Army Commander seeks retirement
ISLAMABAD, Oct 9 — A top Pakistani Army Commander Lt. Gen. Tariq Pervez, reported to be close to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has been virtually forced to take premature retirement after removal from a key strike post.

UN force unveils E. Timor peace plan
DILI, (East Timor) Oct 9 — The head of the international forces in East Timor laid out a peace plan today and said that the participation of pro-Indonesia militias would be welcomed.

Japanese women demand better deal
TOKYO, Oct 9 — Turning their backs on the old role of playing decorative “flowers” in the office, women are throwing out the old traditions that have long lorded it over Japan’s male-dominated workplaces.

India denies Army deployment on B’desh border
DHAKA, 0ct 9 — India today denied reports in a section of Bangladesh media about deployment of army along the India-Bangladesh border in view of border incidents over the past weeks.

Indo-Pak talks on N-arms on Oct 23

ISLAMABAD, Oct 9 (PTI) — India and Pakistan will begin informal talks on nuclear proliferation and disarmament along with USA and China later this month in Washington even before the resumption of formal bilateral dialogue process between the two neighbours, media reports said here today.

The fourth round of informal talks between the four countries would be held from October 23 in which two former army generals and two former diplomats would represent Pakistan, the largest circulated Urdu daily, Jung, said quoting former Foreign Secretary Niaz Naik, who will be part of the Pakistani team.

Apart from Mr Naik, former Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, former Army Chief Gen Jehangir Karamat and Gen K.M. Arif (retd) would represent Pakistan at the three-day talks, the report said.

From India, a former head of the Atomic Energy Commission, a retired Army Chief and two prominent nuclear experts would take part in the talks, the paper claimed, though it did not give any names.

The talks would centre around giving a final shape to a safe nuclear regime in South Asia and discuss the nuclear delivery systems, the missile programmes and international disarmament, the report said.

The Jung report said former Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara would lead the US side in the talks which is the fourth round of such deliberations since the process started about a year ago in Shanghai.

The talks assume significance in view of ongoing deliberations on comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) and could play an important role in finalising the stand of these countries on the treaty.

The USA has been pressing both India and Pakistan to sign and ratify the treaty as soon as possible though the Clinton Administration itself was finding it difficult to get the Congress ratify the CTBT.

Delay voting on CTBT: Clinton

OTTAWA, Oct 9 (Reuters) — US President Bill Clinton has asked the U.S. Senate to delay voting on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), conceding that the pact to ban nuclear tests was doomed to fail in next week’s scheduled vote.

At a news conference in Ottawa earlier yesterday, Mr Clinton said he was open to delaying a vote for months, or more than a year if necessary, but said he could not accept the Republican demands that he explicitly agree to put it off to the next Congress in 2001.

In Washington, Senate majority leader Trent Lott quickly rejected the President’s request, saying the White House must agree to postpone the treaty’s consideration until Mr Clinton steps down in January 2001.

The stand-off between the Democratic White House and the Republican-led Senate prompted the leaders of three key European allies — Britain, France and Germany — to issue a dramatic public appeal to the Senate to ratify the treaty.

“It is clear now that the level of opposition to the treaty and the time it would take to craft the necessary safeguards to get the necessary votes are simply not there,” Mr Clinton said as the senate began debating the treaty. “So I hope that the Senate will reach an agreement to delay the vote.”

“We don’t have the votes,” he added in a news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien. “Let them take it down, but also agree on the legitimate process to take this out of politics. I will not criticise them as long as they are genuinely working through the issues.”

The U.S. President said the treaty was vital to keeping foreign countries from honing their nuclear arsenals.

Mr Clinton accuses Republicans of playing politics Mr Clinton also accused congressional Republicans of playing politics with the international treaty and of refusing to postpone the vote because they fear he would use the issue against them during the 2000 election year.

“This whole thing is about politics,’’ Mr Clinton said. “It’s about (the Republicans saying) ‘burn us in 1999, because we’re against a treaty that 80 per cent of the American people support, but please don’t burn us again in 2000.”

