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Monday,
August 19, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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ICG doubts
Pak steps on madarsas
NCM
postpones J&K visit J&K:
USA sees ‘no third-party role’ |
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Gujral
favours foreign observers for J&K poll Withdraw
suspension to avoid split: BJD MP George to take over as Samata chief Mayawati’s
security beefed up Parveen
Babi misled court: journalist
Bank
officers’ strike on Aug 29 Shekhawat
to be sworn in today AIDWA
flays rape of disabled on train Bihar
flood toll rises to 311 Self-styled
godman lands up in jail Pujari’s
accomplice shot dead in Thane
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ICG doubts Pak steps on madarsas New Delhi, August 18 The ICG also says that over 10,000 seminaries in Pakistan were training over a million and a half students for service in the religious sector, “but their constrained worldview, lack of modern civic education and poverty make them a destabilising factor in Pakistani society... . For all these reasons, they are also susceptible to Romanic notions of sectarian and international jehads, which promise them instant salvation.” The recent report says that it is doubtful whether the military government has the intent or the will to set Pakistani society on a sustainable course that will lead to political pluralism and religious tolerance. The ICG which is financed by the USA and European Union countries, says: “The extremist philosophy espoused by some madarsas has thrived in the absence of legitimate political process. The militant clergy and the Pakistani military share a common hostility towards India and a common perception that Pakistan should be ruled not as a democracy but as an authoritarian state.” Without mincing words, the ICG warns Pakistan about madarsas. “No fundamental change in the way madarsas influence society and politics in Pakistan will take place without a change in the nature of the country’s governance.” It says the overreaching presence of the military has rendered civilian institutions ineffective and submissive. “Madarsas reforms, political reforms, economic reforms are all dependent on whether the military can reform itself and submit to the will of the people expressed through the ballot.” In its report entitled “Pakistan: Madarsas, Extremism and the Military”, the ICG has asked the international community to pressure the Pakistan Government by insisting on a mandatory reform programme and publicly identify charities and non-government organisations suspected of having links with militants. The ICG, which works for strengthening the capacity of the international community to anticipate, understand and act to prevent and contain conflict, has recommended that the Pakistan Government should set up a regulatory authority to carry out a comprehensive survey of the madarsa sector, leading to “mandatory registration of all Islamic schools within six months.” While noting that one of the stated objectives of General Pervez Musharraf when he took over the reins of power in Pakistan in a bloodless coup on October 12, 1999, was that he would stop the exploitation of religion and put down the violence in madarsas, it said the Musharraf government had so far relied mostly on “cosmetic” measures. Furthermore, General Musharraf’s pledges have not been backed by decisive action or a credible plan to remake the system within a reasonable timeframe. In its recommendations to international donors, the ICG said they should “hold the Pakistani government to its commitments to madarsa reforms and in particular urge it to close madarsas linked to banned extremist groups.” It also wants the donors to ask Islamabad to end the involvement of intelligence agencies in the madarsa sector, to establish a regulatory authority under the Interior Ministry and provide financial assistance to help Pakistan upgrade its “secular education sector at all levels with emphasis on vocational training.” |
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Advani cancels US trip New Delhi, August 18 “Mr Advani will not be going to the USA now because of certain pre-engagements back home” official sources said, adding that he “does not want to stay away from the country for a longer period”. However, Mr Advani’s two-day official visit to the United Kingdom starting from August 21 stands as scheduled. During his visit to the UK, Mr Advani, who will be accompanied by the Home Secretary Kamal Pande and a Special Secretary from the Home Ministry, is likely to take up India’s concern over Pakistan’s continuous indulgence in perpetrating terrorism against India. He would hold wide-ranging talks on ways to combat international terrorism with British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, Home Secretary David Blunkett and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. The Deputy Prime Minister was scheduled to leave London for New York on August 23. He was expected to unveil a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Royal Albert Palace in New Jersey. From New Jersey, he was to travel to San Fransisco and Los Angeles. |
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NCM postpones J&K visit
