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Friday,
September 19, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Blacklisted Sikh NRIs’ list pruned NCM to aid safe return of Pandits Tarlochan takes up case of Ranjit with NHRC |
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Envoy warns Israel against killing Arafat Giraffe calf attracts zoo visitors
Mamata hopeful of suitable portfolio |
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Plan to raise support prices of
oilseeds Eight killed in
W. Bengal mishap 8 Pak prisoners to be deported by September 30 Airport staff begin fast
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Blacklisted Sikh NRIs’ list pruned to 134 New Delhi, September 18 The NCM believed that the blacklist must be put afresh under the microscope as the situation that existed in the wake of the Operation Bluestar in 1984 had changed considerably. This assumed significance as there was a sea change in the thinking of Sikh NRIs who continued to be on the government’s blacklist. The NCM believed that the Vajpayee government needed to review the blacklist because of the changed environment. The National Human Rights Commission reviewed the government’s report on blacklisted Sikh NRIs here yesterday. It also forwarded a letter of SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann concerning the case of UK-based Hajinder Singh Dilgeer who was a citizen of Norway. About a year back, the government had reviewed several thousand blacklisted Sikh NRIs in the UK, Canada and the USA and slashed the number to just 50 individuals. But this had now gone up to 134. The NCM and several Sikh organisations were persevering that the government should end the discrimination against the minority community. The Union Home Ministry had, after extensive reviews, restricted the blacklist of Sikh NRIs taking into account the current disposition of those inimical to the country. Obviously, the union home ministry and various intelligence agencies associated with the reviews had no option but to retain a blacklist whose diabolical intentions remained unchanged. The Centre had refused to scrap the blacklist of Sikh NRIs based on its latest assessment. It was hoped that further pruning of the blacklist would facilitate all those anxious to visit their homeland but had been denied a visa for nearly two decades. The blacklist of Sikh NRIs prepared by various intelligence agencies since 1984 had been a bone of contention after terrorism was dealt a crushing blow in Punjab. |
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NCM to aid safe return of Pandits New Delhi, September 18 Briefing mediapersons on the outcome of the first meeting between leaders representing the Kashmiri Pandits and the Muslim organisations, NCM Chairman Tarlochan Singh announced the unanimous election of former J&K Chief Secretary, Mr Moosa Raza and former NCM member, Mr V.K. Dar, as convener and co-convener of the committee respectively. Mr Tarlochan Singh said that members of the committee would visit J&K soon to hold a dialogue with opinion makers to ensure the safe return of the Kashmiri Pandits. According to sources in the Kashmiri Samiti, seven lakh Kashmiri Pandit families had been hounded out of the Valley since 1989 and only 500 families were left there. Asked if the committee would also take up the issue of the safety of Kashmiri Pandits residing in the valley, Mr Tarlochan Singh said, ‘‘The commission has already taken up the matter with the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister.’’ Replying to another question on the NCM’s long- pending demand to grant minority status to the Kashmiri Pandits, Mr Tarlochan Singh said ‘‘No political or welfare issues were discussed in the meeting which unanimously expressed regret over the forceful eviction of the Pandits from their homes in the Valley.’’ The NCM Chairman also announced that a meeting of Muslim intellectuals was being convened on September 21. Mr Moosa
Raza, who represents the Movement for Empowerment of Muslim Indians, expressed confidence that the committee would visit the valley ‘at the earliest.’ Mr Raza said leaders representing Muslim organisations had heard the Kashmiri Pandits. ‘‘We have expressed sympathy and complete solidarity with them on behalf of the Muslim community. Any person has 150 per cent right to live in their own homes. It is very sad and shameful that the Kashmiri Pandits had to live as refugees. The leaders should have intervened when they were being hounded out of their own homes and provided the much needed healing touch.’’ Representatives and leaders from 36 Muslim and Kashmiri Pandit organisations participated in the meeting. Prominent among the participants were Dr Tasleem
Rehmani, assistant general secretary of All INdia Mili Council, Mr Shamim
Kazim, president of All India Shia Conference, Dr S.Q.R. Ilyas, Executive Member, All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Professor
Z.M. Khan, Secretary General, Institute of Objective Studies, Mr Sunil
Shakdher, President, Kashmiri Samiti, Mr Vijay Takko, Pannu Kashmir and Mr
T.N. Razdan, President of Jammu & Kashmir Vichar Manch. |
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Tarlochan takes up case of Ranjit with NHRC New Delhi, September 18 Mr Singh said that he presented to the NHRC Chairman, Justice A.S. Anand, and other members the legal opinion expressed by a senior counsel, Mr K.T.S. Tulsi, on the matter. He urged the commission to take up the matter with the Delhi Government. Ranjit Singh’s father had appealed to the Delhi Chief Minister on April 29 this year to commute the sentence of his son. Mr Tulsi had stated that although the prisoner had been awarded life sentence under Section 433 and 433-A of the CrPC, the government concerned had the power to commute the sentence of life imprisonment if the prisoner had served at least 14 years of imprisonment. Mr Tulsi had cited the Supreme Court verdict Lakshman Laskar versus Union of India to support his appeal. He has said that since Ranjit Singh had completed an actual term of more than 14 years, he had acquired a right under Section 433 and 433-A of CrPC for premature release. |
