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March 24, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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PML chief, 50 others held
for violating rally ban Russia expels
4 US diplomats 12 Major-Gens superseded in Pak USA, China agree
to cement ties Law behind surge in US
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Clashes erupt as Guyana re-elects President A Macedonian policemen gestures over the bodies of two ethnic Albanains shot dead in the town of Tetovo, some 50 km northwest of the capital on Thursday. The police opened fire at the men after they tried to throw an object looking like a grenade at the checkpoint several hours after security forces started shelling the hills near Tetovo.
— Reuters photo FMD spreads to Saudi Arabia 200 civilians hurt
in shelling Deaf confesses to
blasts Fiji poll from Aug 25
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PML chief, 50 others held for violating rally ban Lahore, March 23 Mr Javed Hashmi, acting president of the Pakistan Muslim League party of exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and several colleagues were arrested as they emerged from a hotel chanting pro-democracy slogans, witnesses said. Sources in the 16-party Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), which includes the PML and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of former Premier Benazir Bhutto, said at least 50 activists had been detained as they tried to march to the venue. The rally, planned by the ARD to kick start a campaign against military rule, has been banned by the Pervez Musharraf Government. Opposition politicians and witnesses said there was a heavy police presence in Lahore and that the rally site had been barricaded with barbed wire. The ARD says more than 2,000 of its workers have been arrested since Tuesday in the biggest clampdown against political activists since the military seized power in an October 1999 coup. Witnesses said the police besieged the homes of Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, head of the 16-party ARD, and several other people in Lahore, capital of populous Punjab province. The ARD wants the military regime of Gen Pervez Musharraf to step down and allow immediate national elections under an interim government of national consensus. General Musharraf has vowed not to hold national elections before a Supreme Court deadline due to expire in October 2002. Mr Naveed Chaudhry, provincial Information Secretary of Pakistan People’s Party told newsmen that the police had ordered politicians in Lahore to stay at home and not attempt to go to Mochi Gate park for the planned mass rally. Witnesses said the police had locked and used barbed wire to barricade Mochi Gate, a traditional site for political rallies in central Lahore. Acting President of PPP, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, and Asfandyar Wali, President of Awami National Party, have been banished from entering Lahore. In Islamabad, Pakistan President Rafiq Tarar used the national day to appeal India to respond positively to Islamabad’s offer of talks to resolve Kashmir issue. “Pakistan has been striving for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute and took several initiatives... but it has received no positive response (from India),” he said as Ghauri and Shaheen missiles were paraded to mark the occasion. Pakistan had partially withdrawn troops along the Line of Control but this gesture “was not reciprocated by India”, he said without mentioning ceasefire declared by the Indian government in Jammu and Kashmir. He said Pakistan would continue to extend moral, diplomatic and political support for Kashmiri people. Washington: US State Department has reacted to the arrests of political leaders and workers saying the ban on political activities hampers Pakistan’s return to democracy. A senior US official has said that this also abridged fundamental rights of the people adding that “the US continues to press the military government both publicly and privately for Pakistan’s rapid return to a civilian democratic government.” The arrests were widely reported in US media. The New York Times quoted politicians and human rights lawyers saying that “the military is clothing self-serving motives in high-minded garb. “The political forces are getting their act together,” Asma Jahangir, a Pakistan activist, was quoted by the paper as
saying. The Times also got Benazir Bhutto’s reaction, calling the police action “brutal and barbaric.”
