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50 die in Pak train mishap
APDM firm on poll boycott
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Conditional US aid won’t help: Pak
Sobhraj to remain in jail
Santa’s chopper shot at
Magna Carta sold for $21.3 mn
Human Trafficking
Convicted Indian American couple to lose mansion
US official forced to quit over query on Hindus
Indian pilgrims take part in stoning ritual at Mina
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Karachi, December 19 Fourteen of the 16 coaches of the Karachi Express jumped the tracks at Mehrabpur in Naushero Feroze district at 2.25 am (2.55 am IST) while it was on its way from this port city to Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. Caretaker railways minister Mansoor Tariq confirmed at least 45 deaths while the Pakistan army said it had evacuated 38 bodies and 150 injured people from the site. President Pervez Musharraf ordered an immediate inquiry by the Pakistan Railways into the causes of the accident and directed the authorities to fix responsibility. Railways general manager Asad Saeed, meanwhile, said a broken track joint caused the derailment and ruled out the possibility that the accident occurred due to a terrorist activity. “A welded track joint broke. Tracks shrink in winter. There are many forces on the track and sometimes (a) joint breaks,” he said.The railway tracks are old and government is replacing them. An investigation has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the accident, Saeed said. Some of the derailed coaches were badly mangled when they slammed into each other as they hurtled off the tracks. People remained trapped in the damaged coaches for up to 10 hours after the accident and officials said the death toll could rise. — PTI
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APDM firm on poll boycott
The All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) has decided to launch a countrywide campaign after Eidul Azha for popular mobilisation on boycott of elections until reinstatement of the independent judges. It further vowed to build up the movement for ousting President Pervez Musharraf by exposing his own illegal election and the “fraudulent” general elections. The alliance unanimously adopted a 12-point declaration at the end of its national convention held here under chairmanship of Mahmood Khan Achakzai. The APDM leadership made a nationwide appeal to the people of Pakistan to boycott the “farce” being enacted in the name of elections. JI president Qazi Hussain Ahmed, PTI chief Imran Khan, Dr Qadir Magsi, Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch, Abid Hassan Minto, Ghulam Mustafa Khar, Rasul Bakhsh Palejo, Ghulam Mustafa Khar, Justice Wajeehuddin Ahmed (retd), Asghar Khan and Hameed Gul were prominent among the participants. Representatives of the civil society, the lawyers’ community, and the APDM candidates who have withdrawn their nomination papers were also present at the conference. The conference declared that fair and free elections were not possible without independent judiciary, free media and revival of the constitution. It called for an independent election commission and a neutral caretaker government enjoying full powers without interference or manipulation at any level by the forces of establishment, including the intelligence agencies, police, bureaucracy and functionaries of the local government. The APDM also declared imposition of the emergency on November 3 as ‘unconstitutional, illegitimate, immoral and unacceptable’. It called for nullifying proclamation of the emergency, provisional constitutional order and ‘all unconstitutional actions of Musharraf during the emergency.
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Pak artist Gulgee found murdered in his home
Ismail Gulgee, one of Pakistan’s best known artist, was found dead along with his wife Zarine and a maid at their Karachi residence on Wednesday. The initial investigations reveal that they were killed about two to three days ago. The police broke open the house after the neighbours reported that they felt a severe stink. Ismail Gulgee was an award-winning, world famous Pakistani artist who was born in Peshawar on October 25, 1926. A qualified engineer from the US, he was a self-taught abstract and a portrait painter. From about 1960, Gulgee was noted as an abstract painter influenced by the tradition of Islamic calligraphy and by the American “action painting”. The first exhibition of his art-work was held in 1950. One of his most famous early works was the portrait of Afghanistan’s Shah Zahir Shah painted in 1957. He also had the honour of making the portraits of Prince Karim Agha Khan, former princess of Iran- Deeba, and former president of Pakistan, Ayub Khan. Transcending simple canvas and paint formulae, Gulgee was known for using mixed materials in his art and was a sculptor with an exceptional skill, a legacy that lives on in his son Amin Gulgee.
