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Sunday,
October 6, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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King’s action unconstitutional: Deuba Washington, October 5 The USA, UK, Canada have voiced concern over back-to-back missile test by India and Pakistan, saying that this would not be helpful given the tensions in the region and asked the two countries to exercise restraint. WINDOW ON PAKISTAN |
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US-Pak military exercises from Pak’s SC admits petitions by Shabaz, Kulsoom
Iraq has weapons of mass destruction: CIA
S. Korean House approves PM-designate Indian-born Prof wins award
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King’s action unconstitutional: Deuba
Kathmandu, October 5 “The announcement by the King was totally unconstitutional and against the decision reached by all political parties in the country,’’ Mr Deuba told nearly 200 party workers who assembled at his house to express their support. “I was asked by all major political parties to postpone the election as it was not possible to hold it in the present situation and that was exactly what I had recommended the king do,’’ Mr Deuba said. The King instead fired Mr Deuba from the job he had held for the past 13 months. “I have decided to relieve incompetent Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who was incapable of holding the parliamentary elections on schedule, and have disbanded the cabinet,’’ the King said in a nationally televised address yesterday. The King called on political parties to suggest people, who were not contesting elections, to form an interim government to run the embattled Himalayan nation until elections were eventually held. He said his decision was taken under a constitutional provision that allows him to take appropriate action if the country faced constitutional difficulties. He said Mr Deuba’s move to put off elections by a year had created an “uneasy situation and a constitutional problem”. He said the new interim government would be responsible for maintaining law and order and conducting elections. Meanwhile, there was a mixed reaction in Nepal on Saturday to the takeover of executive powers by the King. All major political parties were closeted this afternoon in hurriedly summoned emergency meetings to draw up their official reaction to the King’s move. The King reiterated his commitment to democracy and said he would form a government within five days to restore peace and security in the kingdom affected by the Maoist insurgency, and to hold elections. The United Left Front opposed the move, calling it “reactionary’’. Some organisations however, such as factions belonging to the pro-monarchist National Democratic Party and the journalist union, welcomed the move and rallied in the streets of the Kathmandu in its support. While political parties were not expected to support the move, the sharpest criticism against the King came from former Supreme Court Judge Laxman Aryal. He said, “The move may be politically correct but it is constitutionally wrong’’. “Article 127 of the Nepalese constitution, which the King invoked, does not give him the right to dismiss a Prime Minister and assume power for himself, ” Mr Anyal said. “The King has created a political vacuum by sacking the Prime Minister,” People’s Front Nepal leader Lilamani Pokharel said. “The King’s action is a matter of anxiety and this step has weakened... democracy in Nepal,” said Sushil Koirala, general secretary of the Nepali Congress, the Himalayan kingdom’s main party.
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India reacts cautiously NEW DELHI: Treading a cautious path on the developments in Nepal, India on Saturday hoped that the present crisis there would be resolved soon within the framework of constitutional processes, paving the way for early elections. India hopes that the “present crisis will be resolved soon within the framework of constitutional processes, paving the way for elections at the earliest and installation of a democratically-elected government in the interest of peace, stability and development in Nepal,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Nirupama Rao told reporters.
PTI |
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Nepal, India sign MoU for road repair Kathmandu, October 5 A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed between the Indian Embassy and the District Development Committee of Saptari yesterday, an Indian Embassy press note here said. The rehabilitation work would be carried out in the Fatehpur-Kunauli road and repair work would be undertaken on Jeeta river bridge in Rajbiraj of Saptari district. The proposed road was initially constructed with Indian assistance in 1964-65 as part of the Koshi Barrage project.