New Delhi, August 18 “The NCM, which was to visit the state from August 19, received a fax from the Chief Secretary of the state, Mr I.S. Malli, saying that the Minorities Commission need to take EC’s permission before coming to the state,” the NCM Vice-Chairman, Mr Tarlochan Singh said. “There is no need for the NCM, which is an autonomous body, to take permission from any other commission to visit a state. But since all arrangements were to be made by the state government only, the commission has decided to postpone its visit,” Mr Tarlochan Singh said adding that the commission was yet to take a final decision upon the state the Chief Secretary’s fax. “We have only told them that the commission was not going to visit state from August 19 but the decision on the same will be only taken next week,” Mr Tarlochan Singh said. When contacted EC sources said “There were no restrictions as such on the visit of the NCM going to any state going for the poll.” The commission, after being approached by various groups including the VHP on the status of Hindus in the valley, who are in minority, has been for the past few months meeting senior Central ministers and politicians and discussing the matter with them. The NCM had already met the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, and other senior ministers and even the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, had shown willingness to deliberate upon the issue concerning the Hindus who had migrated from the state. Dr Abdullah had even asked the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha, Mr Ali Mohd Naik, to coordinate with the commission but now when everything was set, the NCM suddenly got a note from the state asking it to seek permission from the EC to visit the state. “We wanted to bring together representatives of various Kashmiri Hindu groups and political parties, preparing their manifestos for the poll so that the document could also reflect the aspirations of the minority,” Mr Tarlochan Singh said. The commission had also prepared a list of the members of the groups willing to visit with the NCM delegation, he said. However, Mr Tarlochan Singh ruled out the commission “abandoning” the project and said “it will only be decided what the commission will do in future on Kashmir, which is going to the poll next month.”
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J&K: USA sees ‘no third-party role’
Ranchi, August 18 “Terrorism in any place attracts the world. Terrorist activity in Jammu and Kashmir is also attracting the world attention”, Mr Sinha told a gathering here. Stating that US Secretary of State Collin Powell clarified to him in Brunei that Washington had no intention of becoming a mediator between India and Pakistan, Mr Sinha said “Mr Powell by saying that Kashmir is on the international agenda meant that terrorism is the same worldwide”. “The USA says Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. There is no third party role,” Mr Sinha said quoting his discussion with Mr Powell in Brunei. The External Affairs Minister said he made Brunei Foreign Minister change the draft of his speech at the recent Asian Regional Forum security meeting which contained some words not so favourable to India. “During his address, he (Brunei Foreign Minister) changed the words after I had expressed my dissatisfaction with and included lines which asked Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism,” Mr Sinha said. “I passed my first examination in Brunei after taking the new assignment,” said the minister apparently hinting at his critics who had raised doubts over his ability as the new External Affairs Minister having replaced Mr Jaswant Singh.
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Gujral favours foreign observers for J&K poll New Delhi, August 18 “We have not been able to carry all sections of the society in Jammu and Kashmir with us. But through a free and fair election we can remove the doubts of the people”, Mr Gujral said adding that allowing observers to watch the proceeding should be seen “entirely in the interest of the country”. He said observers were allowed in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal and he himself was a member of a team which went to Pakistan. “Ms Benazir won that particular election. But she told me that she really won the election when observers from India told her that it was free and fair.” |
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Withdraw suspension to avoid split: BJD MP
Cuttack, August 18 Three BJD MPs — Kumudini Patnaik, Prabhat Samantray and Jagannath Mallik — were suspended from the party on August 9 by party Chief Naveen Patnaik on charges of indulging in anti-party activities without any showcause notice or warning in a bid to pre-empt a possible split in the party. Taking a potshot at the party leadership, Mr Bhartuhari Mahatab, the Cuttack Lok Sabha member of the party, said it was wrong to assume that with the suspension of three Lok Sabha members, the BJD would avoid a possible split in the parliamentary party. The BJD has an effective strength of 10 members in the Lok Sabha. Mr Mahatab said a division in the parliamentary party could be brought about if only one more MP joined the three suspended leaders. He said there was difference of opinion among the BJD MPs over the style of functioning of the parliamentary party leader and such dissension even existed today. But such action could not be construed as an anti-party activity leading to the suspension of the three members, the BJD MP said in a signed article in a language daily “Prajatantra’’. Mr Mahatab said if some people with vested interest had created a fear of split in the mind of the leadership they should correct themselves, and added that the suspension order should be withdrawn in the interest of the party.
