 |
|
Seven US soldiers killed
in Iraq
Pak troops close in on mountain
stronghold
Pak offers safe passage to
Al-Qaida men
Pak police on high
alert
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pakistan remembers Tohra
Rice’s testimony linked to threat to make photo public?
Sharon backtracks on Arafat’s safety
Kumaratunga names Rajapakse as PM
Row over ANC posters featuring
Gandhi
29 killed in Iran
road accident
Maoist rebels kill 9 cops in Nepal
|
|
Seven US soldiers killed
in Iraq
Baghdad, April 5 The military said the fighting erupted after members of a militia loyal to radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr took control of police stations and government buildings in Sadr City, a poor neighbourhood of mainly Shiites on the eastern outskirts of the capital. “Coalition forces and Iraqi security forces prevented this effort and reestablished security in Baghdad at the cost of seven U.S. soldiers killed and more than 24 wounded,” the military statement said. It said militiamen attacked the soldiers with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. Sadr City is a stronghold of Al-Sadr supporters and the fighting yesterday came hours after his followers attacked a coalition garrison in the southern holy city of Najaf. Two coalition soldiers and at least 20 Iraqis were killed. —
AP |
|
|
Pak troops close in on mountain stronghold
Islamabad, April 5 The Shawal valley on the border in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal area has long been a no-go area for Pakistani troops, where Pashtun tribes have ruled without interference for generations and fugitives have long found refuge. Now, Pakistani forces, as part of their campaign to clear foreign militants from the swathe of tribal lands along the border, seem to have set their sights on Shawal. ‘’There has been some speculation, it’s one of the places mentioned as a possible hideout,’’ said Pakistani Afghan expert and journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, referring to the hunt for Bin Laden and his deputies. But Yusufzai and other analysts doubt Bin Laden would stay there if he knew a sweep was being mounted. The Shawal is an upland valley, with forests and meadows where tribesmen graze their flocks in summer, at about 1,300 metres, criss-crossed by ravines and ridges soaring up to 3,400 metres. The small natural fortress, seldom visited by outsiders, lies on both sides of the unmarked border. Pakistan sent troops into its side of the area for the first time in June, 2002. The Pakistani military has given no details of its current plans but officials say troops are moving towards Shawal. ‘’This area has not really been controlled by the government. They would like to have a permanent presence there but it is going to be difficult,’’ Yusufzai said. ‘’There are forests, natural hideouts in the mountains and it’s very remote. The people have been allowed to live on their own with no government control for so long, establishing government writ will be very difficult,’’ he said. —
Reuters |
|
|
Pak offers safe passage to Al-Qaida men
Peshawar, April 5 “If the foreign terrorists want to leave Pakistani territory then we are ready to provide safe passage to them,” North West Frontier Province Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain told an assembly of 200 tribal elders in the provincial Capital, Peshawar. “Our amnesty offers still stands and once again we assure that anyone who lays down his arms and surrenders before the authorities will not be handed over to any other country.” The provincial authorities have been urging tribes to form their own armed militia to pursue and expel foreigners and hand over tribal chiefs who have been harbouring them. Hussain threatened a further armed offensive if the foreigners did not leave and their tribal supporters were not handed over. He said force would only be used if traditional tribal practices of slow negotiations, meetings and consultations failed to get results, an official who attended the meeting told AFP. He extended a deadline for their expulsion or surrender to April 20. Thousands of army and paramilitary troops have been mobilised to the North Waziristan tribal region in recent days, said the chief of security for the tribal areas, Brigadier Mehmood Shah. A senior government official today warned more than 100 elders from two tribal regions - which have been the focus of a recent hunt for Al-Qaida suspects — that they could face punishment if they fail to evict or hand over foreign terrorist in their areas. The elders representing the Mahsud, Utmanzai and Ahmedzai tribes, which dominate the South and North Waziristan regions on the Afghan border, were given until April 20 to comply, said Brig. Mahmood Shah, chief of security for the tribal regions. Governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah, who is responsible for administration of the tribal regions, set the deadline for the tribesmen in a meeting with them in the provincial Capital, Peshawar.
— AFP, AP |
|
Karachi, April 5 Senior government officials said they suspected Islamic extremists were involved in Sunday’s attack. A band of 10 to 12 gunmen killed five policemen and wounded one at a city police station. “The level of alert has been heightened at all police stations because we do not rule out more such attacks,’’ said Fayyaz Leghari, a Deputy Inspector-General of Police. The attack, one of the boldest on the Karachi police in recent years, might have been in retaliation to an army operation against foreign militants in Pakistan’s western tribal areas, on the Afghan border, or an attempt to derail the hunt for extremists in Karachi, a security official said. “The police and paramilitary rangers have scored major victories in the fight against extremism. They are the target of terrorists now,’’ said Aftab Sheikh, Security Adviser to the chief minister of Sindh province. Karachi is the capital of Sidh province. The police has set up small posts on roof tops and beefed up security at nearly 100 police stations in an attempt to prevent another assault. Leghari said the police had found some clues, but it was too early to single out any group for blame. The police had also found a car believed to have been used in the attack, he said. “It is a stolen vehicle and has bullet marks on its body,’’ Leghari said. The police had released sketches of two men who had stolen the vehicle, he said. —
Reuters |
|
Window on Pakistan
It may not be happening always, but Pakistan’s mainline newspapers at times show their deep concern for the poor and the hapless. Poverty remains a grave social and economic issue, though politicians mostly end up paying lip service to the basic issues of
roti, kapda aur makan.
