 |
| Monday, March 13, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
|
Bill can facilitate talks:
Musharraf Cong rally at Nagpur on April 14 Group on Kargil report planned
IA hijack: govt ‘hasn’t
learnt’ much Website on terrorism |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Normalcy in J&K worries Pak :
Advani GHAZIABAD, March 12 — The Union Home Minister, Mr L. K. Advani, today cautioned that the country was facing twin challenges on internal security front with Pakistan waging a ‘proxy war’ and spread of left-wing extremism in some states. 
|
Bill can facilitate talks: Musharraf NEW DELHI, March 12 (PTI) — The Pakistan chief executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf, has said the US President could facilitate a dialogue between India and Pakistan on Kashmir even as the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, ruled out resumption of talks till Islamabad stopped cross-border terrorism. In separate interviews to American magazine newsweek, Gen Musharraf said he knew that Mr Bill Clinton was not going to mediate on Kashmir but (he can) "facilitate a dialogue between India and Pakistan". Stating that the Kargil intrusion was a ‘rude shock’ to him after his historic Lahore visit, Mr Vajpayee said, "now a proper climate has to be created for resuming talks. So long as cross-border terrorism is there and the hostile propaganda against India continues, no useful purpose will be served by having talks". To a question whether it was possible to work with Gen Musharraf, who was the architect of the May, 1999, attack on Kargil, Mr Vajpayee said, "politicians should really forget the past if a new beginning could be made for the future. But I don’t see any sign of new beginning". When the interviewer asked about the messages being sent to him by the Pakistani chief executive for talks at some level, he said, "Messages are not necessary. What is necessary is action". Both Mr Vajpayee and Gen Musharraf, however, ruled out the possibility of a nuclear war between the two countries. Asked whether the USA had a role to play in view of daily artillery clashes in Kashmir and the tensions between the two countries, Mr Vajpayee said, "there is no role for any third party, however, well-intentioned. We would like to solve the problems bilaterally". "Unless it is
recognised that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of
India, there cannot be an enduring solution", he
said. |
Cong rally at Nagpur on April
14 NEW DELHI, March 12 — Buoyed by the recent successes on the issues of the RSS and Bihar, the Congress has decided to step up its role as an active party in the opposition, carrying the battle to the political rivals’ camp. The Congress plans to hold a mass rally at Nagpur, the headquarters of the RSS, opposing the decision of the BJP-led NDA government to review the Constitution. "We plan to hold a mass protest rally at Nagpur on April 14, the birthday of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, one of the main architects of the Indian Constitution", a senior CWC member said today. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of party leaders here today, Congress sources said. The choice of the venue is considered important as most people in region identify themselves with Dr Ambedkar and have strong feelings towards his contribution to the Constitution. Nagpur is also the headquarters of the RSS which has just undergone a change of guard with Mr K.C. Sudarshan replacing Prof Rajinder Singh, alias Rajju Bhaiya, as the secretary-general of the organisation. Mr Sudarshan’s views on the Constitution are also understood to have been a factor behind the decision of the Congress to carry the battle to the rival’s camp. The political wind seems to be blowing the Congress way and the turnaround came on Wednesday last after the government rescinded its order permitting government employees to participate in the RSS activities. A day later came the news from Patna where the NDA government under Mr Nitish Kumar decided not withdraw its candidate from contest from the post of the Speaker and the next day Mr Nitish Kumar himself resigned from the post ahead of the crucial vote of confidence. The agitational path that the Congress adopted on the RSS issue having borne fruits, the party has now decided to protest on the hike in issue price of items through the public distribution system (PDS) and reduction of subsidies on urea and fertiliser. Starting tomorrow, the Congress plans to raise the issue both in and outside Parliament and in states where it is in the opposition. During the next
fortnight, the general secretaries and secretaries of the
AICC will brief the PCCs on the issue so that the
party’s stand is carried down right to the block
level, the party sources said. |
Group on Kargil report planned ON BOARD SPECIAL IAF PLANE, March 12 (PTI) — In the first move to follow the recommendations of the Subrahmanyam Committee which probed the Kargil intrusions, the government today announced that an experts’ group would be formed to draw up policies and programmes on intelligence gathering based on the committee’s suggestions. "The group, whose shape is likely to be determined next week, will look into ways and means for better intelligence gathering, coordination between various agencies and make available accurate intelligence to armed forces," Defence Minister George Fernandes told PTI on way back from forward posts in the Northern sector. He said the formation of the group would be the first step towards translating the committee’s recommendations into action. The Defence Minister,
however, made it clear that the existing Joint
Intelligence Committee (JIC), would continue to function
and the proposed group would be confined to the
objectives set out by the Subrahmanyam Committee. |