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Envoy warns Israel against killing Arafat New Delhi, September 18 “If Mr Sharon were to touch Mr Arafat in future, the Israelis would suffer generations after generations. The Palestinians would retaliate. The Israeli people would suffer because the Palestinian people would take revenge for their President, for their leader,” Mr Musa said in an exclusive interview with The Tribune. Asked if by using the phrase “generations after generations”, he was hinting that the Palestinians had a nuclear bomb, the Palestinian envoy replied in the negative. “We don’t have nuclear weapons. We have our bare hands. We don’t even have tanks or anti-aircraft missiles or other weapons. Mr Sharon can assassinate Mr Arafat. They have the military capability. But our revenge will be from the Palestinian people,” Mr Musa said. The Palestinian envoy showed stark realism when he commented that he found the US role in the Israel-Palestine conflict “partisan”, though he recognised that the USA was the “only power” the Palestinians had to deal with. Mr Musa found fault with Washington in getting after Iran on suspicion of Teheran striving to acquire nuclear weapons and said the USA should concentrate on Israel instead as Tel Aviv had a huge stockpile of nukes. |
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Giraffe calf attracts zoo visitors New Delhi, September 18 The yet-to-be-named calf was born to five-year-old Ankit and swen-year-old Anita and belongs to the Giraffa Camelopardalis species found in the open grasslands of Africa. The calf is 5 feet tall and weighs more than 50 kg. The pair was acquired by the zoo authorities from the Kolkata zoo in the summer of 1999 after a gap of 15 years. Only seven of the 56 major zoos in the country have giraffes, according to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). The total number of giraffes in these zoos is 20. This includes 10 males and 10 females. The Kolkata zoo has seven giraffes, followed by the Mysore zoo, which has five. The Delhi zoo now has three giraffes. Chennai has two and Trivandrum one. In the past month, the Delhi zoo has witnessed the birth of 10 crocodiles belonging to Ghoral, an Indian species, and four American alligators. The zoo authorities have directed the veterinary officers to ensure proper care and nursing to prevent any infection to the young one.
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Mamata hopeful of suitable portfolio Kolkata, September 18 Ms Banerjee waited for four days in the Capital to have a meeting with Mr Vajpayee before his tour to Turkey and the USA to talk about her portfolio but in vain. Neither Mr George Fernandes nor Mr Sudhindra Kulkarni could arrange any meeting for her with the Prime Minister. She is now a minister without portfolio. The disappointed Ms Banerjee alleged she had been a victim of NDA’s inner politics. She still believed Mr Vajpayee wanted her back with a good portfolio. But for some reason that did not happen. She said still she was happy that she had been inducted in the Cabinet. Ms Banerjee said she did not mind that she could not meet the Prime Minister. She said she refused to believe that the Prime Minister had deliberately avoided a meeting with her as reported in a section of the press. Party sources said Ms Banerjee had been assured by Mr Fernandes that she would be given a better portfolio. She had refused to accept the Coal Ministry and reiterated she would remain a minister without portfolio if the Prime Minister so desired. But she would not accept any portfolio which she would feel was ‘dishonorable and ignominious for her’ her close associates said. |
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Plan to raise support prices of oilseeds New Delhi, September 18 “The failure of the Cancun talks will have absolutely no impact on the country’s agricultural sector,” he told reporters on the sidelines of Asia-Pacific Crop Protection Conference here. He said there would be no impact on India’s exports as a result of the Cancun meeting. The minister said the government was planning to raise the support prices of oilseeds with the country expected to reap a rich harvest on the back of a good monsoon, adding that the foodgrain production was expected to touch 220 million tonnes this year. Agriculture Secretary R. C.A. Jain favoured a review of banned pesticides so that India did not become a dumping ground for such chemicals. He noted that pesticide consumption had dropped from 66,000 MT to 47,000 MT from 1994 to 2002. Mr Rajnath Singh emphasised the need for maintaining and improving the supply and distribution channels for bio-pesticides in rural areas and added that the industry should make use of the liberalised norms for registration put in place by the government. |
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Eight killed in
W. Bengal mishap Kolkata, September 18 The bus, carrying over 50 pilgrims for a local festival, was going towards Ranchi from Purulia town. It hit against a wayside culvert and suddenly fell down into a ditch. As the accident took place someway distance from Khagpur town, most of the victims remained unattended for over five hours. But later a patrol police van located the accident site and arranged for the victims’ transportation to hospital. |
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8 Pak prisoners to be deported by September 30 New Delhi, September 18 Attorney-General J Soli Sorajbjee informed a Bench, comprising Ms Justice Ruma Pal and Mr Justice P V Reddi, that five of the prisoners could not be deported as they were ‘security prisoners’, while remaining two were yet facing trial. But they would be provided consular facilities to establish their identity. The Pakistan Government, which had earlier refused to take them back stating that they were not its citizens, had finally agreed to accept them, the Attorney General said. Meanwhile, a case relating to four persons belonging to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), which was being heard by a Bench headed by Mr Justice M B Shah, was also referred to the Bench of Ms Justice Pal for adjudication. The next hearing would be on October 8. |
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Airport staff begin fast New Delhi, September 18 Although services at the airports, including air traffic and passenger services, were not disrupted but the employees at airports held demonstrations against the government move. There was a sit-in demonstration outside the Indira Gandhi International Airport here where many employees shouted anti-government slogans. |
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