New Delhi, October 9
Alarmed by the continuing discovery of live rockets and shells in many parts of the Capital and western Uttar Pradesh in the aftermath of the September 30 Sahibabad steel factory explosion, the authorities are now seriously considering handing over the investigations to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) because of possible international ramifications.

So far, the police has seized 51 shells and rockets, many of them live, which were found abandoned during the past eight days even as experts from the Army and the National Security Guards (NSG) continue to sift through truckloads of imported steel scrap meant for various steel factories in the area.

Senior Uttar Pradesh police officials admitted in private that the state police was ill-equipped to handle such a case, which in all possibility had national and international ramifications. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Ghaziabad, had yesterday claimed that they were planning to seek the help of the Interpol in the investigations. The Interpol liaison in the country is handled by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Sources said senior police, intelligence and internal security officials had been regularly exchanging notes on the developments and were unanimous that the matter needed a thorough probe by a federal agency.

“The matter is too sensitive to be left to the state police alone”, a senior officer said.

Apart from the terrorist angle, the role of officials of the Customs and Excise Department, both at the port of entry and inland container depots, needs to be examined, according to these sources.

The antecedents of the Dubai-based export company, which reportedly handled the deadly consignment, need to be verified as well.

Officials involved in the initial probe into the factory blast, which claimed the lives of 10 labourers, have already concluded that the presence of so many live shells and rockets could not have been accidental. They suspect the involvement of a well-oiled clandestine organisation of arms suppliers.

Meanwhile, special teams of police officials and experts have fanned out in several districts of western Uttar Pradesh to inspect the scrap stored in steel factories. As a precaution, these factories have been asked to shut down operations till the officials give them a clean chit to prevent any accidents.

New Delhi, October 9
At a SAFMA regional conference here today where Indo-Pak relations were compared to the protagonists of the famous cartoon strip “Tom and Jerry”, External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh said the Indo-Pakistan ties were “accident-prone” which needed to be handled with care.

Mr Natwar Singh’s speech reflected the sentiments expressed by SAFMA Secretary-General Imtiaz Alam who quoted his journalist colleague from Pakistan as having commented in an article that the Indo-Pak relations were like Tom and Jerry: the cartoon characters who can neither live separately nor stop fighting each other.

Mr Natwar Singh delivered a politically-loaded speech at a South-Asian Free Media Association regional conference here wherein he said the Indo-Pakistan peace process was “critically dependent” on Islamabad stopping its support to cross-border terrorism.

He said “steady progress” was being made in India-Pakistan relations. “India is committed to moving ahead with the composite dialogue... We remain committed to deepening our engagement. However, the whole process is critically dependent on the fulfillment of President Musharraf’s reassurance of January 6, 2004, not to permit any territory under Pakistan’s control to be used to support terrorism in any manner.”

He was speaking after inaugurating a SAFMA regional conference on “Inter-state Conflicts in South Asia”, which was attended by a high-profile gathering of diplomats, international affairs specialists and journalists.

Though Mr Natwar Singh had a prepared text, he frequently strayed from it and made a number of points extempore, virtually all on Indo-Pak relations. Consider one such example.

He said both India and Pakistan had agreed to restore normalcy in their bilateral ties and implement the confidence-building measures (CBMs). “It needs very hard work. It needs strong nerves and patience. That is because the Indo-Pakistan relations are accident-prone.”

Mr Natwar Singh talked of “a very strange relationship” that India and Pakistan had and pointed out that at this point of time there was a distinct change in attitudes of the peoples, establishments, political leaders and media.

He talked of “a glimmer of hope” in the Indo-Pak context and said: “Today, the climate that characterises India-Pakistan relations is significantly different as compared to 2002. The two sides have been able to identify the areas of convergence and future cooperation.”

The minister advocated opening up of the markets in the SAARC region to each other’s films, educational and entertainment products such as audio and video CDs and DVDs.

Mr Natwar Singh said the SAARC region needed its own version of the BBC, CNN or Al-Jazeera. “India is keen to support the process of free movement of media and media products within the region.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Media Adviser, who attended the inaugural session, read out the PM’s message. The Prime Minister said: “Creating a neighbourhood of peace and stability is a high priority of our government. In this effort, the media can play a substantial and crucial role by shaping ideas that can overcome the burden of past perceptions.”

New Delhi, October 9
Accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of creating "confusion" among the people on the issue of reservation for weaker sections in private sector, the BJP yesterday demanded clarification from him.

"He (PM) had made two contradictory statements on the issue from two different forums in Mumbai on Wednesday, which has created confusion. The BJP has already sought clarification from the UPA government," BJP spokesperson Arun Jaitley told newspersons here.

"The UPA government itself seems to be not clear on the issue," he said adding that the main Opposition party BJP wanted a national debate on the issue.

"In our 'Vision Document', we have made our policy very clear that there should be a national debate on how to shape the private sector to persuade it to give larger opportunity to the weaker sections of the society," Mr Jaitley said.

He said his party would favour "affirmative" action on the matter.

The party is of the opinion that tax incentives should be given to the private enterprises for giving reservations.

Asked about the Election Commission's critical remarks against the government, Mr Jaitley said it was a "rare" occasion that the Central Government had been censured for "clear violation of the model
code of conduct".

On the continued recovery of explosives in various parts of the country, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP leader said the government needed to take the issue of internal security seriously and investigate whether any threat was being posed to the nation and take appropriate firm action.

New Delhi, October 9
Calling for the enforcement of strong preventive measures to check drug trafficking and organised crime, India yesterday suggested the adoption of uniform laws by member countries of Interpol to facilitate speedy extradition of criminals.

India also suggested the signing of extradition treaties and mutual legal agreements among the member countries having provision for forfeiture of proceeds of illicit drug trafficking.

“Drug trafficking can be checked by entering into extradition treaties and mutual legal agreements having provision for forfeiture of proceeds from drug trade,” CBI Director US Misra, also the Chief of Interpol, India, said addressing the 73rd General Assembly Session of Interpol at Cancun in Mexico on Thursday, a CBI press note said here yesterday.

Uttaranchal DGP Kanchan Choudhury Bhattacharya, who is part of the five-member Indian delegation, said a holistic approach was needed to tackle trafficking of women and children and suggested that proper rehabilitation facilities be provided to them.