in
1962 during the war with China resulting in a humiliating
defeat of the Indian armed forces," Mr Thakre added. |
SC/ST body meets President NEW DELHI, June 26 - The Confederation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Organisations has approached the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, for a redressal of their grievances. The confederation, which has been at the forefront of a countrywide agitation to demand the withdrawal of five controversial Office Memoranda (OMs) issued by the Department of Personnel and Training during the earlier United Front regime, has now placed its demands before the President. The OMs issued on January 30, 1997, July 2, July 22, August 13 and August 29 has an impact among other things, on the rule of seniority for SC/ST employees in government organisations, removal of lower evaluation standards in departmental examinations and stoppage of special recruitment drives. The confederation Chairman, Mr Ramraj, who led a delegation to the President, informed Mr Narayanan that the bureaucracy was responsible for preventing the withdrawal of the controversial OMs. The confederation also
demanded enactment of the Reservation Act, recognition of
SC/ST employees associations, extension of reservation to
the private sector as also the judiciary and the Army,
empowerment of the National Commission for SC/ST,
time-bound promotion to safai karamcharis and ban on the
contract system. |
1490 custody deaths since March ’98 NEW DELHI, June 26 (PTI) — India has witnessed 1,490 custodial deaths since March last year with Uttar Pradesh registering the highest number of 269 such deaths among the states. Assam followed UP with 195 custodial deaths while Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh recorded 148, 139 and 133 such deaths respectively, during the period, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) statistics, released on the eve of international day in support of torture victims, said here. The Amnesty International report 1999 says torture continues to be widespread in India with hundreds of reported custodial deaths. "Conditions in many prisons and juvenile homes amounting to cruel and inhuman treatment, and torture, including rape, and ill-treatment continued to be endemic throughout the country," the Amnesty report says. Thousands of political
prisoners and human rights activists were detained
without charge or trial, it says adding that NHRC’s
recommendations in 1996 calling for reform of prison
legislation had not been implemented. |
IA offers lowest-ever fares MUMBAI, June 26 (PTI) — In the ongoing fare war between Indian Airlines (IA) and the private carriers, the national carrier today announced the lowest ever fares on the Mumbai-Delhi sector — Rs 3,800 (one way) economy fare — which would come into effect from July 1. An IA official said here today that during the month of July, which is considered to be a lean season, the airline had offered a special fare of Rs 3,800, as against the Rs 4,111 fare offered by Sahara Airlines and Jet Airways. Sahara kicked it off when the airline offered last month a fixed fare of Rs 4,111 on this sector. Jet followed it up by announcing a similar fare from July 1 till September 30. "Let us see now how the two private airlines will match our offer," an IA official told PTI. According to the official, the normal commissions to the travel agents would continue along with "seven plus scheme" and "10 plus scheme". Under the scheme, a passenger who completes travel on seven or 10 sectors on IA or alliance air flights between Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad would get one return ticket on any of the 16 international destinations under the "seven plus scheme" or two tickets under the "10 plus scheme". The official said the
free return ticket offer for an accompanying spouse stood
withdrawn in July. |
Conflict may escalate: Shekhar NEW DELHI, June 26 (UNI) — Decrying the “highly provocative” statements by both sides, former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar has asked the political leadership in India and Pakistan to take a mature view instead of challenging each other and resorting to irresponsible talk. “Having gone nuclear, it is incumbent upon the political leadership of both countries to use restrained language and understand the desirability of respecting the sentiments of the people on both sides”, Mr Chandra Shekhar said in a statement. He feared that the conflict in Kargil might take a serious turn. He said there seemed to be little awareness among both sides about the wider implications of the deteriorating situation in Kargil. The former Prime Minister said no one in India, with a sense of responsibility, would like accentuation of the conflict, but there were some sections who held the extreme views. “It is sad that voices are being raised that India should not hesitate to use nuclear weapons to teach a lesson to Pakistan. I am sure there will be a similar reaction among many in Pakistan. Mr Nawaz Sharif seems to have fallen a