PTI |
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Exercise
restraint, India, Pakistan told
Washington, October 5 “We are disappointed that ballistic missile tests are occurring in the region. There is a charged atmosphere in the region and these tests can contribute to that atmosphere, making it harder to prevent a costly and destabilising nuclear and missile arms race,” State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday. A race like that, he said, would be a further threat to regional and international security. Hours after Pakistan conducted the testfire of Hatf-IV surface-to-surface missile, India tested its most lethal medium range surface-to-air Akash yesterday. Regretting the tests, British Foreign Office Minister Mike O’ Brien said, “The UK continues to believe that restraint over testing by both sides particularly at a time of heightened tension is in the long-term interest” of India and Pakistan and the region. The Foreign Office has contacted the High Commissioners of India and Pakistan “indicating our concern”, he said in a statement in London. In Ottawa, Canadian Foreign Minister said Pakistan had once again chosen to test the ballistic missile particularly at a time when tensions with India remained high. “Canada deeply regrets” the test by Pakistan, he said. Mr Boucher said the USA continued to urge both Pakistan and India to take steps to restrain their nuclear weapon and missile programmes, including the operational deployment of nuclear-armed ballistic missiles. He said the USA wanted both the countries to begin a dialogue and confidence-building measures that could reduce the likelihood that such weapons would ever be used. This could be part of a broader dialogue to reduce tension in the region. “I would note that our primary concern is with missiles that can deliver weapons of mass destruction, which a surface-to-air missile cannot. In broader terms, however, we look to both India and Pakistan not to take steps that increase tension in the region,” he said.
PTI |
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WINDOW ON PAKISTAN Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has never felt as insecure as he does today. One gets this impression from the reports and analyses carried in the media these days. His uneasiness must have multiplied with the publication of a report based on a BBC Urdu Service survey predicting a “narrow lead” for the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians, another name for the PPP of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, in the October 10 elections. The military ruler might be already aware of the emerging reality. He has sufficient sources to guage the voters’ mood. The BBC prediction is, however, further proof coming from a private source about what is likely to happen as a result of the poll exercise. That is why his men are overactive to ensure a smooth sailing for the military-guided democracy as conceptualised by General Musharraf. Reports indicate that nothing is being left to chance by the official machinery to ensure that there is no threat to the General’s rule after the elections are over. He has changed the 1973 constitution drastically. Many constitutional experts believe that it is “dead”. President Musharraf has made the large-scale amendments claiming authority from the Supreme Court’s pronouncements after he captured power through a military coup. His calculations may, however, go haywire as indicated by the latest developments relating to the apex court of Pakistan. According to the media, the court has ruled in the process of disposing of an election petition that the laws promulgated by General Musharraf will cease to have any meaning unless ratified by the new National Assembly. Though subsequently denied, the report may not be without basis. It is believed the ruling General’s crisis management group swung into action after the significant development and secured a denial from the court to prevent any serious setback to his future plans. However, the happening is a pointer to two things. One, perhaps, there is a section in the higher judiciary which strongly thinks that the constitutional amendments made by General Musharraf must be ratified by parliament. Two, it will be difficult to prevent the court from giving a similar ruling after the constitution of the new House, particularly if Opposition parliamentarians are in a position to create trouble for the military regime. The ratification issue may emerge as a major threat to the survival of the Musharraf regime. Even the Presidential referendum, held to perpetuate the General’s rule for another five years, may be sought to be ratified by the National Assembly. According to Newsline magazine, the General is faced with a serious threat to even his life. The September issue of the widely read monthly quoted the International Crisis Group’s Samina Ahmed as saying, “He is a marked man and has to watch his back all the time.” Hence the General’s all-out efforts to secure a majority in the National Assembly, though a Herculean task, for the pro-military Pakistan Muslim League (Quaed-e-Azam), PML (Q) for short. But the General is not sure of the election results on expected lines. A large-scale rigging may be counter-productive under the circumstances. In that event, there is the possibility of most political parties rejecting the poll outcome with an appeal to the masses to overthrow the one-man rule. The appeal may evoke considerable response owing to the growing disenchantment among the public with the military regime. General Musharraf has reasons to feel unnerved. A special report by Newsline’s Zahid Hussain says, “Even the military government’s staunchest loyalists agree that in the event of free and fair elections, parliament is most likely to be dominated by the PPP and other anti-military parties.” Yet the General appears to be confident of remaining in the saddle. The reason is the American factor. He knows that he will continue to rule Pakistan so long as the Americans want him in that position. That is true. But he must not forget that the super power may dump him the day he becomes a liability for it. The USA can always find a replacement for the General for protecting its interests. |
