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Tuesday,
November 19, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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UN inspectors in Baghdad
Talks on Pak coalition
government fail Pervez calls NSC meeting ahead of PM’s
poll Gurpurb greetings
from Bush |
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Did Diana fancy Punjabis? FBI interrogates
Sept 11 suspect Kasi’s body arrives
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UN inspectors in Baghdad Baghdad, November 18 The team, which includes Egypt’s Mohamed ElBaradei, Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, flew in from Larnaca in Cyprus where their logistics base is located. “The situation is tense at the moment but this is a new opportunity,” Mr Blix told reporters at Saddam International Airport. “We are here to provide an inspection that is credible, inspection that is in the interest of Iraq and the interest of the world,” he said. Mr Blix and Mohammed ElBaradei were to meet senior Iraqi officials and lay the groundwork for the start of inspections set for November 27.
Reuters, AFP |
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Talks on Pak coalition
government fail
Islamabad, November 18 The six-party right-wing alliance, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), said the two sides were unable to arrive at a consensus on the powers General Musharraf should wield over a civilian parliament, powers the Islamic parties would like to limit. "We have to say this with disappointment that our efforts were not successful," said a statement by MMA, which held late night talks yesterday with the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam (PML-QA). The announcement comes a day before the national Assembly, or Lower House of Parliament, is to elect a Speaker and Deputy Speaker, a key step towards the election of a Prime Minister and a return to civilian rule after General Musharraf’s October 1999 coup. More than a month after the general election, the countries’ political parties have failed to form a coalition government, haggling over the Prime Minister’s post and the role the military and General Musharraf should have in future. With the deadline for filing nomination to the two posts ending this afternoon, the PML-Q, the MMA, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party and former premier Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League have all fielded candidates for the two posts, officials of the Assembly said. However, the MMA decision also opens the possibility of a tie-up between the MMA and the 15-party alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) to form the government. The ARD consisting of the PPP and the PML-N, have about 155 members in the 335-member
House. The PML-Q has claimed support of 170 members with magic figure being 168.
PTI |
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Pervez calls NSC meeting ahead of PM’s poll Islamabad, November 18 His decision to call for an NSC meeting within two days after he held a joint meeting of the Cabinet and the NSC surprised officials and political parties. Tomorrow’s NSC meeting would take place around the same time as the election for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. Election for the post of Prime Minister would be held on November 21. Local daily Dawn quoted officials today as saying that General Musharraf had this time called for the meeting of the NSC alone, whereas in the past joint meetings of the NSC and the Federal Cabinet were held. The NSC is composed of the top brass of country’s military as well as provincial governors. Political analysts view the NSC meeting, called within an interval of two days, as one of immense importance as elections to the offices of Speaker and Deputy Speaker to be held tomorrow would clear the political stalemate and herald a breakthrough in the efforts of political parties to form government. In view of tomorrow’s meeting, General Musharraf has cancelled all engagements for the day and asked members of the NSC to cancel other activities, the newspaper quoted officials as saying.
PTI |
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Gurpurb greetings
from Bush Washington, November 18 "I send greetings to those celebrating the 533rd anniversary of the birth of Guru, the founder of Sikh," said President Bush in his message." America is strengthened by the rich cultural and religious diversity of its people. By preserving your customs and sharing your loving and compassionate faith, Sikhs contribute to America's vibrant spiritual foundation. "I commend Sikhs for their commitment to making a difference in the hearts and souls of your communities. May your celebration of Guru Nanak's birthday also be a time in which we recognise the values of progress, pluralism and acceptance that bind us together as a nation and a global community. By working together to advance mutual respect and understanding, we help build a brighter future for all. "Laura joins me in sending our best wishes for a memorable celebration," said the message which was received by the Sikh Council on Religion and Education in Washington. The Council said in a statement that the Sikh community in the USA was feeling extremely pleased with greetings from President Bush recognising the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. |
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Did Diana fancy Punjabis? London, November 18 Over that period the butler smuggled Dr Khan to Kensington Palace on many nights in the boot of his car, and smuggled him out in the mornings. And, he says he often smuggled Princess Diana out in the boot of the car to see him. She had a serious relationship with him, "but by no means exclusively with him," the butler said in his police statement. She began to see Gulu Lalvani, another Punjabi, this one from India. "Gulu Lalvani was a millionaire and was also another Muslim, which I think the Princess thought would make Hasnat more possessive. In fact, it had the opposite effect." Burrel was wrong here about Gulu Lalvani being a Muslim. Gulu Lalvani is a Sikh but Burrel was not the only one who thought him a Muslim. Princess Diana's mother Frances Shand Kydd also thought Lalvani was a Muslim. In a story he sold to the Daily Mirror for 300,000 pounds, Burrel recalls a day when Princess Diana's mother shouted at her on the phone over her relationships with "Muslim men". Princess Diana handed the phone to Burrel while the mother screamed away. Burrel says it was "a torment of abuse, swearing and upsetting innuendo towards the Princess and towards the male company she was keeping. It was horrible. It was a hate-filled personal attack on the type of men the Princess surrounded herself with and their religious beliefs." It was the last time Princess Diana spoke to her mother; she died six months later. Playing one Punjabi against the other was Princess Diana's mistake. Both took several steps back from her life. Perhaps, her mother would have had views on Sikhs as strong as those about Muslims — we shall never know. But these were the real men in her life. The arrival of Dodi Fayed was temporary and it turned out the last aberration. * * * Punjabis had another date with royalty in London in recent days. At last the memorial set up to honour soldiers from the Commonwealth who died fighting for Britain in the two World Wars was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth. Her Majesty had also come to lay the foundation stone of the memorial last year. Commonwealth meant almost entirely India and India meant almost entirely Punjabi when it came to fighting for the British. Not because Punjabis had any particular love for the British. But joining the military is a family tradition in thousands of Punjabi families to this day. Punjabis who fought for the British were loyal to their regiment, to their tradition and their commander. That they turned out to be loyal to the British Empire, therefore, was almost incidental. |
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FBI interrogates Sept 11 suspect Kuala Lumpur, November 18 The FBI agents, who arrived here on Wednesday, spent two hours in the isolated Kamunting detention camp in the northern Perak state where the suspect, Yazid Sufaat, has been held since December, 2001. The men, who were originally scheduled to question Yazid last Friday, had arrived at the camp in a car with US diplomatic plates, the official Bernama news agency reported. Yazid, 38, is alleged to have had connections with Zacarias Moussaoui, who has been put on trial in the USA over the attacks on New York and Washington last year. The biochemistry graduate of California State University is alleged to have played host and provided shelter to Moussaoui, a Morocco-born French citizen, during his visit to Malaysia a year before the attacks.
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Kasi’s body arrives Islamabad, November 18 He was executed at a US prison in Virginia last week for killing two CIA agents in 1993. His body arrived at Karachi this morning. Reports of violence were also received from several parts of Hyderabad.
UNI |
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Washington, November 18
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