TOP leadership of the 4-party ruling coalition will meet in Islamabad on Tuesday to sort out some brewing differences within the alliance, with the restoration of deposed judges’ issue on top. PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan and JUI amir Maulana Fazlur Rehman will reach here on Monday for the meeting.

The conflicting statements by some PPP ministers and leaders on the judges’ issue and plans to tag it with a constitutional package has caused considerable concern within the PML-N which believes that Zardari had made categorical commitment in Murree on March 9 to restore judges through a resolution in the Assembly.

Senior minister and parliamentary leader of the PML-N in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan presided over a meeting of party MPs to discuss the disturbing situation. It was also felt that the PPP was drawing closer to President Pervez Musharraf under US persuasion. The US and Musharraf are also nudging the MQM to reconcile with the PPP to make it independent of Nawaz Sharif’s support.

Talking to reporters after the meeting Nisar shot down law minister Farook Naek’s proposal of a parliamentary committee to tackle the judges’ issue in tandem with a constitutional package on independence of judiciary. He said the PML-N would not join any such committee designed to complicate the issue.

Nawaz Sharif has issued strict orders to party leaders to avoid discussing differences with the PPP or criticising its actions. But the meeting on Tuesday would be decisive because of his categorical position on the restoration of judges. “There will be no compromise on this issue,” Nisar said while responding to a question.

Political observers here said the formation of the PML-led government in Punjab, the country’s biggest province, will set in motion the dynamics of a new political reality making it difficult for Musharraf to stay any longer. The PPP is a major partner in the coalition in Punjab but Sharif has sufficient numbers with him to run the government without any outside help.

ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan is in synch with Sharif on the future of Musharraf. Fazlur Rehman has adopted a middle course but is likely to support the restoration of judges and will go along with the coalition if it decides to impeach Musharraf. Fazl is also wary of America’s increasing interference in country’s internal affairs to influence its policies in tribal areas. Talking to reporters in Multan, Fazl said there was no dissension within the coalition but acknowledged that divergence of perceptions and approach did exist. He hoped these would be resolved in Tuesday’s meeting.

When a questioner pointed out that the PML-N ministers agreed to be administered oath by Musharraf, Nisar said these ministers do not owe their position to Musharraf. They were elected by the people. But the party agreed to be part of the coalition government in the larger national interest and on the assurance that judges would be restored within thirty days.

Toronto, April 12
‘Air India 182’, a new Canadian documentary about the 1985 Kanishka bombing that claimed 329 lives, will have its world premiere at the Hot Docs film festival here on April 18. The film offers a first-person account of the conspiracies leading up to the attack on the airliner and the roles Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) played in its aftermath.

The documentary has “profound implications about the way we think of ourselves and the society we live in,” Toronto filmmaker Sturla Gunnarsson, who has written and directed it, said here. Canadians need to wake up to the history of the tragedy of Air India flight 182, “the most deadly incident of air terrorism before 9/11,” Gunnarsson said. “This was as significant to Canada as (the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks) were to the United States. You had people in our society using all of the civil liberties we hold so dear to try and destroy us. It was necessary to try and understand it. When the trial ended, it dawned on me that all the information was in the public domain and I realised what we needed to do was distil it down,” Gunarsson added. ‘Air India 182’ is produced by David York and Gunarsson.

Hot Docs — the 15th Canadian International Documentary Festival — will be held from April 17 to 27. — PTI

Washington, April 12
Amid mounting calls for him to skip the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, US President George W Bush has said he would attend the Games in support of the American athletes while continuing to raise concerns with China about its crackdown in Tibet. "My plans haven't changed," Bush said in a television interview on his Texas ranch yesterday when asked if he was still insisting on going to the opening ceremony for the August 8-24 Olympics in Beijing.

"But what I find interesting about this just now is that this isn't a new issue for me. Every time I meet with the Chinese President, Hu Jintao, and I've met a lot with him, I bring up religious freedom and human rights," he told ABC News.

He, however, did not directly say whether he will skip opening ceremony, as some other Western leaders intend to do.

"I view this (Olympics) as an opportunity to support US athletes," said Bush, who has come under pressure from human rights groups and US politicians, including some Democrats and presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain, to stay away from the event.

Asked specifically if Bush will be going to the opening ceremony, White House Deputy Spokesman Scott Stanzel said, "We haven't made any announcements about the President's specific schedule." — PTI

Beijing, April 12
Hitting back, China today dubbed the European Parliament’s resolution on Tibet an “arrogant interference” in its internal affairs that would damage Sino-Europe relations. It has asked the bloc to “get rid of the ideological bias”.