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Conditional US aid won’t help: Pak
Pakistan on Wednesday regretted the conditions imposed by the US House of representatives on the military and said these would not help matters.
“The conditionality to aid will not be helpful,” foreign office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said while responding to questions at his weekly press briefing. He said the military aid bill has yet to go through some more stages and the conditions approved by the House are only the first stage. Pakistan hopes that it would not be subjected to any unreasonable conditionality, he added. The House approved conditions that require the state department’s certification on Pakistan’s performance regarding anti-terrorism measures, restoration of full democracy including independence of judiciary and media freedom. Sadiq said Pakistan was successfully moving towards a complete civilian democratic set up. Elections would be held on January 8 and the new government led by the winning party would be in place while President Musharraf would act as a civilian president. The Constitution has been restored including all fundamental rights and civil liberties. Responding to another question, the spokesman said the Commonwealth was likely to review its decision on Pakistan’s suspension after the elections. He did not comment on a statement by Commonwealth secretary- general that the organisation has to take into view the concerns raised by the opposition regarding the fairness of the elections. The spokesman also rejected a statement by the Indian Prime Ministers’ security adviser that some terrorist activities in India still originated from Pakistan.
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Kathmandu, December 19 It ruled that the status quo will be maintained in the matter and ordered the reopening of another fake passport case against him. Also known as a ‘serpent’ for his skills of deception and evasion, 63-year-old Sobhraj had filed an appeal in the apex court against the life sentence given to him by the Kathmandu District Court over the murder of American backpacker Connie Bronzich. He is suspected to have killed at least 12 travellers in India, Thailand and Nepal A two-member Supreme Court Bench decided to maintain the status quo in the Connie Bronzich murder case. It also ordered the reopening of fake passport case against the notorious criminal, which was earlier dismissed. It said both the cases will be heard simultaneously. Sobhraj, a half-Vietnamese and half-Indian, is a French national. He was arrested from Casino Royale in Kathmandu in August 2003. Earlier Sobhraj, an international fugitive, had sent a written statement to the Nepal Supreme Court claiming that his conviction by the district court was based on a false news reports and documents without any eyewitness account being produced by the prosecution. — PTI
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Rio De Janeiro, December 19 Drug traffickers in a Rio slum opened fire on a helicopter carrying a Santa to a children’s party, apparently istaking it for a police helicopter, police said Tuesday. “They thought it was a police operation and started shooting. Luckily, nobody was hurt,” a police official said. The helicopter had to return to its base after the attack. Two bullet holes were found in its fuselage. Police said the pilot, contracted to take an actor dressed as Santa to the party in the Nova Mare slum, was flying overthe neighboring Vila Joao shantytown when it was fired upon on Sunday. Madrid: Santa Claus is under attack by his traditional rivals in Spain, the Three Kings, in an advertising campaign that shows the jolly man in red shot down in an alley and calls him over-commercial and cruel to elves. Spanish children traditionally receive Christmas presents on Jan. 6, when parades commemorate the Three Kings said to have followed the Star of Bethlehem to bring presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Christ. But in recent years Santa Claus has made inroads during the holiday season, helped by Hollywood films and shops eager to use his image to persuade parents to buy more toys. Now, a Spanish advertising agency is fighting back with acampaign that includes posters on Madrid streets and a rap video criticising Santa to win back the festive season for the Three Kings. In the video, three rapping Kings backed by dancing girls taunt Santa as an overweight import whose red costume was popularised by a Coca Cola advertising campaign. “We’re the Three Kings — who the Hell are you?” they chant in the expletive-laced video ending with Father Christmas being machine-gunned in an alley. On the video at www.yosoydelosreyesmagos.com, the rapping kings give a phone number for elves to call if Santa has exploited them in his factory, make fun of his trouser size and tell him to stay out of Spain. “Ho, ho, ho? You clown,” says one of the kings, as one of them passes a finger menacingly across his throat. — Reuters
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Washington, December 19 Putin, a former KGB official who was picked from obscurity in 1999 by then-president Boris Yeltsin, will appear on the cover of Time as the person the editors believe had the greatest impact on events this year, for better or worse. The choice came days after Putin announced a plan to hold onto power after his term ends. Putin said on Monday that if his close ally, Dmitry Medvedev, wins next year’s presidential vote, he would serve as Medvedev’s prime minister. The Russian president beat out several rivals for the Time distinction, including former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, British author J.K. Rowling, Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. Commander in Iraq Gen. David Petraeus. — Reuters
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Magna Carta sold for $21.3 mn
New York, December 19 Arguably the most important document ever to be auctioned, the vellum manuscript was picked up by a telephone bidder yesterday, selling for the lower range of its pre-sale estimate of $20 to 30 million. The royal charter, dated 1297 and bearing the wax seal of King Edward I, enshrined the rights of man into English law and is considered the precursor of such landmark historical documents as the US Declaration of Independence.