Republican critics of the treaty deny this, saying they oppose the accord because they do not believe it is verifiable and because the USA needs to retain the option of testing to maintain its own nuclear weapons.

“If the Democrats want to avoid this vote there are two things we look to: one is a request from the White House, from the President that this be withheld two (is) an agreement be reached that this not come up again this Congress. It is as simple as that,’’ Lott spokesman John Czwartacki told reporters in Washington.

White House aides said Mr Clinton was trying to be conciliatory in his remarks, but the President’s frustration boiled over when a reporter suggested that the Republicans wanted a letter from him to give them political cover.

“They want me to give them a letter to cover the political decision that they have made that does severe damage to the interest of the USA and the interest of non-proliferation in the world? I don’t think so,’’ he snapped.

“They have to take the responsibility for whether they want to reverse 50 years of American leadership in non-proliferation,’’ he added.

Senators were expected to continue searching for a deal and, if none was reached, to resume debate on Tuesday after the long Columbus Day weekend and then go to a vote, which could slip until Wednesday.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said rejecting the treaty would “expose a fundamental divergence within NATO” and encourage the spread of nuclear weapons.

WASHINGTON (UNI): Veteran Democratic Congressman Gary L. Ackerman has hailed the House-Senate committee decision to accord a broad-based authority to President Clinton to waive the nuclear-related sanctions, thus, placing U.S. India relations on a new and exciting foundation.

Mr Ackerman, who is co-chairman of the congressional caucus on India and Indian Americans, said it was “a superb legislative achievement and a political triumph for pro-India forces in the USA.”

In a statement last night, he said this could not have happened but for the transformation in the image and credibility of India. The turning point was Kargil. “This sanctions relief Bill is the manifestation of both Congress and the administration taking India very seriously and wanting to engage New Delhi in a higher-level of relationship,’’ he added.

Crackdown on Sunni militants

ISLAMABAD, Oct 9 (AP) — Despite warnings from radical Islamic groups, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government today arrested scores of Sunni Muslim militants to combat relentless religious violence in the country.

"The government wants to close down 'Madrassa's (religious schools) and weaken religious parties to please the Americans, said Tariq Mahmood Madni, a spokesman for Sipah-e-Shahaba' Pakistan.

His group has been blamed for many attacks in the last one week against Shia Muslims, who are reviled by Madni’s group as non-Muslims. His group also routinely accuses the USA of working against Islam.

"There is an American conspiracy against Jehadi (holy war groups and religious forces to prevent an Afghan Taliban-like revolution in this country," said Madni. "But we will resist any attempt to weaken religious parties."

Madni’s group is a strong supporter of neighbouring Afghanistan’s Taliban religious army, which has imposed a harsh brand of Islamic rule in the 90 per cent of the country they rule.

Pakistan, however, says it has "solid" evidence that religious terrorists, who have killed more than 30 persons, most of them Shia Muslims in the last one week, were receiving training in Afghanistan.

Mr Sharif said he wanted the training camps closed, a request he has made to the Taliban’s reclusive leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.

"We have made it clear to the Taliban that this is not acceptable to Pakistan," Mr Sharif said.

Among those reportedly receiving training in Afghanistan are members of the SSP and Harakat-ul-Mujahedeen, formerly called Harakat-ul-Ansar, which was declared a terrorist group by Washington.

Indo-US bid to fight terrorism

WASHINGTON, Oct 9 (UNI) — The USA and India are trying to evolve a modus operandi to further their co-operation in countering the growing threat of terrorism, particularly the one emanating from the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan with its ramifications in Kashmir.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, State Department’s co-ordinator for counter-terrorism Michael Sheehan said, “we both recognise the threat. We have common interest in the threat.’’

During his recent visit to New Delhi, he pointed out, he discussed with the government of India concrete ways through which the two countries could strengthen their joint efforts in meeting this challenge. “Clearly, there is a lot of positive feelings on both sides.’’ I think, there was more that we can do together and work together, more closely,’’ he added.