China’s indignation was expressed by its top legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), saying it firmly opposed such resolutions and acts that “rudely interfered” with its domestic affairs, undermined Sino- Europe relations and “severely hurt” the emotions of the Chinese.

The NPC also dismissed as “slander” the EP resolution’s description of China’s action as “a cruel crackdown on Tibetan demonstrators” and said it was unacceptable to the Chinese government.

The resolution had urged the EU leaders to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics unless China held dialogue with the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing has been accusing of having orchestrated the strongest ever protests in two decades. — PTI

Dubai, April 12
The police is suspecting foul play in the death of a 40-year-old Indian whose family claimed he was found hanging in his room at his house in the Al Gubaibah area of Sharjah.

The police suspects there could be a criminal act behind the death of Kumar R as there was bleeding from injuries on his head.

It said his family took him to a private hospital in Sharjah instead of alerting it.

The hospital informed Al Gharb police station. The police rushed to the hospital and questioned the man's wife and a relative who said they entered the room and found the deceased hanging from a ceiling fan and added that when they tried to pull him down, he fell on the floor and hurt his head.

The police transferred the body to the forensic laboratory to ascertain the cause of Kumar's death and further investigation was underway, the Khaleej Times reported.

Kumar had long lived in Sharjah and had no police case against him. — UNI

New York, April 12
Several activist groups led by Amnesty International have held a demonstration here demanding measures by the Indian government to address issues concerning the victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.

More than 100 activists and around 50 activist groups protested outside the Indian Consulate here yesterday and called for constitution of a special commission to look into matters like rehabilitation of the victims and quick legal action against Union Carbide and Dow Chemical.

Several thousand people were killed and injured when toxic methyl isocyanate gas was released from the Union Carbide plant on December 3, 1984.

Union Carbide has since been bought by Dow Chemicals and the activists say the buyer has the same liability as the original company.

The organisers collected over 1000 signatures on a petition addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accusing the government of not fulfilling the promises made to the victims two years ago when they organised a protest march from Bhopal to New Delhi, covering nearly 800 km.

The protesters also demanded cancellation of the approval given to Reliance to "purchase" Union Carbide's technology, "aggressively" holding Dow Chemical responsible for clean up of the toxic areas in Bhopal and annulling the registration of four pesticide plants that Dow obtained licenses for by "paying bribes." — PTI

Dubai,April 12
Gearing up to stage a comeback , actor-turned- politician Shatrughan Sinha has said he has plans to return to Bollywood with a 'big-banner' film.

"My fans and friends always ask me to return to the film industry actively.They say I have a fair amount of popularity and respectability.And today, I have good offers too," Sinha said during a visit to Kuwait. The actor who started his career in the early 1970s and moved to politics during the last decade revealed he had plans to return to Bollywood with a film that suits his reputation. "I plan to return to film acting with a bang.My return will be through a big banner film and a good package which will suit my stature and reputation," Sinha told Kuwait Times.

"It may be even a good comedy movie. Filmmaker 'Soori' Ramesh Talwar has expressed his interest in doing a film with me. I will finalise everything when I get back home from Kuwait," he added.

Showering praise on Aamir Khan for making a "wonderful and gripping" film on his directorial debut, Sinha said Aamir had made content-based cinema at a time when the industry was focusing more on glamour. — PTI

BRIEFLY

New robot sets record for distance walking
NEW YORK: Scientists have developed a robot which they claim has set a new record by walking nonstop for around 10 km at a stretch.An earlier version of the same robot had already set a record by free-walking a bit over 1 km.But this new robot, developed by Cornell University researchers led by Prof Andy Ruina, walked until it finally stopped and fell backward, perhaps because its battery ran down. Unlike other walking robots that use motors to control every movement, the robot named Ranger emulates human walking, using gravity to help swing its legs forward. — PTI

Google Earth to highlight endangered species
LONDON: In a bid to preserve the world’s bio-diversity and help conservationists across the globe in protecting endangered species, Google Earth has launced a new programme. The Google Earth Outreach programme uses Google Earth and Maps to enable charities and NGOs to highlight their work by plotting points that can be accessed to provide written, audio and video information in what is known as a “layer”. The ARKive project, a collection of thousands of films and photographs of endangered species, will feature on the “layers” for Wildscreen, a charity that raises awareness of the world’s biodiversity, Telegraph reported. — UNI