Islamabad, December 22
Pakistan has realised that military solution to the Kashmir issue was not possible in the post-9/11 scenario, a meet here was told.

Any solution to the issue, which is not acceptable to Pakistan, India and Kashmiris, would not be viable, Lieut-Gen Talat Masud (retd), also former Defence Secretary, told the

briefing on Kashmir organised by Pakistan’s Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency yesterday.

Referring to many Pakistani proposals like demilitarisation and self-governance, he said some progress was possible if Islamabad came up with detailed options but for that there was a need to consult all Pakistani stakeholders.

Sherry Rehman, member of the National Assembly and head of policy planning wing of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), said her party had always rejected military solutions.

Rehman said the PPP always supported dialogue and rejected the one-man show of President Pervez Musharraf in foreign policy and called for bringing MPs and civil society on board.

She said parliamentary committees were the right fora for discussion and arriving at a consensus but lamented that the Pakistan government had developed a habit of bypassing such bodies.

Senator S.M. Zafar of the ruling Muslim League also agreed that military solution to the Kashmir issue was not possible as the present era was a “quest for peace”.

Farooq Sattar of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) said economic pressures influenced the foreign policy and called for a talk, trade and trust approach. — PTI

Baghdad, December 22
Saddam Hussein today again insisted at his trial that he had been beaten up by his American captors, calling Washington’s denials of abuse lies.

The former Iraqi leader yesterday told the court that he’d been beaten up “everywhere on my body. The marks are still there.” He did not display any marks.

Officials of the US denied the allegations, calling the claims “completely unfounded”.

Saddam said American denials couldn’t be believed, using as a rational the fact no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq despite pre-war claims by US President George W. Bush and other American officials that Saddam was harbouring such weapons.

“Zionists and Americans, I mean officials, hate Saddam Hussein. The man in the White House is a liar. He said there are chemical weapons in Iraq,” Saddam said. “He later said, We did not find anything in Iraq.”

Saddam claimed that the wounds he suffered from the alleged torture had been documented by at least two American teams and that it took eight months for some of the wounds to heal. He didn’t say where he was when he was allegedly beaten up.

The former leader again started talking about his claims during a time when he’s allowed to cross examine witnesses.

The former Iraqi leader and seven co-defendants are on trial for the deaths of more than 140 Shias after the attempt on Saddam’s life in the town of Dujail, north of Baghdad. — AP

Washington, December 22
The IMF yesterday agreed to cancel $ 3.3 billion owed by 19 of the world's poorest countries, after reports that it was back-tracking on the debt-relief plan sparked an outcry.

The IMF, which had previously said it wanted one last "spot check" of the nations' economic policies, said its board had now approved them for relief under a global debt cancellation plan unveiled by the G8 powers.

"We are on track to deliver 100 per cent debt relief within the coming weeks to 19 of the 20 countries," IMF spokesman Thomas Dawson said after a two-hour board meeting chaired by Managing Director Rodrigo Rato.

The Group of Eight powers in July announced their plan to cancel the debts of 18 of the world's poorest countries owed to the World Bank, the IMF and the African Development Bank.

The IMF added two countries to the G8 list- Cambodia and Tajikistan but dropped one, Mauritania. Mr Dawson said the IMF hoped to qualify Mauritania in the coming months after reviewing its public spending plans.

He said the $ 3.3 billion in debts owed by the 19 nations would finally be cancelled once the IMF had the approval of all 43 rich countries that had contributed to an anti-poverty trust set up by the fund.

"So far we have 37 consents. We're quite hopeful we'll get the remaining six in the next few weeks," Mr Dawson said.

Along with Cambodia and Tajikstan, the 19 countries set to benefit are Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. —AFP 

Dubai, December 22
Two companies in Sharjah have shut the doors on hundreds of Indian labourers, most of them hailing from Andhra Pradesh, without paying their salaries for months.

Among the victims of one of the companies are illegal overstayers who cannot lodge complaints, a media report said.

The company, which has an office in Rolla, calls itself a “manpower supplier,” but has no legal sanction to do it.

Labourers “employed” by the company on hourly basis have been combing the building for their employer every day for over two months, but the door remains locked, Gulf Today daily said.

Most of the labourers are from Andhra Pradesh and are not in a position to seek help from the authorities as they have no valid documents to stay in the UAE.

“Those labourers never complain to the authorities because they are illegal overstayers. Very often they come here to check if there is anybody in the office,” a source in the building said.

“They are afraid of deportation if caught,” said the watchman of the building. “Each of them has paid Rs 50,000 - 70,000 for a visit visa.” — PTI