prey to this psychology’’. He said the Pakistani Prime Minister should have restrained from warning India of more Kargils on the borders and use more sober language. “It is common knowledge that Pakistan has its internal problems. It will be a costly gamble to divert the attention of the citizenry from these problems by engaging India in an armed conflict.” Mr Shekhar said India and Pakistan’s decision to go nuclear, while both of them had not been able to meet the basic needs of the people, was “ill-considered adventurism”. “Hardly one year has passed and we hear voices of nuclear confrontation in the subcontinent. A highly dangerous situation can emerge in the area by such intentions being expressed by responsible persons. The situation is more vulnerable because of our suspicions and apprehensions about each other’’. He said: “It seems
that time is not far-off when the Government of India
will be left with little option. This will result in a
full-fledged war. It will be disastrous for both
countries”. |
Pak terrorist state: Advani NEW DELHI, June 26 (UNI, PTI) — Home Minister L.K. Advani has said that Pakistan certainly earns the title of a terrorist state in accordance with the norms laid down by many Western countries as it is directly involved in “promoting terrorism, subversion and violence” in India. In Pakistan, there is no single centre of power and there are several autonomous power centres, all behaving in their own fashion, thus making it an irresponsible rogue state,” Mr Advani said in an interview with Eenadu Television. Referring to the statement by the Chief of Army Staff, Gen V.P. Malik, that there were certain constraints on account of the Cabinet decision to cross the LoC, the Home Minister said, “At present we are not considering this option. We would be able to contain this act of aggression by Pakistan even with these constraints.” Justifying the government’s decision, he said “if we had not imposed these constraints we may not have got the kind of universal support that we have got today. Otherwise there would been a confusion as to who was the real aggressor.” Regarding Defence Minister George Fernandes’ reported statement on the Kargil issue, Mr Advani said he (George) was merely pointing out that in this particular episode, the decision-making in Pakistan may have been at the army-level. “But the responsibility lies squarely with the Prime Minister and the Government and they cannot be absolved,” he said. Mr Advani said that prudence demanded that India should remain prepared for facing the Pakistan threat of using the nuclear option in the event of a war. “Pakistan is capable of taking irrational decision and India is vigilant and alert to Islamabad’s threat of using the nuclear option,” the Home Minister said in another interview with Doordarshan. BANGALORE: Mr Advani on Saturday ruled out the imposition of Emergency in the country in view of the Kargil conflict, saying that the defence forces were fighting the challenge posed by intruders effectively. “There is no need
to impose Emergency ... Our forces are meeting the
challenge effectively,” he said at a convention
here. He said the aggression was a “desperate
attempt by Pakistan to resurrect the diving militancy in
Jammu and Kashmir. |
Remove Advani, Joshi, says Jaya CHENNAI, June 26 (PTI) — AIADMK chief Jayalalitha yesterday demanded removal of Union Ministers L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti from the ministry as the special CBI court in Lucknow was going to frame charges against them and 46 others in the Babri Masjid demolition case on July 23. “If the Prime Minister shows any disinclination in this matter, the President should take appropriate steps to remove Mr Advani, Mr Joshi and Ms Bharti from the caretaker government”, she said in a statement here. When charges were framed against former Union Minister Sedapatti Muthiah, she said, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee “evinced extraordinary interest” in seeking his removal from the Cabinet. “The people of the country expect the Prime Minister to act likewise in the case of Advani and others”, she said. “I believe that the Prime Minister should not have one law for his party members and cronies and another law for others”, she said. Ms Jayalalitha said the Prime Minister should not lead the public to believe that he was “Janus-faced”, showing one face to party cohorts and another for other parties. “Justice ought to be even, whoever be the person concerned”, she added. Mr Advani, along with others accused of criminal conspiracy, ought to be removed from the Union Council of Ministers without any further delay, she said. “It is time that the Prime Minister resolves to act firmly in dealing with Home Minister Advani and others, instead of turning a blind eye to the criminal charges levelled against them”, she said. Singling out Mr Advani
for attack, she asked how the CBI which was under the
control of the Home Minister, could pursue its inquiry in
a free and independent manner when Mr Advani himself
