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Wednesday,
January 16, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Pak ban
‘not to affect’ separatists in J&K Detained
militants freed on scrutiny Pak
rejects new names for banned groups Lanka
lifts embargo to woo Tamils Al-Qaida
prisoners’ rights ‘violated’ Taliban
supporters in Dhaka Cabinet? Defer arms
knowhow to India, Israel told |
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Pak ban ‘not to affect’ separatists in J&K
Karachi, January 15 Hamid Gul, former chief of ISI, said the groups were “natural allies” of the Pakistan army and in any conventional war with India would join hands with the armed forces, the news agency says. He said there would be no effect on what he termed the “freedom movement” in Jammu and Kashmir following the ban on LeT and JeM groups as they had a strong and indigenous network in the Kashmir valley. Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf banned the two groups on Saturday following intense pressure from the USA to crackdown on terrorist groups active in Pakistan. Gul admitted the ban was due to “immense” US pressure on President Musharraf. “There is no justification for banning the jehadi groups. The decision has been taken only to entertain the demand of the Bush administration. “Now the ball is in US’ court. If it wants to stem the growing jehadi culture among Muslim youths, it has to put pressure on India for a solution of the Kashmir dispute,” Gul said. “If India does not desist from its current policies towards Pakistan, President Musharraf will have no other option but to declare jehad, which, according to him, only a state can declare,” Gul contended. Gul, who is widely seen as anti-US, is a known supporter of militant groups active in India. MUZAFFARABAD: The LeT has vowed to continue the freedom struggle in Kashmir in spite of it being banned by the Pakistan, Online reports. A LeT spokesman said in a statement that the ban on the group was harmful to the Kashmir cause. “It would have been better if the government had taken the ground realities into account before imposing the ban on us. The decision has adversely affected the moral of (those) who are fighting for the legitimate right of self determination in accordance with the UN charter”, the spokesman added. He said the government should give proof to back its claim.
IANS |
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Detained militants freed on scrutiny
Islamabad, January 15 Confusion reigned supreme over the numbers arrested. While some reports put the total number of arrests between 1,300 to 1,600, others quoted Pakistan’s Interior Secretary Tasneem Noorani as saying that over 1,400 members were arrested and 390 offices sealed. Newspapers and magazines extolling the virtues of Islamic holy war in Kashmir still clutter the news stands in Pakistan despite the military government’s sweeping crackdown on extremism. But the two groups, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, are still spreading their message through a range of publications and magazines easily available here. Other groups linked to terrorism and included on the US terrorist exclusion list are also publishing regular journals and newspapers full of anti-West rhetoric and calls for “jehad”.
AFP, PTI |
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Pak rejects new names for banned groups
Islamabad, January 15 It said anyone attempting that would invite action under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) as amended by the military government, in August, last year, at the start of its campaign to curb religious violence and terrorism in the Muslim country. The government issued the statement after one of the five banned parties, the Tehrik-e-Jafria Pakistan Party of the minority Shiite community, announced in the Press that it would continue functioning under the new name of Millat-e-Jafria Pakistan. The statement reminded the Press that dissemination of any statement on behalf of a banned party is prohibited and punishable under the ATA. According to the newspaper, Dawn, the Act allows the banned party to seek a review of the ban or apply for lifting it after three years. Meanwhile, Pakistan said yesterday that India’s reaction to President Pervez Musharraf’s speech was not negative, but that Islamabad had expected a “warmer response,” Online reports. “We certainly expected a warmer response but the Indian reaction cannot be termed as negative”, Foreign Office spokesman Kamran Niaz said at a joint news briefing with the President’s press spokesman, Major-Gen Rashid Qureshi. “We reject the Indian assertion that they do not accept the UN resolutions (on Kashmir). The issue has to be discussed under the same resolution and if India is not ready for a third-party role, it is their choice”, he said in reply to a question. India has said that the U.N. resolutions on Kashmir have outlived their utility. Speaking about the 20 alleged criminals wanted by New Delhi and who India says have taken shelter in Pakistan, the spokesman said: “They have not provided us any evidence. If they do, legal action can be taken against the accused.”