Earlier, the State Department had released a list of 28 foreign terrorist organisations, which includes the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, with its headquarters in the Pakistan territory. It harbours terrorist outfits in Kashmir.

When asked why the department had taken note of only one terrorist organisation while there were several such bodies active in Kashmir particularly the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Mr Sheehan said he was not sure about the exact reason for such exclusions at this point. If there were other such organisations, they would be put on the list, he added.

He said the designation of the Lashkar-e-Toiba as a terrorist organisation was under consideration. There were very exacting standards in determining the proper role of an organisation before placing it on the terrorist list.

When his attention was drawn to reports suggesting Pakistani backing to some terrorist groups active in Kashmir, he avoided any reference to Pakistan, but said “where there is evidence that a government is involved with one of these organisations we certainly bring pressure to bear on it.”

In the first review of the list in two years, the state department added the Al Qaida group of Saudi-born Islamist Osama-bin-Laden accused of bombing the US. Embassies in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam in August 1998 killing more than 200 persons.

Army Commander seeks retirement

ISLAMABAD, Oct 9 (PTI) — A top Pakistani Army Commander Lt. Gen. Tariq Pervez, reported to be close to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has been virtually forced to take premature retirement after removal from a key strike post.

Lt Gen. Pervez, Corps Commander Quetta, sought early retirement when the army leadership ordered his transfer from the present post to a staff post at the army headquarter evoking media speculations about the political implications of the change.

Major Gen Mushtaq Hussain, who was Director General Military Training, has been promoted to replace Lt Gen Pervez whose request for early retirement has been accepted. Incidentally General Pervez was due for retirement in February.

Largest circulated Urdu daily ‘Jung’ said, however, quoting sources that General Pervez was removed because of his close proximity to the government and after he held a meetings with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other political leaders recently. General Pervez is also a first cousin of Raja Nadir Pervez, Minister for Communications in the Sharif’s government.

This was the second major change in the top army hierarchy since the government-army differences came out in open recently. Earlier, another Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Saleem Haider was removed from his post and shifted to the staff post.

UN force unveils E. Timor peace plan

DILI, (East Timor) Oct 9 (Reuters) — The head of the international forces in East Timor laid out a peace plan today and said that the participation of pro-Indonesia militias would be welcomed.

Major-Gen Peter Cosgrove told reporters in Dili that he had discussed his plan — which he called ‘’the three ps’’ with the field commander of the pro-independence forces yesterday.

“I exposed to him then for consideration and negotiation further...A three-pronged approach to the overall plan that Interfet will adopt in order to meet our mandate,’’ Mr Cosgrove said.

He said under the plan there would be a progressive laying down of arms, and linked to that there would be a “progressive and selective introduction into government service of those elements which, by their trust in laying down of arms, have shown us that they wish to participate in the nation building that must ensue.’’

“The third pillar is an overarching one and that is (progress on) reconciliation between the warring parties who are at the heart of the dispute.’’

He said he would welcome the participation of the pro-Indonesian militia who were at the forefront of the murder, arson and looting that has left the territory in ruins.

UNITED NATIONS (PTI): The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned its operations in East Timor may be shut down unless it gets more funds immediately.

Money Mobilised by the WHO and that donated by Italy for its activities in East and West Timor has run out and if additional funds are not made available, it would have to ultimately shut down the operations, the world body said here in a statement.

Japanese women demand better deal

TOKYO, Oct 9 (IPS) — Turning their backs on the old role of playing decorative “flowers” in the office, women are throwing out the old traditions that have long lorded it over Japan’s male-dominated workplaces.

“There are a lot of determined young women out there who are saying “no” to being paid for serving tea and answering the telephone for their male bosses,” explains Prof Yoshiko Takahashi of the private Keio University and who heads the Sexual Harassment Prevention Committee, the first to be established in a Japanese university.

Recent figures also show key changes in Japanese women’s world of work. As of July there were 60,000 women company presidents, up 3.3 per cent from last year, according to data compiled by Teikoku Bank’s research.

