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7 parties demonstrate against Nepal King
Pervez calls for jihad against extremists
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UK Muslims issue fatwa against London bombings
Pak foreign office summons Indian envoy
13 killed in Chechnya blast
Three Iraqi lawmakers killed
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7 parties demonstrate against Nepal King
Kathmandu, July 19 Top leaders of the seven-party alliance, including Nepali Congress (NC) President Girija Prasad Koirala, Nepal Communist Party-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar and NC (Democratic) Acting President Gopalman Shrestha, were stopped by the police as they reached the Royal Nepal Academy hall for a pre-scheduled meeting of former MPs, which they called “Third Parliament”, to discuss the royal government’s budget and other programmes. After they were stopped by the security personnel surrounding the RNA hall, the top political leaders and about 2,500 party cadres chanted anti-King slogans and demonstrated on the street defying the government’s ban, said Nepali Congress sources. Koirala condemned the Royal government for preventing the meeting from taking place at the RNA hall which, party sources said, had been booked by paying Rs 35,000 as charges. “It was a deplorable act of the government, as they have stopped us from exercising our democratic right to hold peaceful meetings,” said Shrestha. The former MPs were supposed to discuss the budget and other programmes announced “illegally by the illegitimate government,” he told PTI. Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Chitralekha Yadav was supposed to preside over the meeting of the members of the dissolved House of Representatives. She, however, addressed the gathering at the main gate, where security personnel were heavily deployed and postponed the meeting till July 26, when Upper House members will meet. She also condemned the government’s act of preventing the meeting of the ex-MPs. Earlier, eight student organisations belonging to the seven-party alliance blocked road at Nayabaneshwor for half-an-hour demanding democracy and civil liberties, student sources said. The police interevened and lathi-charged to break the protest in which at least half-a-dozen students were injured. Kishor Rathore, President, Nepal Students Union (Democratic) and Kalyan Gurung, Joint Secretary, sustained head injuries during the lathi-charge, said sources close to the NSU (Democratic). The students also demanded release of six of their leaders who were arrested during a pro-democracy agitation last week. The eight student bodies had last night held a torch demonstration in Kathmandu, opposing the February 1 Royal takeover by King Gyanendra.
— PTI |
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Pervez calls for jihad against extremists
Islamabad, July 19 “From 1999 to 2002 I have selected people, and I believe I have selected the right people for the right jobs by following merit. Now it is your (the nation) responsibility not to elect the wrong people and to launch jihad against religious extremists,” the President said while inaugurating the National Youth Convention 2005. Referring to the London bomb blasts, he said it was against the spirit of Islam and Koran to blow up oneself in order to kill innocent people. The religious extremists and terrorists had given a bad name not only to Islam but to Pakistan as well. These extremists wanted to impose their views on others despite the fact that these self-styled champions of Islam practised ‘hypocrisy’ and seldom followed what they preached, he added. General Musharraf emphasised that Islam was not an issue in the country as 98 per cent of its people were Muslim. But the religious extremists, who could not go side by side with the changes taking place at the global level and who were against the concept of enlightened moderation, wanted to take the country to an age of darkness and ignorance by forcing a Taliban-styled government on Pakistan. He said the international community hoped that Pakistan could play a leading role in the Muslim world by spreading the concept of enlightened moderation but, at the same time, it feared the transfer of power to religious extremists. Pakistan, he said, was facing three internal threats: religious terrorism and extremism, sectarianism and provincial disharmony and added that religious extremists had trained their own armies. |
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UK Muslims issue fatwa against London bombings
London, July 19 The fatwa or formal legal opinion issued by the British Muslim Forum (BMF) at Parliament expressed condolences to the families of the victims of the atrocity and wished the injured a speedy recovery. Fiftysix persons died and 700 injured in the serial bombings in London underground tubes and a bus on July 7. “Islam condemns the use of violence and the destruction of innocent lives and suicide bombings are vehemently prohibited,” the decree said. More than 50 Muslim religious leaders from around the UK stood together outside the Houses of Parliament to hear the fatwa read out. Gul Mohammad, Secretary-General of the BMF, quoted the Quran as saying: “Whoever kills a human being... then it is as though he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a human life it is as though he had saved all mankind.” He went on: “Islam’s position is clear and unequivocal: murder of one soul is the murder of the whole of humanity; he who shows no respect for human life is an enemy of humanity. We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism in the world. We pray for the pace, security and harmony to triumph in multicultural Great Britain.” The BMF is an umbrella group launched in March 2005 with nearly 300 mosques affiliated to it. According to the BBC, the fatwa will be read out in mosques across the country on Friday.
— PTI |
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Pak foreign office summons Indian envoy
Islamabad, July 19 “The Indian Deputy High Commissioner was summoned to the foreign office today and a strong protest was lodged,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Naeem Khan said here this afternoon. Yesterday, Pakistan’s Director- General Military Operations (DGMO) had also spoken to his Indian counterpart and protested over this “violation of ceasefire and intrusion of LoC”. He demanded the initiation of an immediate inquiry into the incident. “The leadership of Pakistan and India are committed to the resolution of all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, through peaceful means and the Indian Government must ensure against the recurrence of such incidents,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman said last
night.— UNI |
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13 killed in Chechnya blast
Moscow, July 19 Unidentified gunmen fired at the police vehicle from a VAZ-21099 car and killed a policemen. The bomb went off as the local police arrived at the scene. The police are searching for the perpetrators of the terrorist attack. The explosive device has not yet been located, media reports said. At least five other people were wounded, Itar-Tass said quoting local officials. “According to preliminary information, two of the dead are policemen and the rest could be the local people,” said an official spokesman. Moscow has been trying for years to crush an insurgency in mainly Muslim Chechnya by separatist rebels.
— UNI |
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Three Iraqi lawmakers killed
Baghdad, July 19 The 71-member committee is due to deliver Iraq’s new constitution by August 15. Fifteen Sunni members joined it last month, making it the first nationwide political body to include significant Sunni representation since the new government took power in April. — Reuters |
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In video: London bombs reverberate in Pakistani
Madrasas. (