Getting ready to receive Clinton NEW DELHI, March 12 — The metalled road connecting Hotel Maurya Sheraton in diplomatic Chanakyapuri has been redone as the hotel prepares to receive its most valued guest — U S President, Bill Clinton. In fact, it is not just the tar surface outside the road that has been given a facelift for a smooth ride. The hotel has been redone to play host to one of the most powerful political persons in the world when he arrives here next week on a five-day state visit along with a 1,000-strong entourage. Armed with spray cans and paint brushes, workers are busy giving a "fresh look" even as countless Secret Service personnel from the USA have practically taken over the hotel. Top of the list is the prestigious Chandragupta Suite, which has played host to some leaders of the world. According to sources, a bed being flown from the USA for Mr Bill Clinton. This is not all, right from satellite-linked communication to transport vehicles will be here much in advance all the way from the USA. The logistics is indeed mind-boggling and the shroud of secrecy cast around the preparations makes it difficult to find out what is going around. Yet according to reports here, the hotel, where President Clinton and his team is expected to stay between March 19 and 25, has reserved 500 rooms for the US Presidential visit. Another luxury hotel in the neighbourhood is also on the hold, so it seems. Right now, US security officials are swarming all over the hotel with assistance both from state agencies and the inhouse security staff. Armed with blueprints of the multi-storeyed building close to the central ridge, a plan has been drawn up to tackle all contingencies. Apart from spotters, the
hotel employees have been profiled and access control
will be put in order shortly which will also mean that
those working there cannot have the luxury of driving to
their workplace on their own vehicles during the
duration. |
Hijacking: CBI team to visit Dubai NEW DELHI, March 12 — A team of the CBI will soon visit Dubai in connection with probe of the hijack of the Indian Airlines plane during last December. Sources said today that a CBI team had earlier returned from Kathmandu after having gone there in the same connection. The team, the sources said, had got "very good cooperation from the Nepalese authorities" and that the probe party spent considerable time in the Nepalese capital pursuing several important facets of the hijack of the IC 814 flight. The routine Kathmandu-Delhi flight was hijacked by armed men on December 24, and the eight-day ordeal ended after India released three dreaded militants. Dubai is a crucial link
in the hijack case as the plane had an overnight halt
after it hopped from Amritsar to Lahore to its eventual
destination, Kandahar. |
News analysis POLITICIANS, like musicians, change the tune in a jiffy. As a seasoned politician Mr G.K. Moopanar, leader of the Tamil Manila Congress (TMC), is no exception. Before byelections for three assembly seats last month, he had declared that they were a rehearsal and an acid test for the general election in the state due to be held early next year. The AIADMK to which Mr Moopanar had extended his party’s support, came a cropper, and now he is singing a different tune. At a public meeting to celebrate the 52nd birthday of Ms Jayalalitha organised by her party, Mr Moopanar said byelections could not be taken as a true indicator of what was to follow in a general election. He expressed the confidence that there would be a turnaround in the general election. He could even cite a precedent for his theory. In the 1966 Dharmapuri byelection, the Congress scored a victory, but in the assembly poll in the following year, the DMK combine was voted to power. His presence at the birthday function was especially notable, since Ms Jayalalitha was not even present there. Prior to the February byelections, Mr Moopanar was at pains to assure critics that his party’s decision to support the AIADMK was limited to the byelections. Now, he is giving the impression that the "electoral understanding" with the AIADMK is to continue for the assembly poll. "We will definitely win the general election next year," he told the Jayalalitha birthday celebration meeting in which leaders of the state Congress the CPI, the CPM and smaller regional parties representing the minorities, participated. Mr Moopanar has been taunted in the current state assembly session for forging a "bad friendship" — an allusion to his support to Ms Jayalalitha. DMK members have posed the question whether he has given up his promise of restoring "Kamaraj rule" in the state. His alliance with the AIADMK has been likened to "a frog-rat tieup" with the obvious prospect of "mutual misery". The assembly elections are still almost a year away and it is too early to say with any certainty which way the political winds in the state will blow. Mr Moopanar is keeping analysts guessing on his future moves, including a possible merger with the Congress under the leadership of Mrs Sonia Gandhi for whom the TMC leader has utmost admiration and respect. The Congress, in his view, cannot find a better leader than the present Chief. As a former Congressmen, Mr Moopanar still nutures faith in the grand old party — "not a mushroom that sprouts in the monsoon rain" — to borrow his words. Despite the judicial
reverses she has suffered in recent weeks, and the
electoral debacle for her party, Ms Jayalalitha in a
never-say-die spirit, continues her tirade against Mr
Karunanidhi relentlessly. A statement a day may not keep
her arch political enemy at bay, but the vitriol of her
attacks — she has called the Chief Minister "a
nitwit" — serves as a pointer to her mood of
anger, despair, and perhaps desperation. The immediate
provocation for the outburst is, of course, the DMK
leaders’ calling the AIADMK leader a "Tamil
traitor" for her opposition to the state government