But what experts see as more drastic is the increasing number of women who are taking men to court for sexual discrimination in the workplace and claiming victorious lawsuits.

In July, 56-year-old Hisami Naka was awarded about $ 280,370 by a judge who upheld her claim that the company she worked for failed to treat her equally with her male colleagues.

Ms Naka had argued that the pharmaceutical company where she had worked for 30 years violated her right to equal pay for equal work as stipulated in Japan’s Labour Standard Law.

Japan’s equal employment opportunity law was revised in April to include a section covering sexual harassment and discrimination.

The judge rejected the company’s defence argument, which alleged that Ms Naka’s lower pay was justified by “shortcomings” in her workplace behaviour and ordered that she be compensated on grounds of sexual discrimination.

Also in July, Japan’s largest damage settlement for sexual harassment was settled when a 48-year-old piano teacher was found guilty of sexually abusing a female student for more than a decade, and ordered to pay $ 84,100 in damages.

Yet another case that is being closely followed in the Japanese media is a claim filed by a female university student who is suing the Governor of Osaka, Knock Yokoyama, for sexual abuse.

She is demanding $ 112,150 from the Governor, who she claimed touched her body and implied he would buy her an expensive designer bag if she kept silent about the incident. Yokoyama has promised to settle the case out of court.

Analysts point out that the rise in sexual harassment cases — 30 across Japan so far according to the daily ‘Mainichi Shimbun’ — and several judgments ordering compensation for the mental anguish suffered by the victims, are significant changes in a society that has traditionally upheld the woman’s role as being a subordinate to men especially when it comes to the work place.

India denies Army deployment on B’desh border

DHAKA, 0ct 9 (PTI) — India today denied reports in a section of Bangladesh media about deployment of army along the India-Bangladesh border in view of border incidents over the past weeks.

“Such reports are entirely unfounded”, the Indian High commission here said in a statement.

There have been reports in the Bangladesh Press recently about the deployment of the Indian Army along the India-Bangladesh border, the High Commission said while categorically denying any deployment of army along the border.

It said that the Indian government had expressed concern over the unfortunate border incidents.

Judges suspended
CARACAS: More than 100 judges were suspended by Venezuela’s Constitutional Assembly on Friday in its latest effort to purge the judicial system of corruption and inefficiency. The assembly suspended all Judges who have had more than seven complaints filed against them, said Mr Rene Molina, the Supreme Court’s Inspector-General. “This is a preventive measure to protect the judicial system”, Mr Molina said. “We must have some way of protecting the courts, power and restoring people’s confidence in the courts”, he added. — AFP

Elvis auction
LAS VEGAS: The US army draft card that broke the hearts of Elvis Presley fans the world over in 1956 was on Friday auctioned for $ 22,500 as a three-day sale of the king of rock ‘N’ roll belongings began. Presley fans converged on MGM Grand Hotel for “1950s day” at the auction in Las Vegas, the desert resort city where he performed frequently. The event included what seemed like virtually every scrap of paper their idol ever signed, every letter he ever opened and even receipts for food and hotel stays — all going for prices that would have sent Presley into gyrations of joy. — Reuters

Suharto seriously ill
JAKARTA: Nearly two months after he spent five days in hospital, former Indonesian President Suharto was on Saturday reported to be seriously ill. Mr Denny Kailimang, one of Mr Suharto’s defence lawyers, confirmed the former Indonesian strongman’s condition was weakening, but he declined to reveal additional details. Citing a letter from Mr Suharto’s medical team addressed to the Attorney-General’s Office, Mr Kailimang said the former President was “still ill” and his condition would make it impossible for him to undergo an interrogation. — DPA

Bombing suspect
NEW YORK: A suspect in the bombings of the US Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam pleaded innocent to murder and conspiracy charges here on Friday as the State Department added exiled Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda organisation to its list of terrorists. Khalfan Khamis Mohamed (25), a Tansanian national, was indicted in June in connection with the August 1998 bombings that left 224 dead, including 12 Americans, and injured more then 5,000. — AFP