W O R L D

No mention of Kashmir in US-Pak statement

Islamabad, March 4 Agreeing to launch a strategic dialogue covering a host of issues, including defence, peace, security and non-proliferation, the US and Pakistan today backed the Indo-Pak dialogue process to resolve bilateral disputes.

Pakistani police arrest an activist from a non-government organisation during an anti-Bush rally in Rawalpindi on Saturday. — AFP

Imran put under house arrest
Islamabad, March 4
Cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan was today put under house arrest and several of his associates taken into preventive custody, ahead of their planned rally to protest against US President George W Bush's visit to Pakistan.

Recognition of Israel not on agenda: Hamas
Moscow, March 4
Palestinian election winner Hamas will not recognise Israel despite pressure from Russia to do so during talks in Moscow, a senior leader of the Islamic militant group said today.

No mention of Kashmir in US-Pak statement
K.J.M. Varma

Islamabad, March 4
Agreeing to launch a strategic dialogue covering a host of issues, including defence, peace, security and non-proliferation, the US and Pakistan today backed the Indo-Pak dialogue process to resolve bilateral disputes, but made no reference to Kashmir in their joint statement.

The five-page statement issued here at the end of talks between US President George W. Bush and his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf said both leaders supported the peace process and composite dialogue between Pakistan and India for improvement of relations and resolution of disputes and building a better future in South Asia.

Asked why Kashmir had not been directly mentioned, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid M. Kasuri, who later addressed the media, said the statement mentioned resolution of disputes, which referred to Kashmir.

Probably this was the first occasion in a number of years when a Pakistani statement did not contain any direct reference to Kashmir.

General Musharraf said earlier during a joint press conference with Mr Bush, “I referred to Kashmir and requested him to remain involved for facilitating resolution of all issues, including Kashmir, to bring peace in the region.”

The issue of terrorism and Pakistan’s commitment to fight it also prominently figured in the statement.

The two leaders reaffirmed their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, it said, adding that President Bush was grateful for President Musharraf’s strong and vital support in the war on terror.

After General Musharraf asked Mr Bush to remain involved and act as a facilitator in resolving the Kashmir dispute, Mr Bush refused to be drawn into it, saying the best way for doing so was for leaders of the two countries to step up and lead.

“The best way for Kashmir to be resolved is for the leaders of both countries to step up and lead,” he said.

He made it clear that the role of the US was to continue to encourage the parties concerned to come together to resolve the issue.

“The atmosphere is changing,” he said, adding that confidence-building measures had begun to bear fruit.

The joint statement said the two leaders underscored the need for a comprehensive strategy for addressing the threat of terrorism and extremism. — PTI

Imran put under house arrest
KJM Varma

Islamabad, March 4
Cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan was today put under house arrest and several of his associates taken into preventive custody, ahead of their planned rally to protest against US President George W Bush's visit to Pakistan.

Khan was detained at his home here as he prepared to take out a march from Rawalpindi to Islamabad, which he had announced a couple of days back, according to leaders of his Tehrik-e-Insaf party.

Imran Khan's house arrest came as the Islamic Alliance Muttahida Majlis-e Amal (MMA) and Opposition parties observed a 'Black Day' today to protest against the American leader's visit.

Khan wanted to take out the rally to protest against Bush's backing to President Pervez Musharraf, which he charged had "seriously undermined" Pakistan's political parties' efforts to restore democracy in the country.

Khan was also detained in Lahore last week for attempting a similar rally.

Prior to his visit to Pakistan, Bush referred to Musharraf as his "buddy" and praised the General's "vision of democracy" in a media interview. "I believe that he is committed to having a reform process come to fruition and I believe he is committed to free and open elections," Bush had said.

Khan, who earlier used to be a supporter of Musharraf, has aligned closely with the MMA in carrying out anti-Musharraf and anti-US demonstrations.

"The reason why I am protesting against Bush policies is his endorsement of Musharraf's so called vision for democracy which is making us a fool. If Generals make such good leaders, he should propose a military general for presidency in America," Khan had earlier said. — PTI

Reyat to be kept in jail for two more years

Vancouver, March 4
Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only man ever convicted in the 1985 Air-India bombing that left 329 persons dead, would be kept in jail for two more years after a Canadian parole board ruled that he remained a threat to the community.

At a hearing in the Collins Bay Institution in Kingston, Ontario, where Reyat is being held, the three-member National Parole Board yesterday did not pay heed to Reyat's claims that he was no longer the "young and naive" terrorist who helped orchestrate the worst mass killing in Canadian history.

"We have decided to detain you," lead Board member Michael Crowley told Reyat. "We found you today to be evasive and contradictory in your responses and, as a consequence, in our view, (to) have little credibility." Mr Crowley said 53-year-old Reyat tried to play down his role in the bombing of Air- India's Kanishka flight off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985, and rejected his claim that he was duped into participating in the plot.

"You have minimalised your role in this horrific crime," Mr Crowley said. "You chose to commit this offence; you were not fooled into it." The board said it would be "difficult or impossible" to safely supervise Reyat if he was released into the community.

The victims' families and a Corrections Canada official argued that Reyat should not be released, and the panel agreed to keep him behind bars. — PTI

Recognition of Israel not on agenda: Hamas

Moscow, March 4
Palestinian election winner Hamas will not recognise Israel despite pressure from Russia to do so during talks in Moscow, a senior leader of the Islamic militant group said today.

Moussa Abu Marzouk, Hamas’s deputy political leader, told Reuters in an interview that recognising Israel would negate all Palestinian rights.

‘’It means a negation of the Palestinian people, their rights and their property, of Jerusalem and the holy sites, as well as negation of their right to return. Therefore the recognition of Israel is not on the agenda,’’ Abu Marzouk said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday told a Hamas delegation during the first day of talks that it must recognise Israel’s right to exist and abide by interim peace deals.

That echoes demands made by the quartet of West Asia mediators, which besides Russia includes the United Nations, the United States and the European Union.

The Moscow visit is the first by Hamas leaders to a major foreign power since it won the Palestinian elections in January.

Hamas is hoping to gain a measure of international standing from the three days of talks, opposed by Israel and the United States, which both brand the group as a terrorist organisation. — Reuters