Some columnists see some deeper links with the rise of fundamentalism and social tensions, besides the frequent military takeovers and the endemic
poverty. Masud Ali Shaikh writing in the daily News International says: “The way Pakistani masses are treated has created doubts whether we are really a part of the human race that is boastfully referred to as the cream of all creation. Pakistani nation stands divided into two distinct classes whom we would call the “Privileged” class (human beings) and the “Underprivileged” class (non-human beings). In the good old days, sociologists used to call these two classes as the “haves” and the
“have-nots”.” Shaikh is clearly pained by the poverty and the exploitation by the clever lots. He writes: “These terms do not apply adequately to the Pakistani society. Here, the difference between the “haves” and the “have-nots” is so glaring that only the former can be referred to as human beings, not the latter. It goes to the credit of the privileged Pakistanis that they are a very clever lot. Actually, had they not been sufficiently clever, they too would find themselves in the category of the underprivileged Pakistanis. They know that they derive all their power, their authority, and their wealth from the underprivileged masses that they do not consider to be the offspring of Adam and Eve. They do employ various subterfuges like “Human Rights”, “Poverty Alleviation”, “Police Reforms”, “Cheap Justice at People’s Doorsteps”, etc, to keep the flickering candle of hope burning in the hearts of the unprivileged mass of Pakistanis.”
Andleeb Abass in Daily Times discussed the issue of poverty alleviation with an eye on the different approaches. She wrote, “This sense of powerlessness causes mental and psychological agony to the poor, making them more vulnerable to exploiters and further entrapping them into the vicious circle of poverty. The need to empower the poor to restore social and economic balance has never been felt more than now. Despite a dramatic improvement in Pakistan’s macro economic indicators in the last year, poverty has actually increased to a level where almost one-third of the country’s population finds itself living below subsistence level”. But as South Asian Tribune, the weekly web newspaper, in a lead story discussed the major financial scandal rocking the Musharraf regime, would anyone pay attention as to how the money is being eaten away? “The State Bank of Pakistan has suffered a massive loss of over Rs 6.2 billion in the murky sale and purchase of dollars from the kerb market, the Auditor-General of Pakistan has found. According to some estimates almost $ 10 billion have so far been purchased by the financial wizards of the Musharraf government to boost foreign exchange reserves in the past four years. The total reserve stands at $ 10 billion. This irregularity has been brought to the notice of Musharraf by the Auditor-General. But his findings have simply been dumped and the President is sitting uneasy over the case, hopefully that the scandal would not explode in the media.” Ironically, the policy to buy dollars from the open market was introduced by the Nawaz Sharif government after Pakistan went nuclear in May, 1998, which brought all kinds of sanctions from all corners of the world. According to one expert $ 5.2 billion was purchased from the open market, money charges and the rest through inter bank market. The Governor of the State Bank is on record having said that these purchases have helped Pakistan new short-term commercial loans. So who cares for the poor who otherwise constitute over 40 per cent of the population. |
|
|
Pakistan remembers Tohra
Islamabad, April 5 The meeting was arranged by the Sikh Muslim Friendship Association (SMFA) of Pakistan. Pakistan Gurdwara Committee chief Sham Singh and prominent Left-wing writer Syed Sibt-e-Hussain Zaigum spoke at the reference yesterday, the report added. They paid tributes to Mr Tohra for his efforts to promote friendship between the Muslims and the Sikhs. The speakers recalled Mr Tohra’s simple lifestyle despite his position as the top Sikh religious leader. — UNI |
|
Rice’s testimony linked to threat to make photo public?
A senior member of the commission investigating the September 11 attacks faxed a historical photograph to the White House last week with a note saying that if the Bush administration didn’t allow National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to testify in public before the commission, the photograph would “be all over Washington in 24 hours.”