Reuters, PTI, ANI |
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Russia expels
4 US diplomats Moscow, March 23 A ministry statement said the decision was announced to Deputy Chief of US Mission John Ordway, who had been summoned earlier on Friday. Ambassador James Collins was out of Moscow visiting Siberia. The statement said the four expelled diplomats were guilty of “activities incompatible with their status” and added that further steps would be taken “to stop illegal activities of US representatives in Russia”. The statement, which came a day after Washington announced it was expelling 50 Russian diplomats, did not specify the names of the expelled diplomats and gave no further details. The US embassy was not immediately available for comment. The ministry warned of further steps to “stop illegal activities of official U.S. representatives in Russia”. It did not elaborate, but Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov signalled on Thursday that Moscow would mirror the American evictions on a one-for-one basis. Indicating a business-as-usual approach, U.S. ambassador James Collins quietly slipped out of Moscow late on Thursday on a previously planned tour of regional cities. Russia’s actions responded to a decision by U.S. President George W. Bush to banish four Russian diplomats. Another 46 Russians have until July 1 to quit the USA in expulsions Washington says will sharply prune Russia’s growing spy network. The spat has further soured Russia-U.S. relations, which were already at a low ebb due to differences over arms control and Russia’s crackdown in its renegade province of Chechnya. President Putin, in Stockholm to discuss his reform plans with European Union leaders, has made no comment on the spy flap. However, an influential aide was quoted as saying the controversy would put cooperation between the security services of the two countries on ice for now. “For the next few months one can forget about fruitful cooperation between Russian and U.S. special services,” Itar-Tass news agency quoted Sergei Ivanov, secretary of Putin’s influential Security Council, as saying. President Bush strongly defended his actions but said he hoped he could enjoy good ties with Russia: “We’ve got some areas where we can work together. We made the right decision.” The USA has linked the expulsion of the first four Russian diplomats with the arrest in February of senior FBI agent Robert Hanssen. But Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Avdeyev said the expulsions reflected the world view of a new U.S. administration whose roots lay in the superpower rivalry of old. “A new team is in place which is used to working in conditions of confrontation between the USA and the Soviet Union,” Avdeyev said. “It hasn’t worked for eight years and doesn’t know what today’s Russia is all about.” U.S. officials rejected the accusation. “Clearly the Cold War ended 10 years ago,” said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.
Reuters |
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12 Major-Gens superseded in Pak Islamabad, March 23 The promoted Generals were, however, not given any new appointments, according to an official announcement here. A major reshuffle in the top military hierarchy is also in the offing to strengthen General Musharraf’s hands and facilitate major decisions in the near future, ‘The Nation’ daily said. The elevation of the Generals assumes significance in view of the General Musharraf’s scheduled retirement as army chief in October this year. Six of the 12 Corps Commanders, who are part of the core group of the military regime, are also retiring during the course of the year. This is the third time since the General’s take-over that such an action has been taken by the regime. The process started late last year when senior navy officials were superseded. This was followed by a similar reshuffle in the army in December. Those promoted as Lt General were Major Gen Muhammad Akram, Major Gen Syed Pervaiz Shahid, Major Gen Ehsanul Haq, Major Gen Ghulam Mustafa, Major Gen Khateer Hassan Khan and Major Gen Masud Pervez. ‘The News’ daily said among the 12 Major Generals superseded were General Officer Commanding Major Gen Rehmat Khan and Major Gen Iqbal Khan, based in Infantry School, Quetta, who topped the list of seniors in their ranks. Besides being Chief of the Pakistan Army, General Musharraf holds the posts of Chief Executive and Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff Committee
(CJCSC). PTI |
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USA, China agree to cement ties Washington, March 23 In an hour-long meeting between President George W. Bush and visiting Chinese Vice-Premier at the White House yesterday, Bush said “our relationship will move forward. Nothing we do is a threat to you, and I want you to tell that to your leadership.” He, however, acknowledged that differences existed between the two countries on issues like Taiwan, human rights, religious freedom and National Missile Defence. “It is in our nations’ best interests that we have good relations,” he said but pledged to support the military needs of Taiwan and push for human rights reforms in China,” he said. Affirming that efforts were needed from both sides to put the often-bumpy relations on a smooth course, Qian said when “we have shared interests, we can advance our relationship forward. Where we disagree, we can have very good exchange of views.” Bush said that he would visit Beijing as part of a broader Asian trip. Recalling his tour of China in 1975, he said “I look forward to my return. I can’t wait to see the change,” according to the officials.
PTI |
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Law behind surge in US marriages Chicago, March 23 “I don’t know if a whole lot of people are falling in love, or are just looking to get the benefits of the law”, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) spokeswoman Marilu Cabrera said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. The law, signed on December 21 by then-President Bill Clinton, offered a limited amnesty to undocumented immigrants with a family relationship with someone legally residing here. While the Bill was meant to reunite families, in practice it meant that undocumented immigrants who marry a US citizen before April 30 may obtain a visa immediately that makes it legal for them to live and work here. Once legally in the United States of America, they can begin the process of obtaining citizenship. Previously, illegal immigrants who had been here six months had to return to their home country for a minimum of three years. That’s why some blame the approaching deadline for the crush of business at city halls across the country and even some dating services. New York’s five boroughs have issued 125 per cent more marriage licences so far this year compared to a year ago, and Los Angeles county issued nearly 6,000 licences in January and more than 7,000 in February, a combined 60 per cent more. But beware: what the government gives it can snatch away. The INS said it would be on the look-out for sham marriages by undocumented immigrants. Still, the INS estimated there were roughly 50 lakh immigrants in the USA illegally, and the agency usually actively tracks down only those suspected of committing crimes. And some sort of identification and $ 30 generally get couples a marriage licence, few questions asked. “It’s the new law, and we expect it to continue through April 30. We’ve shifted some staff to accommodate them,” Cook County clerk spokesman Scott Burnham said.