order making Tamil a compulsory medium of instruction in
all primary schools in the state. |
Normalcy in J&K worries Pak :
Advani GHAZIABAD, March 12 — The Union Home Minister, Mr L. K. Advani, today cautioned that the country was facing twin challenges on internal security front with Pakistan waging a ‘proxy war’ and spread of left-wing extremism in some states. "Cross-border terrorism and armed Naxalite movement are the new challenges to internal security’’ Mr Advani said at the 31st Raising Day parade of the Central Industrial Security Force at Indirapuram Complex here today. The Home Minister, without naming Pakistan said the country was waging proxy war after having been defeated by the Indian defence forces in three conventional wars. He said Pakistan adopted this method to send infiltrators and create conditions of strife within the country and create terror by using explosives to cause damage to life and property. Referring to the hijack incident in December, the Home Minister said that as per his analysis Pakistan was worried over the return of normalcy in Kashmir which was signalled by the growth of tourist traffic between 1998-99. Mr Advani said in order to tackle the growing menace of Left-wing extremism, he had called a meeting of the Chief Ministers of states concerned on April 3 here. Earlier, the Home
Minister witnessed an impressive parade by the CISF
units, which guard vital installations, including 245
public sector undertakings in the country. |
IA hijack: govt
‘hasn’t learnt’ much NEW DELHI, March 12 — The failure of the system resulted in the hijacked Indian Airlines IC-814 leave the Amritsar and the country, analysts said here today. The analysts were taking part in a discussion following the release of the book "IC-814, Hijacked: The Inside Story", written by Flight Engineer, Mr Anil Jaggia, who was in the aircraft and journalist Mr Saurabh Shukla. Despite the Kandahar episode the panellist were of the view that the government has learnt little and persons have not been made accountable nor contingency measures have been taken to prevent such incidents in future. While ruling out the storming of the aircraft at Amritsar as a possible in the given time, the analysts were of the view that the plane could have been delayed and disabled in Punjab. "The text book rule in such circumstances is to delay the aircraft and effort should be made to disable it," Mr K Subramaniyam, defence analyst and author of the Kargil report said. However, the Director-General of the Punjab Police, Mr Sarabjit Singh, said "disabling of the plane is a technical matter and they do not have the manual on the subject." Explaining the ground reality at Amritsar airport, Mr Sarabjit Singh said "the plane was always on the move, the pilot was informing them of low fuel level and the killing of passengers by the hijackers." "At that time we felt that the situation was not conducive for commando action. Moreover, the control tower was in touch with the aircraft and we were waiting for the trained negotiator to arrive," he added. The former Director-General of Police, Mr K P S Gill, however, felt that "enough was not done to stop the plane from taking off from Amritsar." An assessment about the motivation of the hijackers could have been carried out by the people on the ground, which would have given an idea for taking future action, he said. Mr Gill said "there was lack of initiative from those who were supposed to act. The Deputy Commissioner of the district, who was supposed to carry-out the negotiation did not utter a single word and all the talking was being done by control tower officials." Mr Subramaniyam said "little seems to have been learnt from Kandahar or Kargil. We address them as incidents while ignoring the persons behind them and how to tackle it." "Unless we look at the issue in a holistic perspective of who is responsible for these incidents, how to address the threat posed by them, there would be many more Kargil and Kandahar," he added. The book provides answers to many question and raises many more. Did the government drift from its own contingency plan. Did the officials at the Amritsar airport goof up and let the aircraft go. Was there any coordination at Amritsar at all? The book reveal that a
RAW team was there in Kathmandu 48 hours before the
crisis and a senior RAW official with a secret official
report was on board the hijacked aircraft. |
Website on terrorism NEW DELHI March 12 — A comprehensive website on terrorism has been launched in the Capital. "It has often been said that if you wish to change the world, you must first accept and understand it as it is," former Punjab police chief and president of the Institute for Conflict Management K.P.S. Gill, said while launching the site. The website, www.icm-satp.com, is a portal having data, research and opinion on terrorism in South Asia and provides critical new inputs for the counter-terrorism efforts. The site, launched by the institute has nearly 2000 pages of information, analysis and data at the time of its launch. Mr Gill, emphasising the significance of having such a site in the cyberspace, said like terrorism, the Internet transcends international borders. Mr Gill said terrorism was not the problem of its victim societies alone. Its impact reverberated across the globe. A victory for terrorism anywhere in the world was a victory for terrorism everywhere. "That is why this
evil must be fought collectively, by all nations,
cultures and civilisations. When we speak of defeating
terrorism, we do not speak of the right or wrong of a
specific ideology or faith, or of any nation’s claim
in a particular dispute", he said. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | In Spotlight | 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 119 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