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Mayawati’s security beefed up Lucknow, August 18 The road to 5, Kalidas Marg, the official residence of the Chief Minister in the state capital, is out of bounds for commoners. The police has similar plans for Ms Mayawati’s residence at Humayun Road in New Delhi. The walls of Ms Mayawati’s houses are being raised and additional sheds are being constructed for policemen on 24-hour duty, according to an official. Director-General of Police R.S. Shukla says, “The security of the Chief Minister has been beefed up and the threat on her life persists.” Ms Mayawati had claimed at a press conference recently that mafia dons Brijesh Singh and Atiq Ahmad had hatched a plan to kill her. The latter, state president of the Apna Dal and MLA from Allahabad (West), had recently been attacked at a court in Allahabad court and had been injured. The security at Ms Mayawati’s Mall Avenue residence has also been beefed up. The boundary walls are 13 feet or more in height. The entry of commoners is prohibited and anyone allowed has to pass through metal detectors at two points. The person is searched before meeting the Chief Minister. A security officer at the 13, Mall Avenue, residence of Ms Mayawati said after the reported threat on her life, nobody was being allowed to enter the house without passing through heavy security. “Mayawati ke ghar ab parinda bhi par nahi maar sakta,” he said. |
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Parveen Babi misled court: journalist
Mumbai, August 18 Offering to tender evidence against Parveen Babi for her alleged links with the underworld, he said in the letter “Babi has been isolated for quite sometime and she needed some break in social life. Abu Salem proved to be the best solution”. Taking the letter on record Designated Judge P D Kode yesterday ordered the CBI to inspect the documents and verify the credentials of its author. The judge has specifically directed that this job be undertaken by an officer above the rank of police Sub-Inspector and asked the CBI to submit a report tomorrow stating whether such a person had indeed written the letter. The journalist alleged that Babi had vested interest as she had conspired with absconding accused to sabotage the bomb blast case by offering to tender evidence against Sanjay Dutt. The author of the letter claimed that he was in Dubai in May this year when he came across vital information pertaining to bank transaction of gangster Abu Salem who is also an accused in bomb blast case. The information contained fake identities of Abu Salem, his defrauded visa of the USA and money transfers between the USA and Sharjah. “I shared this information with Mr Gregory of the US Consulate in Dubai and he passed it on to Washington. Somehow the information leaked and I got a call from Parveen Babi and Sushmita Sen asking me not to follow up the case with the US Consulate”, the journalist said. “Sushmita Sen was then in Hotel Hyatt Regency, Dubai and her friend Abu Salem was believably there with her. Babi told me over the phone that Salembhai has lot of clout with the UAE authorities and he would implicate me in some false case. I reported the matter to Dubai intelligence and Salem was asked to leave the country”, the journalist scribbled in the letter submitted to the court. Defence lawyers Farhana Shah and Subhash Kanse argued that the material in the letter did not allege any act committed by the accused facing the trial and therefore was not directly connected with the subject matter of this case. The judge felt that it would be fit and proper to determine genuineness of the correspondence sent to the court.