DPA and IANS |
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Lanka lifts embargo to woo Tamils
Colombo, January 15 Government ministers were present when the convoy of trucks, carrying food, medicines, building materials, farm equipment and fertilisers, moved out from the Piramanalamkulam check-point, the last army post in Vavuniya district, into rebel-held areas. With this, the United National Party-led regime of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has initiated action on an election promise to Tamils to create normality in the north before opening talks with the LTTE. Years of military conflict had led to the government imposing what Tamils called an economic embargo on their homeland, but supplies in limited quantities were being maintained all along through the war years. After announcing a reciprocal cessation of hostilities late last month in response to the LTTE’s unilateral one-month ceasefire, the government also decided to remove the restrictions but still maintains a small list of banned items like fire-arms, explosive substances, electronic remote-control equipment, binoculars and small batteries. Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Refugees Minister Jayalath Jayawardena, who was present along with Interior Minister John Amaratunga in Vavuniya today, said 120 truck loads of supplies would be sent every week, with 30 trucks plying on four days. Officials said 11 trucks went to Kilinochchi, 13 to Mullaitivu, four to Madhu and Pandivirichan in the Mannar area and two to Nedunkerni, all areas reeling under severe shortages for years. The relaxation of economic restrictions is considered a major step in the peace process that has gathered momentum with the observance of a mutually-agreed temporary truce for the first time since 1995. The government has said it wants to ensure that proper arrangements are fully in place so that the movement of goods is a permanent feature rather than a one-time measure.
PTI |
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Al-Qaida prisoners’ rights ‘violated’
London, January 15 Along with hundreds of Arabs and Afghans, the USA has rounded up at least one Briton, two Frenchmen, an American and an Australian in its “war on terror’’, with some detained for interrogation at a US naval base in Cuba. At least one of the Europeans has already arrived in Cuba, with others expected to follow suit in coming days. Campaigners expressed concern yesterday about the living conditions at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, their status and about the legality of holding men without access to consular staff. “The USA is flouting international rules of law,’’ international legal rights campaigner Stephen Jakobi, Director of London-based Fair Trials Abroad, told Reuters. Jakobi said he would address the European Parliament in the next few days to encourage European governments to pressure the USA into abiding by international law. “Britain is a key member of the alliance fighting alongside the USA. I think it is imperative that the entire alliance ensures that rules of law are obeyed,’’ he said.
Reuters |
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Taliban
supporters in Dhaka Cabinet? Dhaka, January 15 Leader of the Opposition in parliament during her meeting with a two- member delegation of the US Congress on Monday briefed them that two known supporters of the Taliban forces found berth in the Cabinet of the Khaleda Zia-led coalition government. She made the allegation when she called on US Congressman Joseph Crowley and James McDermott, Chairman and senior member of the Congressional Bangladesh caucus, visiting Bangladesh in presence of the US Ambassador to Bangladesh Ms Marry Ann Peters. Ms Hasina told the US Congressman that the ultra rightist political parties, Jamat-e-Islami and Islami Okkyo Jote leaders in public speeches in 2000 said Islamic rule like the Taliban rule in Afghanistan would be established in Bangladesh. Two main functionaries the Amir (chief) and secretary- general of the Jamat-e-Islami Matiur Rahman Nizami and M. Mujahid, respectively, were now senior members of the Cabinet. The Awami League chief made this allegation earlier in her speech at a gathering of party activists in New York, last month, when Ms Zia was attending the SAARC summit in Kathmandu. On her return from Nepal Ms Zia at a press conference wanted to know the names of the Cabinet members. The “khatib” (head priest ) of the government-run premier mosque in Dhaka in his religious speech on Id praised the Taliban and termed the US government as the most hated terrorists of the present day world. President of Bangladesh A.Q.M.Badruddoza Chowdhury and number of Cabinet members attended the congregation when the “khatib” made the remarks. The report in local dailies drew flak for the government. Leaders of the Islami Oikkyo Jote (IOJ) in press statement extended full support to the priest and warned against action against
him. No action has been taken against yet. |
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Defer arms knowhow to India, Israel told
Washington, January 15 He told Reuters the message was delivered to Israeli officials last week and “I think Israel is listening.” “There are some military sales questions that the Israelis have raised that posed problems for us and we’ve told them about that,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “These are sales they want to make to the Indians where we’ve basically said this was not the right time to be selling to either side anything, frankly,” he said. “We’ve made it very clear to them. This is not the time to do it.”
Reuters |
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