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Tuesday,
February 18, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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No talks with Pak at NAM summit Poland keen to boost trade
Ex-CJI’s comment on Ayodhya irks BJP |
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BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY Anand takes over as NHRC chief
LS Speaker back from Zambia SP fears threat to MLAs, seeks Kalam’s help VHP: Feb 27 to be ‘balidan divas’
Sharma points finger at Shivani’s husband SC puts off hearing on Hinduja plea Youth shot dead
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No talks with Pak at NAM summit New Delhi, February 17 Though India has decided to boycott the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games scheduled to be held in Pakistan in March-April, the Vajpayee government has not so far placed, and is unlikely to do so in future, any ban on the India-Pakistan cricket World Cup match on March 1. Well-placed sources in the government today said SAF games in Islamabad and the Indo-Pakistan cricket World Cup matches were on different pedestals. There was no contradiction in the government’s policy on sports ties with Islamabad. “Our government’s policy is to go ahead with all sports fixtures with Pakistan if these are multilateral events held in a third country,” the sources said. India is understood to have conveyed to Pakistan that it did not think it advisable to participate in SAF Games at this stage keeping in view the security of Indian athletes. Significantly, the Indian decision to boycott the SAF games in Islamabad was conveyed to Pakistan very recently, days before Mr Vajpayee leaves for Kuala Lumpur. The move is being seen in diplomatic circles here as a signal from the Vajpayee government to Pakistan in particular and the international community in general that it is not interested in talks with the Musharraf regime. Sources in the Pakistan High Commission here maintained that no Vajpayee-Musharraf meeting was on the anvil in Kuala Lumpur and Islamabad was not interested in trying to wooing New Delhi into talks. Though the Foreign Offices of the two hostile neighbours are understood to be chalking out itineraries of their respective leaders in such a way that they do not run into each other, Mr Vajpayee would not mind exchanging pleasantries or shaking hands with General Musharraf if such an eventuality does arise. |
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Poland keen to boost trade New Delhi, February 17 He said the offer would include turnkey supply of complete production lines, individual machines, equipment and also the transfer of technology. Other areas where Indian companies could cooperate with their Polish counterparts include coal and lignite mining, power engineering, railway engineering, machine-building, aerospace industry, crude oil and gas extraction, maritime economy, capital investments and agricultural and food processing industries, Mr Miller said. Addressing a luncheon meeting jointly organised by FICCI and the CII with captains of the industry, Mr Miller drew attention to the current Indo-Polish mutual trade, which stands at $ 250 million. “We are creating increasingly convenient conditions for foreign investors,” the Polish Prime Minister said. Mr Miller, who is on a four-day visit, had wide-ranging discussions with Deputy Prime Minister
L.K. Advani, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and Defence Minister George Fernandes on the entire gamut of bilateral relations, besides focusing on the Iraq crisis and other international and regional issues of importance. |
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Ex-CJI’s comment on Ayodhya irks BJP New Delhi, February 17 “As the Supreme Court is to decide on the government’s plea on Ayodhya, the former Chief Justice should not give any interpretation nor give any clarification. It is not proper for a judge to clarify,” party spokesman V.K. Malhotra told newspersons here. He said the party was waiting for the court to decide and it would abide by its order “even if it is an adverse decision.” To a question that the VHP has refused to heed the court verdict, he said “their demand is separate from the BJP and the government stand.” He said the Congress appeared to be hesitant to discuss the Ayodhya issue in Parliament. However, the Samajwadi Party was keen on raking up the Uttar Pradesh issue, Professor Malhotra said. Hitting out at Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for his attack on Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal as an “outsider” in the state, he said the Congress Chief Minister should look towards his own party President Sonia Gandhi who took up Indian citizenship after 18 years. On the dinner meeting of Opposition parties convened by Ms Sonia Gandhi last night , he said after the Congress performance in the Gujarat elections and the split in Uttar Pradesh, “the meeting appears to be a storm in a tea cup.”
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BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY Bhopal, February 17 The convener of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan, Mr Abdul Jabbar, told a press conference yesterday that a litigation in a US court on behalf of the Bhopal gas victims in 1999 was at the final stage of hearing. The petition seeks exemplary compensation for environmental damages, among other things. Mr Aquil probably wanted to help the respondents (Dow Chemical and the erstwhile Union Carbide) in the US court by claiming that no damage to the environment had been done by the chemical wastes as claimed by the petitioners. A few months ago, Mr Aquil visited affected localities and got himself photographed while drinking a glass of water drawn from one of the hand pumps to show that the water was not contaminated. The very next day the photograph was produced in the US court on behalf of the respondents, Mr Jabbar said. He said over 8,000 tonnes of chemical wastes had contaminated the groundwater in 11 localities around the pesticide plant site. Water samples had been tested in government and non-government laboratories seven times since 1990 and all reports had confirmed the presence of deadly chemical substances in the water in varying degrees. In November-December last year, the administration had removed six hand pumps after receiving alarming reports about the contamination of water. Mr Jabbar called Mr Aquil’s statement in the Assembly “irresponsible, immoral and shameful”, amounting to contempt of the House. He asked the government to apologise for Mr Aquil’s statement. |
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Anand takes over as NHRC chief New Delhi, February 17 Justice Anand succeeds Justice J.S. Verma. The fourth Chairperson of the commission, Justice Anand said greatest challenge to human rights today is about ensuring the rights of the mother, the child and gender equality. Justice Anand said: “Some areas of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, need amendments which has been pointed out earlier by the commission.” |
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LS Speaker back from Zambia New Delhi, February 17 Mr Joshi, who has meanwhile returned here, briefed the Zambian President about Pakistan’s support to cross border terrorism. The latter said Zambia condemned terrorism in all its forms. |
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SP fears threat to MLAs, seeks Kalam’s help Lucknow, February 17 Leader of the Opposition Mohammad Azam Khan said: “The way Ms Mayawati was lodging fake cases against her political rivals, violence could not be ruled out.”
UNI |
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VHP: Feb 27 to be ‘balidan divas’ Lucknow, February 17 State VHP in charge Purshottam Narain Singh told newspersons here yesterday that on that day, VHP activists would ask the Hindus to take a pledge to follow the directives of the Dharam Sansad. The decision was taken by sants at the World Hindu Sammelan held at Gorakhpur. The VHP has been entrusted with the job. The sants also decided to ask the Central Government to hand over the acquired 67 acres of land in the Ram Janmabhoomi complex back to the Sri Ram janmabhoomi Nyas. He said chief of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas Ram Chandra Paramhans had assured the sants that the temple would be completed in one and a half years. |
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Sharma points finger at Shivani’s husband New Delhi, February 17 Pleading before Additional District and Sessions Judge J.M. Malik not to frame charges, Sharma’s counsel S.P. Minocha said: “The glass found on the table at the site of the murder had the fingerprints of Rakesh. After receiving information about the murder, Rakesh did not inform the police till 6 p.m., he said.
UNI |
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SC puts off hearing on Hinduja plea New Delhi, February 17 A three-judge Bench, comprising Chief Justice V.N. Khare, Mr Justice S.B. Sinha and Mr Justice A.R. Lakshmanan, in its order said since the bail was granted by another Bench the present application should also be listed before the same Bench on February 20 for necessary orders.
UNI |
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Youth shot dead Sriganganagar, February 17 The deceased was a 25-year-old Muslim youth and the word Pankaj, was printed on his shirt, the sources added. He was buried after a post-mortem examination, they added.
PTI |
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