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July 14, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Trafficking in women, children Washington, July 13 Pakistan, reeling under a severe economic crises, may face US sanctions for “failing to do enough to curb trafficking in women and children,” a State Department report said.
Nepal Dy PM quits over Maoist attacks
Washington, July 13 The US media has blamed Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf for creating obstacles in reaching a negotiated settlement on the Kashmir issue even before the start of tomorrow’s path-breaking Indo-Pak summit. Treat India as foe, expert tells USA Lanka Oppn
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| Emergency can speed up Wahid impeachment move Jakarta, July 13 The head of Indonesia’s top legislative body today said if President Abdurrahman Wahid declared a state of emergency the Assembly would hold impeachment hearings against him the next day. From king to premier
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Pak may face US sanctions Washington, July 13 The sanctions, in addition to those imposed in the wake of the 1998 nuclear explosions, would hit Pakistan which is trying hard to improve its ailing economy seeking stringent loans from the World Bank and the IMF. The report, presented by Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Congress, placed India among ‘tier two’ countries which have made considerable efforts in checking such practices. Pulling no punches and blaming itself for failing to stamp out the “modern form of slavery,” the report said, “at least 700,000 persons,” especially women and children, were forced into sweatshops,
construction sites, brothels and fields, subject to threats against their person and family, violence, and deprived of their human rights. It has divided countries where these horrific practices, fuelled by “greed, moral turpitude, economics, political instability and transition and social factors” into three tiers. Tier one has about a dozen countries, including the UK, Canada, Switzerland, Italy and Hong Kong. These countries comply with the minimum standards, the report said. In tier two are 47 countries, including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China and Thailand. Lahore: Just a day before President Pervez Musharraf begins his ‘historic’ visit to India, a leading Pakistani paper today said as many as 51 Indian civilians were confined in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Pakistan, involved in cases of different nature, including illegal border crossings. The news said ashes of 21 cremated Indian prisoners were also lying at the Kot Lakhpat jail for the past many years due to the controversy between Indian and Pakistani immigration authorities over their identity. The paper quoted the jail authorities as saying they were not to be blamed for this callousness, ‘’as it is the dead men’s own countrymen who have refused to accept them as one of their own.’’ Talking to the daily, Kot Lakhpat jail superintendent Mian Farooq said they were not responsible for this apathy as no legal action could be recommended for the Indian, who died in custody. The ashes are mostly of Hindus, and a few Sikhs. They now rest in urns at the Kot Lakhpat jail as ‘’prisoners of uncertain nationalities’’ because of the Indian Government’s denial, the paper said. According to the paper, among the 51 now named are two Indian nationals who were declared condemned prisoners under Sections 302 and 307 of the Explosives Act. One of them is 37-year-old Kirpal Singh son of Das Singh, a resident of Mustafabad, Gurdaspur district. The other is 38-year-old Manjeet Singh, a resident of Amritsar and was rounded up on July 7, 1991. There are 32 Indians who have been declared as internees after fulfilling their legal jail term. They are serving extra penance in Central Jail, Kot Lakhpat, since India has not owned them up. Among these prisoners, Teena Pecca, Khrisian and Hakam Singh have been declared mentally upset, while the condition of the rest is stated to be satisfactory. According to the newspaper, five prisoners — Fatima, Mati, Teena Pecca, Khundan Gheria and Mehal Singh — have not been provided access to the Indian High Commission, unlike the others who have been visited by staffers of the Indian mission.
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Sharif to leave Arabia, take to politics in UK London, July 13 Sharif, who was exiled to Saudi Arabia by Musharraf, is barred from engaging in any political activity while he is in Saudi Arabia. According to a well-placed Pakistani source, Sharif has been gagged to the extent that he has been cut off from media exposure, his movements and meetings with any other political leaders have been restricted. Sharif is increasingly frustrated that even his telephone lines are tapped, the source said. The bar on engaging in any political activity was made a condition of Sharif’s Saudi Arabia exile, offered to him as an alternative to death in Pakistan. “But there is nothing in law to say that he will never engage in any political activity for the rest of his life,” the source told IANS. “Nawaz Sharif is very keen to return to politics” and is likely to leave Saudi Arabia for London “within three or four months”. Sharif already has a base in London, though this was one of the many controversies that led to his ouster. His family owns houses in London’s fashionable Mayfair district. His family also has extensive financial interests in London. His son, Hasan Sharif, lives in London and has been campaigning from here for his father’s freedom. Sharif’s return to London will make the city more of a hotbed for Pakistani political activity than Islamabad. His return would mean leaders of all of Pakistan’s biggest political parties would operate out of London. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is currently based in London though she travels often to Dubai. The Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the party of Mohajirs (the name given to Muslims who migrated after partition in 1947) has had its headquarters in London for the past 15 years, since its leader Altaf Hussain fled Pakistan. Sharif’s return is set to complete the Pakistani political picture here. Musharraf has promised resumption of a political process in Pakistan, but with no date on offer for a general election. He has said Sharif and Bhutto will not be allowed to contest an election in Pakistan.—Indo-Asian News Service |
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Nepal Dy PM quits over Maoist attacks Kathmandu, July 13 Speaking in Parliament this afternoon, Mr Poudel said: “ In this situation, I see no hope of resolving the problems. I feel it would not be appropriate to continue in my position, so I am resigning.” The resignation came at a time when pressure was mounting on Mr Koirala to resign over a bribery scandal and the June 1 royal palace massacre. Mr Poudel, also the Home Minister, said: ‘‘I wanted to seek national consensus with all the political parties in Parliament so that the democratic forces could get together to fight anti-democratic elements. I could not do so... I told Prime Minister Koirala that either he finds a solution or I quit,” he added. Meanwhile, Maoist guerrillas today claimed responsibility for capturing 71 policemen in the far western Nepal and killing two over the past few days. A Maoist leader said his colleagues had attacked a police post in Holery village , in the far northwest of Nepal yesterday, leaving one officer dead. Rebel leader Puspa Kamal Dahal, alias Prachand, chairman of the
Maoist party said the rebels killed another policeman at a post in western Nepal. He admitted the rebels had looted weapons from the police posts. A Home Ministry spokesman earlier said, “a fairly large number of armed Maoists suddenly attacked the Holery police post manned by a force of 73, killing one policeman and gravely injuring another one.” The police fired back at the rebels, thought to number around 300, for over 90 minutes before surrendering with arms and ammunition, he said. The Maoists then took the 71 policemen to an unknown destination, the spokesman said. In a separate incident, a policeman was killed yesterday in a suspected Maoist attack at the Harichowk police post in the Baglung district, 325 km west of Kathmandu, the ministry spokesman said. The rebels have increased their attacks since King Birendra and eight other royals were massacred by Crown Prince Dipendra on June 1. At the weekend, they killed 41 policemen in attacks on checkposts in three different areas. On Tuesday a senior police officer was killed by a landmine planted by the rebels in the southwest of Nepal. More than 1,700 persons have died since the Maoists launched their “people’s war” against the constitutional monarchy in 1996.