Reuters |
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Clashes erupt as Guyana re-elects President Georgetown, March 23 With 88 per cent of the vote counted, Mr Jagdeo’s ruling People’s Progressive Party Civil alliance — mainly supported by Guyana’s majority who trace their roots to India — took 52.6 per cent of Monday’s vote, according to results released late on Wednesday in this impoverished South American nation. Desmond Hoyte of the People’s National Congress (PNC) — backed mostly by Guyanese of African descent — took 42.2 per cent of the vote in Monday’s elections for president and the 65-member Parliament. Final results were due late yesterday. Eyewitnesses said the police fired tear gas at hundreds of PNC supporters who attacked them with rocks in the village of Buxton, some 12 miles east of the capital, Georgetown. There were unconfirmed reports of four persons wounded in the clashes, which eyewitnesses said erupted after officials from the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) were attacked by an angry crowd at a polling station. “We are sending reinforcements into the area,” a police spokesman told Reuters. Guyana, a largely agricultural country with a population of 7,50,000 persons sandwiched between Venezuela and Surinam, has been plagued by ethnic strife and political infighting since it gained independence from Britain in 1966. Monday’s elections — closely monitored by 160 international observers — were the country’s third democratic elections and took place amid opposition claims that the voter lists for the 4,40,000 registered voters were flawed, meaning many voters were turned away at polling stations. International observers, including former US President Jimmy Carter, said the elections had been fair overall despite minor mess-ups.
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FMD spreads to Saudi Arabia Dubai, March 23 A Saudi daily said some 420 calves had been found to be infected with the disease in the country’s eastern province and nearly 120 had died. Mr Majed Al-Khamis, head of the Agriculture Ministry’s Livestock Resources Department, was quoted as saying that 10 infected sites had been detected in three parts of the kingdom. He said the disease had been known to the kingdom since 1970s. “The virus appears at the end of winter and disappears when the summer gets hotter.” The disease can be prevented from spreading by destroying the sick animals and imposing strict control on animals and other carriers coming from infected areas. Saudi Agriculture and Water Minister Abdullah Muammar recently stated that 10 cases of the disease had been detected and that eight cows and calves destroyed. Meanwhile, in the UAE, health authorities recently destroyed some 150 infected animals to contain the disease.
UNI |
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200 civilians hurt in shelling Tetovo, Macedonia, March 23 “The civilians, from villages north of here, crossed the border into Kosovo this morning seeking medical attention,” Capt Hans Guenter Bender told reporters in front of the KFOR military base in Tetovo. Capt Bender said Macedonian government forces had used machine guns, mortars and 105 mm and 120 mm artillery in the bombardment. The rebels responded in some areas with small arms fire, he said. Ethnic Albanian rebels calling themselves the National Liberation Army (NLA) took control of several villages north of Tetovo nine days ago. Yesterday, the Macedonian government warned that army and special police commanders had been given authority to launch an “uncompromising” campaign to drive the rebels from their positions in villages near the border with UN-administered Kosovo. Tracer fire from heavy machine guns was visible from central Tetovo until the early hours of the day and shell detonations were occasionally heard in the hills above.
AFP |
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Deaf confesses to blasts Beijing, March 23 Jin Ruchao was arrested at 8.20 a.m. in the beach resort of Beihai in the southwestern Guangxi province, the official news agency said, confirming an earlier report from the police in Beihai. Jin (40) had admitted causing the explosions that ripped through four residential blocks last Friday, Xinhua said. He also confessed to the murder of his girlfriend a week earlier in the southwestern province of Yunnan. Beihai, near the Chinese border with Vietnam, is notorious for smuggling activity. It is a jumping-off point for illegal emigration to Southern Asia organised by so-called snakehead gangs. The police had offered a reward of 1,50,000 yuan ($18,000) for information leading to Jin’s arrest.
Reuters |
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Fiji poll from Aug 25 Suva, March 23 The caretaker Prime Minister, Mr Laisenia Qarase, issued a statement announcing the timetable for the election which officials said would take place over two weeks to allow people in remote areas of the island nation to cast their votes. “The President, Mr Ratu Josefa Iloilo, has officially agreed and gazetted that the national elections will be held from August 25 to September 7,” Qarase said.
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Lahore, March 23
Georgetown, March 23