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Bank officers’ strike on Aug 29
New Delhi, August 18 In a statement issued here, the NOBO deputy general secretary, Mr S. K. Rathore, said they had the support of three more bank officers organisations and would stage a dharna before the head offices of various banks on Friday and before the Ministry of Finance on August 27 to press for their demands. “In spite of follow-up through correspondence, bipartite meetings with Indian Banks Association (IBA), an amicable settlement has eluded issues for long, necessitating the action programme, including a day’s strike on August 29,’’ the NOBO said. Among its demands, it said payment of income tax on perquisites and allowances should be done away with. The four organisations also called for complete review of disciplinary procedures applicable to bank officers as the same rules set out for government employees had been applicable to bank officers without any change since 1979. “Bank officers pass through major penalty proceedings with a vigilance tag even when a minor penalty is involved. The prevailing rules are archaic and bank officers need a separate ‘vigilance manual’ and banks should deal with cases up to Grade/Scale V internally,’’ they added. The organisations also said the increased workload due to diversification of activities and non-recruitment of people coupled with reduction in manpower through the VRS was leading to huge problems. The NOBO also demanded that ‘‘several anomalies’’ arising out of salary revision of bank officers from November 1, 1997, as compared to the seventh bipartite settlement signed by the IBA with the workmen organisations, remain yet to be rectified.
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Shekhawat to be sworn in today
New Delhi, August 18 Mr Shekhawat, who defeated Opposition nominee Sushil Kumar Shinde in the elections on August 12, will be administered the oath of office at a ceremony in Ashoka Hall. The 79-year-old former Rajasthan Chief Minister will become the first BJP leader to occupy the constitutional office. He will succeed Krishan Kant, who died days before his tenure was to end.
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AIDWA flays rape of disabled on train
New Delhi, August 18 “The dreadful incident is symbolic of the degeneration of social values where even such a horrific incident does not prompt people to intervene to prevent the crime,” AIDWA general secretary Brind Karat said in a statement here. The child could not scream or shout or speak because she was physically challenged but those who could have prevented the crime remained “paralysed with fear.” There was report, however, that the rapist was either armed or violent, she said and added that though he was “drunk”, he was presumably sober enough to commit the crime of rape. “Could not the five men who were witnesses have prevented this terrible crime? Does not their silence amount to abetment of the crime?” she wondered. She criticised the police for trying to justify their failure to provide security to women travellers by stating that police protection was provided only in compartments reserved for women. The AIDWA along with other organisations would soon launch a protest action in Mumbai against the heinous crime, she added.
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Bihar flood toll rises to 311 Patna, August 18 Altogether 14 more deaths have been reported from
Sitamarhi, Sheohar and Saran districts, official sources said here today. The swirling flood waters had submerged 7,851 villages in the state even as rescue and relief operation had been intensified by the civic authorities in assistance with the defence personnel. Relief and Rehabilitation Department sources said the flood waters had inundated 17.90 lakh hectares, adding that standing crops worth more than Rs 249.05 crore and spread over 10.36 lakh hectares had been washed away by the flood.
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Self-styled godman lands up in jail Chennai, August 18 The accused brought the girl here last month promising to arrange a job for her. She was kept confined in a house, they said, adding that the girl was rescued after a telephone call made by her to her mother was traced. Sivasakthi has been remanded in judicial custody. The godman, claiming himself to be an avatar of Lord Shiva, was suspected to have sexually exploited several women.
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Pujari’s accomplice shot dead in Thane Thane, August 19 Acting on a tip-off that the gangster, Ramsing Rajbahadur Singh Thakur (28), would be arriving at Panch Pakhadi locality in the district to extort money from a hotel owner, the police laid a trap, Ravindra Angre, chief of the Anti-Extortion Cell told reporters here. The police team on spotting Thakur tried to nab him but the latter opened fire which the police returned. Thakur was injured in the retaliatory fire, Mr Angre said. Thakur, who was rushed to a nearby hospital, was declared dead before admission, he said adding that the gangster was wanted in several offences of robbery, extortion, murder and attempt to murder.
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Defence Minister George Fernandes will take over as Samata Party President on September 1 following the resignation of incumbent V. Krishna Rao, senior party leader Nitish Kumar said today.
“George Fernandes will be the next party President. The incumbent V. Krishna Rao has expressed his desire to step down and requested the national executive to elect Mr Fernandes as party President,” Mr Nitish Kumar told reporters here.
PTI
Lucknow, August 18