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US media: Musharraf creating hurdles Washington, July 13 In its editorial titled “India and Pakistan try again”, The Washington Post said few people expected a breakthrough soon. But, so far, Gen Musharraf seemed bent on reaching a settlement on Pakistan’s terms, it added. Criticising Pakistan’s stand that it would only discuss the Kashmir issue, the Post said the initiation of serious discussions between the two countries could allow each side to take some important interim steps. India could renew the ceasefire that it recently maintained for six months and take other steps to ease controls over civilians in Kashmir, while Mr Musharraf could use the cover of peace process to curtail his government’s support for Kashmiri militants and rein in the Islamic groups that use the cause of Kashmir to recruit and train “warriors” both in Pakistan and Afghanistan, it said. “Such steps would not only make Kashmir more ripe for a peace settlement but also make Pakistan more ready for a return to democracy and good relations with the West,” it said. The Post also held the General responsible for the two-year interruption in high-level talks between the two countries. Talking to the Washington Times, a top US official agreed with the view that the Agra summit would not lead to a breakthrough. “I have no reason to think that a breakthrough is likely,” he added.
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Treat India as foe, expert tells USA Washington, July 13 Prof Donald Lane Berlin from the
Honulolu-based centre says while India’s nuclear arsenal will be developed mainly to counter China and Pakistan, it may be “aimed” at the USA due to concerns over Washington’s alleged “global hegemony” and “interventionism”. PTI |
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Lanka Oppn
up in arms Colombo, July 13 Speaker Anura Bhandaranaike has reportedly said he would study the matter and discuss it further with the opposition. The combined opposition had submitted a letter to the Speaker with 115 signature of MPs last week to fix July 18 as the date on which the no-confidence is to be taken up. The opposition said that according to Article 42 of the constitution,
Parliament could question the manner in which the President exercised her powers to see whether it was proper and bona fide.
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Emergency can speed up Wahid impeachment move Jakarta, July 13 “If at any time President Wahid issues a decree of emergency or disperses Parliament...a day after the decree is issued, we will hold the impeachment session,” Amien Rais was quoted as saying by news portal Kompas.com. Detik.com, another news portal, quoted Wahid as saying that he would declare a state of emergency in the country on July 20 at 1800 hrs (4.30 p.m. IST). Parliament ordered a special session of the People’s Consultative Assembly to convene on August 1 to hear Wahid account for his chaotic 20-month rule and consider ousting him. Mr Rais yesterday said the supreme body would consider bringing forward the impeachment hearing following Wahid’s order to arrest Jakarta’s defiant police chief.
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From king to premier The resounding victory by the former king of Bulgaria, Simeon II, in last month’s general election was crowned on Thursday by the announcement that he would become the country’s next prime minister. Officially Simeon Saxe-Coburgotski II, but now widely referred to as plain Mr Coburgotski, he will be the first exiled monarch in eastern Europe to regain power, following unanimous approval of his candidature within his party and the agreement of the president, Mr Petr Stoyanov. Party leaders said Simeon would form a new government within 10 days. “It is with great emotion but with my typical sense of responsibility and having in mind the trust that the voters gave me on June 17, I accept this proposal,” said the former monarch, responding to the
Parliamentary announcement. The three-week gap between elections and the appointment of Simeon as Prime Minister had prompted speculation in the Bulgarian media that he was reluctant to take up the post and preferred to become the government’s eminence grise. Earlier this year he had announced his intention to run for President in September, but was blocked by the constitutional court. His appointment as Prime Minister, the most powerful position in the Balkan state, is viewed as a stylish coup de grace. His first task will be to form a coalition government. Partners include the former ruling party, the Union of Democratic Forces, and the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms. In pre-election promises, he pledged to make a difference within 800 days. But the novice politician who spent half a century in exile, mainly in Madrid, will have an uphill struggle. Despite recent growth, many Bulgarians live in poverty. Simeon II became king at the age of six, following the death of his father, Tsar Boris. He and his family were sent into exile by communist authorities three years later. He returned to his homeland to a rapturous welcome in 1996 with his Spanish wife, Margareta. Despite their lack of support for a monarchy, Simeon is held in high regard by most Bulgarians. He topped a poll recently for the most popular Bulgarian, with 74 per cent. The 64-year-old has ruled out fighting for a return of the monarchy.
The Guardian, London |
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