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Tuesday,
April 2, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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OIC call to UN, West to halt Israeli war
Sharif to return to
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Pak denies Arabs’ handover Osama kin’s premises raided NEWS ANALYSIS Jamaat chief flays referendum move
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OIC call to UN, West to halt Israeli war Kuala Lumpur, April 1 Foreign Ministers from the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, meeting in Malaysia to discuss the root causes of global terrorism as Israel sent fresh tanks to the West Bank, urged the UN to give Palestinians international protection. “The conference (OIC) considered this assault a violation of all international norms and laws and culmination of state terrorism as practised by Israel,’’ the ministers said in a statement after the start of the three-day meeting. “Israel’s terrorist actions and aggressive practices, posing a threat to international peace and security, and dragging the region towards an all-out war necessitate immediate action by the UN Security Council,’’ the statement added. Earlier, Malaysia’s Prime Minister and summit host, Mahathir Mohamad, branded both Palestinian suicide bombers and Israeli soldiers as terrorists and accused the USA of failing to exert restraint over Israel. Mahathir praised the USA for rallying the world to fight terrorism in the wake of the September 11 suicide hijackings there. “I think the whole world supports (this), but unfortunately the USA has supported the action by the Israeli government which amounts to terrorism,’’ he said. Ministers from several countries — both friends and foes of the USA — have criticised Washington for not doing enough to rein in Israel’s hardline Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has declared “an uncompromising war’’ to end suicide bombings which he blames on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Ministers or their representatives from most of the OIC’s 57 members — who range from Albania in Europe to Indonesia in Asia, Guyana in South America and Mozambique in Africa — attended. But Saudi Arabia, which has floated a West Asia peace plan, and frontline states Egypt, Jordan and Syria did not send foreign ministers to Kuala Lumpur for the meeting and were represented by lower-level delegations. A Palestinian delegate said many ministers pulled out at the last minute after a Libyan call for an emergency Arab summit. The OIC Foreign Ministers urged the UN Security Council and the USA and Russia, who are co-sponsors of the West Asia peace process, plus the European Union to halt Israeli aggression and to ensure withdrawal of Israeli troops from all occupied Arab and Palestinian territories. It urged deployment of a neutral U.N. force to stand between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The OIC ministers urged the Security Council to invoke the U.N. Charter covering the use of military force against a government which refuses to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions. The conference praised Arafat and the Palestinians and paid tribute to their “valiant resistance” and intifada uprising. Malaysia’s Mahathir proposed a definition for terrorism encompassing all violence targeted at civilians, Palestinian and Tamil suicide bombers as well as assaults by Israel in Palestinian territories. “I would like to suggest here that armed attacks or other forms of attacks against civilians must be regarded as acts of terror and the perpetrators regarded as terrorists,” he said.
Reuters |
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Sharif to return to
Pak on July 10
Islamabad, April 1 In an e-mail to Mr Khizar Hayat, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League in Peshawar, Sharif said he was determined to return to Pakistan despite “the authorities opening the jail doors” for him. He said it was his constitutional right to take part in the elections and no body could deprive him of it. The exiled leader said, “My survival and death will be for Pakistan and if the rulers so desire, they can hang me.” Accusing the government of being incapable of holding fair and impartial elections, he announced that his party would not boycott the polls.
UNI |
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Pak denies Arabs’ handover Islamabad, April 1 A Foreign Ministry spokesman also said investigators had not yet been able to determine whether Abu Zubaydah, a close aide of Qsama bin Laden, was
among 60 people arrested in the Punjab cities of Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan. Pakistani newspapers reported today that Pakistan had handed over about 20 Arabs detained in raids to the USA. “Those reports are wrong,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan told reporters. “For the moment they are in custody, “Khan said of the detainees picked up in Thursday’s raids, which Pakistani officials say were helped by information supplied by U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Investigations are going on. What would be the next step, we will take when the time comes... as a result of our investigations,” Khan said. Newspapers have reported that one of the detainees resembled Abu Zubaydah, one of the top three lieutenants of Saudi-born bin Laden. Zubaydah is one the U.S. list of people and organisations whose assets President George W.Bush ordered frozen after the September 11 attacks.