stood as a accused. |
Medical care poor: ex-servicemen NEW DELHI, June 26 — As Indian troops weather a storm of artillery and machinegun barrage to protect the country’s territorial integrity, ex-servicemen have expressed concern over the lack of adequate medical facilities for serving as well as retired defence personnel. Retired defence personnel point out that armed forces medical establishments are required to provide medical facilities from only their existing resources, which are insufficient even to provide adequate treatment to serving personnel and their families. Moreover widows of ex-servicemen and families of service personnel residing in villages and remote areas cannot avail even these facilities as these are available only in military hospitals located far off from their places of residence. Ex-servicemen are of the view that this could have significant effect on that the morale and fighting efficiency of the soldiers. While the scope for medicare of the Central Government pensioners, their families and widows has considerable enlarged and upgraded, no similar measures have been taken for ex-servicemen. Apart from the medical reimbursement scheme (MRS) beneficiaries, the government spent approximately Rs 500 on each member of the Central Government Health Services (CGHS) in 1996-97. On the other hand, a sum of Rs 2 per head was spent on ex-servicemen and that too from the welfare funds of the armed forces to which contribute during service. Free outdoor treatment is only provided by the military hospitals and indoor treatment is given, provided hospital accommodation is available. No special nursing and conveyance is admissible. Retired defence personnel point out that as ex-servicemen’s population is growing therefore, their medicare cannot be sustained by ad hoc or temporary sanctions and arrangements from within existing medical resources are already overstretched and have reached a breaking point. A comprehensive plan for
providing modern medical facilities needs to be
formulated in this regard with budgetary support and its
implementation should be considered as a state
responsibility, they add. |
Phone rates slashed for Kargil jawans NEW DELHI, June 26 (PTI) — To keep the moral of the jawans fighting Pakistani intruders in Kargil, high, the Telecom Department (DoT) today decided to provide telephone facilities to them at one-fourth of the normal rate. A department spokesman said special facilities extended by the government in the battle zone would help jawans to be in touch with their families. “Till now calls were charged from mini-m terminals of Inmarsat at normal STD rates instead of Rs 80 and Rs 90 per minute which were the rates applicable for such satellite phones. These rates have been further reduced by 75 per cent”, he said. The special communication facility for jawans was put in place in the Kargil area following a directive from Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. The department has provided four mini-m Inmarsat terminals which are currently being used by the soldiers. The department has made further arrangements and has imported seven additional terminals which are expected to reach the forward areas shortly. The spokesman said to cope up with the increased traffic in the Kargil area and to ease the congestion additional equipment has been installed in the Kargil areas which has added seven more channels to the existing five. This has resulted in
easier communication to that area. Similar augmentation
of circuits have been done for Leh by installing IDR
satellite equipment, he added. |
George denies Army Chief’s ‘suggestion’ PATNA, June 26 (PTI) — Defence Minister George Fernandes today denied the Army Chief, Gen V.P. Malik had suggested crossing the Line of Control (LoC) to pin down Pakistani intruders. “At no point of time the Army Chief had suggested crossing the LoC... decisions on such vital matters are taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security and all three Services Chiefs are present there”, Mr Fernandes told reporters at the airport here on his arrival from Delhi. Asked if he perceived the possibility of a full-fledge war with Pakistan, the minister said, “at the moment we are engaged in a limited fight... Indian forces are rapidly gaining control of the area occupied by the intruders”. Answering a question, Mr
Fernandes said no time-frame could be set for driving out
the infiltrators but we will ensure that every inch of
Indian territory is vacated as early as possible”. |
VC held in B.Ed degree scam MADHEPURA (Bihar) June 26 (PTI) — The Vice-Chancellor of B.N. Mandal University, Dr Jaikrishna Prasad Yadav, was today arrested by the Vigilance Department in connection with his alleged involvement in what is being described as “B.Ed degree scam.” A 16-member team, led by the Superintendent of Police (Vigilance), Mr Amit Kumar, arrested the Vice-Chancellor, former Examination Controller, Dr Rajkishore Prasad, and an assistant, Natthan Prasad, from the university premises this morning, official sources said. The accused were later
produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Jawahar
Prasad Ratnesh, for transit remand which was granted. The
Vigilance Department team later left with the accused for
Patna. |
‘Taal’ first Hindi movie on net CALCUTTA, June 26 (PTI) — Toeing Hollywood, mainstream Indian cinema will soon find its way into cyberworld with the launch of the first Hindi movie on Internet in August. “Taal”, Subhash Ghai’s forthcoming blockbuster starring Akshay Khanna, Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai, will be the first ever Bollywood venture to be launched and promoted on the net. The promotion package includes a host of information on the movie, its making, interviews with its who’s who and contests for users at http://www.123india.com/taal by city-based promoters, intrasoft Technologies Pvt Ltd. “Stills, songs in real audio, in-depth information on the stars, exciting contests and on-line interviews with the lead characters and director will be part of the cyber-feast,” Intrasoft’s brand manager for “Taal” Mr Nalin Sharma, told PTI. The Net promotion fad, expected to hot up in the coming years, differs from earlier banner advertising on the general web in that such promos have dedicated pages for a single movie, Mr Sharma said. After the initial music launch of “Taal” in June, the page has been updating the run up to the movie’s release with tit-bits as and when they unfold, he said. “The directors do have their personal sites but since their popularity is far less than major navigational guides for Indian information on the web, they chose to promote movies on these sites for a fee,” he said. Dubbed as “the beat
of passion” by Ghai, the film is expected to be a
musical extravaganza with foot-tapping scores by
filmdom’s hottest duo Anand Bakshi and A.R. Rehman. |
Colonel’s cremation at Selayur today CHENNAI, June 26 (UNI) — The body of Lt Col N. Vijayaraghavan, who was killed in the anti-insurgency operations in Kashmir, will be cremated with full military honours at Selayur on the outskirts of the city tomorrow. Defence sources said the colonel’s body would be received at the Chennai airport tonight when it arrives by a scheduled Indian Airlines flight. It would be taken to his house at Selayur near Thambaram by a gun carriage. The body would be kept
for public homage at his house and the funeral was
tentatively scheduled for 11 a.m. tomorrow. |
Letters to soldiers will be
displayed NEW DELHI, June 26 — “Dear jawan, India lives, because it has people like you willing to die for it,” writes Mr Yogesh Kumar from Rohtak. This letter and several such letters are going to be displayed on a ‘message wall’ being set up by the People’s Action, a voluntary group, in the Capital on June 28. Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Sanjaya, organiser-in-chief of the People’s Action, said they have organised a campaign to collect messages for the Indian soldiers fighting at Kargil and “some of the messages that have poured in would be displayed.” He said the attempt was
to inspire the Indians to express their feelings at a
moment of crisis for the country. He said a card sent by
Anil, a junior school student in Madurai states
“...if there is any help needed, please call
me.” |
Delhi takes steps to tackle
floods NEW DELHI, June 26 — The Delhi Government is making arrangements to ensure that the Capital does not face a flood threat during the monsoon this year. Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Minister, Mr Yoganand Shastri yesterday undertook a day-long tour of the vulnerable embankments and adjoining villages to assess the situation. Residents of Delhi need not apprehend any major threat from floods in the coming monsoon as the government is aware of the problem and is taking preventive measures, Mr Shastri said and added that a number of steps for restoration and strengthening of marginal embankments and other anti-erosion works had been undertaken. Talking about monitoring mechanisms, Mr Shastri said that all the control rooms set up in the city had been provided with wireless sets to ensure effective communication. A Delhi Government
official said that an "artificial wall" was
being created along a six-km-long vulnerable stretch of
the Yamuna. |
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| Fake currency racket: 5
arrested PRATAPGARH: Five persons, including two printing press owners, have been arrested here for their alleged involvement in printing counterfeit currency notes of Rs 50 denominations. The leader of the gang, Ramdin Varma, was among those arrested on Friday, the police said. The police on information raided two printing presses and recovered blocks used for printing counterfeit currency notes. — UNI 75-year-old crushed by
bus Cop among 2 shot
dead 13 held for
making bogus marksheets Air and space
museum for Bangalore Columbia Tristar
to distribute Hindi film CNG kits for
autorickshaws TMC MLA
suspended 3 lakh stolen
from post office Smack recovered |
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