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Sunday,
January 12, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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N. Korea may end missile-testing moratorium
WINDOW ON PAKISTAN Pak removes MPs from travel ban list
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Indian woman runs ‘immigration scam’ Singapore warms up to Cupid 2
Al-Qaida suspects held
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N. Korea may end missile-testing moratorium Seoul, January 11 The missile testing announcement was likely to boost tensions in an intensifying nuclear stand-off, despite a global chorus of condemnation of the North Korean Government. If launches resume, they would be the first since 1998, when North Korea shocked the region by test-firing a missile over Japan into the Pacific. Pyongyang subsequently announced a moratorium on testing that is supposed to last beyond the end of this year. But the North’s Ambassador to China, Mr Choe Jin Su, said today that if the USA did not take steps to improve relations, it may resume testing. The statement comes just a day after Pyongyang said it was pulling out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Justifying the move as self-defence, North Korea also said today it would “mercilessly wipe out” nations that violate its sovereignty. Public sentiment on both sides of the Korean border was flaring today, with large rallies in the South and North Korean capitals. Meanwhile, North Korea renewed its demand today for a non-aggression pact with the USA as it warned Washington against trying to bring its Cold War rival “to its knees.” Pyongyang has consistently called for a formal non-aggression pact with Washington. AP, AFP
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Rally in support of US forces
Seoul, January 11 The rally, organised by the General Association of Christian Organisations, a major Christian umbrella group, came amid rising international tension over North Korea’s suspected nuclear weapons development. The North surprised the world in December by deciding to restart nuclear facilities that were frozen under a deal with the USA in 1994. Today, the North intensified the confrontation by quitting the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The Christian demonstrators, holding blue balloons and small South Korean and US flags, prayed in a loud voice in support of the stationing of US troops in South Korea as a deterrent against the Communist North. AP
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WINDOW ON PAKISTAN But for those associated with the party he founded—the Pakistan People’s Party, or the PPP in short—perhaps no one sings paeans in praise of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, by all standards the most fascinating politician his country has ever produced. This is the biggest tragedy of Pakistan, a land today known for its jehadi and terrorist culture more than for anything else. No doubt, he was an enemy leader for India, but that is an altogether different matter. His 75th birth anniversary on January 5 passed off without the Government of Pakistan remembering him, not even for the democratic constitution he gave to his nation. Bhutto has been reduced to being merely the founder of the PPP, headed by his daughter Benazir. Being a mass leader that he was, he must be turning in his grave for the treatment given to him by an ungrateful nation. The situation is understandable as his daughter is an opposition leader and the ruling dispensation is a product of the machinations of the military chief, Gen Pervez Musharraf. In an article carried in The Nation on January 5, Ms Benazir Bhutto says, “Quaid-e-Awam (the title by which he is referred to in the PPP circles) gave to Pakistan a unanimous, democratic and Islamic constitution with provincial autonomy and human rights. This was the first constitution to recognise the human rights of the people of Pakistan. Today human rights has become a major issue internationally. Without it, the dignity of humanity is compromised and the soul of a society is destroyed.” Throughout her article she tries to lay stress on the Islamic aspect of Bhutto’s politics. Obviously, this is aimed at securing political benefits by a cunning daughter. The truth, however, is that Bhutto was not an Islamist person. He only tried to exploit the name of his religion by indulging in such gimmicks as the !974 Islamic summit in Lahore. He lived only for 50 years. But he lived much of his life like a hero. He had earned for him an envied place in the hearts of Pakistanis. As Benazir says, “Quaid-e-Awam was a principled friend to the poor, downtrodden and oppressed. He was fearless in his beliefs and refused to bow before any man or power other than the Almighty. “The ever-lasting contribution of Bhutto was to raise the consciousness of the people for democracy. He awakened the masses, making them realise they were the fountainhead of political power. He enlightened the peasants, the industrial workers, the students, the women and the rest of the common people of their importance and of their right of franchise, which is the definite means of bringing changes and improvement in the lives of the common people. He deeply cherished democracy and democratic values and in the end gave his life for the cause of freedom. In the case of Pakistan, he viewed military rule as a negation of the very genesis of the country that came into being as a result of a democratic process and a vote.” By highlighting that “By signing the Simla Accord of 1972, he negotiated the longest peace between India and Pakistan”, Benazir has given examples to show how Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was rated by most world leaders. |
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Pak removes MPs from travel ban list
Islamabad, January 11 “The names of 18 members of the National Assembly have been taken off the exit control list (ECL) to let them perform their duties without any hindrance,” an Interior Ministry official said. The restrictions were imposed during President Pervez Musharraf’s three-year military rule in a tough crackdown on political and administrative corruption that led to the prosecution and conviction of hundreds of politicians, businessmen, civil servants and retired top military officials. AFP
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Indian woman runs ‘immigration scam’
Wellington, January 11 The Weekend Herald said women in their 20s and 30s — including single mothers, beneficiaries and prostitutes — were promised up to about $ 10,600 to wed the Indians so that they qualified for residence. In a front page story, the paper said it had been investigating the racket for three months and named 52-year-old Samshad “Sam” Begum, an Indian who came to New Zealand from Fiji 15 years ago, as the organiser. The Herald said a former prostitute and a Punjabi student who married last year five days after they met told immigration authorities they lived together in South Auckland, but actually lived in separate towns. “The groom says he paid Ms Begum $ 8,000 but is still waiting for his residency application to be approved,” the paper said. “The bride said Ms Begum told her she had arranged hundreds of marriages. She’s been doing it for a long time. It's like her own little private business.” The Herald said Begum, who receives a state sickness benefit, denied any involvement in the racket, but confirmed that New Zealand authorities had accused her of arranging marriages when questioning her over unexplained income. It said it was understood that she employed “scouts” to find women willing to take part in the sham marriages and coached couples on how to handle questions from the Immigration Service. DPA
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Singapore warms up to Cupid
Singapore, January 11 Long criticised for being too sterile in matters of the heart, the city-state will hold parties by the Singapore River, water cruises for couples, concerts in the park at dusk and drive-in movies offering the opportunity to cuddle in the back seat during February. A survey by a government ministry showed while 80 per cent of single women in their 20s view marriage as better than staying single, the number drops to 48 per cent once females hit their 30s. Nearly 90 per cent of single women in their 20s believe married couples should have children, but only 50 per cent of those in their 30s feel the same, according to the survey conducted last year. The organisers shied away from straightforward replies when asked if “Romancing Singapore” is being staged to boost the declining number of marriages and put people in the mood for children. “Singaporeans have become very cynical towards campaigns,” Mr Chiang said. DPA
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2 Al-Qaida suspects held
Frankfurt, January 11 According to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, one of them is an alleged finance chief for Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. AFP
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