Reuters |
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Osama kin’s premises raided New York, April 1 French Government money-laundering experts came across a series of suspicious financial transactions involving obscure companies connected to Yeslam bin Laden last year and alerted the judicial authorities, Newsweek magazine quoted law enforcement sources as saying. The French police searched a Bin Laden family villa near Cannes and the authorities also requested the Swiss to raid addresses linked to Saudi Investment Co, a Bin Laden family investment vehicle headed by Yeslam. Yeslam, however, strongly denied any ties to Osama. Yeslam manages large investments of the Bin Laden family in Europe and is a longtime Swiss resident.
PTI |
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NEWS ANALYSIS WHEN Begum Khaleda Zia, leading the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, swept the poll last year, almost decimating the ruling Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina, the people had hoped for a change for the better. Hopes were raised of an end to lawlessness and strife, of a long-awaited return to normal life and the ushering in of new, bold policies that would give a boost to the economy, create more jobs and make jobs and make a dent on the country’s perennial poverty. Sadly, all these hopes have been dashed to the ground. Law and order has deteriorated to such a pass that citizens feel unsafe every time they step out of the their homes. “Opposition sponsoring crimes”, asserts Prime Minister Khaleda. “Blatant lies, just to cover up failure of the government,” rebuts Sheikh Hasina. Even according to statistics, last year’s crime rate showed an increase of 14 per cent over the previous year. There were 12,958 cases of attacks on women and children and 3,189 cases of rape, besides 153 cases of acid throwing. Apart from the increasing attacks on Awami League supporters (even Sheikh Hasina was the target of a bomb blast at a rally that nearly killed her), Hindus and Christians have also been bearing the brunt of the deteriorating law and order situation. The situation is obviously serious enough to have prompted two envoys to voice their concern. The Danish ambassador in Dhaka, Mr Riels Severin Munk, and the German ambassador, Mr Dietrich Andreas, have asked the government to take immediate steps to stop attacks on religious minorities. Ms Khaleda Zia blames it all on Awami League. “The opposition has lost public support and finds no issue to agitate. Now they have taken the path of terrorism to disturb peace in the country”. During her five-year rule, Sheikh Hasina turned a blind eye to the criminal acts of elements within her party and blamed the Opposition for all the nefarious activities. She had a coterie of sycophants which successfully shielded her from reality. Khaleda Zia is now doing exactly what her predecessor did. Thus, history repeats itself. A share of the blame for the worsening situation must go to the caretaker government before the elections last July. It reportedly transferred police officers in districts en masse resulting in their substitutes, unfamiliar with the city, unable to get a grip on the law and order machinery. There is another aspect, equally, if not more, serious. That is the Taliban connection. India’s apprehensions on the score of increasing Taliban influence in Bangladesh stems largely from the Jammat-e-Islami, a party which is a member of the ruling four-party alliance headed by Khaleda. Certain statements such as the one are an indication of this trend. Maulana Delwar Hussain Saidi, a Jammat MP of the party addressing the Islami Chhtra Shibir three months ago, he is reported to have said: “The day is not far off when the Muslims will decide who will be the President of the USA.” Besides, the Khatib of the famous Baitul Mukarram mosque declare his support for Al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden and condemned the Americans as “enemies of Islam”. Sheikh Hasina has said Begum Zia’s Cabinet has two “Taliban ministers.” All these must cause a sense of unease in India.
IPA |
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Jamaat chief flays referendum move Islamabad, April 1 “General Musharraf is a government servant and if he is very keen to become the President, he should resign from the office of Army Chief and wait for two years after which he may contest for the post,” Ahmad said while addressing a reception in his honour in Peshawar yesterday. The Qazi accused the government of toeing the policy of “enemies”. “General Musharraf is the symbol of defeat, and in his presence Pakistan cannot escape the domination of others,” he said.
UNI |
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