— AFP
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Human Trafficking
United Nations, December 19 According to a statement, millions of moviegoers will get to watch a two-minute video called “One Life No Price”, which is aimed at raising awareness about this form of modern-day slavery and spur action to prevent and combat the practice. To be shown before the upcoming movie “Welcome”, the video features actors like Feroz Khan, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Paresh Rawal and Mallika Sherawat. Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta and John Abraham have also been enlisted by UNODC.
— UNI
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Convicted Indian American couple to lose mansion
New York, December 19 US District Judge Arthur Spatt scheduled the sentencing for March 28 next year and will hold hearing to decide whether the bail of India-born Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani, 51 and his Indonesian born wife Varsha Sabhnani should be revoked and that they be sent to a federal prison. Each could get 20 years in prison. The defence lawyers said they plan to file an appeal perhaps as early as next month. The Sabhnanis mansion in an upscale neighbourhood in Long Island covers an area of 5,888-square foot on less than a half-acre property, Newsday reported quoting official country records. It has seven bathrooms. Comparable homes in the area are now selling for $ 1.6 million and $ 2.8 million, it said. Currently, Sabhnanis are on bail and living in their mansion which has been temporary turned into prison and are paying almost $ 10,000 per day for security which keeps an eye on them to ensure that they do not escape. The arrangement was agreed to after prosecutors said that they are flight risk as they might have funds outside the country. After an eight-week trial, Sabhnanis were convicted of enslaving two Indonesian women they had hired as domestic help and torturing them. The jury comprising seven men and five women had found them guilty on all 12 charges including forced labour, harbouring illegal aliens and servitude. The jurors, who spoke to the press, indicated that the pictures of the tortured maids had a major effect on them.
— PTI
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US official forced to quit over query on Hindus
Washington, December 19 Catherine Johnson, 71, stunned residents this month by claiming that neighbours told her several women urinated outside the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir during its 2000 groundbreaking
— and asking whether it was some sort of ritual, the Detroit News reported. The comments came during an emotionally charged meeting on December 3 about the $5 million plans to expand Hindu Temple of Canton, one of three in the community that serves Metro Detroit’s growing Indian community, it said. A defensive Johnson said she’s quitting not because she said anything wrong but because she was asked to. “It was a valid question. It was something that a few citizens contacted me at home about,” she said. “I try to ask questions about what citizens in the community would want to know.” But many Asian Indians said the question was an unfair characterisation of their culture and a lie. Others termed it as “racist” and complained it underscored stereotypes about cleanliness in India. “There is no ritual like that. Our religion says we are not supposed to urinate or spit in public. It desecrates other people’s property just like in any other religion,” Mukesh Patel, 56, was quoted as saying by the daily. “It’s a misconception and it’s offensive.” The controversy comes as immigration from India has made the community one of Metro Detroit’s largest ethnic groups.
— PTI
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Indian pilgrims take part in stoning ritual at Mina
Dubai, December 19 Around 1.50 lakh Indians took part in the ritual which will
continue on Thursday Indian consul-general Ausaf Sayeed while speaking to PTI over the phone said, “So far, everything has passed off peacefully and no untoward incident has been reported”. The Indian pilgrims are expected to finish the ritual by today evening and move to Mecca, he observed. Indian Haj Mission has set up its camp office in Mina to provide necessary facilities to the pilgrims, including a dispensary to provide treatment to them. — PTI
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