The photograph, from a November 22, 1945, New York Times story, showed presidential Chief of Staff Adm. William D. Leahy appearing before a special congressional panel investigating the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The point was clear: The White House could no longer get away with the claim that Dr Rice’s appearance would be a profound breach of precedent. Last week, President George W. Bush announced he was allowing Dr Rice to appear, as long as her appearance was not considered a precedent. She will testify before the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States on April 8. Bush has also agreed to testify, alongside Vice-President Dick Cheney, but the session will be private, unsworn and unrecorded. A commission spokesman yesterday confirmed that the Newsweek report that the panel’s Executive Director Philip Zelikow, a University of Virginia historian, had faxed the photograph last Monday. Spokesman Al Felzenberg said Zelikow had met other commissioners to come up with ways to persuade the White House to let Dr Rice testify. A White House spokesman, however, said it was wrong to suggest that the faxed photograph led to Bush’s volte-face. “We’ve had an ongoing dialogue with the commission about the best ways that we can provide them with the information they need to complete their work,” Brian Besanceney said. “The President is pleased we came to an agreement.” Commission member Tim Roemer, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana, said the photograph was just one element of Bush’s decision. “I know that Zelikow found some type of close historical precedent and standard,” Roemer told CNN. “Again, this may have been one of the straws on the camel’s back, but the camel certainly had the big load of the 9/11 commission with bipartisan support insisting on Dr Rice’s public and sworn testimony… I think all these things built to a crescendo that had the White House change their mind,” Roemer said. “I don’t think the White House would change its mind based on one fax.” “This is what happens when you hire historians,” joked commission chairman Thomas H. Kean, a Republican and the former governor of New Jersey, in reference to Zelikow’s successful effort at digging up the historical photograph. |
|
Sharon backtracks on Arafat’s safety
Jerusalem, April 5 Sharon, in a series of media interviews, also disclosed the scope of Israel’s planned unilateral pullback from occupied land. He intends to remove all its settlements in the Gaza Strip, but no more than four in the West Bank, he said. “I am not vouching for his physical safety,” Sharon said about Arafat. “Whoever kills Jews or orders Jews and Israeli citizens to be killed... is a marked man,” Sharon told Ynet, the website of Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. Sharon acknowledged he had promised Bush not to harm Arafat physically. But he said “there have been changes since then”, including a US decision to adopt Israel’s refusal to negotiate with Arafat. —
Reuters |
|
Kumaratunga names Rajapakse as PM Colombo, April 5 Sources close to 58-year-old Rajapkse said he would be sworn in as the island nation’s 13th Prime Minister tomorrow morning. Kumaratunga, whose Freedom Alliance fell eight seats short of majority in Parliament, had earlier held back naming her first preference for prime ministership 71-year-old former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar following strong resistance from Rajapakse. Rajapakse has been asked to come to President’s official residence tomorrow morning for the swearing-in ceremony, sources in his office said. Kadirgamar is credited with getting the Tamil Tigers banned overseas but is not a grass roots politician. He entered Parliament in 1994 as a nominated legislator. Rajapakse on the other hand had been a legislator since 1970 and enjoys wide support among the rank and file of the party. He is now expected to be sworn in tomorrow. Some youngsters in the party today suggested a secret ballot to resolve the issue of the next premier, but sources said Kumaratunga now appeared to be leaning more towards Rajapakse although it was still not a done deal. —
PTI
|
|
|
Colombo, April 5 The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said their overwhelming sweep of the island’s north and east in Friday’s general election was a “major victory” and an endorsement of their nationalist struggle. “A clear message has been delivered by Tamils that the concepts of Tamil homeland, Tamil Nationalism and the right for Tamil self-rule should be accepted as the basic aspirations of the Tamil people,” a statement said. The Tamil problem should be politically resolved on that basis, failing which they will fight to establish Tamil sovereignty in their homeland on the principle of self-determination,” it added. The warning posted on the LTTE’s peace secretariat website came hours after results of the poll were officially released showing President Kumaratunga’s Freedom Alliance (FA) leading the pack with 105 seats in the 225-member Parliament. —
PTI |
|
|
Row over ANC posters featuring Gandhi
Durban, April 5 Those opposed to the ANC have vehemently criticised the move, saying “Gandhi would not have voted for the ANC”, while those supporting the party have drawn historical links between Gandhi and its leaders to justify the use of the pictures. One poster shows the photos of Gandhi, former President Nelson Mandela and current incumbent Thabo Mbeki with words “Peace, freedom and democracy” in an apparent indication that they pursued the same pholosophies. Another depicts the Mahatma’s picture and poses a query “Who would have Gandhi voted for?” and a third one carrying a picture of his granddaughter Ela with the answer “Gandhi would have voted for the ANC.” Addressing an election rally in the mainly Indian township of Chatsworth at the weekend, the leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance, Tony Leon, said Gandhi would have had “profound differences with the ANC”. —
PTI |
|
|
29 killed in Iran road accident
Tehran, April 5 The accident occurred near Gonabad, a town 270 km south of the provincial capital city of Mashhad. Some of the injured were reported to be in a critical condition. The police has opened an investigation into the crash. Iran has one of the highest rates of fatal road accidents in the world. —
AFP |
|
Maoist rebels kill 9 cops in Nepal
Kathmandu, April 5 About 400 rebels were involved in the attack in Yadukuna village, about 300 km southeast of the capital, Kathmandu, said police official Tokendra Hamal. Nine policemen were killed and 26 went missing and feared to have been kidnapped by the rebels, he said. In a separate incident, five Maoists trying to attack a security van were shot dead at Hasuliya village in Kailali district, a local daily said. One of the dead was the head of the so-called District People Government of the Maoists, it added. Three women rebels were also killed during an offensive at Laduk in Dolakha district yesterday, it said. — AP, PTI |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | National Capital | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon backed away today from a personal pledge to US President George W. Bush not to harm Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Sharon, in a series of media interviews, also disclosed the scope of Israel’s
planned unilateral pullback from occupied land. 