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US-Pak military exercises from Oct 15
Islamabad, October 5 The exercises, which will be held in the Jhelum and Kharian region in Punjab province, will involve around 150 to 200 personnel from each side, senior officials said. Terming the exercises as “significant”, the officials said they signified the resumption of combined training between the USA and Pakistan. The “company-level” exercises would follow the operational cycle of military co-ordination, planning, execution and de-briefing, the officials were quoted as saying by local daily ‘Dawn’. The objective of the exercises was to understand the professional standards and learn from one another and see how well they had been able to incorporate the modern warfare technology, the paper quoted defence experts as saying. US army personnel, along with their equipment, would arrive in their special aircraft shortly before the scheduled date of the exercises. Pakistan and the USA had initially planned tri-services exercises, involving army, air force and navy, for July and August this year, but they did not materialise. The USA has resumed military ties with Pakistan after Islamabad agreed to reverse its policy against Taliban in the aftermath of last year’s September 11 attacks and joined the international coalition against terrorism. Pakistan had conducted two joint exercises with the USA army in 1995 and in 1997. PTI
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Pak’s SC admits petitions by Shabaz, Kulsoom Islamabad, October 5 The petitions were taken up by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Mr Riaz Ahmed, yesterday. He issued notice to the Attorney-General, local daily Dawn reported today. The nomination papers of Shabaz and Kulsoom who live in exile with Sharif at Jeddah, were first accepted by the returning officers to contest for the national assembly and the provincial assembly from Lahore. They were, however, subsequently rejected by a special tribunal following objections over their signatures.
PTI |
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Iraq has weapons of mass destruction: CIA Washington, October 5 The 23-page report illustrated with maps, photographs and charts, says that Iraq has continued its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programmes in defiance of UN resolutions and restrictions. Baghdad has chemical and biological weapons as well as missiles with ranges in excess of the 150-km UN restrictions, it said adding, “and if unchecked, it will probably have a nuclear weapon during this decade.” “If Baghdad acquires sufficient eaons-grade fissile material from abroad, it can make a nuclear weapon within a year. Without such material from abroad, Iraq probably will not be able to make a nuclear weapon until the last half of the decade,” the report further said. Since UN inspections ended in 1998, Iraq has maintained its chemical weapons effort, energised its missile programme, and invested more heavily in biological weapons and most analysts assess Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons programme, it said. The report said, “Its nuclear and other weapons programmes constitute a potential threat to the US homeland, and that its capability already represents a serious threat to Iraq’s neighbours and to international military forces in the region.”
PTI |
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S. Korean
House approves PM-designate Seoul, October 5 The 210-31 vote in favour of Kim Suk-soo, a former Supreme Court Judge, relieved President Kim, who has ruled without a deputy since July. Eight votes were declared invalid or abstentions. South Korea’s one-house legislature voted down President Kim’s two previous nominees for Prime Ministership for ethical and other reasons. The President nominated Kim Suk-soo on September 10. Parliament opened a two-day hearing earlier this week to decide whether to approve the new nominee. Some Opposition legislators raised ethical questions about how he accumulated his wealth.
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Indian-born Prof wins award Silicon Valley, October 5 Sendhil Mullainathan, 29, uses insights from psychology and sociology in his research to better understand economic behavior and the functioning of markets. His recent research found that investors tend to have expectations based on their past experiences, and are slow to recognise changing economic conditions even when they’re already underway. In bestowing the award, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation last week praised Mullainathan for the way he "invigorates the discipline with fresh and unconventional inquiries into important issues.’’
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LONDON: A lavishly illustrated book on the Rashtrapati Bhavan was released in Britain by leading NRI Lord Swraj Paul who said the architect of the building Edwin L. Lutyens deserved great credit for his monumental work. Authored by Delhi-based author Aman Nath, ‘Dome Over India: Rashtrapati Bhavan’ has 200 specially commissioned photographs and takes the reader on a tour of the Presidential House, from the Buddhism inspired Dome through the formal ceremonial halls and into the splendid Mughal Garden, with a mix of history, anecdote and architectural analysis. PTI JACKIE CHAN ON HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME 2 LAKH B’DESHIS TO GET FOREIGN JOBS
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Kathmandu, October 5
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